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Healthy and the best scallion pancakes made of flour, green onion scallions and salt. This easy Chinese scallion pancake recipe is authentic and fail-proof!
Scallion Pancakes
Chinese scallion pancakes are healthy, vegan, crispy and delicious!
These pancakes are a type of savory flatbread made from dough, as opposed to western pancakes with a batter.
They are called cong you bing or 蔥油餅. You can find this delicacy as a popular street food in China and Taiwan.
They are commonly served as a breakfast, with soy milk, mantou, tea leaf eggs or soy sauce eggs.
Scallion Pancakes Recipe Ingredients
This scallion pancakes recipe is from my best-selling cookbook “Easy Chinese Recipes” published in 2011.
Here are the recipe ingredients:
- All-purpose flour.
- Scallion. Scallion is sometimes called green onion.
- Salt.
- Oil.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Scallion Pancakes
How To Make The Dough
Step 1. Sift the all-purpose flour into a big bowl and then add the salt and chicken bouillon powder (if using) into the flour. Combine well and set aside.
Step 2. Heat the water to a boil. Slowly add the water to the flour and knead the dough until it becomes soft, no longer sticky and the surface becomes smooth and shiny, about 15 minutes. If the dough is too dry, add 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of water to the dough. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Step 3. Heat the water to a boil. Slowly add the water to the flour and knead the dough until it becomes soft, no longer sticky and the surface becomes smooth and shiny, about 15 minutes. If the dough is too dry, add 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of water to the dough. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
How To Make Scallion Pancakes
Step 1. On a flat and floured surface, divide the dough into 8 small dough balls, as pictured.
Step 2. Working with one dough ball at a time, roll it to a thin disc using a rolling pin. Dust the rolling pin with some all-purpose flour as you go. Brush the surface of the pancake with the oil.
Step 3. Roll the dough into a cylinder.
Step 4. Coil it up like a snail.
Step 5. Dust the rolling pin with the flour and roll the snail-shape dough until flat, measuring about 6 inches (15cm) in diameter. Set the dough aside on a baking sheet. Repeat the steps above for the rest of the dough balls.
How To Fry Scallion Pancakes
Step 1. Add about 1/4 inch (6 mm) of oil into a stir-fry pan or skillet over moderately high heat. Transfer a piece of the pancake onto the pan or skillet.
Step 2. Shallow fry each side of the pancake to a light golden brown, about 1 minute. Flip the pancake over and shallow fry the other side.
Step 3. Add more oil, repeat the same for the remaining pancakes and serve immediately. They are best eaten with warm and homemade soy milk.
Helpful Tips
There are two basic methods of making scallion pancakes.
The first method is to make the plain dough, roll it out and then add the scallion and salt on the dough.
The second method is to combine the dough, scallion and salt together before rolling it out into pancakes.
My Chinese chef friend told me that both methods are authentic but the second method is a “shortcut” and great for beginners.
I like the second method as it’s easy and fail-proof.
Mixing the scallion with the dough infuses the dough with earthy aroma and fragrance of the green onion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, all the ingredients are vegan. This recipe is 100% vegan.
I don’t recommend freezing the dough but you can freeze the pancakes after you make them.
Place them in a plastic bag and keep in the freezer. To serve, just reheat the pancakes in a microwave or toaster oven.
Traditionally, there is no dipping sauce to go with the pancakes.
They are savory and tasty without any sauce.
Each piece of scallion pancake is only 118 calories.
What To Serve With Scallion Pancakes
Serve this scallion pancakes with braised pork belly (dong po rou) for a complete meal. For a wholesome Chinese meal, I recommend the following recipes.
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Scallion Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder, optional
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 – 4 stalks scallion , or green onion, green parts only, trimmed and cut into small rounds, to yield about a tightly packed 1/3 cup or more
- 2 tablespoons oil, for brushing
- Extra all-purpose flour, for dusting and rolling
- Oil, for frying
Instructions
- Sift the all-purpose flour into a big bowl and then add the salt and chicken bouillon powder (if using) into the flour. Combine well and set aside.
- Heat the water to a boil. Slowly add the water to the flour and knead the dough until it becomes soft, no longer sticky and the surface becomes smooth and shiny, about 15 minutes. If the dough is too dry, add 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of water to the dough. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Add the scallions into the dough and combine well.
Step-by-Step on How to Make Scallion Pancakes:
- On a flat and floured surface, divide the dough into 8 small dough balls, as pictured.
- Working with one dough ball at a time, roll it to a thin disc using a rolling pin. Dust the rolling pin with some all-purpose flour as you go. Brush the surface of the pancake with the oil.
- Roll the dough into a cylinder.
- Coil it up like a snail.
- Dust the rolling pin with the flour and roll the snail-shape dough until flat, measuring about 6 inches (15cm) in diameter. Set the dough aside on a baking sheet. Repeat the steps above for the rest of the dough balls.
Step-by-Step on How to Fry Scallion Pancakes:
- Add about 1/4 inch (6 mm) of oil into a stir-fry pan or skillet over moderately high heat. Transfer a piece of the pancake onto the pan or skillet.
- Shallow fry each side of the pancake to a light golden brown, about 1 minute. Flip the pancake over and shallow fry the other side.
- Add more oil, repeat the same for the remaining pancakes and serve immediately. They are best eaten with warm and homemade soy milk.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is the best recipe I’ve tried, being a novice pancake maker, I added the scallion into the dough, I like that way better. My scallion pancake was crispy on the outside and so fragrant, simple delicious, my daughter and husband couldn’t get enough of it. Also, I didn’t have bullion, I used more salt along with garlic and onion powder. Thanks!
Glad you like it.
Is this recipe ever served with Chinese wine vinegar by the person eating the pancake before eating it?
You can search with Chinese dark vinegar but you don’t have to. Just eat plain.
Is this recipe ever served with Chinese wine vinegar by the person eating the pancake before eating it?
Is there a trick to making them crispy? We’ve made these before, but they didn’t flake up very much and weren’t really crispy? I had these at a Chinese restaurant during Chinese New Year and thought their’s was no better than ours.
Hi Richard, scallion pancakes are not supposed to be crispy. They are crispy on the edges but overall, it’s a pancake. Yes, restaurant’s version won’t be much better because it’s just a pancake. If you want crispy you can deep fry them.
Can you just fry them after rolling them into a circle the first time? What is the purpose of rolling it into a cylinder and coiling it like a snail and then rolling it into a circle again?
Hi Monie, please follow the instructions. The steps will make the side of the scallion pancakes with layers and flaky. You will like it.
Please, what chicken bouillon powder do you use? And if you make your own, may we have the recipe please?
Hi I use Knorr brand. They have a non-MSG version. Thanks!
what can i substitute for the chicken Bullion? please let me know
You can use more salt.
Hi Bee,
I love your Malaysian pancake but I couldn’t find the recipe any more. Did you remove it? Can you please publish it again?
Which Malaysian pancake?
Hi Bee,
The normal pancake without buttermilk. It’s breakfast pancake, flat. Homemade pancake. You used flour, sugar, salt and I guess eggs. I don’t remember all the ingredients.
Can you please upload it.
Thanks
You can try this: https://rasamalaysia.com/homemade-crepes/
Hi Bee ,
This is not what I was looking for . This is crepe not pancakes. Did you remove the pancake recipe? Is it possible for you to upload it?
Thanks
Hi Bee,
I couldn’t upload a picture here but it looks similar to flat German pancake. It is not crepes and i still prefer the pancake recipe that you posted before. It is flat pancake without buttermilk and no scallion. The output looks like the picture as the web-link.
https://lifewithlorelai.com/2017/09/10/german-pancakes-family-recipe/
I didn’t save a picture of the recipe otherwise i will be able to let you know in detail. I think you called as Malaysian pancake. But i can vaguely remember the ingredients- AP flour 1 cup, 3 tablespoon of sugar, salt, egg ( maybe 1 egg), water, milk ( i am not sure- probably 3 tablespoon or something). And it should be a bit liquid so that it flat but not as thin as crepe. I hope you can recall the recipe. My husband loves it and this is the only pancakes that he likes. He hardly eat American pancakes.
Let me know whether you are able to find the recipe and share it once again.
I don’t have the recipe anymore.
Looks like it is roti canai or do try to google the image and see if that’s the one that you are looking for
Thank you for this recipe! My pancakes were tasty, flaky, and delicious. Plus it’s a good arm workout rolling and re-rolling the dough ;) Cheers
Awesome I am so happy you had success.
I can’t wait to try this! I love scallion pancakes, but have never made them myself. I hate working with dough, but am trying to move past that so I can create more dishes. Thanks for the motivation!
I made these. Perfect texture and flavor-omg the best! Thank you so much, this one is a winner.
Thanks so much for trying!