Chinese Flaky Scallion Pancakes (葱油饼)

Scallion pancakes are crispy, flaky savory pancakes that are one of the traditional Chinese street foods.  Scallion pancake is an ideal Chinese breakfast that is made using flour, salt, and water along with scallion and Chinese five spice. A great savory pancake that’s best served with Asian dipping sauce.

Savory pancakes are simply the best comfort food like Korean kimchi pancakes and leftover mashed potato pancakes. These can be served as snacks, side dishes, or for light lunch.

Jump to:

• Why you’ll love these savory green onion pancakes
• Ingredients
• Step-by-step instructions
• Tips for crispy, flaky scallion pancakes
• Storage instructions
• Recipe FAQs
• More Asian recipes
• 📋Scallion Pancakes (葱油饼)

Why you’ll love these savory green onion pancakes

1. It has a crispy, flaky texture with a slightly chewy interior. It’s addictively delicious!
2. These pancakes are made with simple pantry ingredients!
3. Chinese scallion pancakes recipe is little time to prepare but it’s really easy-to-follow. Refer to our step-by-step instructions section to get details of every single step.
4. Loads of scallion (green onion or spring onion) stuffing with Chinese five spices make this flatbread extra aromatic!
5. Easy to customize it and make it according to one’s preference. Can substitute Chinese five spice with any other spice of your choice.
6. It’s a comfort food that’s best served with a soy-based dipping sauce.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need:

For pancakes-

Ingredients notes

1. Flour – use all-purpose flour.
2. Luke warm water – to make these pancakes flaky and crispy you lukewarm water to knead the dough.
3. Salt – generous pinch to be added to flour before adding in water. It seasons the dough.
4. Oil – use any neutral oil like vegetable oil, or canola oil. This is optional, I highly recommend it though. Oil helps keep the dough moist and prevents it from sticking to fingers.
5. Scallions – use the green part of the scallion only. The white part is hard and will tear the bread when you flatten it. Scallion or green onion is the main ingredient used in stuffing. There is no substitute!
6. Chinese five spice – gives this flatbread an extra savory oomph of flavor.

Step-by-step instructions

Use a stand mixer or knead dough by hand. If you are making a large batch, a stand mixer is best to use.

To slice the scallions thin, halve the scallions lengthwise. Then slice them thin. I prefer to use only the green part of the scallions for stuffing.

Step 1: Add flour in a wide bowl. Add salt, oil, and lukewarm water to the dough.

Step 2: Using a wooden or rubber spatula start mixing the flour. Dough flakes will form as dough absorbs water.  Start to press everything together with your hand.

Step 3: If too much dry flour is left, add a bit more water and if the dough is too sticky, add one or two tablespoons of flour.

Step 4: Once all the dough flakes together, knead until dough for 5 minutes until it turns soft.

Step 5: Cover the dough and allow it to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes. Don’t skip resting dough.

Step 6: Transfer to a clean dry counter.

Step 7: Knead the dough briefly again.

Step 8: Divide dough into 4 or 6 equal parts.

Step 9: Take a part of the dough and form a ball shape. Keep the rest of the dough covered all the time with a cloth.

Step 10: Take a portion of dough and roll it using a rolling pin. Make sure to keep the rest of the dough covered with a cloth all the time.

Step 11: The dough should be rolled into a very thin rectangle.

Step 12: Rub oil over the rolled dough evenly.

Step 13: Add the green onions around the rectangle leaving ¼ inch gap on the edges.

Step 14: Sprinkle Chinese five spice over the top.

Step 15: Starting from one end, gently hold and start rolling the dough.

Step 16: Push back any filling that may come out.

Step 17: You should have a tight cylindrical shape as shown in the picture collage above (picture number 17). Rolling like this helps create layers in the middle of the pancakes.

Step 18: Repeat step 10 to step 17 for the remaining portions of the dough. Remember to keep the remaining dough covered with a cloth all the time.

Step 19: Hold one end of the cylinder, start rolling it tight.

Step 20 – Step 21: Continue rolling tightly until it has formed the shape of the snail (watch the video to get a clear idea). Keep it aside, covered with cloth all the time.

Step 22: Roll the rest of the cylinders into snail-shaped dough. Keep it covered under a cloth.

Step 23: Using a rolling pin with a gentle hand roll each snail-shaped dough into one round circular flatbread.

Step 24: Do not press the dough too much with rolling, the layers formed due to forming cylinders and rolling will press together and lose its flaky layers. Pro-tip: I sometimes avoid using a rolling pin and flatten the bread with my fingertips into one large circle, hand flattening prevents layers from sticking together. A guaranteed step to have flaky layers visible.

Step 25: Heat a cast iron griddle. Brush a little oil on the pan. When the pan is hot carefully place scallion pancakes on the hot pan. Cook on medium flame until the surface becomes golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.

Step 26: Use a spatula to press from time to time to ensure pancakes brown evenly all around. Flip pancake. Drizzle oil on the other side. Using the spatula twirl the round pancake from time to time to brown evenly. Pro-tip: Do not press down the flatbread with a spatula hoping it to brown better, you’ll lose the flaky texture.

Step 27: Remove the pancake on to a plate. Repeat with left over pancakes.

Don’t miss the dipping sauce

Mix light soy sauce, sesame oil, a pinch of salt, chili oil, green onions, and cilantro.

Serve scallion pancakes immediately hot with dipping sauce.

Tips for crispy, flaky scallion pancakes

1. You need warm water to make the dough. It’s highly recommended.
2. Rest the dough for at least 30 minutes before you begin to work with it.
3. Make sure to keep the dough covered with a cloth all the time.
4. Adding a generous amount of oil to the rolled dough will help form layers on flatbread (and layers not sticking to one another) making it flaky.
5. You can flatten the bread with your fingertips so you don’t destroy the layers. I used a rolling pin and used it gently to roll the pancakes.
6. Always use high-quality light soy sauce and premium brand sesame oil for dipping sauce.

Storage instructions

Scallion pancakes can be made ahead and stored before cooking or cooked.
Before cooking:
Once you roll them out, stack them up carefully with a piece of parchment paper in between. Transfer to large zip lock bags, press out as much air as possible, and seal the bag. Store in freezer for up to 3 months.
To cook frozen pancakes, thaw them at room temperature for 10 minutes. Then cook in the hot cast iron pan by brushing oil on both sides and cook until brown.
Cooked pancakes:
If you have any leftovers of cooked pancakes, put them in a zip-lock bag and store them refrigerated for for few days.
Reheat pancakes in the microwave or on the stove top on a cast iron pan.
Reheating pancakes will make them crispier and will turn a bit chewier.

Recipe FAQs