Flaky Scallion Pancakes

On the website, Tasting Table, I came across a unique flaky pancake of Chinese origin, and knew I had to make them. This recipe is by Miriam Hahn and the Tasting Table Staff, dated June of 2022.

According to Bon Appetit, “You’ll find scallion pancakes in pretty much every Chinese restaurant, and according to Bon Appetit, they are also an incredibly popular street food. Family recipes vary from generation to generation and region to region: They can be thin and crispy or light and puffy. Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn was fascinated by this Chinese take-out staple.”

The Tasting Table recipe utilizes Sichuan peppercorns and scallions inside the rolled up, coiled, and cooked pancakes. They’re supposed to be thin in this recipe, but I forgot to roll out the pancakes after rolling and coiling, so mine were flaky but also had a slight doughy inside.

To say that these pancakes are delicious is an understatement. I wanted to eat all six of them.

Flaky Scallion Pancakes
Slightly adapted
Makes 6

4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
1 cup boiling water
⅔ cup room temperature water
½ cup avocado oil
1 ½ teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns, ground I would use more)
1 cup scallions, thinly sliced

Combine 4 cups of flour and ½ teaspoon of salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center, and add in the boiling water. Mix until partially blended. Then add in ⅔ cup of room-temperature water. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Remove the dough from the bowl, and place it on a floured surface. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth.

Brush the ball of dough with some oil, and transfer it into a bowl that’s covered with plastic wrap. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap, and refrigerate it overnight.

The next day, if your Sichuan peppercorns are whole, grind 1 ½ teaspoons in a spice grinder. Add 1 cup of thinly sliced scallions, ½ cup of flour, 1 ½ teaspoons of ground peppercorns, and 1 teaspoon of salt to a mixing bowl. Heat ½ cup of avocado oil in a saucepan on medium heat. When the oil is hot, pour it into the bowl.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator, and cut it into 6 equal portions. Taking one piece at a time, roll the dough out into a very thin rectangle about 10 to 12 inches. (It’s okay if there are holes.) Layer a spoonful of the scallion mixture over the dough surface. Starting from the end closest to you, roll the dough into a long log.

Stretch out the rolled log to at least 15 inches. Coil the log so it looks like a cinnamon bun. Roll out each coiled piece of dough into a ¼-inch thick circle. Ooops I forgot this step!

Place each circle in a nonstick pan coated with oil. Heat the pan on medium heat, cover the pan, and cook the pancakes for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Serve the pancakes while they’re still hot. Mine of course took longer because I didn’t flatten them!

For a quick and easy dipping sauce, mix together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of Chinese rice cooking wine, a pinch of grated ginger and a few scallion slices.

I served with white rice and an over easy egg. Delicious.

By Published On: August 26th, 202253 Comments on Flaky Scallion Pancakes

About the Author: Chef Mimi

As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!

53 Comments

  1. Travel Gourmet August 26, 2022 at 6:25 AM - Reply

    Yummy! These sound delicious.

    • Chef Mimi August 26, 2022 at 7:07 AM - Reply

      They really are good. I would even have spiced them up more.

  2. David @ Spiced August 26, 2022 at 6:58 AM - Reply

    What a fun recipe! I do love all sorts of breads (I was literally just googling best bread bakeries in Asheville), and these sound like a fun project. Rolled up pancakes packed with scallions sounds like something I could eat by itself! Well done, Mimi, well done!

    • Chef Mimi August 26, 2022 at 7:06 AM - Reply

      Thanks, David! These are really addictive. I made my husband eat the rest!

  3. Terrie Gura August 26, 2022 at 8:49 AM - Reply

    I do love a savory pancake. Your “mistake” with forgetting to roll them thin doesn’t seem to have had repercussion, Mimi, because these look great! The texture of these must be delightful. I make a soft pita wrap that begins with the boiling water method and they are chewy and delicious, exactly how these look! So… if one did happen to roll the coils to 1/4-inch, how large do you think these pancakes would be?

    • Chef Mimi August 26, 2022 at 8:54 AM - Reply

      I really did love the doughy inside. Not raw but not dry. They would be 9-10 inches in diameter.

  4. angiesrecipes August 26, 2022 at 12:47 PM - Reply

    They look absolutely delicious! As a kid I had lots of them as the afternoon snack, but in a flatter version. Gotta try your unflattened version some day.

    • Chef Mimi August 26, 2022 at 2:06 PM - Reply

      Ha! Well I have to say I enjoyed the unflattened version but I’ll have to make these again and do it right.

  5. Ben | Havocinthekitchen August 26, 2022 at 6:24 PM - Reply

    What a fun recipe – must be delicious! Needless to say, they’ve got a wonderful texture and beautiful shape!

    • Chef Mimi August 26, 2022 at 6:38 PM - Reply

      The flakiness was wonderful. A great bread dough. And honestly I liked the soft inside!

  6. Tandy I Lavender and Lime August 26, 2022 at 11:46 PM - Reply

    I like the idea of not rolling the scallion pancakes out. Maybe I will try that and bake them?

    • Chef Mimi August 27, 2022 at 11:48 AM - Reply

      You can try that, but I think the oil in the hot pan helps with the flakiness of the pancakes.

  7. Sherry M August 27, 2022 at 12:08 AM - Reply

    oh yum they look beautiful and sound delicious. i was actually thinking of making some this weekend; i must have read your mind :)

    • Chef Mimi August 27, 2022 at 11:48 AM - Reply

      Oh wonderful! I’d seriously make more of the mixture that gets brushed on to the bread. No so much that they leak all over, but it was just really tasty. And more pepper.

  8. Pauline August 27, 2022 at 2:03 AM - Reply

    These look so delicious Mimi, and with that dipping sauce would be perfect for so many occasions. I’ve never had pancakes made this way so I am dying to try them. Great recipe, thanks so much.

    • Chef Mimi August 27, 2022 at 11:47 AM - Reply

      You are so welcome! And they’re so easy to make.

  9. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen August 27, 2022 at 8:29 AM - Reply

    These look delicious Mimi, and I love the texture! Scallion pancakes are one of my favorites, and I’ll have to try forgetting to roll them thin next time I make them!

    • Chef Mimi August 27, 2022 at 11:46 AM - Reply

      Hahahahaha! I don’t know how I missed that part of the recipe. It was right there!!!

      • Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen August 28, 2022 at 8:49 AM

        Sometimes the best recipes come from little mistakes, but I don’t have to tell you that!
        Here’s a funny family story. I made my mom’s oatmeal cookies and they just never stayed as moist as hers. I asked her why, and she said she always put an apple in. So the next time I made the cookies, I finely minced an apple and the cookies were great. I gave her one and she asked me where I got the recipe. I told her it was hers and she told me it wasn’t, she never put apple in the cookies. I reminded her of the conversation, and she started laughing.
        I meant put an apple in the cookie jar, she said.
        ☺️

      • Chef Mimi August 28, 2022 at 9:24 AM

        Oh!!!!! That is funny!!!

  10. Valentina August 27, 2022 at 9:49 AM - Reply

    Flattened or not, these look amazing. I love scallion pancakes! At my favorite Asian market, they have a little stand at the entrance w\where they make and sell them (along with a noodle dish). I will have to make them and I will definitely eat all 6!

    • Chef Mimi August 27, 2022 at 11:46 AM - Reply

      Ohhhh, you’re lucky. These are good, and in spite of me not rolling them out, they were super flaky!!!

  11. neil@neilshealthymeals.com August 27, 2022 at 11:36 AM - Reply

    I love trying all sorts of Chinese foods. I’ve never tried scallion pancakes. Nor (sorry) have I ever seen them in any of our Chinese restaurants. So that gives me even more reason to make them! Thanks Mimi. :-)

    • Chef Mimi August 27, 2022 at 11:45 AM - Reply

      I can’t even remember the last time I was in a Chinese restaurant. There aren’t any where I live. But thankfully they’re so easy to make at home!

  12. Debra August 27, 2022 at 9:03 PM - Reply

    I’ve had something similar in Chinese restaurants but these appear a little larger and I’m quite excited to give them a try. I can already tell that I will want all six as well!

    • Chef Mimi August 28, 2022 at 9:25 AM - Reply

      Well yes, they’re definitely fatter since I didn’t roll them out. Very very good.

  13. Madalaine McDaniel August 28, 2022 at 12:10 PM - Reply

    This is would be an amazing roll for the Thanksgiving/holiday table!!! So pretty and it looks incredibly delish!

    • Chef Mimi August 28, 2022 at 12:27 PM - Reply

      Great idea!

  14. Ronit August 28, 2022 at 1:24 PM - Reply

    I haven’t made these pancakes in ages, and remembered them very thin and crispy. Reading your post I felt relieved, that my memory is still intake!
    I used to make them with scallions = spring onions, but it’s good to know chives can be used instead. Also, the spices here are interesting, as I don’t recall using any. Guess it’s time to make them again! :)

  15. Ann Coleman August 28, 2022 at 8:20 PM - Reply

    Those look worth a try!

    • Chef Mimi August 28, 2022 at 8:37 PM - Reply

      They are!!!

  16. Jeff the Chef August 29, 2022 at 9:38 AM - Reply

    How interesting! I don’t think I’ve ever had anything like it.

    • Chef Mimi August 29, 2022 at 9:44 AM - Reply

      I don’t remember these from dining at Chinese restaurants either, but they’re good!

  17. Bernadette August 29, 2022 at 12:47 PM - Reply

    Thanks so much for this recipe Mimi. My son, Steve, loves these pancakes and I never could figure out how to go about making them.

    • Chef Mimi August 30, 2022 at 11:47 AM - Reply

      Oh perfect! They will be a nice surprise!

  18. Healthy World Cuisine August 29, 2022 at 9:09 PM - Reply

    Don’t think we would have your control. We might want to finish off all 6 of these delicious scallion pancakes. It is that addictive flavor and crunch.

    • Chef Mimi August 30, 2022 at 11:47 AM - Reply

      Well thank goodness my husband was home….

  19. popsiclesociety August 30, 2022 at 5:59 AM - Reply

    Oh wow! Looks and sounds delicious 😋

    • Chef Mimi August 30, 2022 at 11:47 AM - Reply

      A bit on the hefty side, but still really good!

  20. Frank Fariello August 30, 2022 at 8:28 AM - Reply

    These look wonderful, Mimi! I love ordering scallion pancakes whenever we go out for Chinese, which is often. Though these look quite different (much thicker) than any I’ve seen before, they look no less tempting.

    • Chef Mimi August 30, 2022 at 11:46 AM - Reply

      Then you probably missed the part where I forgot to roll them out!!!! I was wondering why they took so much longer to cook!!! But still tasty.

  21. thatskinnychickcanbake August 30, 2022 at 9:35 AM - Reply

    “Doughy” sounds perfect to me!! What a delicious treat!

    • Chef Mimi August 30, 2022 at 11:45 AM - Reply

      Yeah, they were good! But I should re-make them properly.

  22. Hannah August 30, 2022 at 10:08 AM - Reply

    Absolutely glorious! I’ve never seen a thick scallion pancake like this before but I’d totally be into it. I just shared a reel about making scallion pancakes on Instagram too which blew up. I guess it’s a universal love!

    • Chef Mimi August 30, 2022 at 11:44 AM - Reply

      I saw that! No, I don’t know where my mind was. I’ll blame it on age. But boy they were good!

  23. David Scott Allen August 30, 2022 at 5:36 PM - Reply

    I love scallion pancakes, and I’ve never seen them made like this. (Okay, I’ve never seen the made, so…) I honestly thought you just made some sort of pancake with scallions in it. These are beautiful!

    • Chef Mimi August 31, 2022 at 7:55 AM - Reply

      Yes, all of the coils and rolls add to the flakiness. I’ll have to make them again and actually roll them out!!!

  24. Liz @ spades, spatulas, and spoons August 30, 2022 at 8:05 PM - Reply

    Thanks Mimi, I have looked for a recipe for them. There used to be a wonderful Chinese restaurant in Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, a favorite of my Mom’s when they would visit. Scallion pancakes were one of their signature dishes. It will be fun to try them.

    • Chef Mimi August 31, 2022 at 7:54 AM - Reply

      Oh interesting! There was an Indian restaurant we always went to in G. Square. I even got to go back into the kitchen and see the tandoor. That was my 40th birthday, ages ago, and they’ve since closed, sadly. Anyway, this is a great recipe!

  25. Raymund September 1, 2022 at 5:47 PM - Reply

    Wow these look amazing, I had tried several scalliion pancakes but not thick as these ones, definitely these will give you a good flavour and texture omn every bite

    • Chef Mimi September 2, 2022 at 8:55 AM - Reply

      Well the thickness was a mistake, but they were sure good that way!

  26. […] a little different and these scallion pancakes truly fit the bill. I first saw the recipe on Mi Mi’s blog and was immediately intrigued. Mi Mi’s pancakes were more of a thicker bread and she admitted […]

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