Making beautifully golden Chinese Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing) is easier than you'd think! You'll only need a handful of ingredients to get restaurant quality results. These savory pancakes are crispy, flaky, chewy and full of fresh scallions and fragrant sesame oil.
(This recipe was originally published in July 2011, but was updated with new photos and content in 2022).
Chinese scallion pancakes (cong you bing 葱油饼) require minimal ingredients, and yet are just as good (if not better) than the ones you'd find at Chinese restaurants, which can sometimes be a bit greasy for my taste.
The pancakes are made with dough as opposed to batter, and it's extremely easy to work with and easy to roll out. It uses a combination of boiling and cold water to get the perfect, classic Chinese scallion pancake texture.
These savory pancakes are made using a process similar to making croissants and puff pastry, but much simpler. The dough is "laminated" by creating layers of lean dough and fat which then create flaky layers when cooked.
The finished scallion pancakes will have a blistered surface with browned bubbles and crispy edges, and visible layers and pockets within. They are fantastic served as an appetizer or snack, as part of a homemade dim sum menu, or as a side dish served with other Chinese dishes.
Ingredient notes
- Scallions: aka green onions or spring onions. You can't make Chinese scallion pancakes aka green onion pancakes or spring onion pancakes without a generous amount of scallions. I prefer to thinly slice mine, as I like seeing the green rings throughout my pancakes, but you could chop them too if you prefer them a bit smaller. I use both the white and green parts, and recommend using thinner scallions if you can find them.
- Flour: Use plain all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: Although you can brush these pancakes with vegetable oil or lard to create the classic flaky layers in these crispy and chewy savory pancakes, I like using toasted sesame oil instead. It creates the same flaky definition in the Chinese scallion pancakes and also adds more flavor with minimal ingredients.
- Water: This recipe uses both boiling water and cold water. Hot water dough (烫面) is tender when cooked (the hot water denatures the proteins in the flour), while cold water dough (冷面) produces a chewier texture. Together, they yield the perfect balance in this dough. It's tender yet chewy, and of course flaky from the lamination with the toasted sesame oil, and crispy from pan-frying.
How to make it
Add flour to a large bowl and make a well in the center. Stir in boiling water to create a shaggy mass, then add cold water and mix (PHOTO 1). Knead to bring the dough together into a ball, then transfer to a lightly floured surface and continue to knead until the dough is firm and elastic (PHOTO 2).
Form the dough into a smooth ball and wrap in plastic wrap or place in a zip-top bag and seal, pressing out excess air. Let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
To keep the scallion pancakes hot, preheat the oven to 200°F. Cover a baking sheet with paper towels or a metal rack and set it aside.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough into an 8 ½-inch circle. Brush 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil over the dough spreading it to within ¼-inch of the edge. Sprinkle evenly with a ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and about ¼ cup of the sliced scallions.
Starting at the edge of dough closest to you, roll the dough away from you into a tight cylinder (like a jelly roll).
It should look like a long rope or snake.
Then twist the dough around itself into a spiral or coil shape and press the end to the rest of the dough to seal it closed (PHOTOS 3-4).
Dust a little flour on the dough spiral and then gently press it on a floured surface with the palm of your hand to flatten it (PHOTO 5). Use a rolling pin to roll it out until it measures about 6-inches in diameter (PHOTO 6).
Repeat with the remaining dough and filling ingredients.
To make the dipping sauce, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, and any optional mix-ins you'd like to add in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat a 9-to-10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and add vegetable oil. When the oil is shimmering, place one pancake in the skillet and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes. Add more oil and flip over the pancake, cooking the second side for another 2 to 3 minutes. Lift an edge occasionally to check for over-browning and adjust the heat if necessary.
Transfer the pancake to the prepared baking sheet and keep it warm in the oven while cooking the remaining scallion pancakes. Cut each pancake into 6 wedges and serve hot with dipping sauce, if desired.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
The process of rolling out the scallion pancakes once they are filled can be a little messy. The scallions have a tendency of squeezing out a bit through the dough, but that's normal and fine. I wouldn't reduce the amount of scallions significantly because you really want a substantial amount to get the best flavor.
If your scallions are particularly juicy (it happens) they may make the dough a bit wet as you are rolling out the pancakes. Just use a bit of extra flour for dusting to keep the surface dry. It will all work out and be delicious!
Some people add a ton of oil to the skillet up front and do more of a shallow fry. I like adding enough oil for each pancake as I go along. They get crispy and golden without being greasy. Since you're using a nonstick pan, you just need enough oil to get a nice crust without worrying about them sticking to the pan.
I absolutely love these Chinese scallion pancakes on their own, but the optional dipping sauce is great and easy to make. It's as simple as mixing soy sauce, vinegar and optionally ginger, garlic, or scallions in a bowl. Voilà! You can use the same dipping sauce for dumplings as well.
Other recipes you may like
- Pajeon (Korean Scallion Pancakes)
- Homemade Pork and Vegetable Egg Rolls
- Char Siu Sou (Chinese Roast Pork Pastry Puffs)
- Honey Sesame Chicken
- Three Mushroom Dumplings
- Pork and Cabbage Dumplings
- Jiu Cai Jiao (Chinese Chive Dumplings)
- Har Gow (Crystal Shrimp Dumplings)
- Karipap Pusing (Malaysian Spiral Curry Puffs)
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Chinese Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing 葱油饼)
Ingredients
Scallion Pancakes:
- 1 ½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting the board
- ½ cup boiling water
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 cup thinly sliced scallions (about 8 to 10 scallions)
- 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons peanut, canola, or vegetable oil
Dipping Sauce (Optional):
- 2 tablespoons light (regular) soy sauce (preferably low-sodium)
- 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar or Chinkiang (black) vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sliced scallions, grated fresh ginger, or minced garlic (optional)
Instructions
- Add the flour to a large bowl and make a well in the center. Stir in the boiling water to create a shaggy mass, then add the cold water and mix.
- Knead in the mixing bowl to bring the dough together into a ball, then transfer to a lightly floured surface and continue to knead for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the dough is firm and elastic.
- Form the dough into a smooth ball and wrap in plastic wrap or place in a zip-top bag and seal, pressing out excess air. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- To keep the scallion pancakes hot, preheat the oven to 200°F. Cover a baking sheet with paper towels or a metal rack and set it aside.
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces each weighing about 80 grams. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of dough into an 8 ½-inch circle. Brush 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil over the dough spreading it to within ¼-inch of the edge. Sprinkle evenly with a ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and about ¼ cup of the sliced scallions.
- Starting at the edge of dough closest to you, roll the dough away from you into a tight cylinder (like a jelly roll). It should look like a long rope or snake. Then twist the dough around itself into a spiral or coil shape and press the end to the rest of the dough to seal it closed.
- Dust a little flour on the dough spiral and then gently press it on a floured surface with the palm of your hand to flatten it. Use a rolling pin to roll it out, dusting with more flour if it starts to stick, until it measures about 6-inches in diameter (this can be a little messy, with scallions squeezing out a bit, but that's normal and fine). Repeat with the remaining dough and filling ingredients.
- To make the dipping sauce, combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and any optional mix-ins you'd like to add, in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat a 9-to-10-inch nonstick skillet (just wider than diameter of the scallion pancakes) over medium heat and add ½ tablespoon vegetable oil. When the oil is shimmering, place one pancake in the skillet and cook it for 2 to 3 minutes. Add another ½ tablespoon oil and flip over the pancake, cooking the second side for another 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. Lift an edge occasionally to check for over-browning and adjust the heat if necessary.
- Transfer the pancake to the prepared baking sheet and keep it warm in the oven while cooking the remaining pancakes, adding more oil to the pan for each pancake. Cut each pancake into 6 wedges and serve hot with dipping sauce, if desired.
Notes
- I recommend using thinner scallions if you can find them. If your scallions are particularly juicy (it happens) they may make the dough a bit wet as you are rolling out the pancakes. Just use a bit of extra flour for dusting to keep the surface dry.
- Although you can brush these pancakes with vegetable oil or even lard to create the classic flaky layers, I like using toasted sesame oil instead. It creates the same flaky definition and also adds more flavor. You can use vegetable oil if that's all you have.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
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