Flakiest Chinese Scallion Pancakes 葱油饼: The Ultimate Guide

A comprehensive guide to making irresistibly flaky, street-style Chinese scallion pancakes. I tested out several dough recipes and 6 different methods of folding/rolling, and here are the results!

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For years, I’ve attempted to make Chinese scallion pancakes at home, and they’ve always turned out decent but never exactly like the cong you bing (葱油饼) I’ve had in China and in Taiwan. I’m talking flaky with a crisp-thin, 酥 su exterior that crackles when you bite into it, with sheet upon sheet of satiny, translucent layers inside. When you tear the pancake, the layers pulls apart springy and elastic, with an almost bouncy quality. My homemade scallion pancakes would be a nice crusty golden– but tough instead of tender, with a dry surface more akin to a flatbread or pita chip. Was it the dough? The amount of oil? The way I was folding and coiling the pancake?

The Quest Begins

I did some sleuthing online and found hundreds of thousands of recipes for scallion pancakes on the Mandarin-language internet—blog posts, chefs, videos of aunties demonstrating in their kitchens, the occasional measured-out recipe— and over the course of a week I made multiple batches, tweaking the results each time. Throughout the process, I discovered a few key tips.

Tip #1: To get flaky, distinct layers, use an oil/flour paste.

I used to brush the layers with oil, but the trick I found was to instead spread a mixture of oil + flour, stirred into a thin paste. This is called 油酥, you su. I add the chopped scallions and pour the hot oil on top to briefly sizzle and release the aromatics.

Using the paste means oil won’t leak out when you roll the dough; it leaves your countertop a lot cleaner, and creates distinct layers in the scallion pancakes (think of it like laminated dough— pastry chefs use butter to make croissants, not oil).

Tip #2: Use hot water for the dough.

For the dough, first pour boiling water onto the flour and stir with a pair of chopsticks until it forms flakes– this is the 烫 tang (cooked dough) technique. The hot water denatures the proteins in the flour and minimizes gluten development, which is what we want for dumplings or scallion pancakes (unlike bread, where you’re aiming for structure and airy holes from gluten formation). Hot water dough creates just the right amount of chew in the pancakes, and the minimal “rebound” makes it easier to roll out. After the initial hot water, slowly add cold water until the dough flakes form a ball. (Don’t over-knead!)

The flour to liquid proportion is 4 cups flour to 1 ⅓ cup water, but this varies based on flour and whether you’re scooping or weighing (I recommend using a scale). Adjust according to feel: the dough should be soft, almost too sticky to work with. If your dough is stiff, the pancakes will be tougher and chewier.

A note on flour:

Chinese flour is sold in three varieties: low-gluten （低筋面粉）, medium-gluten（中筋面粉）, and high-gluten （高筋面粉）. This correlates to cake flour, all-purpose flour, and bread flour in the United States, but Chinese all-purpose flour is lower in gluten content than American all-purpose flour (about 9-10%), so I recommend a blend of all-purpose flour and cake flour.

For the 4 cups of Chinese flour called in this recipe, I substitute 2.5 cups all-purpose flour + 1.5 cups cake flour.

Tip #4: Chill the dough for the translucent, crackly texture

After following all those steps, the scallion pancakes I made were close but still not quite right. They had lots of layers, but they still weren’t as crispy and translucent like the street version. I wondered if I just needed to use more oil.

Turns out there’s another secret. In Taipei, scallion pancakes are made by street vendors on street corners and in night markets, cut and sold for 40NT (about $1.33 USD) a half portion, tucked into a wax paper envelope. Vendors make the balls of dough in advance and refrigerate them, and roll them out the next day to sell. The dough has been chilled for several hours (or overnight) by this point, and the gluten strands have had a chance to relax. This is the key difference.

I tried my own dough recipe again, this time refrigerating the balls of dough overnight in the fridge. After rolling out the relaxed, chilled dough and frying it, I finally succeeded in nailing that elusive texture.

5 Ingredients in Scallion Pancakes:

1. All-purpose flour. (see note below)
2. Boiling water + cold water.
3. Salt. ½ teaspoon in the dough, to increase its elasticity (筋性), and more to season the scallion filling.
4. Scallions. You need 1 cup, about 3 scallions chopped. I use both green and white parts.
5. Oil, for the scallion filling/paste. There is no oil in the dough itself, and you don’t need much oil for frying, just a thin layer brushed onto the pan.

Optional: ground Sichuan pepper, or five-spice powder. Adding a bit of spice will complement the scallions, boosting the savoriness. I prefer using ground Sichuan pepper, 花椒粉 (I toast some Sichuan peppercorns and then blitz them in a food processor) to make the taste most closely resemble the street-food version.

Instructions for Scallion Pancakes:

1. Make the dough and let it rest. Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Create a well in the center of the flour and drizzle in hot water, mixing with a pair of chopsticks until large flakes form. Add cold water, a bit at a time, stirring to incorporate the dry flour on the sides of the bowl, until a ball of dough forms. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes until smooth (dough will be slightly sticky). Brush ball of dough with a thin layer of oil to prevent it from drying out, and cover and let rest for at least 30 minutes. You can refrigerate the dough at this point to let it rest overnight, or continue to shape and layer the pancakes before refrigerating (see step 4).

2. Make oil paste. In the meantime, chop scallions and add to a heat-resistant bowl along with the flour, optional spices (Sichuan ground pepper or five-spice) and salt. In a small saucepan, heat oil over the stove until shimmering, then pour into the bowl. The oil will sizzle as it hits the spices and the scallions, releasing the aromatics. Stir to form a thin paste.

3. Roll out the dough. Remove rested dough from bowl and divide into 6 equal portions.  You’ll be working on one portion at a time; return the remaining portions to the covered bowl. On a clean surface, roll out the first portion into a large rectangular sheet; try to make it as thin as possible without the dough breaking.

4. Brush an even layer of the oil/scallion paste onto the surface of the dough using a pastry brush (or a spoon). Loosely roll the rectangle from bottom to top, jelly-roll-style, then stretch out the rope to extend and coil it right to left (snail-style) to form a circle, tucking the end securely. Flatten gently with your palm. I had fun with this and used six different ways of rolling for my six scallion pancakes (instructions for all of them below). Repeat for remaining portions.

If you haven’t chilled the dough yet, at this point, wrap the discs in clingfilm and rest overnight in the refrigerator.

6. Flatten into pancakes. Roll each coil into a thin circle with the rolling pin.

Freezer option: at this point, you may freeze the pancakes. I usually just cook one or two, and save the rest for the future. Stack the uncooked pancakes on top of each other with wax or parchment paper between, and place in a large freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to a month.

7. Cook the pancakes. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Brush a layer of oil on the surface of a nonstick pan, then reduce heat to medium-low. Lay one pancake flat onto the hot surface, then cover with a lid and cook for 3 minutes, or until the bottom is golden. Uncover lid and flip the pancake, then cover again and cook for another 2 minutes. At this point, check both sides and cook for longer if necessary (this time without lid), flipping once or twice until the pancake is crispy and a deep golden brown. Before removing from pan, roughly shove the pancake with two spatulas to loosen the layers. Brush the pan with a new layer of oil and repeat with the next pancake. 

Serve plain or with a dipping sauce (my favorite is a mixture of 1 tablespoon black vinegar, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon minced ginger, and 1 teaspoon brown sugar).

Variations

There are several techniques that Chinese cooks use to form the pancakes. I’ve condensed them down to six styles, and the results are pretty similar– they all have multiple layers and are delicious, as long as you get the dough right. I made a video showing all six methods, but if you don’t have time to watch the video hopefully these photos are helpful:

Method #1: Basic Roll and Spiral

After spreading the oil paste, roll up the rectangle jelly-roll style. Coil it up (snail-style) into a tight circle, then set aside to rest. Roll out to ¼ inch thickness.

This is the simplest technique and makes a consistently good pancake.

Method #2: Scroll

Loosely roll the rectangle towards the center, starting from both long edges and meeting in the middle, like a scroll.  Fold on top of each other into a long rope, then take both ends and pull gently to lengthen. Coil it up from both ends in opposing directions (one above and one below), then stack on top of each other and flatten. Set aside to rest, then roll the pancake out to ¼-inch thickness.

This is my personal favorite; the pancake is thin and flaky and has a lot more layers due to the multi-directional coiling.

Method #3: Accordion Fold

Take the rectangle and start folding it like a fan/accordion, layers stacked on top of each other. Stretch out the rope and coil right to left (with the exposed surfaces facing you to ensure the filling stays inside and doesn’t leak out). Let rest, then roll out to ¼ inch thickness.

The layers on this pancake are the most pronounced, and because of the multiple stacked edges the texture is chewier.

Method #4: Cut + Roll

Fold the rectangle in half, then cut with a knife (don’t cut past edges). Open it up to reveal horizontal cuts, and roll the whole thing up to form a rope. Coil like in method 3. Let rest and then roll flat to ¼-inch thickness.

This is a north-eastern Chinese style that results in loose, thread-like layers, similar to a pancake called shou zhua bing 手抓饼 ,”hand-pulled pancake.” Don’t slice this scallion pancake to serve; it’s the most fun to eat by pulling apart the threads with your hands.

Method #5: Flat Layers

This is an interesting method I saw on a Chinese video, where you roll out the dough into a long, skinny rectangle, then fold the layers instead of rolling. Near the end, flatten out the ends with a rolling pin (to eliminate any thick edges) and fold the flaps towards the center to finish. It will be square-ish, but you can pull on the edges and tuck them beneath to make a circle. Let rest and then roll to ¼-inch thickness.

I liked this method because the surface is absolutely smooth (with no trace of the filling), but all the layers are stacked inside, hidden. The outside gets incredibly crispy when you fry it, and the layers reveal themselves when you pull the pancake apart.

Method #6: Noodle Pancake.

Okay, this version is the coolest. First, you need to coat both sides of the rectangle with oil paste. I brush one side, then flip it over and brush the other side gently, so the dough doesn’t break. Fold the rectangle into thirds, then cut vertically into thin, noodle-like strips, sort of like cutting homemade pasta. Separate each strand and lay on top of each other. Gather the rope from both ends and pull gently to stretch, then coil from right to left. Let rest and then roll out circle to ¼-inch thickness.

This is the most time-consuming method, but the scallion pancake comes out like a basket of tangled, crispy threads. This is the most flavorful one, as both sides of the dough have been coated in the oil paste.

And that’s the end! Hope you find this helpful. I purposefully made the recipe batch size large (because if you’re going to take the time to make scallion pancakes why not make a lot). I typically freeze the uncooked pancakes for later: just stack them between sheets of parchment paper and pop them in the freezer. You don’t need to thaw them before frying, and they’re a lifesaver on busy days. Cheers and enjoy!

If you made these scallion pancakes let me know how you liked the recipe by leaving a comment and a rating below. Or tag me on Instagram @hannah.che, I love seeing your re-creations!

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