Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancakes)
Hotteok or Korean Sweet Pancakes are a pancake-like treat filled with a sweet and gooey brown sugar filling that can include nuts or seeds. The chewy, crispy texture is made with a pan-fried yeast dough and combined with the sweet filling is absolutely delicious and can be made right at home.
If you ask my kids what Korean treat they want me to make it is always one of two things:
Hotteok (Korean sweet pancakes) or Kkwabaegi (twisted donut). Here I am going to show you how I make hotteok at home with tools and ingredients I have at home. They are incredibly delicious!
What is Hottoek?
Hotteok is a hot, sweet, golden pan-fried treat that will satisfy any sweet tooth and is a very popular street food in Korea. It is made from a chewy mochi-like dough that is filled with a brown sugar filling, can also include nuts or seeds and is pan-fried crispy and eaten hot.
Although traditionally hotteok filling is sweet, street vendors in Korea today make many different types of hotteok that include savory fillings such as vegetables, cheese, japchae, kimchi and even bulgogi.
Be creative and add whatever filling you are craving. For example in our house my kids always request a Nutella filling whereas I enjoy the traditional brown sugar filling.
Some other creative and delicious filling ideas:
- red bean
- Nutella and banana
- apple and cinnamon
Ingredients
Yeast Dough
- active dry yeast or instant yeast
- all-purpose flour
- sweet rice flour (if unavailable substitute more AP flour)
- milk or water
- sea salt
- sugar
- cooking oil (for pan-frying)
Filling
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
- walnuts (any nuts or seeds)
Hotteok dough is made from a combination of yeast, all-purpose flour, sweet rice flour (available at most Asian grocery stores), sugar, sea salt, and neutral oil for pan-frying. The filling in this recipe includes brown sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts, but feel free to get creative and customize the filling to suit your taste—whether you prefer something sweet or savory!
If sweet rice flour is unavailable you can simply substitute it for more all-purpose flour.
If you are uncomfortable making the yeasted dough from scratch or are short on time you can also purchase Hotteok Pancake Mix from many Korean grocery stores or online. These make it even easier to make hotteok at home.
Tools Needed
Tools for making hotteok at home are minimal, however I like using a tool called a Hotteok Hand Presser to press down and flip the hotteok when pan-frying. You can find the hand presser I use HERE. You can also use a regular pancake spatula to do the same thing.
I own this Hand Presser
Newer Hand Presser available now
HOW TO MAKE HOTTEOK
To make Hotteok or Korean sweet pancakes activate yeast and combine with flour along with other ingredients to create a simple dough. After the dough has risen and been kneaded a few times dough is separated into 8 equal pieces and then filled with whatever filling you desire.
They are then pinched closed into a dough ball, then pan-fried and flattened until golden brown. They are ready to eat as soon as they have cooled off enough to not burn your mouth!
Video Tutorial
If you prefer watching a video tutorial below is the one I posted on my TikTok and YouTube page!
You can view more Korean food tutorials here on my following pages:
TikTok YouTube Instagram Facebook
Hotteok Video Tutorial
More Korean Recipes
Dalgona Candy (as seen in Squid Games)
Video Tutorial for Bungeoppang (fish-shaped pastry with filling)
Video Tutorial for Air Fried Rice Cake
Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancakes)
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour or if not available use 2 total cups AP flour
Filling
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 handful chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds can use any nut or seed or omit completely
Instructions
- In a small container mix all the filling ingredients (brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts/seeds) together and set aside.
- In a medium bowl activate the yeast by combining the yeast with warm water, sugar, salt, and oil. Mix then set aside for a few minutes. It should begin to look bubbly.
- Add all purpose flour and sweet rice flour to the yeast mixture and mix thoroughly into a dough.
- Lightly knead the dough, then cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.If sweet rice is not available just use all purpose flour instead.
- Once dough is doubled in size punch dough down and knead gently a few times, then cover and set aside to rest again for 30 minutes. *Note: Dough will be very sticky.
- Punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.*Note: adding cooking oil to your hands may help with the stickiness when handling dough
- Using your fingers flatten a dough ball into a disk one at a time.
- Add a tablespoon of filling into the middle of the dough, then gather the sides of the dough around the filling, pinch to seal.
- Be sure to seal completely otherwise filling will seep out of the opening.
- Preheat a nonstick pan over medium low heat then add enough oil to shallow pan fry dough. Place dough balls seam side down in the pan and lightly pan fry until golden.
- Fllip dough ball over then using the pancake spatula or hotteok flattening tool press down evenly on the dough ball to flatten.
- Cook until both sides are golden brown then remove from pan and place on a cooling rack to drain and cool.
- Serve right away and enjoy hot!
