Hotteok Recipe (Sweet Korean Pancakes)

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These Hotteok (Sweet Korean Pancakes) are a popular Korean street food made with a super simple yeast dough and filled with an amazing melt-in-your mouth mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts.

These sweet Korean pancakes, or Hotteok, are not pancakes in the “I want to drizzle syrup and butter all over them and eat them for breakfast” sense.

No, they are a very popular street food in Korea, commonly served during the cold winter months. Lightly browned on the outside with a gooey, melt in you mouth filling, these are the perfect treat to warm you up on a cold winter day (kinda like these Apple Puff Pastries or this warm Apple Crisp…yummmmm)

Me, I’ll eat them any time. I don’t care if its 120 degrees outside. I want these Hotteok.

Gooey, melted brown sugar and crushed nuts….that’s what life is all about.

Ingredients

Rice Flour is used to give the hotteok a slightly chewy texture. Buy rice flour (affiliate link).

Walnuts are used as part of the filling in this recipe, but you can also substitute with chopped pecans which are equally (and some may say better) good. Buy walnuts (affiliate link).

The recipe also calls for brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

The full list of ingredients in found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. 

Step By Step Instructions

Start by combining the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mixing together.

The add the warm milk and butter and stir until a dough forms. Cover and let sit in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours.

In the meantime, mix the walnuts (or pecans if you choose), brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a bowl and set aside.

Once your dough has risen (it should be about double the size), flatten it and separate into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 3-4 inch circle.

Place 1 tablespoon of the filling in each dough circle and fold the dough up around the filling (see photos below).

Flatten the filled dough ball into a 3 inch pancake, being careful that none of the filling comes through.

Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pancakes and brown on both sides (about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side).

Add 1 tablespoon of water to the pan and cover with a lid. The steam and heat will help the filling melt fully.

Serve these suckers warm while the insides are still nice and gooey.

Variations for Hotteok

Fill them with sweet red bean paste;

Fill them with Nutella or chocolate chips;

Replace the filling with peanut butter, peanut butter chips, or a mixture of chocolate and peanut butter;

Fill them with fruit, jam or caramel;

Make them savory by filling them with cheese, pepperoni, ham, roasted meats, curry, etc. etc. etc. The possibilities are endless!

Expert Tips 

 – Instant yeast should be used to allow the dough to rise quickly;

 – The dough should almost double in size after rising;

 – The dough should be just slightly sticky. Add additional flour if needed.

 – Lightly oil your hands when stuffing the dough – it will help prevent it from sticking;

 – Make sure all the edges are fully sealed before frying. Otherwise, the filling will ooze out.

 – Hotteok are best served fresh and warm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make Hotteok in advance? You can make them in advance and store them in the fridge until ready for serving (up to 3 days). Reheat in a 350 degree oven until hot, about 10 minutes.

Note that Hotteok are better fresh – they will be less gooey when reheating them. 

Can Hotteok be frozen? Yes! Wrap the Hotteok in plastic wrap then store in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Reheat it in a 350 degree oven until warmed through, about 10 -15 minutes.

More Favorite Korean Recipes

• Korean Rice Bowls;
• Grilled Korean Beef;
• Pork Bulgolgi Tacos;
• Korean Beef Nachos;
• Tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cakes);

Browse ALL the Korean Recipes!

Asian Dessert Recipes

Banh Bong Lan (Vietnamese Sponge Cakes);

Japanese Souffle Cheesecake;

Mango Sticky Rice from Rasa Malaysia;

How to Make Mochi from Just One Cookbook;

Did you make this Hotteok recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how they turned out!

This recipe was originally posted in May 2018. It has been updated for content and photos. 

Hotteok Recipe (Sweet Korean Pancakes)

Homemade dough stuffed with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and walnuts and cooked until warm and gooey on the inside.

5 from 32 votes

Print Rate

Course: Dessert, Street Food

Cuisine: Korean

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Dough Rising: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 8 pancakes

Calories: 240kcal

Author: Danielle Wolter

Ingredients

Pancakes:

• ▢ 1 1/4 cups flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup rice flour
• ▢ 1 packet yeast
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3/4 cup milk warmed
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter melted
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cooking oil (for frying)

Filling:

• ▢ 1/2 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 3 tablespoons walnuts chopped (substitute pecans)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Pancakes:

• Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the warm milk and butter and stir until a dough forms.
• Knead the dough into a ball and cover to rise for 1-2 hours. Dough should almost double in size. TIP: leave to rise in a warm area.
• Once dough has risen, flatten it and divide it into 8 pieces.
• Roll each piece into a ball and flatten it to about 4- wide.
• Place 1 tbsp. of filling in the center of each dough circle.
• Fold the dough up and around the filling and make a ball. Be sure that all the filling is surrounding by the dough.
• Flatten the balls into about 3" pancakes.
• Heat 2 tbsp. cooking oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet.
• Add the pancakes and cook until golden brown on both sides (about 30 second to 1 minutes per side).
• Add 1 tbsp. water and cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 30 seconds to allow the filling to melt.

Video

Expert Tips:

1. Instant yeast should be used to allow the dough to rise quickly;
2. Dough should be placed in a warm (not hot) area to rise more quickly;
3. The dough should almost double in size after rising;
4. The dough should be just slightly sticky. Add additional flour if needed.
5. Lightly oil your hands when stuffing the dough - it will help prevent it from sticking;
6. Make sure all the edges are fully sealed before frying. Otherwise, the filling will ooze out.
7. Hotteok are best served fresh and warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 87mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1.3mg

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