Korean

Serving

Korean Kid-friendly

Hotteok (Sweet Pancakes)

Name: Hotteok (Sweet Pancakes)
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: Dough: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup sweet glutinous rice flour; 1 cup warm milk; 2 tsp active dry yeast; 1 tbsp sugar; 1/2 tsp salt. Filling: 1/2 cup dark brown sugar; 1 tsp cinnamon powder; 2 tbsp finely chopped walnuts or peanuts

A popular street food in Korea, consisting of a pan-fried yeast dough stuffed with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts.

120 minutes

Serves 8

Dessert/Snack

42 min prep

66 min cook

Contains common allergens

Dairy Peanut Tree nut Wheat

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Good to know

Crispy

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: crispy recipes

Instructions

6 steps

1
Dissolve the yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar in the warm milk. In a large bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, glutinous rice flour, and salt. Pour in the yeast mixture and knead until a sticky dough forms. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for 1.5 hours until doubled in size.
2
While the dough rises, prepare the filling by mixing the brown sugar, cinnamon powder, and finely chopped nuts in a small bowl.
3
Punch down the risen dough to release the air. Rub a little cooking oil onto your hands to prevent sticking.
4
Tear off a golf-ball-sized piece of dough and flatten it into a 3-inch circle in your palm. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the sugar filling in the center, gather the edges, and pinch them tightly to seal into a smooth ball.
5
Heat 2 tbsp of neutral oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Place the dough ball in the pan (seam side down). Let it cook for 1 minute.
6
Flip the ball, then use a specialized Hotteok press or a flat, oiled spatula to press it down flat into a 4-inch pancake. Fry for 2 minutes until golden brown, flip once more, and fry the other side until crispy and the sugar inside has melted into a gooey syrup. Serve extremely hot.

Hotteok (Sweet Pancakes) — plated and served — Serving moment. How Hotteok (Sweet Pancakes) looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

74/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 60

Kid-friendly 85

Weeknight-easy 64

Budget-friendly 86

Great leftovers 93

Pantry-friendly 66

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

Calories

3 g

Protein

10 g

Carbs

2 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Hotteok are chewy, pan-fried yeasted pancakes filled with melting brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped nuts, a winter street-food classic sold sizzling from griddles at Korean markets. They trace back to Chinese stuffed pancakes brought by immigrant traders and were reshaped into the sweet, syrup-filled snack eaten today.

Listahan note

This version uses a yeasted dough cut with glutinous rice flour, which is what gives hotteok their signature chew, and presses the sealed ball flat in the hot pan so the filling melts into a gooey syrup core.

Technique cues

Adding glutinous rice flour to the all-purpose dough is what gives hotteok their characteristic chewy stretch rather than a soft bread crumb.
Pinching the filled dough tightly into a smooth sealed ball keeps the molten sugar syrup from leaking out and burning in the pan.
Pressing the ball flat only after it has cooked a minute on one side lets it hold its shape while the sugar inside liquefies into syrup.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Mix the brown-sugar filling and chop the nuts while the dough does its 1.5-hour rise.
Make-ahead: Mix and refrigerate the dough overnight for a slow cold rise, then bring to room temperature before shaping.
Leftover move: Reheat leftover hotteok in a dry pan or toaster oven to re-crisp the outside and re-soften the sugar core.
Cleanup rhythm: Oil your hands and the press as you go and wipe the pan between batches so sugar does not build up and burn.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

all-purpose flour

Dough base

Purpose: It provides the gluten structure that lets the yeasted dough rise and hold the filling.

Handling: Mix with the glutinous rice flour and salt before adding the yeast liquid.

Adaptation: Bread flour gives an even chewier result; reduce the kneading slightly.

sweet glutinous rice flour

Chew agent

Purpose: It is the ingredient responsible for the signature stretchy, chewy texture of hotteok.

Handling: Blend it into the dry flour so it distributes evenly through the dough.

Adaptation: Tapioca starch approximates the chew but the dough handles differently; use a touch less.

active dry yeast

Leavening

Purpose: It raises the dough so the cooked pancake is light around the molten center.

Handling: Dissolve in warm milk with a little sugar and let it activate before mixing.

Adaptation: Instant yeast works mixed straight into the flour; skip the proofing step.

dark brown sugar

Molten filling

Purpose: It melts into the gooey syrup core that defines the bite of hotteok.

Handling: Mix with cinnamon and chopped nuts and spoon into the center before sealing.

Adaptation: Light brown sugar works with a milder molasses note.

chopped walnuts or peanuts

Crunch in the filling

Purpose: They add toasty crunch against the molten sugar inside.

Handling: Chop finely so the ball seals smoothly without poking through the dough.

Adaptation: Toasted sunflower seeds give crunch without tree nuts or peanuts.

Technique notes

Seal the filled ball tightly; any gap lets the molten sugar escape and scorch in the oil.
Let the ball set a full minute before pressing it flat so it does not split and spill the filling.
Keep the oil at a steady medium so the outside crisps golden while the sugar inside has time to fully melt.

Ingredient swaps

Nut-free direction: Replace the walnuts or peanuts with toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds for crunch without nut allergens.
Dairy-free direction: Use warm oat or soy milk to activate the yeast in place of cow's milk; the dough behaves the same.
Lower-sugar direction: Cut the filling sugar by a quarter and add a little extra cinnamon and nut so the centers stay flavorful but less sweet.

Serve alongside

Bingsu (shaved ice) for a hot-cold pairing
Fresh persimmon slices
Roasted chestnuts
A scoop of vanilla ice cream
Hot green tea
Sikhye (sweet rice punch)
Hot cinnamon-ginger tea (sujeonggwa)

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Store cooled hotteok in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature.
Reheat in a dry skillet or toaster oven until the outside re-crisps and the sugar softens; the microwave makes them gummy.
Freeze cooked pancakes for up to 1 month and reheat from frozen in a low oven.

Equipment

Non-stick frying pan
Hotteok press or flat oiled spatula
Large bowl for proofing
Bench scraper for portioning dough

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