Hotteok (Sweet Korean Pancakes)

You can make this popular Korean sweet street snack called hotteok at home with this easy to follow recipe! It’s delicious with lots of healthy seeds and nuts!

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Who wouldn’t love biting into a golden fried dough filled with a gooey brown sugar syrup and nuts in the street corner on a cold day? Eaten hot off the griddle, hotteok (호떡, hodduk or hoddeok) is a popular street snack, especially during winter months. There are many variations, but the classic hotteok we grew up on is made with a simple yeast dough with a brown sugar and nut filling, which is pan-fried in a little bit of oil. This recipe is my modern take on the classic version.

Hotteok variations

With a relatively long history since introduced by Chinese immigrants in the 19th century, hotteok continues to evolve — thanks to street food vendors! It seems like every time I go to Korea I learn about a new type of hotteok. There are all sorts of different sweet and savory fillings such as red beans, cheese, vegetables, japchae, etc. The dough has become very complex, and many vendors now deep-fry hotteok so they are very crispy on the outside.

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When my daughter and I visited Busan (a southern coastal city) a couple of years ago, we were told that we had to try ssiat hotteok. Ssiat means seeds in Korean. The hotteok with a simple brown sugar filling was first deep fried. Then, the lady cut one edge open and stuffed a couple of spoonfuls of the seeds and nuts before folding it to serve in a small paper cup. Delectable! This variation of hotteok was created in Busan has become very popular all over the country.

Hotteok filling

I’ve been meaning to share my classic hotteok recipe for a while, but having had that ssiat hotteok (씨앗호떡), I decided to tweak my classic hotteok recipe to use lots of seeds and nuts for the filling. So, there’s actually a healthy element to this sweet treat! The seeds and nuts add lots of nutty flavors and textures to the brown sugar filling. You can use any seeds and nuts you like, and adjust the amount of the seeds and nuts to your taste. I used a combination of regular sugar and dark brown sugar. You can simply use light brown sugar instead.

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Hotteok dough

The dough is basically made with wheat flour, sweet rice (glutinous rice) powder, sugar, and yeast. The ratio of flour and sweet rice powder varies depending on the preference. While you can make the dough only with all purpose flour, the sweet rice powder is what makes hotteok soft and chewy. You can simply use water to make the dough, but milk is typical. I sometimes use almond milk, which is a good replacement for the milk for vegan hotteok.

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Also try my Hobak Hotteok (Sweet Stuffed Pumpkin Pancakes).

Have you tried this hotteok recipe? Please rate the recipe below by either clicking the stars in the recipe card or in the comment section! And make sure to share your creations by tagging me on Instagram! Stay in touch by following me on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Hotteok (Sweet Korean Pancakes)

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Clik here to view.

You can make this popular Korean sweet street snack called hotteok at home with this easy to follow recipe! It’s delicious with lots of healthy seeds and nuts!

1 package Active Dry yeast 2-1/4 teaspoons
1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup glutinous rice powder aka sweet rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1-1/4 cups milk (or water)

Filling:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
10 tablespoons of assorted roasted seeds and nuts ((sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, almonds, etc.0)

Warm a bowl or cup by rinsing it with warm water. Add 1/4 cup of warm water to the bowl.(100 to 110). Stir in the sugar and yeast. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast has bubbled up. (You can skip this step if using instant yeast).

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Sift the flour, sweet rice powder (if using), sugar and salt together. Add the yeast water and warm milk (or water) to the flour mix.
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Knead until everything is well incorporated and the dough is formed. The dough should be a bit sticky.

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Cover with plastic wrap. Place it in a warm place and let it rise until doubled, about an hour. (In the winter, place it in the oven with the door open at the warm setting.)

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Prepare the filling by chopping the nuts and mixing all the filling ingredients well.

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Bring the dough down by reshaping into a round. Let it sit for another 20 – 30 minutes until doubled again.

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Start heating a pan with a couple of tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Lightly oil your hands. Tear a big enough piece to make an about 2 to 2-1/2-inch ball. Flatten into a thick disk, creating a shallow well in the middle. Add one and a half tablespoons of the filling and lightly press it down with the spoon.

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Carefully gather the edges together, pinching to seal. (This might take some practice.)

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Put the sealed side down on the pan, flattening a little by pressing it down with your oiled hand or spatula. Cook for a minute, and then flip over. Press down for a few seconds to flatten. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

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