Stack of 3 Best Scallion Pancakes on a round white plate

Scallion pancakes can be made however large or small as you see fit, served in circular shapes or cut into wedges.

What is nice about these scallion pancakes is that you can make them ahead much like these other side dishes: chilled chinese broccoli, simple & succulent edamame that’s not boring, and coconut date balls.

What is a scallion pancake made of?

The classic scallion pancake is made of flour, water, and green onion.

(You also need some oil to pan fry them in.)

Scallion pancakes on the griddle in Shanghai, China

Notice the pool of grease to the right of the griddle. That’s how that green onion pancake in the middle got so golden brown. Photo from a food stall on Nanjing Road in Shanghai, China.

The Problem with Traditional Scallion Pancakes

Homemade traditional scallion pancakes made with just flour, water, and green onion are wonderful.

However, there are 3 issues with them that we would like to avoid:

1. You need to mix dough, rest dough, roll dough and roll dough again. All steps you would rather skip.

2. You will need to invite the flour fairy to sprinkle gluten all over your kitchen, so you can roll out the dough without sticking.

3. If you had time to roll out dough, you might wonder what else you could be doing with your life right now.

When I was paid to cook, there were lots of things I would do in a kitchen. However at home, rolling out dough for free is not one of them.

The solution then is to “cheat” with the help of our friend puff pastry, the William Singer of the flour world so you can shortcut your way to the best scallion pancakes possible.

Close up shot of the inside of a green onion pancake held by a hand

Green onion pancake in a brown paper wrapper on Nanjing Road in Shanghai, China

This Shanghai scallion pancake is served warm in a paper wrapper bought from a street vendor on Nanjing Road in China. No dipping sauce is provided and none needed since the pancake is moist and delicious on its own.

Sometime it is served with a soy sauce based dipping sauce, but it is also fine served naked on its own.

Are scallion pancakes vegan?

How to Make Puff Pastry Scallion Pancakes

Step 1: Chop green onion & cut puff pastry

Puff pastry squares, green onion, chopped green onion, and wooden rolling pin on a marble board

All you need to make puff pastry scallion cakes are green onions, puff pastry, and salt.

Chop the green onion as finely as you have the patience for.

You can use both the white and green part of the green onion, however the white part should be chopped a little finer than the green part. Since the white part is tougher, it will pierce through the dough when you roll it out.

As for the puff pastry, you can cut buy pre-cut squares or cut them into manageable 4×4″ squares. It need not be perfect, just easy enough to roll up together without getting frustrated.

Step 2: Sprinkle green onion on puff pastry

Sprinkle the green onion onto the puff pastry. Whatever you do, don’t forget this vital step.

Sprinkle with salt!

Otherwise, the the scallion cake really tastes like nothing.

You can roll the green onion onto the puff pastry with a rolling pin to make it stick better, or not. I’ve tried it both ways, and there is not a terrible difference.

Step 3: Roll puff pastry

Roll the puff pastry with the green onion into a cigar, as tightly as you can.

You’ll need to tuck in the green onions as you, as they tend to want to mischievously slip out.

Step 4: Roll puff pastry into a coil

Once you’e made a cigar, you will want to coil the puff pastry into a snail like ball.

You will need to crimp the tail end of the cigar into the puff pastry so that it sticks together.

Step 5: Roll out coil to a thick pancake

Next use a rolling pin to flatten out the dough to about a1/2″ thick disc.

If you haven’t sealed the puff pastry into a proper coil, it will not roll out to a nice circle. It will be oddly shaped.

That is acceptable, if you don’t care for a eating circular scallion cake.

Note that using a silicone baking mat alleviates the need for flour. I really don’t want to whip out any flour and have it dusting extraneous surfaces in my kitchen. Neither do you.

A thin rolling pin is helpful for rolling out small quantities of dough such as these.

Step 6: Prick with a fork

This is the other step you don’t want to forget.

Prick with a fork!

You’ve just layered and created more layers of flour and fat. Once heated, it will start steaming and puff up.

This is similar to docking a pie crust. Give the steam a chance to escape!

Step 7: Bake

Bake at 375F degrees until golden brown directly on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

You could brush with melted butter or oil for extra goldeness, but that is one extra step I’m not willing to take.

Step 8: Serve warm

Serving these suckers warm makes all the difference. You get warm, buttery puff pastry dough with sweet, melted green onion.

Serving them cold is edible but not quite the same experience. The puff pastry is dryer, not nearly as flaky, and kind of makes you wonder why you’re eating it at all.

Even reheating them in the microwave will make them more palatable. 🙂

Serve for a crowd & don’t tell

If making these for a crowd, you can lay them up against each other and reheat them in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Will anyone really know that you “cheated” by using pre-made puff pastry?

Perhaps.

But this cooking scandal is not really a crime will save you so much time.

Helpful Tips

Find an all butter frozen puff pastry or one made with non-hydrogenated margarine.
Don’t forget to sprinkle the green onions with salt, otherwise it will taste bland.
Don’t forget to prick with the fork so the steam can escape.
Use a silicone baking sheet for rolling out the puff pastry. You don’t have to add flour, and you can bake directly on the sheet into the oven.
Serve warm for optimal tastiness.

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stack of puff pastry scallion cakes on white plate

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