Bánh Cuốn and Bánh Ướt! These close siblings are breakfast staples across Vietnam, from the North to the South.

Preparing Bánh Cuốn traditionally can be quite finicky since it requires a specialized steamer. But today, I’ll give you some tips to simplify the recipe wih a non-stick skillet.

What is Bánh Cuốn?

“Cuốn” in Vietnamese means “to roll,” while “Bánh” is a versatile term that refers to various sweet and savory dishes made with different types of flour, and occasionally Western-influenced desserts. Sometimes, “Bánh” can also refer to non-edible items like a wheel or a soap bar.

Some examples of “Bánh” in Vietnamese cuisine are:

Bánh Khoai Mì Nướng (Baked Cassava Cake)
Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa (Pandan Waffle)
Bánh Bột Chiên (Fried Rice Cakes with Eggs)
Bánh Flan (Vietnamese Flan)
Bánh Bò Nướng (Baked Honeycomb Cake)

Bánh Cuốn originates from Northern Vietnam, and followed Catholics migrating to the Southern region in 1954 (similar to Phở, Bún Thang and Bún Riêu). It’s a crêpe-like roll filled with a mixture of stir-fried pork mince and black ear mushrooms.

In addition to Bánh Cuốn in Vietnam, you can find variations like Bánh Ướt, Bánh Ướt Thịt Nướng, or Cheong Fun in China. All of these are variations or foreign counterparts of Bánh Cuốn.

Related Articles | Read more about Bánh Cuốn vs. Bánh Ướt.

How I develop my recipe

Living in a shared apartment with a small kitchen, I wasn’t eager to set up a traditional steamer to make Bánh Cuốn.

Using a nonstick skillet to make Bánh Cuốn is also a good option, though it may not produce rice sheets as perfect as the traditional method. However, they can still be relatively thin and delicate.

The recipe for making Bánh Cuốn with a skillet requires a higher water ratio than the traditional steaming method.

Making Banh Cuon — Traditional steam method for Bánh Cuốn

When I have time, I prefer to grind the rice (Basmati rice works best), soak the batter, and replace the water several times as in the traditional method. This slightly fermented batter produces more delicate and translucent rice sheets without any starch.

However, for convenience, I decided to draft the recipe using rice flour. To shorten the soaking time, I incorporated some starch. I didn’t want its texture too chewy, so I combined both tapioca starch and potato starch.

Potato starch is key here. It has a neutral flavor and yields a silky, delicate texture ideal for Bánh Cuốn. While you could use all tapioca starch or substitute potato starch with cornstarch, I highly recommend using potato starch.

I still soak the batter for one hour, discarding and replacing the water once before cooking to eliminate any lingering unpleasant smells from the rice.

Overall, I’m quite satisfied with the result 😉—the rice rolls turned out well. They remain soft, thin, and delicate even after a day in the fridge and reheating in the microwave. I couldn’t ask for more.

Tips: For the leftover potato starch, you could use it as a substitute for cornstarch in thickening soup or in baking, such as in matcha waffles.

Ingredients

FILLING

Ground pork: If you can’t eat pork, you can use ground chicken or beef, but it won’t quite be the same as traditional Vietnamese Bánh Cuốn anymore 😂.
Wood ear mushroom: A popular Asian mushroom known for its crunchy texture. I love it in Bún Mọc (rice noodles with pork balls) and Chả Trứng Hấp (steamed egg meatloaf).
Shallots & Onions: You can also substitute shallots with the white part of scallions. In Saigon, sometimes, people use jicama instead of onions.
Seasoning: Fish sauce, sugar, and ground black pepper.

BÁNH CUỐN BATTER

Rice Flour (or better yet, rice starch): Go for Vietnamese or Thai brands.
Tapioca Starch
Potato Starch (preferred): Can be substituted with cornstarch, additional tapioca starch, or wheat starch.
Cooking Oil
Salt

ACCOMPANIMENTS

Nước Chấm: fish sauce, sugar, water and distilled vinegar or lime/lemon, and chili. Traditionally, garlic is not added to Nước Chấm for Bánh Cuốn.
Garnish: blanched bean sprouts, cucumber (cut into matchsticks), Thai basil, cilantro, or Vietnamese coriander (rau răm).
Hành Phi (fried shallots)
Chả Lụa: Vietnamese pork sausage. You can make Chả Lụa at home or find it at Asian markets.
Other Regional Toppings: Explore more details in my section “How to Serve Bánh Cuốn” below.

Variations

Bánh Cuốn Trứng (Egg-filled Bánh Cuốn): After pouring the batter onto the skillet, add some beaten egg, tilt, and rotate to spread it evenly, then close the lid. This process is similar to cooking regular Bánh Cuốn.
Bánh Cuốn Tôm (Shrimp-filled Bánh Cuốn): Add some minced shrimp to the pork and mushroom mixture or use toasted shrimp flakes (Tôm Chấy).
Bánh Cuốn Chay (Vegan Bánh Cuốn): Bánh Cuốn Chay is filled with tofu crumbles and mushrooms, served alongside vegan Nước Chấm. Or you could skip the filling and serve the steamed rolls with vegan toppings like vegan Chả Lụa or fried tofu.
Bánh Cuốn Ngọt (Sweet Bánh Cuốn): A sweet version of Bánh Cuốn filled with coconut and mung bean.

Instructions

For detailed instructions with photos, please refer to the recipe card at the end of the post.

Troubleshooting Tips

Batter doesn’t stick to the skillet: This means your skillet isn’t hot enough.
Rice sheets are not smooth and silky: If the texture is uneven (as shown in the photo below), your skillet is too hot. You’ll hear a sizzling sound, similar to making Bánh Xèo (sizzling crêpes), when the batter hits the pan.

Crêpes dry out: This happens if you cook them for too long. The edges should just begin to crisp, and the crêpe should turn translucent.

Batter tears easily: Since this batter makes very thin crêpes, handle with care to prevent tearing.
- To make it easier to work with, you can reduce the amount of water in the batter by 0.4 cups (100ml). Another method I use is pouring the batter twice: first with one ladle of batter, pouring out the extra, and then again with another ladle.
- I like my Bánh Cuốn to be as thin as possible, so for my 8-inch (20cm) skillet, I use about 3/4 of a ladle of batter.
- When making rice crêpes for Bánh Ướt, I prefer them to be slightly thicker than Bánh Cuốn.
Rice sheets are sticky: To avoid this, grease your cooking equipment, such as plates and spatulas, when making Bánh Cuốn.

How to serve Bánh Cuốn

From North to South, Bánh Cuốn is enjoyed in many different ways across Vietnam. Personally, I love the Hanoi-style Bánh Cuốn the most, but the other variations are definitely worth trying too.

When I travel to Hanoi, Bánh Cuốn, Cà Phê Trứng (egg coffee), and Chả Cá Lã Vọng (turmeric fish with dill) are always my must-tries.

NORTHERN-STYLE

Northern Vietnamese prefer to keep the accompaniments for Bánh Cuốn simple to allow the delicate rice sheets to shine.

Here are some traditional and popular toppings for Bánh Cuốn in Hanoi:

Fried Tofu: an age-old tradition, it’s not as popular nowadays.
Grilled Pork: it is often served in a bowl of fish sauce broth, quite similar to Bún Chả.
Chả Quế (cinnamon pork sausage): Northern people love eating Bánh Cuốn with Chả Quế rather than Chả Lụa like in the South.
Chả Mực (fried squid cake): a delicacy from Hạ Long (if you know Ha Long Bay).
Ruốc (pork floss): sometimes I find people also enjoy eating Bánh Cuốn with pork floss.

The dipping sauce is kept simple with fish sauce, sugar, calamansi, ground pepper, sliced chili or dried chili flakes, and a touch of garlic, often served warm.

Some locals add Cà Cuống essence, a prized ingredient in Vietnam, but I haven’t tried it.

In places like Hải Phòng province in the North, the dipping sauce is sometimes mixed with pork broth instead of water, giving it a richer umami flavor that’s simply delicious.

A close-up photo of a plate filled with steamed Banh Cuon, a traditional Vietnamese dish. Delicate and translucent rice flour crepes are skillfully rolled, revealing a savory filling of ground pork, mushrooms, and fragrant herbs. The dish is garnished with a sprinkling of fried shallots and served with a side of tangy fish sauce. The vibrant colors and textures of the dish create an inviting and appetizing presentation. — Bánh Cuốn in Hanoi

Unlike in the South where fish sauce is poured over Bánh Cuốn, in Northern Vietnam like Hanoi, people prefer to dip the Bánh Cuốn into a bowl of fish sauce, similar to eating Japanese Tsukemen.

SOUTHERN-STYLE

Southern people enjoy Bánh Cuốn and Bánh Ướt like a rice noodle salad.

People serve them with a salad-like mix of blanched bean sprouts, salad, cucumber, herbs (mint/Thai basil/Vietnamese coriander) and sometimes even with pickled carrots & daikon.

Southern Banh Cuon — Bánh Cuốn in Saigon

The dipping fish sauce in the South is slightly sweeter compared to the Northern version. It’s a common condiment in many Southern dishes like Bún Thịt Nướng, Bún Chả Giò, or Bún Bò Xào.

Southern toppings for Bánh Cuốn and Bánh Ướt are also diverse:

Chả Lụa (Vietnamese ham) and Chả Chiên (the fried version)
Nem Chua (fermented pork sausage)
Bì (the shredded pork in Cơm Tấm platter)
Bánh Tôm (shrimp & sweet potato fritters)
Chả Giò (Vietnamese egg rolls)
Chả Cá (fried fish cakes)
Bánh Cống (pork & mung bean fritters)

CENTRAL-STYLE

In addition to the classic Bánh Cuốn and the renowned Bánh Ướt Thịt Nướng in Huế, people in the central regions enjoy eating Bánh Ướt with toasted shrimp flakes (Tôm Chấy).

Banh Uot Thit Nuong — Bánh Ướt Thịt Nướng

In the Southern Central region (I’m from Nha Trang), we enjoy Bánh Ướt similarly to Bánh Hỏi. It’s served with roasted pork belly, drizzled with scallion oil, and enjoyed with dipping fish sauce.

We also have a special dish called Bánh Đập, which features rice sheet Bánh Ướt layered with toasted Bánh Tráng Mè (Vietnamese sesame cracker) and dipped in fermented anchovy sauce (Mắm Nêm).

Thanks a bunch for giving my recipe a shot! If you enjoyed it, I’d truly appreciate a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating or a comment to let me know your thoughts.

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