Authentic Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Sizzling Crepes/Pancakes)

Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Sizzling Crepes/Pancakes) is a must-try when you’re traveling in Vietnam. These crepes are wonderfully crispy, gluten-free, and incredibly easy to make with everyday ingredients

During my time in Vietnam, I and my close friends often made Bánh Xèo on weekends, and it was always a hit. After countless attempts, I’ve perfected this reliable recipe.

Your Go-To Bánh Xèo Handbook in Vietnam

In Vietnam, you’ll come across some styles of Bánh Xèo:

• The central style (Bánh Xèo Miền Trung) – In central Vietnam, particularly in Nha Trang, my hometown, Bánh Xèo is made smaller (6 inches/15 cm in diameter), with little or no turmeric powder and no coconut milk in the batter. The crust of the central-style Bánh Xèo is thicker compared to the southern version.

• The southern style (Bánh Xèo Miền Nam): it’s popular outside Vietnam, the one I show you here. In Southern Vietnam, particularly in the Mekong Delta area, Bánh Xèo is cooked in a large pan, resulting in a thin, crispy crust with a vibrant yellow color. Coconut milk in the batter enriches the texture and flavor of the dish.

• Bánh Khoái: the version from Huế city, the ancient capital of Vietnam.

• Bánh Khọt: the miniature version of Bánh Xèo. It’s made in a size similar to Dutch mini pancakes (Poffertjes).

Ingredients

Rice flour, potato starch (or corn starch), coconut cream, warm water, chicken powder (or mushroom powder if you’re making vegan Bánh Xèo), turmeric powder.

• Rice flour
• Potato starch (or corn starch)
• Coconut cream
• Warm water
• Chicken powder (or mushroom powder if you’re making vegan Bánh Xèo)
• Turmeric powder

Rice flour is essential, while starch helps make your Bánh Xèo crispier.

I found many recipes that call for sparkling, cold water, or baking soda to make their Bánh Xèo crispy, but there is no need to make it more complicated. The cooking technique is much important.

• Bean sprouts
• Shrimps
• Pork belly (or pork shoulder if you don’t eat fat)
• Shallots

• Nước Chấm (Vietnamese dipping fish sauce)
• Đồ Chua (pickled carrots & daikon)
• Popular Vietnamese herbs like mint, perilla leaves, and Thai basil.
• Lettuce (or mustard greens)

• Combine rice flour, potato starch, turmeric powder, and chicken powder with water. Mix well and let it rest for one hour. If you don’t use your batter on the same day, keep it in the refrigerator.
• After one hour, add the coconut milk and mix well. Sieve the batter to remove any clumps.

• Whisk fish sauce, sugar, water, vinegar (or lime juice together), and add minced garlic and minced chili.

• Wash and drain the mung bean sprouts, lettuce, and herbs.
• Slice the pork. Peel and devein the shrimps. If you’re using large-sized shrimps, you can cut them into smaller pieces.
• In a pan, add cooking oil and sauté the shallots until fragrant. Stir-fry the pork until it’s halfway cooked. Season with some salt and chicken powder. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until the fillings are fully cooked.
• Set the fillings aside.

• In a nonstick pan or cash iron pan, add 1/2 tbsp cooking oil.
• Pour in some batter and quickly tilt and rotate the pan to ensure the batter is evenly spread. Add more batter if it doesn’t cover the pan entirely. There should only be a thin layer of batter like making a crepe. If your batter doesn’t achieve this and is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water to the batter and mix to thin it out.
• Quickly add the shrimp, pork, and mung bean sprouts. Cover the lid for about 3 minutes and reduce the heat to medium-low.

• The crepe is cooked when the edges crisp up. Remove the lid and continue to cook the crepe for an additional 2-3 minutes until it becomes crispy.
• You could drizzle some oil around the edge of the pan. The more oil you use, the easier it will be for your Bánh Xèo to achieve crispiness. However, if you’d like it to be less greasy while still maintaining that delightful crispiness, just cook it for a bit longer over medium-low heat without the lid.
• When the crepe reaches your desired level of crispiness, use a spatula to fold it in half, then slide it out of the pan or use spatulas to transfer it to a serving plate.

• Continue with the remaining batter and filling, and don’t forget to wipe the pan clean after each crepe.

• Break the crepe into smaller pieces, put Bánh xèo as well as herbs and lettuce into your bowl of Nước Chấm. Use chopsticks to enjoy it. This is the central style way.
• Wrap Bánh Xèo and herbs in a big-sized leaf of mustard greens or lettuce. Or use a rice paper to wrap everything. Then dip this roll into a bowl of nước chấm and đồ chua. It’s the southern style way.

The ideal ratio of liquid to flour should be between 2.5 to 2.8 . For this recipe, I used 8.5 oz (240g) of a mixture of rice flour and potato starch with 21.3 oz (610ml) of liquid (a combination of water and coconut milk).

3

Weight the ingredients

I don’t recommend using cups to measure the ingredients. The more precise your ingredient measurements, the greater your chances of success.

By keeping the lid off, you avoid water droplets from dripping back into the pan. This helps ensure your bánh xèo becomes crispy as it cooks.

Once the crepe looks cooked, take off the lid and continue cooking over medium-low heat until it’s crispy.

If you want an extra crispy crepe, add more cooking oil. I usually use just a little oil when cooking Bánh Xèo. As a result, my Bánh Xèo is still crispy but appears somewhat drier compared to when I use more oil.

Since it takes a while to crisp up the crepe, you can use two pans simultaneously to save time. Before scooping the batter, don’t forget to stir it to ensure it’s well combined.

These are also great kitchen appliances for making bánh xèo. I also have a recipe for bánh xèo waffle.

Variations & Substitutes

• You can add some chopped scallions to the batter.
• If you don’t eat pork, feel free to substitute it with chicken or beef.
• You can make vegan bánh xèo with vegan fillings like mushroom, tofu, and enjoy with vegan dipping fish sauce.

Storage

• For leftover batter, you can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for two days. If you don’t use coconut cream in the batter, it can be kept fresh for one week.
• Before using it, let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour and stir well to ensure it’s well combined.
• For leftover Bánh Xèo, store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Before eating, warm them up in an air fryer or oven to retain their crispiness.

Local Tips (where to enjoy Bánh Xèo in Vietnam)

Nha Trang

• 134 Trần Qúy Cáp Street, Nha Trang.
• 85 Tô Hiến Thành Street, Nha Trang.

Hue

• Bánh Khoái Hồng Mai, 110 Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street, Huế City
• Bánh Khoái Lạc Thiện, 6 Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street, Huế City

Hoi An & Da Nang

• Bánh Xèo Bà Dưỡng, 280/23 Hoàng Diệu, Đà Nẵng
• Giếng Bá Lễ (Ba Le Well), 45/51 Trần Hưng Đạo, Hội An

Ho Chi Minh City & Can Tho

• Bánh Xèo 335 Điện Biên Phủ Street, District 3, Hồ Chí Minh City
• Bánh Xèo Ngọc Sơn: 103 Ngô Quyền Street, Ward 11, District 5, Hồ Chí Minh City
• Bánh Xèo 7 Tới, 45 Hoàng Quốc Việt Street, Ninh Kiều District, Cần Thơ

More authentic Vietnamese recipes

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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