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    Home » Recipes » Sides

    Leek Pancakes

    Published: Feb 2, 2023 / Modified: Feb 2, 2023 by Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN / This post may contain affiliate links / Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print
    leek pancakes sliced into triangles with soy dipping sauce on a plate
    leek pancakes separated by text box with recipe title
    leek pancakes on a serving plate under text box with recipe title

    These leek pancakes are a twist on Chinese scallion pancakes. Made in a similar way — with a spiraled dough that you flatten then fry in a skillet — they’re flaky and delicious and just perfect for soaking up their soy dipping sauce. I love serving them as an appetizer or side to a Chinese-inspired entree.

    leek pancakes sliced into triangles on a plate with dipping sauce in the middle

    Have you ever ordered scallion pancakes at a Chinese restaurant? Maybe you have even made them at home following the recipe in my cookbook! Either way — and whether you are familiar with this delicious food or not — I encourage you to give these leek pancakes a try!

    This recipe uses leeks in place of green onions but still has that signature flaky dough that makes scallion pancakes so delicious! The leeks provide a milder flavor than raw scallions, which I personally prefer. I cook the leeks first, too, with some garlic and a little toasted sesame oil.

    When it’s all said and done, the finished pancakes are then paired with a soy dipping sauce that’s flavored with rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, honey, and garlic. YUM.

    Making leek pancakes does require a little bit of effort and time, but trust me, it’s easier than you think. Plus, once you taste them, you’ll be so glad you put in the effort. I promise!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients and Substitutions
    • Instructions
    • Storage and Reheating
    • Serving
    • More Leek Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    flour, soy sauce, salt, garlic, leeks, honey, and sesame oil on a counter

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    • Leeks: The star ingredient! You can of course substitute scallions (green onions).
    • Garlic: You will need fresh garlic to cook with the leeks and for the dipping sauce.
    • Toasted sesame oil: I like to cook the leeks in a combo of sesame and olive oils for some additional flavor. I also added sesame oil to the dipping sauce. I use the toasted sesame oil from Trader Joe’s.
    • Extra virgin olive oil: For cooking the leeks and the pancakes.
    • All-purpose flour: This is the other main ingredient of leek pancakes. I have not tried making the recipe with other flours, but I suspect that 1-to-1 all-purpose gluten-free flour would work.
    • Just boiling water: Heat water until there are little bubbles on the sides of the pan but turn off the heat before it has a rolling boil.
    • Salt and garlic powder: For seasoning the dough.
    • Reduced sodium soy sauce: This is the base of the dipping sauce. I prefer reduced or low sodium soy sauce, but you can use regular soy sauce or substitute tamari or coconut aminos.
    • Rice vinegar: You can substitute lime juice, apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar if needed.
    • Honey: If you need the dipping sauce to be vegan, substitute maple syrup for the honey.

    Instructions

    The full recipe card, with ingredient amounts and step-by-step instructions for leek pancakes, is at the bottom of the post.

    flour being mixed with boiling water in a bowl with a rubber spatula

    Prepare the dough. Combine the flour, just boiling water, salt, and garlic powder. Mix until it comes together, adding splashes of just boiling water as needed if it’s not coming together.

    a ball of dough for leek pancakes in a mixing bowl

    Knead the dough for a few minutes until it’s no longer sticky but not overly moist. Shape the dough into a ball, cover the bowl, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

    leeks being cut into half-moon pieces on a cutting board

    In the meantime, prep the leeks. See my tutorial on How to Cut Leeks for more information on cutting and cleaning them.

    sliced leeks cooking in oil in a cast iron skillet

    Cook the leeks and garlic in some toasted sesame oil.

    dough sliced into four pieces on a floured surface

    Cut the dough into 4 pieces.

    dough rolled out into a circle on a floured surface

    On a floured surface, roll each piece of dough into an 8-inch circle.

    dough rolled into a circle and topped with cooked leeks on a floured surface

    Brush each circle with a little oil. Spoon ¼ of the cooked leeks onto each circle.

    a circular piece of dough rolled up into a log on a floured surface

    Roll the dough circle into a log.

    dough for leek pancakes rolled up into a spiral on a floured surface

    Then, roll the log into a spiral. Take one end of the log and roll it towards the center to create the shape of a snail’s shell.

    spiral leek pancake dough flattened into a pancake on a surface

    Flatten the dough with your palm and roll into an 8-inch circle.

    leek pancake frying in oil in cast iron skillet

    Cook each pancake in olive oil for a couple of minutes on each side.

    sesame soy dipping sauce whisked in a glass measuring cup

    Whisk together the ingredients for the dipping sauce. Cut the pancakes into triangles, serve with the sauce, and enjoy!

    Storage and Reheating

    Keep leftover leek pancakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The sauce can be stored separately in another container in the fridge. Reheat in a skillet for a couple of minutes on each side until warmed through.

    You can also freeze these pancakes, cooked or uncooked. If you want to freeze them uncooked, follow the directions up until the cooking part. Stack the pancakes on top of each other, with sheets of parchment or wax paper in between them. To freeze cooked pancakes, follow the same directions for stacking after they have been cooked and cooled.

    Place the pancakes in a freezer bag, seal tightly, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Cook or reheat straight from frozen for a few minutes on each side in a skillet with olive oil.

    leek pancakes sliced into triangles on a plate with dipping sauce in the middle

    Serving

    Try serving leek pancakes on the side of beef and broccoli, cashew chicken, or a vegetarian option like my Baby Portobello Mushroom Stir Fry or Bok Choy Stir Fry with Mango. They also taste delicious with salmon and Roasted Sesame Asparagus.

    More Leek Recipes

    • frozen cut leeks in an airtight bag with text boxes for post title and website
      How to Freeze Leeks
    • pickled leeks in a jar on a counter next to a napkin
      Pickled Leeks
    • chicken and leek risotto in a serving bowl on a counter
      Chicken and Leek Risotto
    • leeks cut up into pieces under text box with post name
      How to Cut Leeks

    I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.

    📖 Recipe

    leek pancakes sliced into triangles on a plate with dipping sauce in the middle

    Leek Pancakes

    Learn how to make homemade leek pancakes, inspired by Chinese scallion pancakes! Their flaky texture is great for soaking up the soy dipping sauce.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 15 mins
    Resting Time: 15 mins
    Total Time: 50 mins
    Servings: 4 pancakes
    Calories: 325kcal
    Author: Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN

    Ingredients

    For the pancakes

    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • ¾ cup just boiling water - plus 1 to 2 extra tablespoons as needed
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • 2 cups sliced leeks - from about 2 large or 4 small leeks
    • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
    • 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil - divided
    • 2 cloves garlic - minced

    For the dipping sauce

    • 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
    • 1 teaspoon honey - sub maple syrup to make vegan
    • 1 clove garlic - minced
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    Instructions

    • Heat water in a saucepan until there are small bubbles on the sides, but turn off the heat before it gets to a rolling boil. This is the "just boiling" water. Set aside.
    • In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and garlic powder. Add the just boiling water. Mix with a rubber spatula until the dough comes together. If it's not coming together, add a few splashes of just boiling water as needed.
    • Knead the dough for about 2 minutes until it's no longer sticky but not overly moist. You may find that you need to add a little more flour if it's too sticky or moist, or you may need to add a few splashes of water if it's too dry. Shape the dough into a ball, cover the bowl, and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
    • In the meantime, prepare the leeks. Warm a teaspoon each of toasted sesame and olive oil in an 8-inch skillet. Use a cast-iron skillet if you have one, since it's great for cooking the pancakes. Add the leeks and cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat. Then, add the garlic, and cook for a couple more minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the leeks are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
    • When the dough has finished resting, divide it into 4 pieces.
    • On a floured surface, roll each piece of dough into an 8-inch circle. Brush each circle with a tiny bit of olive oil, then spoon ¼ of the cooked leek mixture onto each circle and spread it out. Roll each circle up into a log. Then, take one side of the log and roll it towards the center to form a spiral snail's shell shape.
    • Flatten the spiral with your palm. Roll the dough slightly back out into an 8-inch circle. Repeat with all of the pancakes.
    • Wipe out the skillet that you used to cook the leeks. Warm the last couple of teaspoons of olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Place a pancake in the skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side until slightly browned. Remove the cooked pancake from the skillet and set aside. Repeat with the remaining pancakes. If you are using a cast iron skillet, you may need to reduce the heat to medium-low after cooking the first pancake to prevent burning the others, since it will get very hot over time.
    • While the pancakes cook, prepare the sauce. Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, honey, and garlic.
    • When the pancakes are finished cooking, slice them into triangles. Serve with the dipping sauce, and enjoy!
    • Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!

    Notes

    • Scallions can of course be substituted for leeks.
    • Store leftover pancakes and sauce in separate containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in a skillet.
    • You can freeze leek pancakes cooked or uncooked. To freeze uncooked, follow all of the instructions up until the cooking part. Stack the pancakes on top of each other with parchment paper in between them. Place in a bag, seal, and store in the freezer for 3 months. You can follow these same stacking and packaging instructions for cooked pancakes. Cook or reheat the pancakes straight from frozen in a skillet with some olive oil for a few minutes on each side. Prepare the dipping sauce fresh for serving.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1pancake | Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 736mg | Potassium: 204mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 742IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 4mg
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @its_a_vegworld_afterall and follow me today!

    Enjoy this fun recipe! – Lizzie

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    Welcome! I'm Lizzie, a Registered Dietitian and cookbook author who loves vegetables. And I'm here to help you love them too! My easy, veggie-forward recipes will help you get comfortable in the kitchen and celebrate the seasons.

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