Korean Hotteok, Sweet Cinnamon Pancakes

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N Seoul Tower

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Korean Hotteok, plated and ready to serve

Hotteok are chewy, griddle-fried pancakes filled with a molten cinnamon-sugar and walnut syrup. They are Korea’s favorite winter street snack, sold hot from carts and eaten carefully so the filling does not burn your fingers. This keto dough uses mozzarella and almond flour, and the filling melts just like the original.

Per serving: 291 calories · 3.5 g net carbs · 12 g protein · 25 g fat (calculated from the ingredients)

What You’ll Need

Ingredients for Korean Hotteok

Korean Hotteok, plated and ready to serve

Korean Hotteok, Sweet Cinnamon Pancakes

Hotteok are chewy, griddle-fried pancakes filled with a molten cinnamon-sugar and walnut syrup. They are Korea's favorite winter street snack, sold hot from carts and eaten carefully so the filling does not burn your fingers. This keto dough uses mozzarella and almond flour, and the filling melts just like the original.
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Korean
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 291kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella
  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese
  • 1 cup blanched almond flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon allulose
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • Filling: 1/4 cup allulose (or brown-style allulose), 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1 tablespoon butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon butter for frying

Instructions

  • Mix the filling ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Melt the mozzarella and cream cheese in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring until smooth. Stir in the almond flour, egg, allulose and baking powder and knead into a soft dough. Chill for 10 minutes.
  • With oiled hands, divide the dough into 6 balls. Flatten each into a 4-inch circle, place a spoonful of filling in the center, and pinch the edges together to seal completely.
  • Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Place the balls seam side down and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Flip and press each one flat with an oiled spatula to about 1/2 inch thick. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more per side, until golden and the filling has melted. Let cool for 2 minutes before eating.

Notes

Seal the dough completely or the filling will leak and scorch in the pan. The filling is very hot when they come off the griddle, so warn little ones to wait a moment.
Chef's Tip: Add a few pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds to the filling for ssiat hotteok, the famous seed-stuffed version from Busan.
Keto Swap: Hotteok dough is made from wheat and glutinous rice flour, and the filling is brown sugar. A mozzarella-almond dough and cinnamon allulose filling keep the chewy outside and syrupy center.
Success Tip: Kids love helping to stuff and seal them. Make them a weekend breakfast treat.
Nutrition is calculated from the ingredients and is an estimate per serving. Net carbs exclude fiber and allulose.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 291kcal | Protein: 12g | Fat: 25g | Fiber: 2.6g
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Cooking Korean Hotteok in the kitchen

About This Dish

Hotteok is believed to have been introduced to Korea by Chinese merchants in the late 19th century. It became one of Korea’s most popular winter street foods, sold from carts with a pressing tool used to flatten each pancake. In Busan, vendors near Nampo-dong created ssiat hotteok, which is split open and stuffed with seeds. Street-cart hotteok are often handed over in folded paper cups to keep the hot syrup from dripping. Many Koreans associate the smell of hotteok with cold winter evenings.

This recipe is from The Ultimate Korean Keto Cookbook by Gisele Costello, Chapter 11: Desserts (N Seoul Tower). See all Korean recipes

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