Korean Pancake With Scallions (Pa Jun)

By
Naomi Imatome-Yun
Naomi Imatome-Yun
Asian food expert Naomi Imatome-Yun is a freelance writer and the author of four Asian food cookbooks.
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Updated on 08/3/22
Tested by
Diana Andrews
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Tested by Diana Andrews
Diana earned her B.A. in Fine Art at Queens College and her culinary certification from the Institute of Culinary Education. Diana has served as head recipe developer and editor for Emmy-nominated PBS series Moveable Feast, food editor and test kitchen manager at Fine Cooking Magazine, and recipe developer, and product tester at Food Network.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Korean Pancake With Scallions (Pa Jun)

The Spruce / Christine Ma

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 28 mins
Total: 43 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 3 pancakes
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
325 Calories
8g Fat
50g Carbs
11g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 325
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 93mg 31%
Sodium 1452mg 63%
Total Carbohydrate 50g 18%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 4mg 21%
Calcium 48mg 4%
Iron 4mg 22%
Potassium 233mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

A Korean scallion pancake is called pa jun (or pajeon). A favorite at restaurants, this recipe will show you how easy it is to make at home. Pa jun is made with a batter of flour, eggs, salt, and water. It works as a hearty snack, appetizer, or a side dish for a Korean meal.

As with many recipes and dishes, you can tweak it to your taste—many people have their own delicious versions of pa jun. It's frankly difficult to make a bad batch of scallion pancakes. They work well with many different vegetables and even with different ratios of batter to scallions. In other words, you can modify this recipe to include more batter and fewer scallions, or vice versa. It's very forgiving.

1:05

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"These Korean Pancakes with Scallions were so easy to make. I served them with dinner, and it was as if there was nothing else on the table. All everyone wanted to eat were the scallion pancakes! Be sure to serve this with a dipping sauce." —Diana Andrews

Korean Pancake with Scallions/Tester Image
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 large eggs, beaten

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 bunch scallions, green and white parts; halved lengthwise and cut into 2- to 3-inch lengths

  • 1 1/2 cups water

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying

  • Soy sauce, or spicy dipping sauce, for serving

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for pa jun (Korean pancakes)

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, eggs, salt, scallions, and water, and let sit for about 10 minutes. Check the consistency before cooking. The batter should be a little bit runnier than American pancake batter, which allows the pa jun to cook quickly and evenly. Add more water if needed.

    Pa jun, Korean scallion pancake batter in a bowl with a spoon

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  3. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat and coat it with the oil.

    Hot pan for pa jun (Korean pancakes)

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  4. Pour batter to just coat the bottom of the skillet.

    Pa jun (Korean pancake) batter cooking in a pan

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  5. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until set and golden brown on the bottom.

    Thin pa jun (Korean pancake) about to be flipped in the pan

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  6. Flip the pancake over with the help of a spatula.

    Pa jun (Korean scallion pancake) cooked on one side in a pan

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  7. Finish by cooking 2 to 3 more minutes.

    Pa jun (Korean scallion pancake) fully cooking in the pan

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

  8. Serve with soy sauce or a spicy dipping sauce. Enjoy.

    Pa jun (Korean pancakes with scallions) cut into pieces

    The Spruce / Christine Ma

Tips

  • You'll get the best results with this recipe if you look specifically for so-called "Asian chives." These are thicker than regular chives but thinner than typical green onions.
  • You can also make pa jun using ready-made Korean pancake batter (buchimgae), which is often found at Asian grocery stores. You just add 3/4 cup water to every 1 cup of dry mix and any vegetables you wish.

Recipe Variations

  • Add thinly sliced red chile peppers and white onions to the pa jun.
  • Carrots, kimchi, mushrooms, and zucchini are also popular additions to Korean scallion pancakes.

How to Store and Freeze

  • Store leftover pancakes in the fridge in an airtight container separated by parchment or wax paper for up to three days. Reheat for a few minutes, flipping midway, in a lightly oiled skillet.
  • Cooked and cooled pancakes can be frozen. Separate each pancake using parchment or waxed paper, place in a freezer bag, and store for up to three months. Reheat frozen Korean pancakes in a lightly oiled skillet (flipping as needed) over medium-low heat until thawed, warmed through, and crispy.

What Does Pajeon Mean in Korean?

Pa jun is commonly written in English as pajeon or pachon. Pa is the Korean word for scallion. Jun (or jeon, chun) means any food that is coated with a sort of batter and pan-fried. Jun is collectively used for savory Korean pancakes, including seafood and scallions (haemul pa jun), kimchi jun, and zucchini (hobak jun).

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