Rice Paper Green Onion Cakes
These Rice Paper Green Onion Cakes are a shortcut way to make chewy, crispy, layered green onion cakes that are also gluten-free.
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I don’t usually pay too much attention to viral TikTok recipes, but every once in a while, one will pique my interest. I had recently been seeing videos about rice paper croissants.
They were made by dipping rice paper into an egg mixture, then rolling them up, shaping them into a croissant shape, and baking (or air-frying). The result is a flaky croissant-shaped pastry-like treat. And since they’re made with rice paper, they’re gluten-free.
When I first saw the technique, I immediately thought a modified version of it could be used to make Rice Paper Green Onion Cakes, and after a couple of trials, I figured out how to do it.
How to Make Rice Paper Green Onion Cakes
When I was testing this recipe, I first started with a rolling then coiling technique like I use in my traditional Green Onion Cake recipe. However, I found that the rice paper wasn’t stretchy enough to flatten them out after coiling, and the green onion cakes came out too thick.
I decided that stacking the rice paper sheets was the next technique I would try, and it worked out well. The green onion cakes using this technique came out more similar to what I was used to, and the technique was easier to follow too.
To get started, prep your ingredients. Mince your green onions, and whisk together the eggs with some water, salt, and white pepper. Pour the egg mixture into a plate or other shallow vessel, like a pie plate or baking pan (make sure it’s big enough for a sheet of your rice paper to fit completely inside it). Prep a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
Working with one sheet of rice paper at a time, dip the sheet into the egg mixture, making sure that both sides of the rice paper are coated with egg. Let any excess drip back into the plate. Lay the coated rice paper onto one side of the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle some of the minced green onion (about 1 1/2 – 2 Tablespoons) onto the rice paper, making sure to leave the edges clean.
Repeat this process by dipping a second sheet of rice paper and placing it directly on top of the first. Add a second portion of minced green onions onto this sheet of rice paper. Repeat this process with 3 more sheets of rice paper and 2 more portions of green onions, leaving the top sheet of rice paper without green onions. Repeat this whole process again with 5 more sheets of rice paper and the remaining minced green onions to make a second pancake.
When all of the layers of rice paper on both pancakes are completely softened by the egg mixture, you’re ready to cook. Heat a little oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add one of the pancakes. Cook until the bottom is browned (about 5 minutes), then flip. Cook for a few more minutes until the second side is browned (about 3-4 more minutes).
Remove the pancake from the skillet and cut into wedges. Repeat the cooking process with the second pancake. Serve immediately with sriracha, Thai sweet chile sauce, or chile garlic sauce, if desired.
Rice Paper Green Onion Cakes Ingredients
- Large eggs
- Water – Use whatever water you normally drink. Cold tap water is fine.
- Sesame oil – Sesame oil has a very unique flavor and can’t really be substituted. Find it in the aisle with other oils or in the International aisle, usually in small bottles.
- Kosher salt
- White pepper – white pepper has quite a different flavor from the more common black pepper. It is usually finely ground. Find it in the spice aisle.
- Rice paper – Rice paper is used for wrapping spring rolls, salad rolls, and some dumplings. It’s available in round or sometimes square versions and can come in various sizes. You will want round for this recipe, and look for 22cm (about 9″) size.
- Green onions
- Canola oil – Or use any other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- Sriracha, Thai sweet chile sauce, and/or chile garlic sauce – This is optional and used for serving to dip your green onion cakes in.
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Rice Paper Green Onion Cakes Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for half of a large (22cm/9″) green onion cake (3 wedges). If your portion is larger (or smaller) than this, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
The nutrition calculations do not include any optional dipping sauce, and assume that only 1 Tablespoon of oil is included.
This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free as written.
Rice Paper Green Onion Cakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs, 1/4 cup (60 ml) water, 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) kosher salt, and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper. Pour the mixture into a large plate or other shallow vessel (eg. a baking pan or pie plate) that is at least as big as a sheet of your rice paper.
- Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Prepare a work station with the dish of egg mixture, a bowl containing 10 sheets rice paper, a bowl containing the minced green onions, and the prepared baking sheet.
- Dip one sheet of the rice paper in the bowl containing the egg mixture, making sure it is coated on both sides (I like to kind of slide the rice paper through the egg mixture to do this). Hold the sheet up above the plate, letting any excess egg mixture drip back into the plate. Lay the sheet on one side of the prepared baking sheet. (Note that the rice paper will not soften immediately, but over time, the egg mixture will soak into the rice paper, allowing it to soften).
- Sprinkle the rice paper with about 1 1/2 – 2 Tablespoons of minced green onion, avoiding the edges.
- Repeat the above 2 steps with 4 more sheets of rice paper and approximately half of the green onions, leaving the top sheet of rice paper (the 5th one) without green onions. Repeat this whole process again with the remaining 5 sheets of rice paper and the second half of the green onions to make a second pancake. Make sure that all of the layers of rice paper on both pancakes are completely softened before you start cooking.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon of canola oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add one of the green onion cakes and cook until the bottom is well browned (about 5 minutes). Flip the pancake, and cook until the second side is well browned, about 3-4 more minutes. Reduce the temperature to medium if the pancake is browning too quickly. Repeat with the second pancake, adding up to 1 Tablespoon of additional oil if needed.
- Cut each pancake into 6 wedges and serve hot. Serve with sriracha, Thai sweet chili sauce, or chili garlic sauce if desired.
- Note that the recipe can be completed up to the end of step 5 in advance. At this point, the baking sheet containing the pancakes can be lightly covered with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and placed in the fridge for up to 4 hours. Follow the remaining steps to cook the pancakes.
Nutrition
Notes
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