Scallion Waffles
You know I love finding new ways to twist tradition—and these scallion waffles are exactly that. Inspired by Korean pajeon (scallion pancakes), but made in a waffle iron instead of a frying pan, they’re crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and loaded with scallions, chili flakes, and sesame oil. No syrup needed—these are made for savory dipping. A little hoisin sauce on the side and you’ve got the ultimate partner for your next Asian-inspired meal.
When I first tried the Korean Scallion Pancakes at Trader Joe’s I liked them very much, except they had to be cooked in oil. They were delicious, but a little more oily than I like. One day, I decided to make waffles for breakfast and discovered by waffle iron had basically bit the dust, so I bought a new smaller one. It came with a recipe booklet and I decided that the first thing I would make were these Scallion Waffles.
The Inspiration: Pajeon, Reimagined
Pajeon, the Korean scallion pancake, is traditionally pan-fried and often made with a combination of scallions, vegetables, and sometimes seafood. It’s delicious, but frying can be messy and time-consuming. By using a waffle iron, we skip the oil bath and get perfect browning and crunch with minimal effort.
Waffle irons cook from both sides at once, which gives you consistent texture and structure. No flipping. No fuss. Just set, close, and wait for the sizzle to stop.
These scallion waffles are so easy to make that you can make them any time. Make a lot of them and freeze them for later.
What’s Inside?
These waffles get their signature flavor from a few key ingredients:
- Scallions: Lots of them, sliced thin and folded into the batter.
- Sesame oil: Toasted sesame oil gives the waffles a rich, nutty depth.
- Chili flakes: A subtle kick that balances the sweetness of dipping sauces.
- No sugar in the batter: These are unapologetically savory.
They’re quick to mix. Resting time is about 5 minutes. The batter holds beautifully if you want to prep ahead for a party or brunch.
Serve With: Hoisin Dipping Sauce
Because these waffles are not sweet, they’re ideal for dipping. Hoisin sauce is a natural. Thick, slightly sweet, umami-rich—think of it as the Asian barbecue sauce you didn’t know you needed. It balances out the spicy, toasty flavor of the waffles perfectly. You can use it as a dipping sauce, or you can do what we do, we pour a little over our waffle, fold it, and enjoy it.
A bit of background: hoisin sauce originates from Cantonese cuisine and typically includes fermented soybeans, garlic, vinegar, and sugar. It’s often used in stir-fries, as a glaze for meats, or in famous dishes like Peking duck. Its versatility makes it a natural companion to these waffles, whether brushed on or served as a dipping pool on the side.
Want to mix it up? Try:
- Sweet chili sauce
- Soy sauce + rice vinegar
- Gochujang mixed with a little honey
What to Pair These With Scallion Waffles
These scallion waffles are right at home in an Asian-themed spread. Here are some ideas:
They also make a great snack or appetizer all on their own—just stack and dip.
Storage and Reheating
You can refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, pop them in a toaster or warm them in a dry skillet over medium heat. They crisp right back up.
Freeze between sheets of parchment paper and reheat straight from frozen in a toaster oven.
Savory scallion waffles are your new go-to: crispy, fast, and perfect for dipping. Make them in a waffle iron—no frying required. Serve with hoisin sauce for an easy, crowd-pleasing addition to your next Asian-inspired meal.
Scallion Waffles Recipe
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Scallion Waffles
Equipment
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Mise en Place
- 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 3/4 cups buttermilk, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 6 tablespoons butter, 2 large eggs, 1 cup Green onion, 1 teaspoon chili flakes, 1/2 teaspoon JusticePlace ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine until well blended and smooth. Let batter sit 5 minutes before using.
- Preheat your Waffle Maker on setting #3 (green indicator light will be illuminated when preheated).
- Pour about a cup of the batter onto the center of the lower grid, spreading evenly using a heat-proof spatula. You can also use a large ice cream scoop.
- Close cover of waffle maker. Indicator light will turn red. When light turns green again, waffle is ready.
- Open cover and carefully remove baked waffle. You can stack the waffles in a tortilla warmer.
- Repeat with remaining batter.
Video
Nutrition
Transcript
Good afternoon and welcome to the Good
Plate’s Kitchen.
Today we’re making scallion waffles.
Yes, that’s right.
Waffles don’t always have to be sweet.
These are going to be savory and we’re
going to be putting green onions in them.
We’re going to put a little bit of chili
in them, butter, flour, soy sauce instead
of salt, baking powder, and we’re going to
be using wonderful buttermilk.
Okay, now we’re going to make the scallion waffle batter
so we need two cups of flour.
This is all-purpose flour and
accurately measure spoon the
flour into your measuring
cup and then you can take the
spoon like this and just go like this and
that’s an accurate measurement.
Okay, so we need one, two.
Of course, this is King Arthur flour,
which is in my opinion, the best flour.
You can’t get any better to get any
better.
It’s consistently good all the time.
Okay, and here you go.
That goes in like that.
And now we need a tablespoon of baking
powder.
See this right here?
That’s for leveling up.
It’s for leveling, like, leveling it off.
If you didn’t already know that.
There we go, tablespoon.
And we need two eggs.
One, two.
Normally this would be a half a teaspoon
of salt, but since we’re going Asian here
with this, we’re putting a half a teaspoon
of soy sauce.
instead.
And again, because it’s Asian,
we’re going to put
a quarter of a teaspoon of sesame oil.
This is six tablespoons of melted butter.
And that is
my Danish whisk.
I love this Danish whisk.
It does a great job.
Okay, the reason why I’m mixing this in a
little bit now, instead of later,
is because I don’t want scrambled eggs.
When I’m putting that butter.
Here we go.
Put the rest of the butter.
Now we’re not going to have scrambled
eggs.
I’m going to add three chilies.
One, two.
three.
If you don’t like chili, or don’t like
things hot, absolutely omit this.
Just keep them out around a little bit.
Okay, now we need
a cup and three quarters of a better milk.
This is a thick batter.
And what you really want
to do, we’re going to
let this sit for a while,
so that the flour can
fully absorb all the liquid.
And to make it so
that it’s fully flavored,
we’re adding
these scallions now.
Oops.
Okay.
Okay.
I’m going to let this sit.
for about five minutes or so.
And then we will make the waffles.
Okay. We pre-heated the
waffle iron to level three.
And our mix is ready.
And we’re going to put this.
We’ll put two and put the top on.
And we’re going to wait until the light
goes off.
And then our waffle will be done.
Okay.
And now as you can see, the light is
green.
So let’s lift this up and see what
happened.
Oh, those are beautiful.
Okay, we’re going to take one off.
We’re going to take one off and take this
one off.
And then plate.
Close it up.
And while we’re waiting for that,
we’ll taste this.
See how this is.
Mm.
We’re flapping inside.
On the inside.
Mm.
Close me on the outside.
Just a little bit spicy.
These are going to be
absolutely
beautifully with our hoisin pork
roast.
All right.
Thank you for watching.
We’ll see you next time on the good plate.
Yum, yum.
