These Crispy Vietnamese Crêpes Are Just As Fun to Make As They Are to Eat
Crispy, golden, and filled with savory goodness, bánh xèo is the kind of dish that invites you to eat with your hands — wrapping each bite in a cradle of lettuce and herbs before dunking it into tangy nước chấm. In my family, bánh xèo is tied to special occasions — often it’s when my sister or I are coming home to visit our parents or when we have out-of-towners visiting us in SoCal. My mom will look at us proudly, having laid out all her prepped fixins’ (like shrimp, pork, washed herbs, and lettuce), and the batter will be ready with a ladle in it, positioned to pour as soon as we drop our bags.
The name bánh xèo translates to “sizzling cake,” a nod to the sound the batter makes when it hits the hot pan. Emerging from the pan are lacy, crispy-edged crêpes encasing a filling of shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts tucked inside. What makes bánh xèo so special is the contrast of textures — crunchy crêpe against fresh herbs and cool dipping sauce — making every bite vibrant and balanced. Culturally, Vietnamese families love to feed others, and bánh xèo is one of the most frequently made for entertaining. The interactive nature of this dish and how it scales up easily is perfect for inviting over extended family or friends for a special dining experience.
Why You’ll Love It
Bánh Xèo is a perfect balance of light and rich, fresh and fried. To make this even more light, the turmeric-coconut batter can be made entirely gluten-free by swapping light beer for soda water. Traditionally, beer is only used if it’s on-hand, but soda water doesn’t make it any less authentic.
A fun, interactive meal perfect for sharing. The DIY nature of wrapping each bite in lettuce and herbs keeps it light. The bright nước chấm dipping sauce cuts through the richness, keeping everything balanced and refreshing.
Key Ingredients in Bánh Xèo
Unlike traditional recipes, this batter does not require soaked mung beans for ease.
Rice flour: Makes up the base of the batter, creating that light, crisp texture.
Turmeric: Gives the crêpes their signature golden hue and earthy flavor.
Coconut cream: Adds subtle richness and sweetness to the batter without making it heavy.
Liquid: Using either light beer or club soda (if you’d like to make the batter entirely gluten-free) enhances the crispiness even further. You can also try coconut soda such as Coco Rico as another gluten-free option.
Shrimp & pork belly: This is the classic protein combo, though you can swap in tofu or mushrooms for a vegetarian version.
Fresh herbs & lettuce: Mint, cilantro, and lettuce leaves are essential for wrapping each bite and adding brightness. If you have access to perilla (a common Vietnamese herb similar to basil), even better! You can find perilla at Asian grocery stores like H Mart.
How to Make Bánh Xèo
Make the crêpe batter. Whisk together rice flour, cornstarch, ground turmeric, and salt in a bowl. Then whisk in water, light beer (or soda water), and coconut cream until smooth. Add the greens from chopped scallions and let it rest at room temperature.
Prep the pork belly. Cut pork belly into 1-inch thick slabs and add to a pot of boiling salted water. Cook until cooked through, then drain and rinse. Cut the slabs crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices.
Cook the crêpes. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. You’ll make one crêpe at a time. Start by adding some sliced yellow onions, followed by chopped shrimp and slices of pork belly, and sauté until shrimp starts to turn pink. Give the batter a quick stir, then pour in 1/3 cup. Sprinkle bean sprouts on one half, cover, and cook until crisp-tender. Uncover, cook until the edges begin to brown, fold the crêpe in half, and slide onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining bánh xèo.
How to Eat Bánh Xèo
The best way to enjoy bánh xèo is with your hands. Serve it family-style with a platter of fresh herbs, lettuce leaves, and nước chấm alongside.
To eat, tear off a piece of the crispy crêpe with fillings, place it on a large lettuce leaf, and layer on fresh herbs like mint and cilantro. Roll it up into a loose bundle, then if you like, roll again in a clear spring roll wrap. Dip into the nước chấm, a tangy, fish sauce-based dipping sauce that brings everything together. The combination of warm, crunchy crêpe, cool herbs, and bright dipping sauce makes each bite fresh and satisfying.
How to Serve Bánh Xèo
Bánh Xèo is at its best when it’s cooked to order, so you’ll want to serve it as soon as it’s done. To expedite the process, you can have two pans going at once or keep finished crepes on a rack set over a baking sheet in a warm oven if you want to cook them all before serving.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
The batter can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Stir before using.
The pork belly can be boiled, sliced, and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 days ahead.
Refrigerate leftover bánh xèo in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To reheat in a air fryer, heat one crêpe at a time at 375°F until warmed through and the edges crisp back up. To reheat on a stovetop, place in a dry nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp again. Avoid microwaving, which will make the crêpes soggy.
Bánh Xèo (Crispy Vietnamese Savory Crêpes With Pork and Shrimp) Recipe
These golden, lacy, crispy-edged crêpes are meant to be shared.
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 50 minutes to 1 hour
Makes 8 crepes
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the crêpes:
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup light beer or club soda
1/2 cup well-stirred coconut cream, such as Savoy
2 medium scallions, green parts only finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
For the filling:
8 ounces skin-on pork belly, cut into 1-inch thick slabs
12 teaspoons neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable, divided
1/2 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices, divided
8 ounces raw medium peeled and deveined shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), cut into 1-inch pieces
6 ounces mung bean sprouts (about 2 cups), divided
For serving:
Nước Chấm (see recipe below)
1 medium head green leaf lettuce, leaves separated
1/2 medium bunch fresh mint
1/2 medium bunch fresh cilantro
1/2 medium bunch fresh perilla leaves (optional)
Instructions
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Make the crêpe batter:
Whisk 1 cup rice flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt together in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk in 3/4 cup water, 3/4 cup light beer or soda water, and 1/2 cup well-stirred coconut cream until smooth.
Stir in the finely chopped green parts of 2 medium scallions. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, make the nước chấm, boil the pork belly, and prepare the lettuce and herbs.
Make the pork belly:
Bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add 8 ounces pork belly (cut into 1-inch thick slabs) and cook at a very lively simmer until cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes.
Drain and rinse in cold water until cool enough to handle. Cut the slabs crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices.
Make the bánh xèo:
Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of the neutral oil in a large 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add about an eighth of the sliced yellow onions and cook for 30 seconds. Add 5 to 6 pieces chopped medium shrimp and 3 to 4 slices of the pork belly, and sauté until the shrimp begin to turn pink, about 1 minute.
Give the batter a quick stir to recombine and make sure the ingredients in the pan are in an even layer. While tilting and moving the pan as needed to evenly distribute the batter to the edges, pour in 1/3 cup of the batter. Add more batter if the bottom of the pan isn’t fully coated. Sprinkle a small handful of bean sprouts on one half of the crêpe. Cover and cook until the bean sprouts are crisp-tender, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
Uncover and cook until the edges begin to brown and crisp, about 1 1/2 minutes more. Fold the crêpe in half to cover the bean sprouts. Slide onto a plate and serve immediately. Repeat making the remaining bánh xèo.
Eat the bánh xèo by tearing parts of it off, folding it into a green leaf lettuce leaf with fresh herbs, and dipping in nước chấm.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The batter can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Stir before using. The pork belly can be boiled, sliced, and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 days ahead.
Storage: Refrigerate leftover bánh xèo in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
To reheat, air-fry one crêpe at a time at 375°F until warmed through and the edges crisp back up, 2 to 3 minutes. This method helps maintain the crunch without adding extra oil (my personal favorite method). To reheat on a stovetop, place in a dry nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp again, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Avoid microwaving, which will make the crêpes soggy.
Nước Chấm: Vietnamese Dipping Fish Sauce Recipe
For extra irresistible flavor, serve this 5-minute sauce with chả giò.
Prep time 5 minutes
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water, plus more as needed
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more as needed
1 Thai birds-eye chile, plus more as needed
2 cloves garlic
2 medium limes
Instructions
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Place 1/2 cup warm water and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small glass or ceramic bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add 3 tablespoons fish sauce and stir to combine.
Prepare the following, adding each to the bowl as you complete it: Trim and finely chop 1 Thai birds-eye chile, mince 2 garlic cloves, and squeeze the juice from 2 medium limes until you have 2 tablespoons juice. Stir to combine. Let sit for a few minutes for the flavors to meld.
Taste and season with more finely chopped chile, water, fish sauce, sugar, or lime juice as needed.
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