My Vietnamese savory prawn coconut pancakes (bánh khọt) are crispy on the outside while rich and creamy in the center. Enjoy them with fresh herbs and dipping sauce for the perfect snack.

When it comes to street food, Vietnamese savory prawn coconut pancakes (bánh khọt) are hands down my favorite along with gỏi cuốn and bánh xèo. Bánh khọt is a specialty of Vũng Tàu and a sister version of bánh xèo. It’s made with a batter of rice flour, cornstarch, turmeric, coconut milk, and scallion, then topped with prawns and mung bean. They’re like mini pancakes that are crispy on the outside while rich and creamy in the center.

Ingredient notes
- Rice flour: for this recipe, make sure you get rice flour and not glutinous flour. It’s an inexpensive regular shelf item at the Asian grocery stores.
- Corn starch: with the addition of cornstarch, the texture of the pancakes will be more crispy.
- Turmeric: turmeric gives the pancakes their brilliant yellow color. A little bit goes a long way. Adding too much will lend a bitter taste once cooked.
- Yellow split mung bean: you need to soak these the night before or for 6 hours to soften them before steaming.
- Coconut cream: coconut cream adds richness to the batter.
- Prawn: I like to use size 41/50 which means there are 41 to 50 prawns per pound. When you use bigger prawns make sure to halve them so they cook faster.

What type of pan to use for making bánh khọt
For making these Vietnamese savory prawn coconut pancakes, you can use a cast iron bánh khọt pan, an aebleskiver pan, or a takoyaki pan.

Tips for making bánh khọt
- Let the batter rest for an hour after you mix it. Give the batter a quick stir to redistribute the flour that had settled at the bottom.
- The batter can be made 2 days ahead, covered, and stored in the fridge. Bring the batter to room temperature before you cook it.
- Use prawns size 41/50 or smaller so they fit in the pan.
- Medium-high heat is the best level for making it crispy without burning it.
- Each pancake will need about 4-5 minutes to cook through.
- These Vietnamese savory prawn coconut pancakes are best eaten as they are made. If you need to keep them warm and crisp while finishing the whole batch, leave them on a baking sheet in the oven at 225 degrees F until ready to serve.

What to serve bánh khọt with
Vietnamese mini savory prawn coconut pancakes are traditionally served with a dipping sauce and fresh herbs like young green mustard (cải bẹ xanh), lettuce, Vietnamese mint (rau răm), Thai basil (húng quế ), peppermint (húng cay), and Vietnamese perilla (tiá tô).

I love wrapping each pancake with lettuce and fresh herbs and dunking them in the dipping sauce. With every bite you get a bit of the rich and creamy pancake, meaty prawn, and medley of herbs. Eating these Vietnamese savory prawn coconut pancakes takes me back to my childhood memories of our family vacation in Vũng Tàu.
For more street food inspiration, check these recipes:
- Vietnamese crepes
- Vietnamese prawn and sweet potato fritters
- Vietnamese beef wrapped in betel leaves
- Vietnamese steamed rice cakes

Vietnamese savory prawn coconut pancakes (Bánh khọt)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup rice flour
- 2 cups coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup scallion
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 28 tiger prawns, peeled and deveined
- ¼ cup dried split mung beans, soaked for 6 hours or overnight
Dipping sauce
- 2 tbsps fish sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tbsps granulated sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 red bird's eye chili, thinly sliced
For serving
- 1 handful of Thai basil
- 1 handful of Vietnamese mint
- 1 handful of peppermint
- 1 handful of of perilla leaves
- a few baby leaves of mustard green
- a few pieces of lettuce
Instructions
- Soak the mung beans in water overnight.
- Strain, then steam over high heat for 15 minutes. Set aside.
- To make the dipping sauce, combine everything in a bowl and whisk together until combined. Set aside until ready to serve.
- For the batter, whisk the rice flour, cornstarch, turmeric, and salt in a bowl and mix well.
- Whisk in the coconut cream until there's no lump. Stir in the green scallion. Let the batter rest for an hour.
- Place a 7-hole ebelskiver pan over medium-high heat and brush each hole with oil.
- Working quickly, pour 1 ½ tablespoons of batter in the hole using a spoon to press the batter along the edges of the hole. Top with each banh khot with a prawn and ½ teaspoon of mung bean.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 4 minutes until the bottom and edges are crispy, prawns cooked through, and batter turned yellow.
- Using a spoon remove the banh khot from and transfer them to a plate.
- Repeat the steps above until your ingredients are out. You should get 28 pancakes.
- Serve immediately with herbs and dipping sauce.
Notes
- Let the batter rest for an hour after you mix it. Give the batter a quick stir to redistribute the flour that had settled at the bottom.
- The batter can be made 2 days ahead, covered, and stored in the fridge. Bring the batter to room temperature before you cook it.
- Use prawns size 41/50 or smaller so they fit in the pan.
- Medium-high heat is the best level for making it crispy without burning it.
- Each pancake will need about 4-5 minutes to cook through.
- These Vietnamese savory prawn coconut pancakes are best eaten as they are made. If you need to keep them warm and crisp while finishing the whole batch, leave them on a baking sheet in the oven at 225 degrees until ready to serve.
Lauren
I tried this and the banh xeo and I like this a bit more. The batter was more rich and of course every bite had a shrimp so it tasted better!
MB
I've tried recipes with water in the batter and I love your version. It's creamier and richer with all coconut cream. Can't wait to make it again!
Kim
So good! The flavor was spot on and reminded me of the banh khot from Brodard.
Shel
So good! It was creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside. I really enjoyed the mung bean. I don't think other recipes include it.
Christina
I really enjoyed these savory pancakes! Crispy, creamy, and delicious.
Christine
This is hands down one of my favorite recipes on the blog! The banh xeo is a close second!
Lisa
This is hands down one of my favorite recipes!
Trieu
This turned out so good! Thanks for the recipe.
Crocus
Bonjour, peut on imaginer une version sucrée de la recette ? L'utilisation farine de riz/crème de coco est fort séduisante pour des allergiques au gluten et pour des allergiques aux oeufs... Merci pour votre réponse.
Vy Tran
Bonjour! Oui! Je teste actuellement une recette de pancakes coco pandan. Il y a des recettes sans gluten sur mon blog surtout Vietnamiennes.