Bánh Khọt – Vietnam’s Crispy, Golden Rice Cakes

If you’ve ever walked through the streets of southern Vietnam, chances are the smell of sizzling coconut rice batter pulled you right to a food stall. That’s Bánh Khọt — tiny golden rice cakes, crisped in a cast iron pan, topped with shrimp and scallions, wrapped in lettuce and herbs, and dunked in nước mắm, the mother sauce of Vietnam.

It’s one of those dishes that’s as fun to eat as it is to make. And for me and my dad, it’s one of our favorites to cook together at home.

For this recipe, the flour batter matters (you can even buy a premade mix), but the pan is EVERYTHING. I use an Aebleskiver pan because its cast-iron build holds steady under high heat and won’t warp. Plus, the perfectly rounded wells create that iconic Bánh Xèo shape every time.

Amazon Pan Link

Get the Banh Khot / Ableskiver pan -here-.

Bánh Khọt vs. Bánh Xèo

You might have heard of Bánh Xèo, the big savory Vietnamese “pancake” folded with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts. Bánh Khọt is like its little cousin. Instead of one large pancake, you get bite-sized, crispy rice cakes cooked in a pan with little wells (kind of like an aebleskiver or takoyaki pan).

Where Bánh Xèo is thin and lacy with a soft chew, Bánh Khọt is all about the crunch. The outside edges crisp up beautifully, while the middle stays tender from the coconut milk and beer in the batter. Both are wrapped with lettuce, herbs, and nước mắm — but Bánh Khọt is easier to share, and honestly, impossible to stop eating once you start.

A Little History

Bánh Khọt has roots in southern Vietnam, especially around Vũng Tàu — a coastal city famous for seafood. Traditionally, street vendors cooked these in large cast iron pans over charcoal, serving them straight from the pan to your plate.

The batter base is simple: rice flour, coconut milk, and water. But every family puts their own twist on it. Some add turmeric for color, others add beer for extra crisp. My parents always added just a touch of curry powder — it deepens the flavor and pairs so well with the coconut milk.

Over time, Bánh Khọt became a favorite for family gatherings because they’re fun to make in batches and even more fun to eat together.

Why It’s a Family Favorite

When my dad and I were traveling through Vietnam, we could never pass a stall without stopping for a plate of these golden little cakes. It’s one of those dishes that immediately connects me back to home cooking — crispy edges, coconut fragrance, fresh herbs, and that punchy nước mắm dip.

Making them at home isn’t just about the taste — it’s about recreating those moments. Standing over the hot pan with Dad, flipping out one batch after another, stacking them high, and racing to see who can grab the crispiest ones first.

You can either buy the premade batter at the Asian store or make a homemade rice flour batter with our recipe below.

Banh Khot Flour Mixture

Ingredients for homemade batter or buy premade Banh Khot Flour Batter:

1 ¾ cup rice flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups water
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ cup coconut milk
½ cup beer

Toppings & Garnish:

Small shrimp, peeled and deveined
Chopped scallions
Fresh cracked black pepper
Lettuce leaves & mixed herbs (mint, perilla, cilantro, Thai basil)
Nước mắm dipping sauce

Instructions:

Make the batter:
In a large bowl, whisk together rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, turmeric and water.

Add flavor:
Then stir in coconut milk and beer,. The batter should be like a thin pancake batter but smooth.

Heat the pan:
Heat the pan. Pour a little oil generously into each well of your Bánh Khọt pan. Use a heat proof brush to brush oil around the wells and top of the Banh Khot pan.

Cook the cakes:
Mix your batter well before pouring each time into molds (the mixture settles quickly). Pour in the batter to fill each well halfway. Immediately top with a shrimp, a sprinkle of scallions, and a crack of optional black pepper.

Tip 1: Before using your Bánh Khọt pan, be sure it’s properly cleaned and seasoned.
Tip 2: Treat the first batch as practice. Generously oil the wells, pour in the batter, and let it crisp to test the texture. Skip the fillings for this round. If the batter is too thin to form a sturdy, crispy cake, mix in a bit more rice flour and try again.
Tip 3: Always stir the batter well before filling the pan wells. The mixture settles quickly, so give it a good mix each time to keep the rice flour evenly distributed.

Crisp them up:
Cover with a lid and let them steam for about 3 minutes to partially cook the shrimp. Remove the lid and continue cooking until the edges turn golden and lacy—another few minutes. Use a spoon to gently loosen and lift each cake; you may need to carefully scrape around the edges to release them. If any stick, drizzle a little oil between the sides of the Bánh Khọt and the pan to help them slide out easily. Serve & wrap:
Stack the cakes on a platter. To eat, wrap each one with lettuce and herbs, then dunk into nước mắm.

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Bánh Khọt Recipe (Vietnamese Crispy Rice Cakes)