Rice cakes
인절미 Injeolmi
Chewy pieces of pounded glutinous rice coated in roasted soybean powder, eaten as a snack or with tea.
Spice: Not spicy
Tteok (rice cakes)
호떡 Hotteok
A fried wheat pancake with a brown sugar and cinnamon filling that melts into hot syrup, sold at street stalls.
- Syrup-filled Pancake
- Spice: Not spicy
- Vegetarian option
At a glance
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Wheat flour dough, brown sugar, cinnamon |
| How it's served | Hot from an oiled griddle, often folded into a paper cup |
| Spice level | Not spicy — No chili heat. |
| Diet | Vegetarian option — The dish is meat-free, or a meat-free version is commonly served. Still check the broth and sauces. |
| Allergens | Wheat |
| Ask about | The filling often includes peanuts, walnuts or sunflower seeds; some doughs contain milk. |
| On the menu | 호떡 (Hotteok) |
| Also called | hoddeok · hotteock · Korean sweet pancake |
| Region | Nationwide |
Based on the usual recipe. Restaurants vary, so always tell the staff.
How to eat Syrup-filled Pancake
Keep it in the paper cup
Hold the cup, not the hotteok itself. The cup catches syrup that leaks out.
Wait before the first bite
The melted sugar inside is very hot and can burn your mouth. Blow on it and bite the edge first.
Eat it while it is warm
The filling stays runny while warm, so keep the cup under it as you eat.
How to order it
Order it as 호떡. Street stalls sell it by the piece, so one person can buy just one.
- On the menu: 호떡
- Usually sold: 1 piece
Where it comes from
Ethnic Chinese immigrants brought hotteok to Korea in the 1880s. Their hotteok shops spread nationwide and stayed popular into the 1960s, then largely disappeared. The hotteok sold on streets today is a Korean adaptation of the hotteok they brought. Its usual filling is brown sugar with a cinnamon flavor.
Sources: Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (encykorea.aks.ac.kr)
Similar dishes
Questions about Syrup-filled Pancake
Is hotteok vegetarian?
Usually yes. The classic filling is brown sugar and cinnamon, sometimes with nuts, and has no meat. The dough may contain milk or egg, so ask the stall if you avoid them.
How spicy is hotteok?
Not spicy. It is a sweet snack with no chili heat, but the sugar filling is very hot right off the griddle.
What is seed hotteok in Busan?
A Busan version of hotteok (ssiat hotteok). After frying, the dough is cut open and filled with chopped nuts and seeds such as peanuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.
- By Jason Kim (Bumsoo)
- Last reviewed October 10, 2026