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Introduction

Hotteok mix (호떡 믹스) is a boxed kit for making hotteok, the chewy, pan-fried sweet pancakes sold at Korean street stalls in winter. Each hotteok is a ball of soft yeasted dough stuffed with brown sugar and cinnamon, pressed flat on a hot griddle until golden outside while the filling melts into syrup. The mix includes everything except water and oil, so you can make street-style hotteok at home with almost no effort. It is one of the most popular Korean snack mixes alongside buchim garu.

Hotteok Mix at a Glance

Quick facts

What it is: a boxed mix for sweet stuffed Korean pancakes
Main ingredients: wheat flour, glutinous rice flour, yeast, sugar; filling of brown sugar, cinnamon and often nuts
Taste: chewy and crisp outside, with a hot, gooey cinnamon-sugar center
Main uses: sweet hotteok, seed hotteok, savory japchae hotteok

What is Hotteok Mix Made Of?

A typical box contains three parts: a dough mix of wheat flour with some glutinous rice flour or starch for chewiness, a small packet of dry yeast, and a filling packet of brown sugar mixed with cinnamon and sometimes chopped peanuts or seeds. You add lukewarm water to make a sticky dough, let it rise briefly, then fill and fry. Exact contents and amounts differ by brand, so always follow the package directions.

Types of hotteok

Classic sweet hotteok: brown sugar and cinnamon filling.
Ssiat hotteok: Busan-style “seed hotteok” stuffed with sunflower and pumpkin seeds after frying.
Green tea or black rice hotteok: mixes with flavored dough.
Japchae hotteok: a savory version filled with glass noodles and vegetables.

What Does Hotteok Taste Like?

The outside is crisp and buttery from the pan, the dough inside is soft and chewy like mochi-bread, and the center is a pocket of hot cinnamon-sugar syrup. It tastes a bit like a cinnamon roll crossed with a fried rice cake.

Popular Korean Snacks Made With Hotteok Mix

Sweet hotteok

The classic street snack. Recipe below.

Ssiat hotteok

Deep-golden hotteok cut open and filled with a mix of seeds and nuts.

Cheese hotteok

Mozzarella added with or instead of the sugar for a sweet-salty pull.

Hotteok with ice cream

A café favorite: warm hotteok topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Easy Hotteok Recipe (Makes 8–10)

Ingredients

1 box hotteok mix (dough mix, yeast packet and filling packet; about 1 lb / 400–540 g)
Lukewarm water, as directed on the box (often about 1 cup / 240–300 ml)
2–3 tbsp cooking oil, plus a little for your hands
2 tbsp chopped walnuts or mixed seeds (optional, added to the filling)

Instructions

Stir the yeast packet into the lukewarm water (it should feel just warm, not hot). Add the dough mix and stir for about 2 minutes until you get a smooth, sticky dough.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place for 15–30 minutes, or as the package directs, until slightly puffy.
Mix the filling with the chopped nuts if using. Oil your hands well, take a golf-ball-size piece of dough, flatten it in your palm and put 1 tbsp filling in the center. Pinch the dough closed around the filling.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Place the balls seam side down and cook for about 1 minute, then flip and press flat with an oiled spatula or hotteok press to about 4 inches (10 cm) wide.
Cook 2–3 minutes per side, turning once or twice, until both sides are deep golden and the filling has melted. Add a little oil between batches.
Let them cool for a few minutes before eating.

Tip: The melted sugar filling gets extremely hot and can burn your mouth, so let hotteok rest for 2–3 minutes and take the first bite carefully, especially with children. Keep the heat medium-low so the dough cooks through before the outside burns.

Where to Buy Hotteok Mix

How to Store Hotteok Mix

Store unopened boxes in a cool, dry place and use by the date printed on the package. Once opened, seal leftover dough mix and filling separately and keep the yeast packet dry. Cooked hotteok can be cooled, wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month; reheat in a dry pan over low heat or in an air fryer until warm in the center.

Hotteok Mix FAQ

Why is my hotteok dough so sticky?

That is normal. Hotteok dough is meant to be soft and sticky for a chewy result; oil your hands instead of adding flour.

Can I make hotteok in an air fryer?

Pan-frying gives the best crisp crust, but you can reheat cooked hotteok in an air fryer at about 350°F (175°C) for a few minutes.

Is hotteok the same as a Korean pancake (jeon)?

No. Jeon are savory batter pancakes, while hotteok are stuffed yeasted dough pancakes, usually sweet.

Conclusion

Hotteok mix brings one of Korea’s coziest street snacks to your kitchen with just water and a pan. For more Korean mixes, see our guides to twigim garu and buchim garu.

Korean Ingredients Guide

What is Hotteok Mix? Korean Sweet Pancake Mix Explained (+ Easy Hotteok Recipe)

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