Chickpea Bánh xèo

Bánh Xèo — The Vietnamese Crêpe

Bánh xèo is often called a Vietnamese crêpe — a savoury, crispy pancake made from rice flour, water, and turmeric powder.

Traditionally, it’s filled with ingredients like pork, shrimp, or other animal proteins, but many modern variations use plant-based ingredients such as diced green onions, fresh herbs, mung beans, and bean sprouts. You can also add fried tofu, crispy onions, or even frozen peas for extra texture and flavour.

I’ve experimented with many versions of bánh xèo, but this particular recipe is special — it’s the one I shared at an event in April 2025.

The secret to success is the soy milk. It helps create a stable, smooth batter and a perfectly crisp layer .so don’t substitute it with other plant-based milks or water — it truly makes all the difference!

How to make vegan Bánh xèo.

Ingredients for 3 mini portions or 1 big one.

(You need a 70ml capacity ladle to scoop the batter)

★30g chickpea flour

★30g cornstarch (or tapioca starch)

★1/4 tsp turmeric

★1/4 tsp vegan broth (powder) or salt

135g natural soy milk (protein rich)

3 cups of vegetable of your choice (see below)

about 20g oil for all 3 crapes.

I prepared these vegetables and herbs

1cup mixed fresh ingredients (mung bean sprouts ,green onion,herbs)

1/2 cup coriander leaves ,Thai basil leaves

lime slices

Sweet chili sauce

I usually use this chickpea flour :)

Step 1

Mix all ★ (dry)ingredients in a bowl.

Step2

Add only half of soy milk to combine dry ingredients.

Slowly stir it until it forms a very thick batter.

Step3

Now there is little risk to form lumps.

Pour in the rest of soy milk into the bowl and mix until the flour is fully incorporated.

Step 4

Drizzle some oil and heat up on a frying pan.

(I used about 7g of olive oil.)

Make sure the pan is not cold when you fry vegetables.

Step5

Toss a handful of vegetables of your choice.

Stir fry them for 30 seconds.

Spread the vegetables on the pan evenly before the next step.

Step6

Scoop about 70ml of batter with a ladle,

Spread the batter evenly thin over the vegetables on a high heat.

Bake until you see the crispy bubbles on the rim.

Step7

Flip it over and bake the other side for another 1-2minutes on a high heat.

Flip it once more and gently hold it in half.

So the flat presentable side will be presented in the next step.

Repeat and make 2 more crepes in the same way.

Step8

Serve your Bánh xèo with some herbs, fresh leaves and sauce.

At the event we stuffed the crape individually with other toppings such as

vegan duck and roasted peanuts.

Check out this vegan duck recipes here.