Bursting with flavour, this Dan Bing Recipe with tuna and egg makes the perfect savoury breakfast crepe or quick snack. A light batter made with cornflour (cornstarch) ensures these Taiwanese egg pancakes are crispy and fluffy, yet light and totally delicious!
Why We Love This Recipe
- This Dan Bing recipe makes delicious savoury pancakes with the perfect blend of crispy outside + soft and chewy inside.
- These rolled Taiwanese pancakes are super easy to whip up – you can prep and cook them in around 10 minutes with simple and inexpensive ingredients (that you probably already have at home).
- Slice and slather with sauce, or eat them by hand straight out of the pan. Just like a quick and easy no-fuss breakfast burrito or tasty snack on the go!
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What is Dan Bing?
Dan Bing literally translates as “egg” and “cake”. These traditional Taiwanese egg pancakes are the ULTIMATE street food breakfast. In Taiwan you’ll find them at cafes and breakfast joints sprinkled across the cities, or more often from busy street vendors serving long lines of hungry customers.
They’re designed to be cooked and eaten FAST, and once you get the hang of it, you’ll be whipping them up in no time!
What You Need To Make Taiwanese Egg Pancakes (Dan Bing 蛋餅)
This recipe is super easy – all you need to make your own dan bing are a handful of ingredients that you can easily find at your local supermarket (or ready to go in your pantry!):
- Eggs
- Cheese
- Tuna
- Green onions – also known as spring onions or scallions
- Plain flour
- Cornflour / cornstarch
– this gives your pancakes that subtle crispy crunch - Sesame oil for cooking – for an extra delicious flavour zing
– this gives your pancakes that subtle crispy crunch
for cooking – for an extra delicious flavour zingThe sauce is a simple blend of equal parts sweet chilli sauce
and soy sauce
, which is so delicious I can’t believe we’ve never thought to mix the two before!
How to Make Dan Bing at Home
For the Sauce:
- Pop your soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce in a small bowl, then give them a good stir and set aside.
For the Pancake Batter:
- Place plain flour, cornstarch/cornflour and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the water. Whisk until the batter has a nice runny consistency with no lumps.
- In a separate small bowl or pouring jug whisk 1 egg with 1/3 each of the green onions, tuna and cheese and mix well. Pop aside.
- Now heat the sesame oil in a small to medium frypan. Pour in a small amount of batter and quickly swirl until it reaches the edges. Cook for 1 minute until the pancakes starts to cook, then top with the egg mixture and spread across the top in a thin layer. Avoid the edges if you can.
- Continue cooking until the egg just starts to set, then slide the spatula around the edges to loosen the pancake and flip it over. Continue cooking for another 30 seconds before flipping it back. Now you can fold in two edges to create a yummy rolled pancake!
- Remove from the pan, then repeat for your remaining pancakes.
- To serve, transfer your freshly cooked and rolled pancakes to serving plates, slice into 2-3cm strips and drizzle with your blended soy and sweet chilli sauce. Alternatively, you can serve them whole and wrapped in a piece of paper.
- Enjoy!
Tips
- The consistency of your homemade crepe batter may vary until you get the hang of it. For the tastiest, crispiest pancake, aim for a super runny batter with no lumps.
- When pouring your egg mixture onto the pancake, try avoiding the edges if you can.
FAQs
How do you make the perfect dan bing batter?
After lots of experimenting, we found the simple blend of plain flour, cornflour (cornstarch) and water in the recipe below makes the perfect batter. It should be light and fluffy with a subtle crispiness, yet soft enough so the pancake doesn’t crack when rolled up.
What ingredients can I use in dan bing?
Traditional dan bing ingredients often include tuna, cheese and sliced green onion, but we’ve also seen them packed with sweetcorn, ham or bacon, fermented tofu or even chilli bean paste. You’re only limited by your imagination and your flavour preferences. Go nuts and experiment, and let us know your favourite combos in the comments below!
Variations & Substitutes
- If you’re feeling experimental, why not try these dan bing sauce ingredient substitutes – different combos of hoisin, oyster sauce, worcestershire sauce or even ketchup would work perfectly!
- If you don’t have (or enjoy) sesame oil you can substitute with vegetable oil
P.S. Before you go, be sure to check out our Taiwanese Breakfast Burger recipe. If you’re not already on our mailing list, don’t forget to sign up and get your fix delivered straight to your inbox.
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating below!
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl for batter
- Small pouring jug or mixing bowl for tuna egg mix
- Small bowl or dish for sauce
- Whisk
- Small to medium frypan
Ingredients
- ½ cup plain flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch cornflour
- ½ cup tasty cheese grated
- 3/4 cup water
- 100 g tuna canned
- 3 eggs
- 1-2 green onions finely sliced
- 1-2 tbsp sesame oil for cooking
- 1 pinch salt
For the sauce
- 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
For the Sauce:
- Pop your soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce in a small bowl, then give them a good stir and set aside.
For the Pancakes Batter:
- Place plain flour, cornstarch/cornflour and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the water. Whisk until the batter has a nice runny consistency with no lumps.
- In a separate small bowl or pouring jug whisk 1 egg with 1/3 each of the green onions, tuna and cheese and mix well. Pop aside.
- Now heat the sesame oil in a small to medium frypan. Pour in a small amount of batter and quickly swirl until it reaches the edges. Cook for 1 minute until the pancakes starts to cook, then top with the egg mixture and spread across the top in a thin layer. Avoid the edges if you can.
- Continue cooking until the egg just starts to set, then slide the spatula around the edges to loosen the pancake and flip it over. Continue cooking for another 30 seconds before flipping it back. Now you can fold in two edges to create a yummy rolled pancake!
- Remove from the pan, then repeat for your remaining pancakes.
- To serve, transfer your freshly cooked and rolled pancakes to serving plates, slice into 2-3cm strips and drizzle with your blended soy and sweet chilli sauce. Alternatively, you can serve them whole and wrapped in a piece of paper. Enjoy!
Notes
Tips
- The consistency of your homemade crepe batter may vary until you get the hang of it. For the tastiest, crispiest pancake, aim for a super runny batter with no lumps.
- When pouring your egg mixture onto the pancake, try avoiding the edges if you can.
FAQs
- How do you make the perfect dan bing batter? After lots of experimenting, we found the simple blend of plain flour, cornflour (cornstarch) and water in the recipe below makes the perfect batter. It should be light and fluffy with a subtle crispiness, yet soft enough so the pancake doesn't crack when rolled up.
- What ingredients can I use in dan bing? Traditional dan bing ingredients often include tuna, cheese and sliced green onion, but we've also seen them packed with sweetcorn, ham or bacon, fermented tofu or even chilli bean paste. You're only limited by your imagination and your flavour preferences. Go nuts and experiment, and let us know your favourite combos in the comments below!
Variations & Substitutes
- If you're feeling experimental, why not try these dan bing sauce ingredient substitutes - different combos of hoisin, oyster sauce, worcestershire sauce or even ketchup would work perfectly!
- If you don't have (or enjoy) sesame oil you can substitute with vegetable oil
Nutrition
Where We Learned This Recipe
We touched down in the Taiwanese Capital City of Taipei with pretty much ZERO ideas of what to expect from this tiny country, its local people, or their culture. Turns out we’d timed it perfectly to be there during Chinese New Year. Which, of course, meant that almost everyone had skipped town to visit their families. The streets appeared empty. Shops and restaurants were closed, and there wasn’t a soul to be seen on the streets. Until we ventured into laneways and alleyways, and stumbled across foodie gold.
One such find was a local stall tucked beneath an apartment building near our home base. Opening at 8.00am, it would disappear behind a nondescript roller shutter around midday.
One morning we spied the assembly line – husband, wife and son working together at a massive grill – churning out piping hot burgers and dan bing to lines of hungry people. Such enticing aromas emanating from that grill… One whiff had us wandering in for a closer look.
Despite not speaking any Taiwanese, we managed to point and communicate. ‘We’ll have what they’re having.”
Our Dan Bing Discovery
Success! Taiwanese Pork & Egg Breakfast Burger + Dan Bing Pancake + (massive) Chinese Coffee INBOUND. We took a seat inside the tiny restaurant beside other neighbours tucking into their food, no doubt fooling no one by casually reading the local paper.
Next there was a tap on my shoulder. Mr Husband gestured to his massive coffee kettle offering us a refill. After filling our cup to the brim he gestured repeatedly towards the grill with a rapid-fire stream of words that went straight over our heads. Drawing us over to the grill, he pointed to his signboard (where not a stroke of English could be seen). I knew the same thoughts were whizzing through both our minds. What is he saying? What do we do? Eeeeep.
Whack!
Saved by Mrs Wife, who gave Mr Husband a good slap and yelled out something that could only mean, ‘They don’t speak Taiwanese!’
She held up her sauce bottles and everything became clear. After nodding our heads enthusiastically, with a deft hand Mrs Wife slathered our Dan Bing with a tangy sauce blend that we later realised was a mix of soy and sweet chilli.
Delish!
64 Comments
Mruu
18/01/2020 at 3:14 pmHow much salt???
Wandercooks
20/01/2020 at 10:37 amJust a pinch! 🙂 This has now been updated in the recipe. You can also choose to omit the salt if you prefer.
Josh
09/11/2019 at 4:12 amJust thought I’d pop through and let you know that I first stumbled across this recipe on your site some years ago – I think 3-4 years? – and dan bing has since become a recurring thing in our household. Even my twin children who are extremely picky and stubborn eaters love this for breakfast. Obviously I vary the recipe after so long cooking it, but we often circle back to the original as well. I thought it’s probably about time I swing back and give credit where credit’s due.
Wandercooks
19/11/2019 at 1:59 pmHey Josh, thanks so much for your feedback. It made our day! 😀 So great to hear it’s been such a hit with your family. We’ve been similar, it’s such an easy dish to whip up, we’re always cracking it out as a quick meal either for just us or with our friends. Happy cooking! 🙂
Tisha
19/09/2019 at 2:21 pmThis would definitely make a great breakfast and fantastic start to your day!
Wandercooks
26/09/2019 at 10:18 amAgreed! You should try a ham or bacon and cheese version! 😀
Natalie
19/09/2019 at 2:03 pmLooks so delicious and perfect for an easy dinner or lunch ♥
Wandercooks
26/09/2019 at 10:18 amThat’s exactly what we make them for. They’re nice and quick and we usually have the tuna and cheese on hand. We also love putting baby spinach in ours!
Veena Azmanov
19/09/2019 at 1:39 pmThanks for this delicious and awesome recipe. My family to love it all.
Wandercooks
26/09/2019 at 10:17 amCheers Veena!
Suzy
19/09/2019 at 12:37 pmI love discovering different types of food while traveling and then recreating them at home! These look amazing! My family is going to love them with ham and cheese!
Wandercooks
26/09/2019 at 10:17 amSame! 😀 Especially when you have the memories tied to each dish. Makes them even more exciting to eat!
Irina
19/09/2019 at 11:56 amI am a huge fan of crepes/pancakes, and I always look for recipes to discover new flavors and new techniques. These egg pancakes are something new for me. I am gonna make them for sure! Just want to discover a new cuisine:)
Wandercooks
26/09/2019 at 10:16 amSo glad to hear Irina, it’s definitely different to the usual crepe or pancake we’re used to making at home too. Now we always make these for a quick lunch or dinner.
Jennie
26/08/2019 at 9:09 pmI was missing Taiwan and pulled up this recipe – I didn’t have the tuna, cheese and sauce ingredients on hand but it was still amazing with a bit of sriracha. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Wandercooks
30/08/2019 at 12:16 pmOh glad you were still able to make it!
Ondra
21/01/2019 at 11:09 pmThank you for the recipe! A minor correction though: the Chinese name is 蛋餅, not 蚕餅 (蚕 means “a silkworm”, 蛋 means “an egg”)
Wandercooks
22/01/2019 at 2:10 pmAh thanks Ondra, all updated now – much appreciated! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
Steph
19/09/2018 at 6:20 amSo I woke up one morning and decided I could not do another cereal or toast for breakfast, but then I stumbled across this recipe and it was unlike anything I’d ever tried before so I decided I had to make it! It was so delicious, I absolutely loved it and the sauce just really topped it off. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
Wandercooks
19/09/2018 at 9:40 amRight! We love how easy these are to whip up as well, it makes it as easy as cooking pancakes once you’ve done it a couple of times. It’s one of the few recipes we cook off by heart! So glad you enjoyed it. Happy cooking ! 🙂
Dahn
11/04/2017 at 4:10 amThis looks so delicious. I would love to go to Taiwan and I know I would love the food. What a great meal for $2 and it sounds like a fun experience.
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 10:00 amOh you should definitely go there one day and just spend a whole day discovering all the delicious street food you can eat. We’d go back to Taiwan in a heartbeat!
Chef Mireille
11/04/2017 at 3:30 amI love eating like a local when I travel. I always seek out the street food stalls with the longest lines, especially in Asia. You discover such great little gems that are never in the hotels or the western geared restaurants
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:59 amYessss! 1000x this! Most of the time it pays off with a whole new flavour or ingredient discovery. All it takes is courage and a smile – and even if you can’t speak the language, most people are happy to help. 😀
Steph @ Steph in Thyme
11/04/2017 at 1:30 amYUM! This makes me miss living in the Far East so much! It was nice to live vicariously through you reading this post.
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:57 amOh so jealous, where did you live and for how long? Aww glad you enjoyed our post Steph. 🙂
The Food Hunter
11/04/2017 at 12:55 amI’ve never heard of this but it sure looks delicious
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:55 amHaha, pretty sure exact that thought went through our heads when we first found it in Taiwan. 😀 Love discovering new edible adventures!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
10/04/2017 at 7:48 pmWell that sounds like a super fun recipe!
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:49 amAlmost as fun as eating it… almost. 😛
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine
10/04/2017 at 6:27 pmThose look really good. What is tasty cheese though? Do you just mean any type of cheese we think is tasty?!
Wandercooks
11/04/2017 at 9:46 amOh haha you’ve just made me realise Michelle! Tasty cheese is a type of cheese available in Australia which is actually the same thing as matured or semi-matured cheddar. But I do think it’s very tasty too hahah. 😀
Chris Waghorn
29/03/2017 at 10:41 amYum! Yum! Yum! This looks so delicious. I’m going to have to try this very soon!
Wandercooks
30/03/2017 at 11:20 amHigh-fives to that Chris! 😀
Nicola @ Happy Healthy Motivated
25/03/2017 at 12:33 amYou’re so much braver than me! When I go to exotic destinations, I’m always really anxious about going into places like this! But it looks like your bravery paid off. I’ve got to try this – although I’ll get to do it from the comfort of my home, thanks to your recipe! 😀
Wandercooks
27/03/2017 at 10:38 amAww thanks Nicola, please do give it a go, we’d love to hear what you think. As for adventuring, in times like these a smile or two goes a long way! We found most people to be amazingly kind wherever we went, even more so when we stayed out of the tourist zones with local people in residential areas. Obviously it’s always best to use common sense and be aware of your surroundings, while at the same time being open to new experiences and connections. Happy travels! 🙂
lindsay
24/03/2017 at 11:23 pmIs this the same as an asian omelet? It’s been on my list to make! gah… looks amazing!!!
Wandercooks
27/03/2017 at 10:33 amI guess you could say it’s kind of similar, but the flour-based crepe gives it a softer, chewier texture than an omelette made with plain eggs.
Pretty
24/03/2017 at 9:35 pmLove the sound of these crepes and the name is so cool! Any crepe recipe with cheese is a winner in my book!
Wandercooks
27/03/2017 at 10:31 amHigh five to that! 😀
sarah
24/03/2017 at 9:24 pmSo many familiar flavors but such a new recipe to try! I’m completely intrigued by this one, guys! Thanks so much for sharing!
Wandercooks
27/03/2017 at 10:31 amCheers Sarah, would love to hear what you think if you try it! 🙂
Brian Jones
24/03/2017 at 4:38 pmWhat a great simple recipe and that sauce sounds truly delightful and will work on so many things!
Wandercooks
27/03/2017 at 10:30 amHaha yep nailed it Brian, we’ve used that sauce on so many different things since we discovered it. (Dumplings + this sauce = a match made in heaven!)
Luci's Morsels
24/03/2017 at 3:07 pmAnother delicious recipe from a fun blog! The texture of this recipe looks amazing and I am kind of wishing I had this right now. This recipe seems simple enough to make on a week night and I love that there are not too many ingredients in it as well. Yummy!
Wandercooks
27/03/2017 at 10:29 amAww thanks Luci, so glad you enjoy our blog! 🙂 Yep, this is a super little recipe to have up your sleeve after a busy day, since it’s quick, easy, and delish!
Kristy @ Southern In Law
25/03/2016 at 6:27 amThis looks SO delicious – and so simple to make too! Yum! xo
Wandercooks
25/03/2016 at 11:10 amThanks Kristy! Yes, anything that doesn’t take much time but tastes delicious is a winner in our books 😀
Martin @ The Why Chef
24/03/2016 at 11:38 pmWe’ve got a bank holiday tomorrow so I’ve just booked this in for breakfast! We always have a massive egg craving for breakfast/brunch/lunch on our days off, so couldn’t have timed this recipe any better 😀 Have you had Thai pork omelette, where pork mince is cooked into it? Not quite a breakfast, but another one of our favourites!
Wandercooks
25/03/2016 at 9:34 amOh god yes, totally trying that next time! That’s great timing about the extra day off too – we’ve got a four day weekend over here for Easter. Yesss! 😛 Anyway, eggs are the best on the weekend aren’t they? It’s so nice to have the time and enjoy a lazy breakfast with a good hot cup of coffee!
Martin @ The Why Chef
26/03/2016 at 1:29 amThis was gorgeous btw! And the sweet chilli soy mix is totally a keeper!
Wandercooks
29/03/2016 at 9:05 amExcellent! Glad you guys enjoyed! Yep that sauce is definitely a keeper. It’s so simple yet so delicious, the perfect flavour mix for the crepes. 😀
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
24/03/2016 at 5:49 pmOh my, this looks heavenly!! Thank you for the recipe, can’t wait to try it!
Wandercooks
25/03/2016 at 9:29 amNo problemo Sam, hope you enjoy!
Valentina
24/03/2016 at 4:24 pmI love the sound of this! Just curious . . . what “tasty cheese” did you use when you made it? I’m inspired!
Wandercooks
25/03/2016 at 9:28 amAwesome to hear! In Australia we can buy a variety of cheese called ‘Tasty Cheese’ (a very original name haha). Pretty sure it’s basically cheddar, but it’s a good all-purpose cheese you can add to pretty much anything. 🙂
Elizabeth
24/03/2016 at 3:49 pmGosh these sound fantastic, and what a story about how you discovered them! Superb! I need to try this!
Wandercooks
25/03/2016 at 9:27 amYes, yes you do! Haha hope you enjoy, and let us know how you go 🙂
Sandra - The Foodie Affair
24/03/2016 at 3:47 pmI love the simple ingredients in this crepe! I would have never thought of adding tuna, and that’s such a tasty and filling protein to use! Lovely dish!
Wandercooks
25/03/2016 at 9:25 amThanks Sandra, yep tuna is awesome for two reasons: It’s delicious, and it’s super easy haha. Open can and enjoy! 😛
Ilona @ Ilona's Passion
24/03/2016 at 2:08 pmCrepes are my favorite. I love that you added tuna. The taste must be incredible. Pinning!
Wandercooks
25/03/2016 at 9:24 amIt’s crazy how ridiculously easy they are to make at home – why had we never made these before?? The Tuna & Egg combo is delish with a sprinkling of cheese, but we cooked it again with baby spinach yesterday and it was awesome. Bring on more crepe-y experiments in the kitchen!
AiPing | Curious Nut
24/03/2016 at 11:18 amDan Bing.. oh my love. We shall meet again in one week. 🙂
Wandercooks
24/03/2016 at 11:36 amOhhhh how exciting! That’s so soon. Please eat up a storm for us! Was so fun yesterday, made them for lunch AND dinner haha. Do you put anything in particular on yours? Or just plain egg?