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Home » Recipes » Dessert

Vietnamese Coconut Pandan Waffles (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa)

Published: Feb 10, 2023 by Suzanne Nuyen · This post may contain affiliate links · 7 Comments

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You haven't had a waffle until you've tasted a Vietnamese coconut pandan waffle. A combination of rice flour, tapioca flour and all purpose flour makes these waffles the perfect combination of chewy, crispy and fluffy. You'll want to keep a batch of these bánh kẹp lá dứa on hand at all times.

Pin Vietnamese Coconut Pandan Waffles (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa) to try later!

A birds eye view of frog shaped coconut pandan waffles (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa) on a wire rack, surrounded by shredded coconut.

Pandan is a quintessential flavoring in Southeast Asian cuisine. I've often heard it referred to as the Asian vanilla. It's a tropical plant that grows in Southeast Asia, and it's unique sweet, herbaceous aroma is unlike anything you've ever experienced. Its leaves can be used to flavor sweet and savory dishes alike. The flavoring also comes in liquid and paste essences, which will usually make your foods a bright green color.

Jump to:
  • 🧇 Ingredients
  • 🔪 Instructions
  • 💭 Substitutions
  • 📚 Variations
  • 🍳 Equipment
  • 🍚 Serving suggestions
  • 🥡 How to store or make in advance
  • 👪 Serving size
  • 📋 Recipe
  • Vietnamese Coconut Pandan Waffles (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa)
  • 🦺 Food safety

🧇 Ingredients

I use three different flours for this recipe. Each provides a different texture to the waffle. Rice flour makes it crisp, tapioca gives it a mochi-like chewy texture, and all-purpose bulks out the batter and makes it fluffy. Coconut gives the batter richness, and the flavor of coconut is often paired with pandan in Southeast Asian cooking.

ingredients for Vietnamese Coconut Pandan Waffles (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa)

You will need:

  • rice flour
  • tapioca starch
  • all purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • salt
  • eggs
  • sugar
  • coconut milk
  • pandan paste
  • butter

See recipe card for quantities.

🔪 Instructions

Flour being whisked in a yellow bowl

In a medium bowl, mix together the rice flour, tapioca starch, all purpose flour, baking powder and salt

Green dye, eggs and coconut milk being whisked in a metal bowl

In another, larger bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until combined. Add the coconut milk, pandan paste and melted butter.

Green batter being mixed in a metal bowl

Add the dry ingredients — one third at a time — to the wet ingredients, stirring gently to combine each time. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes to an hour.

Green waffle batter being spooned into a frog shaped waffle machine

Heat up your waffle maker to its highest setting. Spray the waffle maker with oil or brush with butter and spoon the batter onto the surface (the amount of batter you use will depend on the size of your waffle maker.)

A cooked coconut pandan waffle (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa) still in the machine

Cook until you no longer see steam coming out of the waffle maker — about 5-7 minutes.

Chopsticks holding a cooked, green, frog shaped coconut pandan waffle (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa).

Remove the waffle with chopsticks or tongs and place on a wire rack to cool.

Tips: The amount of time you keep the waffles in will depend on the size of your waffle maker and heat settings, so cook times will vary depending on the make and model. The amount of batter you use for each waffle will also depend on the make and model of your waffle machine. It's ok if your first waffle comes out a little funny! The longer you keep your waffle in, the crispier the outside will be.

💭 Substitutions

A cross section of a coconut pandan waffle (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa) showing the fluffy interior.
  • You can use regular dairy milk or a nondairy alternative instead of coconut milk, but the flavor will be a little different. Regular milks are thinner than coconut milk, so reduce the amount you use by one fourth of a cup.
  • Do not substitute or omit any of these flours, as they each play an important role in the waffle's final texture. You can experiment with the ratios if you want it to be chewier, crispier or fluffier. I haven't tried to recreate this recipe with gluten free all purpose flour.
  • The pandan extract I like to use comes in a thick, pastelike form. You can use the liquid extract but you'll need less of it. You can use a little green food coloring to enhance the batter.
  • Do NOT use glutinous rice flour or Mochiko instead of rice flour. You'll get very chewy, gummy waffles.
  • Don't over mix the batter! It will result in tough waffles. Gently fold the flour into the wet ingredients only until it's just incorporated. It's ok if there are still some lumps. They will disperse after the batter rests.

📚 Variations

  • Ube - Use ube extract instead of pandan for a beautiful purple waffle.

🍳 Equipment

A frog shaped waffle iron from ShopZoki

I got my adorable frog waffle maker from Shopzoki! This isn't an affiliate link and I will not receive any revenue if you buy one. It's a fun little mini waffle maker perfect for small households. It doesn't have any bells and whistles like different heat settings or a timer, but I love how cute it is.

🍚 Serving suggestions

frog shaped coconut pandan waffles (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa) arranged on a wire rack to show the front and back of the waffles.

Add a pat of butter and a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk and eat these just like breakfast waffles. For a decadent dessert, serve these warm with a scoop of ice cream (I recommend vanilla, coconut or coffee flavors) and some shredded coconut.

🥡 How to store or make in advance

A close up of the front side of a frog shaped Coconut Pandan Waffles (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa) showing the face of the frog, with shredded coconut sprinkled about.

These coconut pandan waffles can be stored in the fridge for up to a week in an air tight container or ziplock bag. They're very freezer friendly and will last up to three months in an airtight container or bag. Reheat them in your toaster or toaster oven. I love my tiny frog waffle iron because it makes waffles that are the perfect size for my toaster!

If you're resting the batter at room temperature, leave it at room temperature. The batter can be rested in the fridge overnight. Bring the cold batter back to room temperature before cooking.

frog shaped coconut pandan waffles (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa) arranged on a wire rack on top of a black backdrop sprinkled with coconut flakes

👪 Serving size

This recipe made 13 waffles, or a little over six servings if everyone gets two waffles. The number of waffles you'll get from the recipe will depend on the make and model of your waffle machine.

📋 Recipe

A square crop of a photo of three frog shaped coconut pandan waffles (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa) on a wire rack.
Print Pin
5 from 3 votes

Vietnamese Coconut Pandan Waffles (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa)

You haven't had a waffle until you've tasted a Vietnamese coconut pandan waffle. A combination of rice flour, tapioca flour and all purpose flour makes these waffles the perfect combination of chewy, crispy and fluffy. You'll want to keep a batch of these bánh kẹp lá dứa on hand at all times.
Prep Time 45 minutes minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Servings 6
Calories 432kcal
Author Suzanne Nuyen

Equipment

  • waffle maker

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups tapioca starch
  • ½ cup rice flour
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoon butter, melted
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 13.5 oz coconut milk (one can)
  • 1 teaspoon pandan paste
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, mix together the rice flour, tapioca starch, all purpose flour, baking powder and salt
  • In another, larger bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until combined. Add the coconut milk, pandan paste and melted butter.
  • Add one third of the dry ingredients at a time to the wet ingredients, mixing gently in between additions until just combined and you don't see any more white flour. It's ok if there are lumps.
  • Let the batter sit for at least 15 minutes or overnight
  • Heat up your waffle maker to its highest setting. Spray the waffle maker with oil or brush with butter and spoon the batter onto the surface.
  • Cook until you no longer see steam coming out of the waffle maker — about 5-7 minutes, depending on the size of your waffle maker.
  • Remove the waffle with chopsticks or tongs and place on a wire rack to cool.

Notes

  • The amount of batter you use for each waffle and cook time for each waffle will depend on the make and model of your machine. Depending on your machine, you might get more or fewer waffles than I did out of this recipe. 
  • Do not use glutinous rice flour. 
  • Tapioca flour will make the waffles chewy. Rice flour will make the waffles crispy. All-purpose flour will make the waffles fluffy. You can experiment with the proportions of these flours to get the texture you like, as long as it equals at least 2 cups of flour total. 
  • If you use regular dairy milk, reduce the amount of liquid by ¼ cup
  • Metric conversions are automatically calculated and are an estimate. 
  • Calorie counts are calculated automatically and are an estimate.

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 465mg | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 196IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition Facts
Vietnamese Coconut Pandan Waffles (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa)
Amount Per Serving (6 g)
Calories 432 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 15g94%
Trans Fat 0.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 65mg22%
Sodium 465mg20%
Potassium 190mg5%
Carbohydrates 64g21%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 17g19%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 196IU4%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 142mg14%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Note: calorie counts are an estimate only.

🦺 Food safety

  • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
  • Never leave cooking food unattended

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

Did you make this recipe? Please tag @BunBoBaeBlog on Instagram or leave a rating or comment on the blog!

Did you make this recipe? Please tag @BunBoBaeBlog on Instagram or leave a rating or comment on the blog!

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Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    December 25, 2024 at 12:26 pm

    These turned out excellent and very easy to make.

    Reply
    • Suzanne Nuyen says

      January 12, 2025 at 12:14 pm

      So glad you liked them!

      Reply
  2. Betty says

    August 29, 2024 at 11:23 am

    5 stars
    SO GOOD! Perfect combination of chewy crispy and fluffy!! Thank you for this excellent recipe!

    Reply
    • Suzanne Nuyen says

      September 17, 2024 at 6:04 pm

      Thanks so much Betty!

      Reply
  3. kk says

    September 21, 2023 at 4:29 pm

    5 stars
    These turned out perfect! I have also tried other recipes and they were a flop but this one hit the spot. I love that they freeze and reheat well, I warm them in the air fryer. I made an ube batch too and then made pandan ice cream. I put them together for ice cream sandwiches, yummmm!

    Reply
  4. Erin says

    June 21, 2023 at 12:50 pm

    5 stars
    This is the recipe! I have tried a few different pandan waffle recipes from the internet, but this has been the best! Perfect chewy middle, crunchy outside. I used a little over a cup of batter per waffle on my Cuisinart belgian waffle maker. They were perfection!

    Reply
    • Suzanne Nuyen says

      June 24, 2023 at 10:39 am

      Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe.

      Reply
5 from 3 votes

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Hi! I'm Suzanne, your Bun Bo Bae. I'm a journalist, professional amateur baker, noodle enthusiast and food photographer living in Washington, DC. My immigrant parents taught me everything I know about Vietnamese home cooking, and now I want to share it with you!

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A green waffle shaped like a frog on a wire rack.

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