My gluten-free Egg Foo Young recipe is a fantastic portable savory Whole30- and keto-friendly meal that can be eaten with your hands and made with leftover meat and veggies!
I knew that Melissa Joulwan’s awesome site featured a great recipe for Paleo Egg Foo Young, but to be perfectly honest, I didn’t really know what egg foo young was actually supposed to taste like. After all, I grew up with the understanding that no self-respecting Chinese person ever orders this dish at an authentic Chinese restaurant.
Henry, on the other hand, grew up in the kitchen of his parents’ Chinese restaurant in the 1970s, which served up all the Westernized dishes that many Americans know so well: pot stickers, chow mein, deep-fried wontons, sweet-and-sour pork. To him, egg foo young was just a childhood favorite.
I didn’t encounter egg foo young until after I met Henry in college, and he took me to visit his family’s restaurant. But as soon as I took my first bite of these savory egg patties, I knew I had to have the recipe.
What is Egg Foo Young?
Egg Foo Young is a Chinese American dish that was created when resourceful restaurant cooks served up pancake shaped omelets filled with random meat and vegetable scraps, often topped with a savory brown gravy. It can be filled with bean sprouts, water chestnuts, scallions, roast pork, shrimp, or ham. There really isn’t a standard recipe because it was a leftover makeover!
(By the way, eagle-eyed readers will note that I edited this recipe to reflect the latest version from our first cookbook. The recipe I originally posted here back in 2011 was a bit different. If that’s the version you crave, just use 2 teaspoons of Penzeys Sunny Paris seasoning in place of the scallions and cilantro.)
What are some filling options?
Although this recipe uses diced ham and frozen spinach, you can add any cooked protein or veggies you have in the fridge or freezer! For example, some great protein options are leftover Paleo Char Siu, Kalua Pig, and diced cooked chicken. Any leafy green (fresh or frozen) works great in this recipe—just make sure you squeeze out any excess liquid if you are using thawed frozen greens.
Want to use leftover stir-fry as the filling? Chop it up into bite-sized pieces and use about 2 cups in place of the frozen spinach and ham.
Can you substitute the coconut flour?
For sure! You can make these paleo egg foo young pancakes coconut-free by using double the amount of cassava flour. Both versions taste great, but the coconut flour pancakes are lower carb than the ones made with cassava flour.
What sauce can you serve with them?
I like these pancakes plain, but they’re also wonderful topped with sriracha, guacamole, Spicy Pineapple Salsa, or Mango Avocado Salsa. If you want to smother them in a Whole30-friendly brown gravy, you can spoon on Umami Gravy. Also, All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce is a simple and delicious dipping sauce.
How do you store leftovers?
You can keep the leftover egg foo young pancakes in the fridge for up to four days or freeze them for up to four months. I reheat them by popping them in a toaster oven or an air fryer set at 375°F for 5 to 8 minutes or until heated through.
Time to make Paleo Egg Foo Young!
Makes 10 (4-inch diameter) patties
Ingredients:
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup coconut flour (or ½ cup cassava flour)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce (or kosher salt, to taste)
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup diced ham or cooked meat of choice
- 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ghee or avocado oil for frying
Equipment:
- All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here.
Method:
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut flour (or cassava flour), fish sauce, and apple cider vinegar until smooth.
Mix in the ham, spinach, scallions, cilantro, and baking soda, and some freshly ground black pepper.
Melt a tablespoon of ghee in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Use a large disher (3-tablespoon size) to plop the batter in the pan, and flatten the pancake to ½-inch thick with the back of a spoon. I can comfortably fit 3 pancakes in my 12-inch skillet at a time—don’t overcrowd them!
Fry without disturbing the patties for 2 minutes before flipping the pancakes over and cooking it on the other side for about 1 to 2 minutes more. The pancakes are cooked through when the centers bounce back when you press down on them with your finger.
Repeat until you’re out of batter. As each pancake finishes cooking, transfer it to a wire rack to cool. Then, plate ’em up and serve!
I like these pancakes plain, but they’re also wonderful topped with Sriracha, Guacamole, Spicy Pineapple Salsa, or Mango Avocado Salsa.
Like my mini egg frittata muffins, these pancakes can be eaten sans utensils, and are totally adaptable to whatever fillings you have in the kitchen. Remember: there’s no such thing as an “authentic” egg foo young, so don’t be afraid to experiment!
Want to turn it into a St. Paul Sandwich? Click here for the recipe I made for Al Roker!
[Originally posted on May 17, 2016. Updated on March 29, 2020.]
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Egg Foo Young (Paleo, Whole30, Keto)
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup coconut flour or ½ cup cassava flour
- 1 teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce or kosher salt, to taste
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup diced ham or cooked meat of choice
- 10 ounces frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- 2 scallions sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ghee or avocado oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut flour (or cassava flour), fish sauce, and apple cider vinegar until smooth.
- Mix in the ham, spinach, scallions, cilantro, and baking soda, and some freshly ground black pepper.
- Melt a tablespoon of ghee in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Use a large disher (3-tablespoon size) to plop the batter in the pan, and flatten the pancake to ½-inch thick with the back of a spoon. I can comfortably fit 3 pancakes in my 12-inch skillet at a time – don’t overcrowd them!
- Fry without disturbing the patties for 2 minutes before flipping the pancakes over and cooking it on the other side for about 1-2 minutes more. The pancakes are cooked through when the centers bounce back when you press down on them with your finger.
- Repeat until you’re out of batter. As each pancake finishes cooking, transfer it to a wire rack to cool. Then, plate ’em up and serve!
Video
Notes
- I like these pancakes plain, but they’re also wonderful topped with sriracha, guacamole, Spicy Pineapple Salsa, or Mango Avocado Salsa. If you want to smother them in a Whole30-friendly brown gravy, you can spoon on Umami Gravy. Also, All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce is a simple and delicious dipping sauce.
- Want to use leftover stir-fry as the filling? Chop it up into bite-sized pieces and use about 2 cups in place of the frozen spinach and ham.
Nutrition
Into the FIRE says
Yum! I’m thinking about making this without the flours 🙂 Just a sort of egg “pancake”!
Bernadette Dworianyn says
Can I make these with bean sprouts instead of spinach?
Michelle Tam says
Sure! You can sub any veggies you want!
Rudiger J says
I have been trying to get my youngest to eat spinach for a year now, I am going to try this recipe and see if he will finally start to eat it. I showed him the photos and he thought they were burger patties lol. Fingers cross. Thanks for recipie
Miriam says
I have your first book and I’ve made these before and they’re delishious. I would like to know if these freeze well if I was to make a big batch? And how would you reheat them?
Thanks
Michelle Tam says
I freeze these all the time! I normally pop one in the toaster straight from the freezer and cook until heated through.
Janet Carmichael says
Yet again, I find Michele’s recipes so simple that as I make them, I think, “this is likely to be boring”. Yet again, I’m wrong. These are very tasty and I perfect way to get a dose of spinach in. I paired mine with some sliced red peppers and some frozen thai carrot soup and it was the perfect dinner. Having my leftovers for lunch!
Kiki Holiday says
These were delicious. I subbed gently cooked shrimp for the ham and forgot the baking soda, but they cooked perfectly anyway. I would make again.
Brandy says
Just made these for the first time and they are so good! My twins loved them as well and requested that I make more for later.