Banh cuon: Hanoi's steamed rice rolls
Banh cuon is Hanoi's paper-thin steamed rice-roll breakfast, filled with pork and mushroom, from about $1 a serving. How it's painted onto cloth over steam, what's inside, how it differs from banh xeo, where to eat the best in Hanoi, and a recipe to make it at home.
Below: what banh cuon is, how it's "painted" onto cloth over steam, what's inside and how it differs from banh xeo, where to eat the best in Hanoi with addresses and prices, plus a recipe to make it at home. Building a food route? Start with our Vietnamese cuisine guide.
What is banh cuon?
Bánh cuốn is a sheet of paper-thin, almost see-through steamed rice batter, rolled around a filling of minced pork and wood-ear mushrooms. It's showered with crispy fried shallots and served with slices of pork sausage (chả lụa), fresh herbs and a bowl of nước chấm dipping sauce.
This is a classic Hanoi breakfast. The real stalls open early and run until lunch — you eat banh cuon fresh, from 7 to 10 AM, while the vendor "prints" the sheets in front of you. Next to a heavy soup like pho it feels weightless: the rice sheet melts in your mouth, and there's just enough filling to satisfy without weighing you down.
No surprise that TasteAtlas ranks banh cuon among the world's top 100 breakfasts. For many travellers it's a revelation: in Vietnam breakfast isn't an omelette, it's delicate rice rolls with mushrooms.
How it's made — batter on cloth over steam
The magic of banh cuon is in the method. A thin layer of rice batter is poured not onto a pan but onto cloth stretched over a pot of boiling water. A lid goes on, and in under a minute the steam turns the liquid batter into a translucent, elastic sheet.
Then comes the sleight of hand. The vendor lifts the sheet with a long wooden stick, lays down the filling, and rolls it — all in a few seconds, in movements worn smooth by repetition. It's mesmerising: in five minutes a skilled cook paints a dozen sheets without once tearing the delicate film.
The batter's secret isn't just rice flour. Tapioca starchis added to make the sheet elastic and slightly chewy so it won't tear when rolled. The batter rests for an hour or two so the starch fully hydrates.
💬 "A hot rice roll off the steamer is peak breakfast inspiration: a thin sheet that melts in your mouth, a pork-and-mushroom filling, and the crunch of fried shallots on top." — SBS Food, 2025
What's inside — batter, filling, sauce
Let's break banh cuon down; each part has a job.
Batter. Rice flour plus tapioca starch and water. The starch gives elasticity, the rice flour a neutral, gentle base. Nothing extra — the filling and sauce do the flavour.
Filling. The northern classic is minced pork with wood-ear mushrooms, fried with shallots and seasoning. The mushrooms add a light crunch and a woodsy aroma, the pork the substance. Sometimes shrimp goes in.
Garnish and sauce. On top, crispy fried shallots; alongside, slices of chả lụa sausage, a plate of fresh herbs and, of course, nước chấm — a sweet-sour fish sauce with lime, sugar and garlic. The sauce ties it together; without it banh cuon is a touch bland.
It eats light, which is why it's a breakfast dish: filling, but not heavy before a long day walking around Hanoi.
Regional variations
Banh cuon is northern by birth, but the country has its takes.
| Region | Twist |
|---|---|
| North (Hanoi) | Classic: thin sheet, pork-and-mushroom, fried shallots, chả. The Thanh Trì style is filling-free — plain folded sheets with shallots and sauce |
| Central | Spicier: chilli and lemongrass in the filling |
| South | Shrimp, pork belly and lots of fresh herbs |
The Hanoi Thanh Trìstyle stands apart — a "bare" banh cuon with no filling. It sounds too plain, but that's the point: it's all about the pure taste of the rice sheet, folded in stacks, brushed with fragrant shallot oil and dipped in sauce. Purists rate it highest — there's nowhere to hide a bad sheet.
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Telegram managerHow to make banh cuon at home
You can recreate banh cuon at home, though the cloth over a pot is hard to match. The easiest route is to steam the sheets in a non-stick pan under a lid. A compact recipe:
Batter:
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Rice flour | 200 g |
| Tapioca starch | 50 g |
| Water | 500 ml |
| Salt | a pinch |
| Vegetable oil | 1 tbsp |
Filling: 200 g minced pork, a handful of soaked wood-ear mushrooms, 1 shallot. Sauce: fish sauce, water, lime juice, sugar, garlic, chilli. On top: fried shallots.
- Whisk rice flour, starch, water, salt and oil into a smooth thin batter. Rest 1–2 hours.
- Fry the minced shallot, add the pork and chopped mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, cook through.
- Heat a non-stick pan, pour a thin layer of batter, swirl and cover for 30–40 seconds. The sheet is done when translucent.
- Lift the sheet, add a spoon of filling, roll it up. Repeat until the batter's gone.
Top the rolls with fried shallots and serve with sauce and herbs. The batter must be genuinely thin — the thinner the sheet, the closer to the original.
Where to eat it in Hanoi
For the real thing, go to Hanoi — the dish has its legendary spots there, some in the MICHELIN Guide.
- Bánh Cuốn Bà Hoành (Bánh Cuốn Bà Hoành): Tô Hiến Thành, Hai Bà Trưng — Michelin Selected 2024. 30,000–60,000 VND
- Bánh Cuốn Bà Xuân (Bánh Cuốn Bà Xuân): Hàng Gà, Hoàn Kiếm — In the MICHELIN Guide, 30+ years
- Bánh Cuốn Thanh Vân (Thanh Vân): Old Quarter — Family-run, silky sheets
- Bánh Cuốn Bà Hạnh (Bà Hạnh): 26B Thọ Xương — Thanh Trì style, hand-ground flour
| Shop | Address | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bánh Cuốn Bà Hoành | Tô Hiến Thành, Hai Bà Trưng | 30,000–60,000 VND (~$1.20–2.40) | Michelin Selected 2024, scallion-oil sauce, chả and meatballs |
| Bánh Cuốn Bà Xuân | Hàng Gà, Hoàn Kiếm | ~30,000–50,000 VND | In the MICHELIN Guide, 30+ years, banh cuon only |
| Bánh Cuốn Thanh Vân | Old Quarter | ~30,000–50,000 VND | Family-run, silky-thin sheets |
| Bánh Cuốn Bà Hạnh | 26B Thọ Xương | ~30,000–45,000 VND | Thanh Trì style, hand-ground flour |
The average bill is 25,000–45,000 VND (~$1–2), about $2–5 per person — a fresh breakfast made in front of you. Come early: the best spots sell out of batter and close by midday.
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Message the managerBanh cuon or banh xeo — don't mix them up
Both are made of rice batter, but they're completely different dishes — travellers sometimes confuse them, so here's a quick comparison with our other hero, banh xeo.
| Feature | Banh cuon (bánh cuốn) | Banh xeo (bánh xèo) |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Steamed on cloth over water | Fried on a pan until crisp |
| Texture | Soft, tender, melting | Crisp, shattering |
| Filling | Pork + wood-ear mushroom | Shrimp + pork + sprouts |
| When eaten | Breakfast | Lunch, dinner |
| Home region | North (Hanoi) | South and central |
Easy way to remember: banh cuon is the soft steamed breakfast roll, banh xeo is the crisp fried lunch crepe. Try both and you've grasped the two poles of Vietnam's "rice" cooking.
How much it costs, and quick phrases
Banh cuon is cheap even by Vietnamese standards. A serving at a good stall is 25,000–45,000 VND (~$1–2), up to 60,000 VND at Michelin-listed Bà Hoành with add-ons. For comparison, a similar dish at a Vietnamese restaurant back home costs many times more, and won't be made in front of you.
Quick phrases for ordering
| Phrase | Vietnamese | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| One serving of banh cuon | Một suất bánh cuốn | Mot suat banh kuon |
| With sausage | Thêm chả | Them cha |
| Not spicy | Không cay | Khong kai |
| Very good | Ngon quá | Ngon kwa |
Prices current as of July 2026.Prices and addresses can change — confirm on the spot or on the venue's page before you go.
FAQ
What is banh cuon?
Banh cuon is thin steamed rice rolls filled with minced pork and wood-ear mushrooms, topped with fried shallots. A classic Hanoi breakfast, served with chả lụa sausage, herbs and nước chấm fish sauce.
What is banh cuon made of?
The batter is rice flour with tapioca starch (for elasticity) and water, steamed in a thin layer on cloth over boiling water. The filling is minced pork with wood-ear mushrooms and shallots. It's served with sauce, fried shallots and herbs.
Is banh cuon gluten-free?
Traditionally yes — the batter is rice flour and tapioca starch, no wheat. As always with street food, check that a stall hasn't added wheat starch, and note the soy in some dipping sauces if you're strict.
What's the difference between banh cuon and banh xeo?
Banh cuon is steamed on cloth — soft and tender, filled with pork and mushroom, eaten at breakfast. Banh xeo is fried on a pan until crisp, filled with shrimp and sprouts, eaten at lunch. One is northern, the other southern and central.
Where's the best banh cuon in Hanoi?
Legendary spots: Bà Hoành on Tô Hiến Thành (Michelin Selected 2024), Bà Xuân on Hàng Gà (MICHELIN Guide, 30+ years), Thanh Vân in the Old Quarter, and Bà Hạnh (Thanh Trì style). All open early; a serving is 25,000–60,000 VND.
Can I make banh cuon at home?
Yes, though a non-stick pan is easier than cloth over a pot. Pour a thin rice-and-tapioca batter under a lid, lift the translucent sheet, add fried pork and mushroom, and roll. The keys are a thin batter and a thin sheet.