This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
These healthy zucchini pancakes are thick, fluffy, and are made in the blender! Make them sweet or savory- it’s your choice!
Love baking with zucchini? Try my zucchini brownies, zucchini cookies, zucchini chocolate cake, and healthy zucchini bread next.
If you thought zucchini pancakes were some form of zucchini fritters, think again! My wholesome zucchini pancake recipe tastes like slice of warm and moist zucchini bread and is so easy to make.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Easy and quick. Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and cook the pancakes. It will take only a few minutes to put together a healthy breakfast on busy mornings.
- Vegan and gluten-free. These have no flour, eggs, or dairy used in this healthy pancake recipe.
- Fluffy and thick. While there are no eggs in this recipe, the combination of baking powder and vinegar provides a good lift for the pancakes.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“I have made these for meal prep for a solid 8 weeks now and still have not grown tired of them. So good! Perfect as is, no changes needed. Thanks for my new go-to recipe!” – Amanda
Ingredients needed
- Rolled oats. Once blended, rolled oats act as flour and make the pancakes light and fluffy. You can also use pre-made oat flour.
- Mashed banana. Bananas add extra moisture and sweetness and keep the middle of the pancakes soft. Not a fan of banana? Try mashed sweet potato or even pumpkin puree.
- Milk. I used unsweetened almond milk but any milk works.
- Baking powder. To help the pancakes rise.
- Apple cider vinegar. The vinegar reacts with baking powder and helps make the pancakes lighter and fluffier (and skips the need for eggs!).
- Maple syrup. Adds some subtle sweetness without being overpowering. Honey or agave nectar also works too.
- Zucchini. Finely shredded.
- Salt. Just a pinch to balance out the sweetness.
- Chocolate chips (optional). But highly recommended. It reminds me of my healthy chocolate zucchini bread!
How to make zucchini pancakes
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Blend all the ingredients, except for the zucchini.
Step 2- Cook. Preheat a non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat. Pour ¼ cup portions of batter into the pan. Cook the pancakes, covered, for two minutes per side, or until bubbles appear.
Step 3- Serve. Remove from the pan and serve immediately.
Make savory zucchini pancakes!
Not a fan of sweet pancakes? You can transform these into savory zucchini pancakes. Inspired by my savory pancake recipe, omit the banana and maple syrup and instead, add Greek yogurt. Fold through cheese (parmesan or cheddar), finely diced onions (or any vegetables of choice!), and any savory mix-ins of choice.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Grate or shred the zucchini finely. This makes them seamlessly incorporate into the pancake batter. I like to use a box grater for this.
- Remove the excess moisture from the zucchini with the help of cheesecloth or by simply squeezing it with your hands.
- Cover the pan while they pancakes cook to make them even fluffier. Trapping the hot air forces the pancakes to puff up considerably more.
- Add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or gingerbread spice.
- Use flavor extracts, like vanilla extract or coffee extract.
- Fold through mix-ins like white chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, or fresh berries.
Storage Instructions
To store. Transfer leftover pancakes into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
To freeze. You can make a big batch of these healthy pancakes and freeze them for up to 3 months. To eat frozen zucchini pancakes, let them thaw in the fridge, then reheat them in the microwave for a minute. Alternatively, you can reheat these pancakes in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
More healthy pancakes to try
- Almond flour pancakes
- Healthy banana pancakes
- Coconut flour pancakes
- Oat flour pancakes
- Protein pancakes
- Or any of these pancake recipes
Healthy Zucchini Pancakes
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats rolled oats, quinoa flakes, buckwheat flakes etc
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 medium banana or sweet potato
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 cup zucchini shredded and moisture removed
- 1-2 tablespoons chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- In a high speed blender or food processor, add the oats, milk, banana, baking powder, apple cider vinegar, and maple syrup. Blend until a thick batter remains. Add the zucchini and chocolate chips and blend very lightly.
- Preheat a lightly greased pan on medium heat. Once hot, pour a quarter cup portions of the batter in the pan and cover with a lid. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. Flip and cook for a further minute or two. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
- Remove from pan and enjoy immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published June 2017, updated January 2023, and republished May 2024
Is it more flavourfull with banana or sweet potato? I like both of them very much.
But cannot decide.
Wow cannot believe pancakes csn be made with zucchini, really will try!
I wasn’t expecting zucchini pancakes to taste good.
But they did!
I’ve made these a handful of times with my surplus of zucchini from the garden and they are so good!
I have made these for meal prep for a solid 8 weeks now and still have not grown tired of them. So good! Perfect as is, no changes needed. Thanks for my new go-to recipe!
This has been my go to pancake recipe for over a month now and I’ve been sharing with everyone who will listen. Love the texture and the simple ingredients. Shred some zucchini in bulk and it comes together so quickly!
A few changes I made:
– add cinnamon. Game changer. So delicious.
– do not make in blender. I wasn’t a fan of how thick the batter got, making it hard to get out of the blender. Instead I mash the banana in a bowl, add all the liquids, then add the blended oats (I prep oat flour in advance… 1 cup oats = 3/4 cup flour)
Thanks for the feedback, Teri!
Made them for our family brunch today. All 7 of us loved them!!! (Just wish that they used more of my zucchini!) I got 6 per batch. I like the idea in the comments of using pumpkin! Will try that. Next time I will leave out the 1 tbsp maple syrup as I think that the banana makes them sweet enough, plus we each put 1 tbsp of homemade maple syrup on top. 😊 Thanks for the recipe!
That sounds fabulous, Kelly!
I made these for the grandkids thinking I wouldn’t like them but was I wrong! They’re amazing and they’re still great the next day right out of the fridge! Thanks for this super easy, grammy approved healthy breakfast!
That is what I like to hear! 😀
Hi Armand! I love the substitutions you share like the sweet potato for banana! Do you have any ideas for swapping the baking powder? I can’t eat that as of yet and these pancakes look amazing! And, I’m guessing I can use vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar? No apples for me yet either. Thanks as always!
I’ve only tried baking powder, sorry!
Love love love your Fluffy Banana Pancakes which are made similar to this recipe, so I know these (and your blueberry ones) will taste great. The trick is to use the baking powder/apple cider combo and allow the batter to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Yum!
Could you use pumpkin instead of banana?
Of course! 🙂
These did not turn out at all for me. Stuck to my non stick griddle, no matter what temp they never turned out so I could even turn them over.
I’m not sure what happened, these have been made by thousands of readers and there is even a video on Facebook
Hi! We love this recipe! I a mom planning on making a large batch for a big family breakfast and will freeze them first. What is the best method to unfreeze and warm them back up? Thanks!
Hi Audra! 🙂 I find that wrapping them individually then allowing to thaw overnight completely, before warming either in the microwave or stovetop. If you do microwave, flip halfway through to avoid the soggy texture.
These look amazing. Any thoughts on a low carb substitution for the “flake cereal”?
You can try my low carb pancakes instead 🙂
Delicious! Though I could feel there is a whole tbsp of baking powder, but maybe because I used cows milk and skipped apple cider… Batter got quite thick also sweet when using both banana and sweetner, but all in all – yum! ? Ps. I made 6 pancakes.
🙂 Cheers, Gabriele! Sometimes the brand of baking powder can be quite bitter
Oh wow, these look AMAZING! I definitely want to try making these pancakes with the buckwheat flakes like you suggested in your trial-and-error process, but since I have oats, I’ll stick to those bad boys for now. Once I get my hands on zucchini (which will be VERY soon, let me tell you, haha!), I’ll try making these ASAP! Oh, and I don’t know if mashed butternut squash will work, but I will try and let you know how it turns out!
You should specify in your recipes how many servings it makes. This recipe is misleading because you say it’s only 174 calories BUT one cup of rolled oats is 300 calories.
Jamie, the recipe clearly states it is 3 servings. Please read before making false accusations.
Actually, I had this same question. I’ve read through the recipe multiple times, and made it once (yum!) but I couldn’t find a number of servings either. Thanks for letting us know it’s three, thanks! Making them again this morning, plus some to freeze 🙂
How many pancakes does the recipe make for the 174 calories you stated?
These zucchini pancakes look so fluffy! I love that they’re pretty healthy as I’m trying to dial in my nutrition right now 🙂
I love zucchini bread with chocolate chips in it! These pancakes I’m sure are just like that! Sounds so good! Perfect for all that zucchini that summer will hopefully bestow on us!
mmm zucchini bread is so good! I can never make zucchini by itself since Riley doesn’t like it, but if I can hide it in stuff I usually have a chance!
I swear I thought we were gonna put Frosted Flakes in these pancakes when you said flaked cereal at first. But that wouldn’t be the worst idea….
I love zucchini bread and I love sweet breakfasts, so these will have to happen one day soon!