These Zucchini Pancakes have all the flavors of your favorite homemade zucchini bread except in the form of thick fluffy pancakes.  I took my already delicious buttermilk pancakes and added zucchini, pecans, cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar.  These pancakes don’t even need syrup to be good!     

My zucchini plant has blessed me abundantly with zucchini this summer.  The other day, I was getting ready to make my usual buttermilk pancakes as I was glancing at a large zucchini on my kitchen counter and the thought hit me.  Why not add zucchini to my buttermilk pancakes!  I didn’t want to simply toss in some zucchini.  I wanted these pancakes to take on the flavor of my favorite Moist Pecan Zucchini Bread.  Therefore, I turned to my usual ingredients for adding great flavor to my zucchini bread, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, and crunchy pecans.

I added 1 cup of zucchini.  I’m talking about 1 measured cup of zucchini, once I hand-squeezed all of the excess water from it.  Zucchini by itself has a pretty bland flavor, but when it’s combined with warm spices and sugar, it tastes wonderful in baked goods.  Zucchini is also made up of 95% water, so even though you squeeze a lot of water from it, it will still retain some water which adds more moisture to your recipe.

Buttermilk and shredded zucchini add so much moisture to these pancakes, and baking powder gives them that little bit of rise they need to be thick and fluffy.

Pro tips for making this recipe

  1. Do not over mix the batter.  Mix the batter just long enough to incorporate the dry ingredients.  If the batter has small lumps in it, that’s okay.
  2. Make sure the griddle is very hot, by heating it to 350 degrees.  Test the griddle by brushing it with butter.  It’s hot enough when the skillet sizzles when brushed with butter.  If it doesn’t sizzle, wait a few more seconds until it does.
  3. Most people, even cooks on TV, say the first pancake is never a good one, and some people even pitch the first one that gets poured onto the griddle.  This is because they do not give their griddle time to get hot enough before pouring that first pancake.  You should never have to pitch a pancake.
  4. Decide how big you want your pancakes to be.  If you’re not really experienced in flipping pancakes, you might want to make yours on the smaller side so they’re easier to flip.  Use a measuring cup or cookie scoop to make each one the same size.  I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup to pour the batter in the pictures above.  After you pour the batter, you can use a spoon and slightly spread the batter out a little more.  That’s what I do.  When I’m making small silver dollar pancakes for my grandchildren, I use a medium-size cookie scoop.
  5. Once you’ve poured the batter onto the griddle, don’t flip the pancakes over until you see several air bubbles form on the batter, as you can see in the picture above.  It usually takes about 1 minute per side.  To see if the second side is done, raise up the edge of the pancake with a pancake turner and if it’s browned on the underside, it’s done.  I like to butter the tops, while the pancakes are on the griddle, and waiting for the undersides to get done.

Now go use up some of that zucchini in these delicious Zucchini Pancakes!

Want more zucchini recipes?  Check these out… Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread

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Zucchini Pancakes

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  • Author: Cindy Gibbs
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 7 large pancakes 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Cook
  • Cuisine: American

Description

These Zucchini Pancakes have all the flavors of your favorite homemade zucchini bread except in the form of thick fluffy pancakes.  I took my already delicious buttermilk pancakes and added zucchini, pecans, cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar.  These pancakes don’t even need syrup to be good!     

 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 2 eggs slightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups full-fat buttermilk
  • 1 cup shredded zucchini, (hand-squeezed to remove excess water)


Instructions

  1. Preheat a griddle to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk or use a fork to blend.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, oil, and buttermilk.
  4. Add the flour and wet mixtures together and mix until incorporated but do not over mix. The mixture will be slightly lumpy.  Gently fold in the zucchini.
  5. Brush some butter onto the preheated griddle.
  6. Pour batter, depending on the size you prefer, onto the hot griddle.
  7. Flip pancakes after you see the tops start to form small air bubbles.
  8. Remove from the griddle when the bottoms are golden brown and slather with butter.
  9. Serve with warm maple syrup or the syrup of your choice.