My 6th grader, who claims she doesn’t like zucchini, scarfed down these zucchini and sweet potato pancakes! I think topping them with sour cream and applesauce (both things she loves) helped. :) And, with the assistance of my food processor, these were super easy to make. Plus, I felt good about meeting our vegetable “quota” for the day. I can’t tell you how many times I think to myself, “I should’ve made/served more veggies!” Anyone else ever feel the same way?
These also hold up well left over and can even be added to the lunchbox. I threw them in along with a serving of applesauce, and it went over great. For dinner, we had them alongside a big bowl of hearty soup. Again, one of my attempts to not only get in enough veggies but also reduce our consumption of meat (with a couple of meat-free dinners each week)! We aren’t vegetarians, but studies show if you cut back to less than one serving of meat per day you can consider yourself a “flexitarian” with a risk of heart disease and cancer that is equally as low as a vegetarian. Sounds good to me! More on that here.
What are your favorite meatless dinners to make?
Zucchini & Sweet Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato, small to medium in size (no need to peel)
- 2 zucchini, medium size
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- olive oil (for cooking)
- sour cream and applesauce (optional) (for serving)
Instructions
- Grate the sweet potato and zucchini in a food processor fitted with the shredding disc. You could also shred by hand using a cheese grater, but it will, of course, take longer!
- Transfer the veggies to a large bowl and toss together with the flour, eggs, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Heat a thin layer of olive oil over medium heat in your largest skillet. Add spoonfuls of the veggie mix to the pan (I used an ice cream scoop for even sizing) and cook until golden brown on both sides.
- Drain on a plated lined with a paper towel, season with additional salt and pepper (if desired), and serve warm topped with applesauce and sour cream (optional).
What is the serving size? The posted nutrition info doesn’t specify. Is it one pancake?
Hi Jim, the recipe states that this makes 6 pancakes. – Nicole
So is one serving 6 pancakes? or is a serving 1 pancake? jlro
Very bland…I suggest adding grated onion or spices so that it has some flavor.
You can definitely add some flavor that suits your taste to these! – Nicole
I love this recipe! I added a shredded apple for extra sweetness, and wrung out both the apple and the zucchini before combining the mixture. Thank you for posting, Lisa!
Oh, yum! Glad you liked it and I like your additions. – Nicole
Are we no longer able to “pin” these recipes to pinterest? I can’t seem to locate the the button to do it??
Hi Kathleen, you can now use the Pinterest button at the very top of the blog post, or the image should be pinnable. – Nicole
Where can I find the nutritional data for your recipes?
Hi, Lisa doesn’t put this information on her recipes. You can read more about why in these posts:
https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/do-not-count-calories-still-lose-weight/
https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-defined-a-k-a-the-rules/
These were yummy! I doubled the ingredients (except I only used 6 eggs & also added a little extra flour). From the ideas above, I added a shredded onion plus I wrung out the shredded zucchini in 2 kitchen towels. They were both soaked thru so I think this was a valuable step. It made a ton so I froze some for lunches. Thanks for the recipe!
I made these with a GF flour blend and they were delicious! This is a new favorite. I used Trader Joe’s garlic infused olive oil to cook them in for just a hint of garlic. I may add a few shredded onions into the mix next time as well. Yum!
These were a hit with everyone but my picky eater. She said, can you put more sweet potato in next time. To which my oldest replied, then you won’t be able to taste the zucchini. She replied, exactly! Next time I will salt my grated zucchini, let it sit a bit, then squeeze in a kitchen towel to eliminate excess moisture, so the pancakes crisp up better.
I’m glad you liked them enough to make them again. :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE these! Just tried tonight and they were a hit! Thank you!
I am so glad!
Never heat olive oil!
Avocado oil maybe?
You can heat olive oil – just not at a very high heat to where it’s smoking.
Hi. Confused about the zucchini and sweet potato quantity. Please explain, is it pounds?
Hi, that is a quantity, not a weight.
Is there a way to make these without the egg?
This recipe definitely needs the eggs for binding. Sorry!
What would be a good flour substitute for people who can’t consume gluten?
These should work with an alternative flour (such as gluten-free) with a 1:1 substitution.
I want to make just 2 of these GF for my MIL. I don’t want to buy a gluten free flour mix, but was hoping to use something already in my pantry. Any chance I can use a little oat flour, corn starch or something else for binding?
Look tasty! Is there a flour substitute?
These should work with an alternative flour (such as gluten-free) with a 1:1 substitution.
These look great! Do they freeze well?
Yes, just defrost and then pop them on the skillet to warm them up! – Nicole.