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
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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!
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Transfer the veggies to a large bowl and toss together with the flour, eggs, salt, and pepper until well combined.
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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.
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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).
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
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These look great! Do they freeze well?
Yes, just defrost and then pop them on the skillet to warm them up! – Nicole.
Look tasty! Is there a flour substitute?
These should work with an alternative flour (such as gluten-free) with a 1:1 substitution.
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.
Is there a way to make these without the egg?
This recipe definitely needs the eggs for binding. Sorry!
Hi. Confused about the zucchini and sweet potato quantity. Please explain, is it pounds?
Hi, that is a quantity, not a weight.
Never heat olive oil!
Avocado oil maybe?
You can heat olive oil – just not at a very high heat to where it’s smoking.
LOVE LOVE LOVE these! Just tried tonight and they were a hit! Thank you!
I am so glad!
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. :)
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!