Zucchini Pancakes are the perfect way to enjoy the perfect vegetable, zucchini! Shredded zucchini is tossed with parmesan cheese, flour, and spices then fried into perfectly delicious bites.
Serve these veggie pancakes with a dollop of sour cream or marinara sauce for the perfect healthy appetizer or side dish!
Zucchini Pancakes or Fritters
I love making all types of fritters and pancakes from Salmon cakes to mashed potato cakes. These zucchini fritters have officially joined the team.
I usually think of fritters as a crisp deep fried item, almost like hush puppies. Zucchini has a lot of moisture giving these zucchini pancakes a texture that is a cross between a pancake and a fritter; golden and crisp on the outside and soft and tender in the middle.
Zucchini is over 90% water so in these pancakes, I pre-cook the zucchini to remove the moisture and squeeze out any remaining moisture. Many people salt the zucchini but I prefer the method of cooking the zucchini first (along with the white onion).
How To Shred Zucchini
When you make zucchini pancakes, shredding the zucchini helps to keep it thin enough to shape them. I use the large side of a standard box cheese grater to shred zucchini.
You don’t need to worry about peeling zucchini before you shred it as the peel softens a ton when it is cooked. You will hardly notice it in your dish.
How To Make Zucchini Pancakes
When making zucchini pancakes, cook the shredded zucchini first to eliminate some water. This keeps the pancakes from becoming soggy and helps to hold them together while they cook.
Mix your ingredients and drop about 1 ½ tablespoons into the hot pan. Cook ‘em for about 5 minutes on each side or until you see a beautiful crispy and caramelized exterior!
Serve zucchini pancakes with an array of dipping sauces like pico de gallo, sour cream, hot sauce… there’s no wrong answer here!
More Zucchini Faves
- Easy Baked Zucchini – Reader favorite (and so crazy easy).
- Zucchini Cake – Incredibly moist.
- Grilled Zucchini – Great summer recipe!
- Zucchini Bread – The perfect bread, freezes well!
- Zucchini Casserole– Fresh and delicious!
- Easy Zoodles (Zucchini Noodles) – Naturally low carb with lots of flavor!
- Zucchini Fritters – ready for dipping
Easy Zucchini Pancakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini or 3 small
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Cook shredded zucchini in a non-stick pan until tender, about 5 minutes. Cool and using cheesecloth or a tea towel, squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, seasonings and cheeses. Add zucchini and egg.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan over medium high. Drop zucchini mixture by large tablespoons into hot oil. Spread to 3" circles.
- Fry about 3-4 minutes on each side flipping as needed.
- Serve warm with sour cream or tomato sauce.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
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Easy and delicious! I made them for guests and they were a hit with everyone.
What if I don’t have a cheesecloth or a tea towel what can I use to squeeze out the liquid then? I want to definitely try and make these sometime. I’m not much of a cook so I wouldn’t know what to use.
Hi Faith, you can also use a paper towel to try and soak up some of the moisture as well. Hope you enjoy it!
I made it twice. The first time it was good but I thought it was missing something. The second time I added pesto and it was amazing…the missing ingredient!
How many pancakes in one serving?
The nutrition information is per pancake.
Will this work without the cheese? We are dairy free because of allergies.
I think it would work although I havne’t tried it. You may want to add a few extra seasonings.
How many cups of zucchini? Can you use frozen?
This will be approximately 2 cups of grated zucchini. I haven’t tried the recipe with frozen zucchini, but it should work if you make sure to squeeze out all of the moisture. Let us know if you try it Dorothy!
These pancakes were really tasty. Didn’t have mozza so used cheddar. Definitely will make these again!
hi . Thanks for your recipes. I love them .
Can you try to make a recipe on
Eggplant…
You’ll find some eggplant recipes here Alice! Enjoy!
Can i swap with GF flour and get same result? I’m trying that today so here’s hoping :)
I’ve only made the recipe as written, so can’t say for sure. Maybe another reader can help. Let us know if you try it Andrea!
OMG made for years. These are way better, could eat the whole bunch. Nice instead of potatoes healthier too next Time will make a double batch had with sour cream
So glad you loved them Irene!
Hi Holly!
Could I use fresh asparagus or spinach?
Hi Jayne! We haven’t tried adding those in but they sound like delicious additions.
These were delicious and a huge hit! I didn’t have any mozzarella so used pepper jack cheese instead we like things a bit spicy so it was a good substitution for us. I also added about 1/4 cup of Italian seasoned panko crumbs for more binder. We even enjoyed them cold in the morning for breakfast! I’m already being asked to make them again!
That is so awesome Ruth and that would be a delicious substitution.
Zucchini is healthy vegetable for diabetic i love it
That’s great to know Lucile!
Yum!
Thanks Nancy!
How many pancakes is one serving?
Hi Angelina, our nutrition information is based on one pancake = one serving! :)