Savory Vegan Zucchini Corn Pancakes
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These vegan zucchini corn pancakes are tender on the center, crispy on the outside, and altogether irresistable! Unlike traditional breakfast pancakes, they have a savory flavor. The pancakes are made with protein-rich chickpea flour along with veggies, so they’re nutrient-rich. Enjoy them as an appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce or as a savory vegan breakfast option.

Three vegan zucchini corn fritters are stacked neatly on a small, round white plate, with a dollop of sauce on top.

I love a stack of traditional vegan pancakes. One of my favorite things to do on a slow Saturday or Sunday morning is to make a big stack of my whole wheat blueberry pancakes, carrot cake pancakes, or chocolate chip pancakes.

This recipe, however, is for a savory pancake—savory vegan zucchini corn pancakes!

If you love savory breakfasts, like I do, then you’ll love this fresh, unconventional, vegetable-driven approach to making pancakes.

In addition to being very tasty, the pancakes present you with an opportunity to sneak zucchini, corn, and red pepper into your breakfast.

If you’ve got kiddos who are still warming up to vegetables, or an adult vegetable skeptic in your life, then this is a great recipe for winning them over with.

A savory pancake mix

What makes the corn pancakes savory?

First, a chickpea flour base. I love this type of flour, which is rich in protein and other nutrients as well as naturally gluten-free.

Chickpea flour can be used in traditional baked goods, especially when it’s combined with other gluten-free flours. But I use it in many other ways.

Chickpea flour is the main ingredient in socca, a type of flatbread that’s thin, crispy on the exterior, and savory.

This type of flour is also the base of both my easy baked chickpea frittata and my homemade vegan liquid egg.

Finally, it’s a useful ingredient for homemade veggie burgers, like my vegan burgers with chickpeas and beets.

Along with the chickpea flour, the corn pancakes contain nutritional yeast.

Nutritional yeast is an inactive form of yeast that’s very rich in B-vitamins, as well as protein. Nutritional yeast is often described as making food taste “cheesy,” and while that’s somewhat true, its fundamental flavor is savory.

A white mixing bowl is filled with a pale yellow chickpea flour mixture.
A combination of chickpea flour and nutritional yeast gives these corn pancakes their savory flavor profile.

Finally, the pancakes contain ground flax meal, which helps to mind them together in the absence of egg.

It’s worth saying that both corn and red bell pepper are mildly sweet (in a naturally sweet kind of way). So the corn pancakes really live someplace on the sweet and savory spectrum.

A three-vegetable pancake

Along with their nutritious chickpea flour base, the pancakes contain three types of vegetables: red pepper, corn kernels, and grated zucchini.

Grated zucchini, corn, and red pepper are shown in a large white mixing bowl.
Corn, zucchini, and red pepper are the summery vegetables that make these pancakes so colorful.

I really like to make the vegan corn pancakes in the summer, when all three of these vegetables are fresh and in season.

However, it’s easy to adapt this recipe for the winter months.

If you can find zucchini, then it’s OK to use canned or frozen corn, along with roasted red bell peppers from the jar. (I always keep a jar in my pantry for my favorite creamy sweet potato red pepper spread.)

How to make vegan zucchini corn pancakes

The process of making the corn pancakes is quite similar to that of making regular pancakes. The main difference is that you’ll fold in a bunch of veggies!

I should also say that I like to make the corn pancakes a little smaller than traditional pancakes: about 3 inches, or 7.5cm, in diameter. You can think of them as being similar to fritters.

With that said, here are the steps.

Step 1: chop and grate your veggies

I like to use a fine dice for the vegetables in this recipe, so that they can be integrated easily into the pancake batter.

While I always wring some moisture out of grated zucchini when making vegan zucchini bread, I actually don’t think it’s necessary here. Rather, the moisture from the grated zucchini works nicely in the batter.

Step 2: Make a triple flax egg

A flax “egg” is really just a fancy name for a ground flax seed and water mixture that can bind quick breads and baked goods together—just like egg!

Flax egg works best when it has some time to thicken up, so I recommend mixing it before you get on to the rest of the pancake recipe.

Normally, I use 1 tablespoon of flax and 2-3 tablespoons of water for each “egg.” This recipe calls for essentially a triple flax egg: 3 tablespoons ground flax and 6 tablespoons water.

Step 3: Whisk the dry ingredients

Next, whisk your dry ingredients—nutritional yeast, chickpea flour, baking powder, salt, coriander, smoked paprika, and freshly ground black pepper—together in a large mixing bowl.

Step 4: Fold the wet ingredients into dry

Use a spatula to fold the vegetables and flax egg into your dry ingredients. The batter for these corn pancakes will be thick and have lots of texture.

That’s OK! That’s how it is supposed to look.

A round white bowl has been filled with the batter for savory, vegetable-studded pancakes.
Unlike regular pancake batter, the batter for these savory pancakes will be thick and full of texture from the corn, zucchini, and peppers.

Step 5: Make your pancakes

Again, these pancakes will have a small, round shape, and they should get nice and fluffy while frying.

I like to use my nonstick frying pan for making the pancakes; it allows me to add a modest amount of oil and clean up easily.

Three heaping tablespoons at a time will create perfect, round, fritter-sized corn pancakes.

I start with two teaspoons of avocado oil (or avocado oil spray) for frying, and I add more oil to my pan as needed.

Be sure to fry the pancakes in an even layer, and avoid crowding your pan.

Step 6: serve

The corn pancakes are great for arranging on a platter and serving as a nice appetizer to friends.

When I’m having them on my own, whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I like to create a little stack and top them with a dollop of vegan ranch dressing or cashew cream and chopped green onion tops.

Meal prep & storage

The corn pancakes are especially good right after they’ve been taken from their hot frying pan. However, you can also make them ahead, freeze them, and store them.

Once made, the pancakes will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. They can be frozen for up to 8 weeks, then defrosted overnight in the fridge prior to serving.

To reheat, you can re-crisp them in a frying pan over medium low heat, or you can line a baking sheet with parchment.

Bake the pancakes in a 350°F / 175°C oven for 10-15 minutes, or until warm and re-crisping on the outside.

Three vegan zucchini corn fritters are stacked neatly on a small, round white plate, with a dollop of sauce on top.
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Savory Vegan Zucchini Corn Pancakes

Author – Gena Hamshaw
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yields: 8 fritters

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons ground flax seed
  • 6 tablespoons warm water (90ml)
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (18g)
  • 6 tablespoons chickpea flour (45g)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional; for smoky flavor)
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper or a pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 small zucchini, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups / 170g)
  • 1 large ear ripe corn, kernels cut off from the cob (about 3/4 cup / 105g)
  • 1 small red bell pepper, trimmed, seeded, and finely diced (about 1/2 cup / 75g)
  • 4 teaspoons avocado oil, divided
  • homemade vegan ranch dressing (optional, for serving)
  • chopped green onion tops or snipped chives (optional, for serving)

Instructions

  • Mix the warm water together with the ground flax seed in a small bowl. Allow this mixture to thicken while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
  • Add the nutritional yeast, chickpea flour, baking powder, salt, coriander, smoked paprika, and freshly ground black pepper or cayenne together in a large mixing bowl.
  • Fold the zucchini, corn, red pepper, and flax mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix until you have an evenly incorporated batter. It will be thick.
  • Heat the avocado oil, two teaspoons at a time, over medium high heat in a nonstick frying pan. Add the batter, three heaping tablespoons at a time, to the frying pan.
  • Fry each corn fritter for 3-4 minutes per side, or until each side is golden brown and crisp. Continue with all remaining batter, taking care not to crowd the fritters in the pan. Hold cooked fritters on a cooling rack or (to keep them warm) on a sheet pan in a 325°F / 165°C oven.
  • Serve the fritters with your favorite dipping sauce, such as my homemade vegan ranch dressing, and chopped green onion tops or chives, if you like. Enjoy.

I hope these corn pancakes, with their cheery flecks of color and tender texture, will bring something super special to your table. Enjoy!

xo

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Categories: Vegan Basics
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free

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    31 Comments
  1. i made these the other day and they were delicious. the texture of the pancakes were nice and not dry. also the flavor was spot on for me.

  2. I just wanted to say that I really appreciate all of your hard work and lovely recipes! Your posts are great to read and your photos are always fun. These pancakes are definitely on my weekend list!!

  3. not sure my other comment went through. anyhow, i said these look delicious and looking forward to a raw version.

  4. Beautiful! I’ve had a sack of chickpea flour sitting in the pantry forever, but I never really knew what to do with it. This will make the perfect experiment!

  5. We made this for breakfast this morning, as it was my mother in law’s birthday and she is a vegan and I wanted to do something special. They were perfect! And very filling.. it’s 1:15 and I’m still full! They would be perfect for students trying to fill up for school. Loved them! The flavors mixed perfectly. Kudos for the recipe.
    -Kenzie
    Propane Burners

  6. These look wonderful, thanks! I can’t wait to try for dinner.

  7. Those look so good! I always make sweet pancakes and never think to make savory ones instead. Plus its on kale, which is my favorite green, so it a definite try!

  8. Gena way to rock this recipe!!!!
    No garlic or onions
    Minimal added salt
    1/4 c of nooch…
    OMG this is a perfect recipe for me!

    They look professional…so colorful and awesome and I know youve said in the past you feel your cooking is not super spiced up (dare I say think you said about your own food it’s on the blander side?) Well…these look anything but bland! Omg they look amazing!

    In bewteen your job, your life, everything you’ve got going on, you whip up glorious savory pancakes! Impressive ๐Ÿ™‚

    And oh, I have peanut flour from TJs that “everyone” seems to be buying and using lately but I havent opened it yet. I bet that it could somehow work in these. I may just try it out b/c I dont have chickpea flour nor would I likely be running out and grabbing…soo..

    Anyhoo, hope your weekend is MELLOW! You deserve it!

    ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. Look amazing!!! Thanks for the shout out, you are the best! We are hooked on chickpea flour as well…as you can tell, haha.

    xoxo

    Have a great weekend!

  10. This was dinner tonight and it was fantastic, we added some snap peas, grated carrots and few odds and ends to clean out the crisper but left the “baking” ingredients the same. Passed the 4 year old taste test as well although home made salsa was involved, but just a bit!

  11. Still “suffering” from an overload of zucchini (every town/garden we stop by seems to want to gift a little more) so this sounds like a great way to use it. I’ve certainly baked enough zucchini bread over the past few weeks to try something new!

    • Rachel,

      Depends. If you’re using them as a thickener, sure — they’ll do what flax does. But not if you need BINDER — chia seeds won’t bind like flax. So they’re not right for this recipe.

      G

  12. That looks freaking good. I’ve been looking out for chickpea flour anyway because I really wanna make chickpea fries. Now I have another recipe I can make with it! Awesome.

  13. these look so yummy!! I want to try them, can’t wait for the raw version, I would think they would work with same ingredients in the dehydrator!

    • Kelli,

      I actually tried making them in the dehydrator at the same time, but I just don’t feel great about the chickpea flour raw, so I want to try to tweak the recipe to work without it. Stay tuned, OK?

      G

  14. Might also be tasty with raw or roasted Hatch green chiles, +/- the coriander and cumin, which Texas is getting fresh and in season from New Mexico right now. Any GI gas issues with chickpea flour?

  15. these look fabulous! hate corn though… any idea on what i could use instead?? maybe pulsed chickpeas??
    hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
    I MISS YOU! <3
    xoxo

    • Roomstar,

      Sure, you could do beans of any kind (black beans? yum!). Or maybe chopped carrot or something, another veggie? I’m sure that’s fine!

      There will be lots of corn on this blog this week, so we’ll have to find substitutes for you.

      I MISS YOU MORE!

      <3

  16. These look great, Gina. Or should I say “grate.” Oh Lord.

    Enjoy your Saturday, hon!

  17. I am obsessed with savory pancakes and these look fantastic.

  18. I know you said that it’s best to stick to the instructions on these but is there anything I can substitute for the nutritional yeast? Or can I leave it out?

    These look great Gena! I’m hoping I can try them out soon. Thanks for the great recipe, as always.

    • Ameena,

      Sure, the nooch can be left out, though I daresay the the pancakes will be less tasty!

      G

    • Hi Ameena, I make a similar pancake and only recently added nooch to the mix, they are perfectly tasty without it. I used to just put some freshly ground cumin and coriander in with the grated zukes and couple of tablespoons of gram flour.
      These look great Gena, I have to try your version with all the extra texture from the peppers and corn:)