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These Green Veggie Pancakes are a crispy, savory way to use up broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, or whatever vegetables you have on hand. Ready in under 15 minutes, super kid-friendly, and work great as a easy vegetarian side dish or even on their own for lunch or a snack.
Table of Contents
With kids running around and too many things going on at once, mistakes happen. This time, a happy mistake turned into this recipe! While making Crock Pot Veggie Lasagna, I left the food processor running a beat too long and ended up with vegetables chopped way too fine for the dish. Argh! Rather than waste them, I stashed them in the fridge and moved on.
The next day, those sad little veggies were staring me down, practically begging to be used. Knowing how much my kids love a handheld finger food, like my Broccoli Cheddar Patties, I knew what to do! Turns out, all it takes is an egg, some flour, and a few herbs to transform leftover vegetables into crispy, savory pancakes. These vegetable fritters ended up being one of the most loved recipes on Weelicious!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Wasting food is my pet peeve! It’s why leftover mashed potatoes turn into Mashed Potato Pancakes, leftover rice becomes Leftover Rice Pudding or Brown Rice Cakes, and vegetables that are about to turn in my fridge are now these savory vegetable pancakes.
- Works with broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, or squash
- Ready in under 15 minutes with just a handful of pantry and fridge staples
- Kid-friendly and a perfect baby-led weaning recipe. Handheld and delicious!
- So many parents have told me this recipe got their little ones to eat veggies they wouldn’t touch before!
- Freezer-friendly, make a big batch and you’re set for the week!
- Naturally vegetarian and easily made gluten-free if you substitute the flour
Wow my 13 mo old son LOVES these and I’ve been struggling to get him his veggies – thank you!
– Martha
Ingredients & Substitutions
Vegetables: A mix of broccoli and zucchini will make the most green version of these veggie pancakes, but cauliflower, grated Brussels sprouts, squash and even red onion work great too. Use one or mix a few together, whatever is in your fridge is fair game!
Quick Tip: If using only zucchini, squeeze out as much moisture as possible before mixing the batter. A clean kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towel works perfectly. Zucchini holds a lot of water and getting rid of it is the difference between crispy veggie pancakes and soggy ones.
Flour: All-purpose flour is what I use, but this recipe is easy to make gluten-free. Swap in a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend or chickpea flour. Chickpea or almond flour actually adds a nice nutty flavor that works really well here.
Egg: The egg is what holds everything together. I haven’t tested a vegan version but a flax egg should work as a substitute.
Herbs and seasoning: Dried basil and garlic powder keep things simple and kid-friendly. Feel free to play around though, Italian seasoning, cumin, curry or a little parmesan stirred into the batter are all delicious variations.
Oil: Any neutral oil works, vegetable, canola, or avocado oil are all great choices.
How to Make Savory Green Veggie Pancakes
- Chop your vegetables. Add your vegetables to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. If you’re using zucchini, this is the moment to squeeze out the excess moisture. It only takes a minute and makes a big difference in how crispy your pancakes turn out.
- Make the batter. Whisk your egg in a large bowl, then add the flour and seasonings and stir to combine. Fold in the chopped vegetables. The batter will be thick, that’s exactly what you want.
- Add a thin layer of oil to a skillet and heat over medium. You’ll know it’s ready when a small drop of batter sizzles the moment it hits the pan. Then,cook the pancakes. Drop a tablespoon of batter into the pan for each pancake and press gently to flatten. Cook for about 2 minutes until the edges look set, then flip and cook for another minute or two until golden brown.
Tips and Tricks
I’ve made these green vegetable fritters tons now, here are my best tips and tricks!
- Use raw vegetables, not cooked or steamed. Steamed vegetables release too much water and will make your batter too wet to hold together.
- Don’t make the pancakes too thick, about 1 tablespoon of batter per pancake is the sweet spot. I use a cookie scoop to get the most even portions.
- Once the batter is mixed, let it rest for a few minutes before cooking. It will thicken up on its own and be much easier to work with.
- Make sure the oil is hot before adding the batter, it should sizzle immediately when it hits the pan.
- Wait until the edges look set before flipping, about 2 minutes, flipping too early is the main reason they fall apart.
- Got a waffle maker? Try my rainbow waffles to make similar waffle version of this recipe!
Storage/Freezing
Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet or toaster oven to get them crispy again. The microwave works but they’ll lose their crunch.
Freezer: Let cool completely, lay flat on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Reheat straight from frozen in a 375°F oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through and crispy.
FAQs
This usually comes down to too much moisture in the vegetables or flipping too early. Make sure you’ve squeezed out as much liquid as possible, let the batter rest for a few minutes before cooking, and wait until the edges look fully set before flipping.
Yes and it’s delicious! A few tablespoons of grated parmesan or crumbled feta stirred into the batter takes these to another level.
I’d recommend making them fresh, but you can prep and chop the vegetables up to a day ahead and store them in the fridge. Once the batter is mixed, cook them right away.
More Handheld Recipes Kids Love
I hope these Green Veggie Pancakes become a staple in your house the way they have in ours. Whether you’re using up vegetables that are about to go bad or just need a quick and easy weeknight side, this is one of those recipes that never lets you down.
If you make them, I’d love to hear how it goes. Leave a rating then comment below and let me know which vegetables you used!
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Green Veggie Pancakes
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup zucchini, broccoli, and/or cauliflower (a total of 1 cup of vegetables, not 1 cup of each)
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (if using a finer grain salt, use 1/4 teaspoon)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon dried basil (or favorite seasoning blend)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- vegetable or canola oil
Instructions
- Place the vegetables in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. If using zucchini, transfer to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add the flour, salt, basil and garlic powder and stir to combine. Fold in the chopped vegetables until the batter comes together.
- Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Drop 1 tablespoon of batter per pancake into the pan and gently flatten.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes per side until the edges look set and the bottoms are golden brown.
- Serve with marinara sauce, ketchup, sour cream or favorite dipping sauce. We like to top with kimchi!
Notes
- Use raw vegetables, not cooked or steamed. Steamed vegetables release too much water and will make the batter too wet to hold together.
- If your pancakes are falling apart, you likely have too much moisture in the vegetables or flipped too early. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible and wait until the edges look fully set before flipping.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in a skillet or toaster oven to keep them crispy.
Nutrition
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Wondering what the serving size is for the Nutrition Facts information please? I work with children with type 1 diabetes and appreciate that you provide grams of carbohydrates. Thank you! 🙂
Hey Marci! Great question. The nutrition facts are for one serving and the recipe yields about 4 servings. Hope that’s helpful! Please keep in mind that the nutritional facts are approximate too 🙂
Made these with cauliflower, so they were not green. Subbed almond meal for gluten free, they held together beautifully! Made into 4 pancakes and topped with poached egg for breakfast. We really enjoyed these and will try again with broccoli. Thanks for sharing.
I made these double the recipe with zucchini and steamed broccoli i had left. Added hemp, flax and coconut flour. They taste pretty good even when they are cold =)
What a great idea! I came to the party late since I just found this blog, but I love your recipes. I just made these and I think I should add some more liquid next time because my batter was pretty thick, so they didn’t spread and were more the consistency/look of hash browns. But they still tasted delicious so I don’t even care.
Hulk Pancakes, cute! I haven’t tried baking them. The batter is the consistency of pancakes and they need to hit the hot skillet to start cooking immediately or they would spread too thin. I have made pancake batter into “muffins” like in this recipe: https://scope-terrace.live/2011/12/12/pancake-sausage-muffins-on-a-stick-2/%3C/a%3E Maybe that would work for these veggie pancakes? Let me know if you try and how it comes out!
We have been eating these for years and LOVE them! We use all three veggies (broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini) in a batch and call them Hulk Pancakes. One kid likes to dip them in ketchup and the other in ranch. We usually do a trip batch and freeze the leftovers. But my issue- I hate standing over the stove for that long! Suggestions on a way to bake them? Temp and time?
I made these earlier with some broccoli that was at the end of its life in my refrigerator. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great. Thanks.
The raw veggies aren’t as wet so they make a better pancake batter!
I can’t wait to make these! I don’t have the raw veggies on hand but I have frozen broccoli and cauliflower. Can I steam them and make it with steamed vegs or does it need to be raw for some reason? Thanks!
Interesting! It is definitely worth a try and I think it would work!
I wonder if this would work from the pulp from a juicer?! Anyone have any thoughts?
Very good, but really they are just zucchini fritters. I wanted them to be cooked through because of the egg so mine were much more browned – If I had flipped them when the coloring was like the photo they would’ve been mushy and falling apart. My 9 month old had a little trouble with them as they sort of crumbled in hands but he will get the hang of it! Left out dried basil & salt and used organic garlic in place of the powder.
Do these freeze well?
I just made a double batch of these with what I had on-hand: steamed broccoli, red onion (raw), and cooked ground chicken (approx. 2C in total). I went with 1/2t salt + 1/4t garlic salt, so a little less salt than the recipe calls for. They turned out great! Very tasty and good consistency (not crumbly at all). I’m looking forward to seeing how my daughter likes them tomorrow. Thanks for another great recipe idea!
Another of your recipes that I love. I really thought this wouldn’t turn into a batter and that I would have to add some water or milk, but I let it sit for a few minutes and when I returned to the bowl it had turned into a beautiful batter. I added some curry and they turned out delicious. I’m definitely going to do these again and add different vegetables.
They were delicious. One of my 2 toddlers had 3 just immediately. The other one wasn’t so impressed, but he eats steamed broccoli well, next time I hope for better luck!