Zucchini potato pancakes are made with grated zucchini, potatoes, and onions, mixed into a batter and pan fried until golden brown and crispy. A great way to use up that extra garden zucchini!
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Tender potato pancakes with crispy, golden edges. Mild, savory flavor from the onion and garlic.
Made with fresh ingredients: Fresh grated potato, onion, and zucchini come together to make these fun potato pancakes! Great for using up that summer garden zucchini.
Yield: 8 pancakes
Serve with: Bacon and eggs for breakfast, or with a dollop of applesauce or sour cream as a side dish.
Similar to: Zucchini Fritters, Greek Zucchini Fritters, Zucchini Corn Fritters
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Potatoes - You'll need about two medium potatoes, grated on the large side of a box grater. Russet potatoes or yukon gold potatoes work well.
- Zucchini - You'll need about 1 medium zucchini for this recipe, grated on the large side of a box grater.
- Onion -Onion adds flavor to your potato pancakes. If you need to omit the onion, I suggest adding a few herbs to your potato pancakes to make up for the lost flavor.
- Flour - Flour helps bind the ingredients together and creates a batter along with the egg.
- Egg - The egg binds the ingredients together and prevents your patties from falling apart while cooking.
- Seasoning - Garlic powder, salt, and pepper add flavor to your potato pancakes. Herbs like thyme, oregano, or basil also make great additions.
- Oil - Any neutral cooking oil you have on hand works here. You may not use all of the oil listed in the recipe card.
How to make potato pancakes
- Add ingredients to a large bowl.
- Mix until fully combined.
- Preheat a skillet and add a thin layer of oil. Add ¼ cup of heaping batter for each pancake, then gently flatten with a spoon.
- Allow to cook until golden brown and pancake releases easily from the pan before flipping and cooking the second side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess grease.
Tips and tricks
Squeeze out as much moisture as possible - Excess moisture from the vegetables can make your pancakes turn out soggy.
Preheat your pan - To test the oil, drop a single shred of potato batter into the pan. When it sizzles right away, your oil is ready. If the oil isn't hot enough, your pancakes will turn out soggy and greasy.
Don't skip the oil - Your pancakes will stick and create a mess. Adding oil to the pan not only prevents your patties from sticking to the pan, but helps create that crispy, golden brown crust.
Medium heat is best - High heat cooks the outsides quickly, but leaves the insides soggy and undercooked. If your pancakes are browning too quickly, turn the heat down slightly.
Don't flip your pancakes until they're ready - If they're sticking to the pan, resist the urge to poke at them and/or scrape them off the pan. Once they're golden brown on the bottom, they'll release from the pan and flip easily.
Drain on paper towels - This helps soak up excess grease and prevents sweating and moisture from forming on the plate, which makes your pancakes soggy.
Frequently asked questions
The egg and flour act as a binder in this recipe. Don't substitute or reduce either of these ingredients. Make sure you're squeezing out as much moisture as possible before adding your vegetables to the batter. If your batter looks very wet, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it looks thick enough to form into pancakes. Your pancakes will be delicate while they're frying, so take care when flipping or they can fall apart in the pan.
It sounds like your heat is too high. Start at medium heat, and reduce the heat slightly if you notice the outside of your pancakes are getting dark before the center is cooked.
📖 Recipe
Zucchini Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled
- 1 small onion
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup cooking oil, *
Instructions
- Grate zucchini, potatoes, and onion using the large side of a box grater (or a food processor with a grating disc). Wrap grated zucchini, potatoes, and onion into several layers of paper towel (or a tea towel) and squeeze over the sink to remove as much excess liquid as possible.
- To a large bowl, add grated and squeezed zucchini, potatoes, and onion, as well as egg, flour, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir until completely incorporated.
- In a skillet or saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Test oil heat with a single shred of potato batter. If it sizzles right away, your oil is ready.
- Add ¼ cup heaps of batter into the pan, then gently flatten with a spoon into thin pancakes. Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until pancakes are golden brown and release easily from the pan. If pancakes are browning too quickly, turn the heat down slightly.
- Transfer cooked pancakes to a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil.
- Repeat with remaining batter, adding more cooking oil to the pan as needed to prevent sticking. Serve pancakes warm.
Recommended Equipment
Notes
- * You may not use all of the listed cooking oil - use as much as needed to prevent sticking in your pan.
- Squeeze the liquid out: Skipping the step of squeezing the liquid from your grated vegetables will make your pancakes very wet and soggy.
- Nutrition: Calories are calculated assuming 25% of cooking oil is absorbed into pancakes while cooking, and each pancake is made with about ¼ cup of batter.
- Storage: Leftover pancakes will keep for 3-4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
Enjoyed it with my black beans and rice. Great by itself too. not soggy after reheating. definitely will make it again