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!
You'll love this twist on classic potato pancakes. It's a great way to use up extra zucchini you have on hand and adds fiber, vitamin A, and antioxidants.
Grated zucchini, potato, and onion are mixed into a batter and pan fried in a skillet on the stove top. They turn out golden and crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside.
Serve zucchini potato pancakes with breakfast - they're great paired with bacon and eggs. Or, serve them as a side dish with your favorite main dishes, like grilled chicken, pulled pork, or beef roast.
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.
Tips for crispy potato pancakes
Want to ensure your zucchini potato pancakes cook up golden brown and crispy? Here are a few tips:
- Squeeze out as much moisture as possible from your vegetables before mixing the batter. Excess moisture in the batter makes it wet and soggy.
- Make sure your pan is preheated and oil is hot before adding your pancake mixture. 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 uncooked. 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.
- Transfer cooked potato pancakes onto a paper towel (or tea towel) lined plate. This helps soak up excess grease and prevents sweating and moisture from forming on the plate, which makes your pancakes soggy.
How to keep potato pancakes from falling apart
Potato pancakes are held together by a batter made with egg and flour, along with your well-squeezed vegetables.
Excess moisture in your potatoes, zucchini, and onion makes the batter too wet. Make sure you're squeezing out as much excess moisture as you can before mixing your batter.
Egg and flour are necessary to create a batter that holds your pancakes together. Omitting either ingredient can cause your potato pancakes to fall apart. If your batter still looks too wet after mixing, add a little more flour to help it come together.
What to serve with potato pancakes
Potato pancakes make a great side dish for your next meal, whether for breakfast or dinner.
- Bacon
- Sausage
- Scrambled eggs
- Side salad
- Roasted chicken
- Pulled pork
- Applesauce
- Pork chops
- Salmon
📖 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.
- Skipping the step of squeezing the liquid from your grated vegetables will make your pancakes very wet and soggy.
- 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.
- 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