Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
A savory stack of breakfast! Mix up your morning meal with these subtly-cheesy, veggie-studded, soft, fluffy Zucchini Cornmeal Savory Pancakes. Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.
To balance out the sweet way this blog year week started, how about something savory for a change?
Because smoothies and oatmeal exist, making a savory breakfast is a rare occurrence for me. It has happened once or twice, usually due to grocery shopping procrastination or having some sort of really delicious leftovers in my fridge that just can’t wait until lunch. But sticking with this month’s unofficial breakfast theme and sticking with my 2017 goal of at least one savory recipe a month–savory pancakes!
As I’ve mentioned before (pretty much every time I post a savory recipe), my brain doesn’t think in savory flavors. It’s like savory is a foreign language to me–I know a few words but most of the time I’m just guessing and making stuff up. There is a reason it says Feasting on FRUIT up in the url bar, not Feasting on VEGGIES. A reason I consider myself a baker not a cook. But I try.
I have noticed a trend though in my own savory meals and recipes. They almost always involve either nutritional yeast or coconut aminos. Cheesy or Asian-inspired–that’s all I’ve got. Like a one two trick savory flavor pony. Anyways…
These Savory Zucchini Cornmeal Pancakes fall into the cheesy category. Not too cheesy, but subtly so thanks to a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast in the mix. For the dry ingredients, I used a combination of oat flour and cornmeal. With it’s ever-so-slight natural sweetness, oat flour tends to be used in sweet recipes much more than savory ones. But in combination with the cornmeal for extra texture, it works perfectly and makes the pancakes so thick and fluffy. And underneath salt, pepper, scallions, and nutritional yeast, the oat flavor is well hidden. If you wanted to skip the cornmeal, you certainly could use all oat flour too.
Since we are not feasting on fruit with this one, I added zucchini into this savory pancake equation to bring the fresh feasting on veggie vibes! The first time I tested this recipe, I blended the shredded zucchini into the batter until there were nothing but the tiniest green flecks left. But the extra moisture threw off the texture of the pancakes. Pulsing the shredded zucchini into the batter very briefly worked much better! Or if you are not using a blender, just shred the zucchini finely and stir it in.
I don’t know about you, but I also just kind of enjoy the bits of green poking through, it makes me feel healthier somehow. Almost like a fritter, but actually a pancake. You could make them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner–whenever a soft, fluffy, slightly-cheesy, studded-with-veggie stack of pancakes sounds most appetizing to you!
Since these pancakes are obviously not syrup-soaking appropriate, I topped this stack with a dollop of Kite Hill Chive Cream Cheese. The creamy texture and slight tang was a lovely compliment to the cakes, I highly recommend the combo. But honestly I wouldn’t be mad about a side of ketchup with these either–the least classy but most versatile condiment.
Keep in mind with any and all savory recipes on FOF that my palate is not accustomed to spicy or super bold food. If that’s what you are after you will have to hop over to Brandi’s blog. Salt and pepper is usually plenty for me, but always feel free to add extra seasoning or spices to your taste.
Savory Zucchini Cornmeal Pancakes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 –5 pancakes 1x
Print RecipePin Recipe
Description
A savory stack of breakfast! Mix up your morning meal with these subtly-cheesy, veggie-studded, soft, fluffy Zucchini Cornmeal Savory Pancakes.
Ingredients
Scale
- ¾ cup non-dairy milk
- 3/4 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 2–3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- 1–2 stalks of scallion (chopped)
- Optional: vegan cream cheese and additional chopped scallion for topping
Instructions
- In a blender or mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except for the zucchini and scallion.
- Blend/mix until combined. The batter should be quite thick.
- Add the zucchini and scallion and pulse briefly until evenly distributed throughout the batter but still chunky. Do not over mix.
- Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add about 1/4 cup of batter to the pan. Use the back of a spoon to gently spread it into a circle if necessary.
- Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until a spatula easily slides underneath. The cover is optional but does make for more even cooking and better texture in the middle of the pancakes.
- Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the second side. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
- Add toppings of choice and enjoy!
Click Below To Pin
And with that I am off!! Tomorrow I leave for a two week trip to the opposite hemisphere to explore Fiji and Australia and have some amazing adventures with amazing people!
PinShareTweetEmail