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These banana zucchini pancakes are the perfect blend of zucchini bread and banana bread in fluffy pancake form! The sweetness of the banana masks any zucchini flavor, making it super easy to serve your kids extra veggies. Plus, they’re made with fiber-rich oats to keep them full for hours!
Zucchini Oatmeal Pancakes
If you’re a busy parent, you need to know about blender pancakes. Instead of dealing with different bowls all over the counter and trying to scoop (and inevitably drop) the batter onto your griddle, just grab your blender!
For these banana zucchini pancakes, you first blend the oats to make oat flour, set them to the side, then blend the wet ingredients together. Add the oats back in, then pour directly from the blender onto the griddle. No mess, no fuss!
For more delicious pancake recipes, try these Hulk Pancakes and Baby Blueberry Pancakes too!
Why We Love This Recipe
- All the health benefits of oats in easy-to-eat pancake form
- High in beta-glucan and soluble fiber to keep your little ones full
- Naturally sweetened with mashed banana (no sugar added!)
- Great option to incorporate extra veggies for picky eaters
- Uses mashed banana instead of oil for a moist texture
- So tasty that the whole family will ask for them every weekend!
Ingredient Notes
- Old-fashioned oats: These will be blended into homemade oat flour to serve as the gluten-free base for the batter.
- Baking powder: To help the pancakes puff up on the pan.
- Cinnamon: A dash of cinnamon always makes everything smell amazing!
- Milk or milk alternative: To hydrate the oats and help smooth out the texture.
- Ripe banana: This will be blended in the blender with the zucchini to add extra flavor and sweetness. Use an overripe banana for the best flavor.
- Fresh zucchini: To prevent the pancakes from being too wet, wring out as much excess liquid as possible from the grated zucchini.
- Vanilla extract: For a sweet aroma.
- Egg: To bind the batter together.
Optional add-ins
- Sweetener: This isn’t required since the bananas add some natural sweetness, but a little maple syrup or date syrup will add extra sweetness.
- Pinch of salt
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Place oats into the container of a high-power blender and blend on high speed until they reach a flour-like consistency (approximately 20-30 seconds).
- Transfer the blended oats to a small bowl. Combine baking powder and cinnamon with the oat flour mixture and set aside.
- In your blender, combine milk, banana, grated zucchini, and vanilla, blending until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients from the small bowl into the blender and blend on medium speed until well combined.
- Add the egg and blend until just mixed.
- Preheat a frying pan over medium heat or a large griddle until it reaches 350 degrees F.
- Once the pan is hot and the batter is prepared, lightly grease it with oil or non-stick cooking spray.
- Scoop 2 heaping tablespoons of batter per pancake onto the greased pan or griddle. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until bubbles form on the surface and the edges firm up.
- Carefully flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with toppings such as applesauce, berries, nut butter, banana slices, or maple syrup. Enjoy!
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
RECIPE TIPS
- If preparing these pancakes for babies, skip the salt and maple syrup. For older children and adults, you may wish to add a bit of salt and maple syrup into the batter for additional flavor and sweetness. Alternatively, you can blend in a couple of soaked dates or date syrup for a no sugar added option.
Recipe FAQs
I love adding in extra veggies into my kids’ meals wherever possible, starting with the first meal of the day! The zucchini mixture in these pancakes is blended into the wet ingredients, so you can barely tell it’s there apart from a very pale green hue. I use gluten-free oats for the base, so they’re full of fiber and lots of flavor. Great for meal prep!
Yes! Zucchini tastes great in sweet recipes, like zucchini bread, but it mellows out in this pancake recipe and lets the banana flavor shine. They really taste great together!
These banana zucchini pancakes are fantastic for baby-led weaning! They’re so soft and tender, and the natural sweetness of the banana will make them extra appealing for young eaters. Just be sure to avoid adding any salt, and refer to these instructions on ‘how to cut pancakes for babies‘ to suit your baby’s current stage of motor development.
Storage Guidelines
- To refrigerate: Store any leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- To freeze: You can even freeze the leftovers for meal prep! It helps to chill the pancakes first, and set a small piece of parchment between each one to prevent sticking.
- To reheat: Either microwave the pancakes for up to 1 minute or place them in a warm skillet to warm all the way through.
Topping Ideas
These healthy zucchini pancakes are plenty flavorful on their own, but who doesn’t like to add a bunch of fun toppings? Make a little pancake topping station and let the kids go wild!
- Peanut butter or almond butter (or use sunflower butter if nut-free)
- Chia jam
- Banana slices
- Applesauce (try this homemade unsweetened applesauce recipe)
- Fresh or frozen thawed berries
- Pure maple syrup
- Mini chocolate chips
- A dollop of Greek yogurt
Recipe Variations
- Instead of banana: Mashed bananas and applesauce are generally interchangeable in recipes. If you’re all out of bananas, try using equal parts applesauce.
- Make a big batch: If you’re already making one batch, you make as well make two and freeze the extras for later! It helps to have a large griddle for this.
- Extra add-ins: Try sprinkling in some mini chocolate chips, blueberries or finely chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter for a fun twist.
Like it? Save this recipe for later!
More Tasty Breakfast Recipes
- Pancake Donut Recipe
- Banana Oatmeal Pancakes For Baby
- 3-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Waffles
- Easy Banana French Toast
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Zucchini Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup milk or milk alternative
- 1 large very ripe banana
- 1/2 cup grated zucchini, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Optional add-ins
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or date syrup
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Place oats into the container of a high-power blender and blend on high speed until they reach a flour-like consistency (approximately 20-30 seconds). Transfer the blended oats to a small bowl.
- Combine baking powder and cinnamon with the oat flour mixture and set aside.
- In your blender, combine milk, banana, grated zucchini, and vanilla, blending until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients from the small bowl into the blender and blend on medium speed until well combined.
- Add the egg and blend until just mixed.
- Preheat a frying pan over medium heat or a large griddle until it reaches 350 degrees F.
- Once the pan is hot and the batter is prepared, lightly grease it with oil or non-stick cooking spray.
- Scoop 2 heaping tablespoons of batter per pancake onto greased pan or griddle. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until bubbles form on the surface and the edges firm up.
- Carefully flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Serve with toppings such as applesauce, berries, nut butter, banana slices, or maple syrup. Enjoy!
Notes
- If preparing these pancakes for babies, skip the salt and maple syrup. For older children and adults, you may wish to add a bit of salt and maple syrup into the batter for additional flavor and sweetness. Alternatively, you can blend in a couple of soaked dates or date syrup for a no sugar added option.
