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Zucchini Cocoa Pancakes are vegan, gluten free friendly and low in calories! Made with simple wholesome, real food ingredients and oh so tasty! These pancakes are a sneaky way to add more healthy foods to your diet in a chocolaty way. Vegan + Gluten Free + Low Calorie
This Zucchini Cocoa Pancakes recipe was originally published March 2015. I retested, rephotographed and updated the content for you. Hope you love it!
Well well well look at what we have here! Zucchini Cocoa Pancakes! It's been 3 years since I made these pancakes. I wanted to add them to Skinny Fitalicious Meal Plans, but the pictures desperately needed updating. The old ones were pretty sad.
It was a good excuse to make an old recipe. I'm always experimenting with new recipes so I don't always have the ability to make older ones regularly. I mean there's only so much food one girl can eat. My boyfriend's also a super picky eater. I finally got him to eat broccoli after 6 months of dating. Zucchini is next!
Actually, zucchini is one of the easiest things to add to your diet because you can't taste it. I tell those in my group coaching all the time to add shredded zucchini to oatmeal, quesadillas, etc. It's an easy way to get the kids to eat it!
Let's talk about making these pancakes, shall we?
They're made egg-free with a flax egg. You can substitute a whole egg in place of the flax egg. I like the extra fiber the flax adds to the batter so if you do go the egg route, I recommend you still add 1 tablespoon of flax to hold the batter together.
I did not squeeze the liquid out of my zucchini after I shredded it in my food processor. For many of my recipes, I do not have to. I also live in Arizona where's it very dry so if you want to be safe I recommend squeezing out excess liquid in a dishtowel before adding it to the batter.
I used Gluten Free Oat Flour for the recipe. I suspect almond flour would work in this recipe, although I have not tried it. Again, only so many pancakes one girl can eat.
Cooking times will depend on what you use to cook these. I used an electric skillet, but a cast iron skillet will cook the pancakes much faster. They are thin so they will cook quickly with whatever method you use.
Either way, these Zucchini Cocoa Pancakes will satisfy your cravings for carbs. I made 2 batches and frozen half to eat in a few weeks. I ended up eating them for dinner a few times!
More Pancakes!
Raspberry Chocolate Buckwheat Pancakes
Cashew Chia Pancakes
Mint Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Zucchini Cocoa Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon flax meal plus 2 tbsp water to make a flax egg
- 1 banana very ripe
- 1/4 cup zucchini shredded
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Gluten Free Flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Make flax egg by combining flax seeds and water in small bowl. Refrigerate flax with water 15 to 30 minutes until mixture thickens and has an egg like consistency.
- Place the banana, milk, vanilla extract and flax egg in a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Pour the mixture into a separate mixing bowl and stir in the shredded zucchini.
- Heat an electric griddle to medium heat.
- Scoop 1/3 cup of the batter onto the griddle. 1/3 of a cup equals 1 pancake. Cook each pancakes 5 minutes until bubbles form on top and the bottoms are golden brown. They will take a while to setup on the first side. Carefully, flip pancakes then cook an additional 4 to 6 minutes.
- Cool on a baking rack. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator up to 7 days or in the freezer 30 days.
Notes
- Measure the flour properly when making these muffins or you will end up with 2 times the amount of dry ingredients than you need.
- My Amazon shop has more products similar to those used for this recipe and that I recommend to my nutrition clients.
Julija says
Greetings from Latvia! These pancakes are soOOo delicious! Thank you!
What do you think, is it possible to bake pudding in owen following this recipe?
Megan says
Pudding?
Judy Thomas says
These look so yummy!
Megan says
Thank you!
Miz Helen says
Your Zucchini Pancakes look wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with Full Plate Thursday and have a fantastic weekend!
Miz Helen
Kate @KateMovingForward says
These look amazing!! I love sneaking zucchini into baked goods! And boo on mean people...I feel like I'm constantly apologizing for my kid wherever I go...maybe she was just having a bad day.
Megan says
That's what I was hoping too.
Kelli @ I'm Flying South says
I'm a sucker for anything with zucchini 🙂 They look delish! I'll have to try these for my pancake-obsessed kiddos too.
Megan says
They won't even know the zucchini is there. 😉
Mai T. says
Looks delicious! I'm having a craving right now! Will go buy berries instantly and try this. Thanks!
Megan says
Are you putting the berries on top?
Daisy @ Fit Wanderlust Runner says
Loving this recipe! Saving it 🙂
Megan says
Glad you like it girl!
Yaara Leve says
I cringed when I read that about the kid running into you. I"m so sorry that happened. People can just be so damn mean!! And it feels like it's the worst when you're recovering from an injury. The mother of that kid sounded like a major bitch! I totally know the feeling--it's like you're healing and trying to do all you can stay healed and you don't want to reinjure yourself with something not even workout related.
I also have similar run-ins with people all the damn time. I think the outside world is just really impatient and unkind to people who are very sensitive as I am and as you seem to be.
I'm glad you are healing though and yay for finding stuff you love shopping. I also haaaaate shopping. I try to do as much as I can online. It's so exhausting and I never seem to find something that I truly like. Oh well--maybe I'm just too much of a perfectionist. Have a great week!
XOXO
Megan says
I'm trying to figure out how not to be a perfectionist. I drive myself crazy sometimes with my pickiness.
Kaylin @ Enticing Healthy Eating says
Ah jeez, I'm sorry to hear about the terrible instance you had at the store with the 3 year old! People can be very inconsiderate, it blows my mind. And people wonder why I never want to give birth to my own children...ha! But really, my fiance and I decided mutually on this decision a long time ago.
Megan says
I'm kind of beyond the having kids phase. I could not imagine doing it at this age. I wouldn't have the patience.