Whole wheat, tender, fluffy, zucchini loaded pancakes not only taste delicious, but are good for you as well! Top them with the maple cream cheese topping for a decadent and delicious breakfast!
A few days ago I was finally able to pick a few of the zucchini from the plant in my garden. The little plant that stood 6 inches high when I planted it is more like 2 feet tall by 3 feet wide now! Lucky for me it is full of yellow blossoms which means I’ll have a plethora of zucchini very soon.
The first thing I decided to make with my zucchini was these Zucchini Bread Pancakes. I have a deep love for zucchini bread almost as deep as my love for pancakes. So of course it only made sense that I combine the two. Not only do the pancakes taste like a moist delicious slice of zucchini bread, but compared to a lot of zucchini breads that are full of oil, these pancakes are pretty darn healthy.
I used whole wheat pastry flour, which is what I always use when I make pancakes. Then instead of using oil in the pancakes I replaced it with plain Greek yogurt. Not only does the Greek yogurt eliminate the fat, but it also keeps the pancakes extra tender. I didn’t skimp on the zucchini when it came to these pancakes. No sir! They are loaded with 2 cups of shredded zucchini, which is approximately one large or 2 small zucchinis.
To give the pancakes that zucchini bread flavor I added in a good amount of cinnamon, a little nutmeg, and of course vanilla extract because I add it to pretty much everything I bake. I decided to skip adding nuts or raisins this time, but pecans would definitely be a good choice if you decide to add some in!
To top the zucchini bread pancakes I decided to make a maple cream cheese topping. I can remember as a kid loving to spread a layer of cream cheese on my zucchini bread, so it seemed only right that I make a topping reminiscent of that. The topping is simply low fat cream cheese, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract whisked together until it’s smooth. Slathering that maple, creamy, goodness on top of the pancakes was just what they needed, not to mention much better for you than drowning them in butter!
Yields 14-16 pancakes
15 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
25 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup milk, I used vanilla almond milk
- 3 tablespoon plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or brown sugar, use 2 tablespoons if you want a sweeter pancake
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 2 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
- 4 ounces plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients for the pancakes.
- In a smaller bowl whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together until combined.
- Stir in the shredded zucchini then set aside.
- Preheat a griddle per the manufacturers instructions.
- While the griddle is heating, whisk together all of the ingredients for the maple cream cheese topping until smooth.
- Scoop about 3 tablespoons or a scant 1/4 cup of the pancake batter onto the greased griddle.
- Cook the pancakes for about 2 minutes or until bubbles form on top, then flip them over and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Serve the pancakes warm topped with the maple cream cheese topping and more maple syrup if desired.
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