Almond Flour Zucchini Bread Pancakes

It’s that season! Yes, the time of year when zucchini are the size of baseball bats, big enough to serve a crowd. Perhaps you’re swimming in zucchini, or maybe you found a really good deal on some oversized zukes at the farmers market — either way, zucchini bread pancakes are the way to go! 

I’ve never heard anyone complain about pancakes for breakfast, and these pancakes are extra special. Just like zucchini bread, these pancakes are spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, making them feel extra cozy, especially when slathered with butter and drizzled with maple syrup. 

There are thousands of recipes for zucchini bread on the internet. Some call for walnuts, while others call for chocolate chips. But why choose? This recipe is absolutely delicious with both, bites of nutty crunch and melty chocolate. And yeah, it feels a little bit like dessert for breakfast but there is zucchini in there.

This recipe uses for almond flour, which makes for a satisfying pancake but is also the reason why I highly recommend using a non-stick pan. I tried a few in a enameled cast iron (Le Creuset) because we own very few non-stick pans, and the results was no good. So, avoid frustration, and use a true non-stick pan! You'll be flipping pancakes like a pro. 

Almond Flour Zucchini Bread Pancakes

Published July 19, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 90 minutes

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Ingredients:

9 ounces shredded zucchini

1-1/2 cups almond flour

1/4 cup arrowroot starch (tapioca flour can also be used)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons melted butter, plus more for cooking and serving

2 tablespoons maple syrup plus more for serving

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup chocolate chips or finely diced walnuts (feel free to do half chocolate chips and half walnuts, too!)

Directions:

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine: almond flour, arrowroot starch, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, combine: 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 3/4 cup milk, 2 eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until frothy, and then fold in the shredded zucchini.
2. Add half of the dry mixture to the wet mixture, stirring to combine, and then add in the other half of the dry mixture to create a loose batter. Fold in walnuts/chocolate chips.
3. Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle on the stove over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of butter.
4. Spoon batter into hot pan, making pancakes that are 4-5 inches wide. Cook on one side until you start to see bubbles on the top and edges begin to turn golden brown. Flip pancake to second side, and cook until golden. Move pancake to plate. Repeat until all of batter has been used.
5. Serve hot with butter and maple syrup. Optionally, add additional walnuts on top for garnish.

Simple Paleo Pancakes

There are three secrets to making perfect Paleo pancakes: 1) blend like you mean it, 2) grease like there's no tomorrow and 3) believe in yourself. 

The first is essential to getting all of the chunks out of your batter. This recipe uses banana for natural sweetness. The starches from the banana help make the batter lush and creamy. But, in order to transform that banana into luxurious pancake batter, you're going to want to blend it until it's basically a banana smoothie. This recipe also uses coconut flour, which tends to clump up, but those clumps can't stand up for a minute against the blades of your blender. While traditional pancake batter can handle a few clumps, you'll want this batter to be silky smooth, so blend like you mean it! 

The second secret is tactical but essential. Use a non-stick pan, or a cast iron with a ceramic enamel like a Le Creuset skillet (what I use) and then grease that puppy up. Coconut oil will work better than butter, because the solids in butter may burn, and cause your pancakes to stick. I haven't tried ghee, but I would imagine a very well clarified ghee would work great too, just make sure you use enough! I will re-grease my pan with a 1/2 teaspoon of oil between every pancake when I really want every single one to come out of the pan with zero flaws. There's another trick here that will make your pancakes shine: think small. Paleo pancakes are going to be a bit more fragile than regular pancakes, so make Silver Dollar sized pancakes. They're easier to flip!

The third secret is confidence. Trust your pancake flippin' skills and go at it. Reality: everyone in the house is just happy you are making pancakes, so when you put them on the table, be excited. Cook those pancakes fearlessly: letting them cook almost entirely through on the first side before you go in the for the flip will help a lot. I look for little bubbles around the edges and a almost-set center before I flip. This will make the pancake easier to get with a spatula, and easier to turn over. Once your pancake is done, go forth and fearlessly top that thing with all of your favorite things. Drizzle syrup. Add berries with reckless abandon. Make that pancake a towering breakfast feast. Just don't forget to turn off the stove! 😉 

Happy Tuesday everyone! 

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Simple Paleo Pancakes

Published May 9, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Just remember: blend, grease, confidence.

Yields: 6 silver dollar pancakes   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 banana
• 1/4 cup milk of choice 
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• Coconut oil for cooking

Directions:

1. Place the eggs, banana, milk, and coconut flour in a blender and purée until smooth.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a non-stick of ceramic enamel skillet over medium heat until the oil glistens. Pour 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan, and cook until bubbles appear around the edges and the center looks like it is beginning to set. Use a spatula to flip the pancake, and cook 2-3 minutes more or until the pancake is golden. Place pancake on plate.
3. Repeat step 2 until all of the batter is used.