Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, these Cheesy Vegetable Pancakes are a fun, perfectly dippable alternative to traditional pancakes. These 15-minute pancakes are filled with carrots, zucchini, corn, and cheese, these fluffy and light pancakes are a fun, savory breakfast for your entire family.
Vegetable Pancakes
I consider myself somewhat of a pancake aficionado – as in, I can live off of sweet, syrupy pancakes every weekend of the year. Strawberry pancakes – check! Peach pancakes – you betcha! Spinach pancakes – why not!
Much to my shock, my youngest kiddo does not share the same passion for pancakes (cue weekend breakfast tears). She doesn’t like syrup, sweet things, or things with fruit added in. Yeah, I know. It’s weird. Right?
In order to obtain my weekend breakfast vibe check, I decided one morning to try out a savory pancake- a classic pancake mixed with some of her favorite foods – cheese and carrots.
The result was a tender, moist pancake that was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside! My youngest grabbed a warm one off the cooling rack and took a tentative bite. Then her eyes lit up; she did a little happy dance, high-fived me, and said, ‘finallyyyy…. you got it right!!’, all before dancing away while shoving the rest of the pancake into her mouth. Yeah, I’m calling that a win! 🏆
More reasons why I absolutely love these savory pancakes:
- Perfect for Baby-Led Weaning
- Quick meal for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even snack
- Freezer-Friendly for busy weekday mornings
- Added veggies
Over the past three months, I have lost track of how often I have made these pancakes. My youngest loves to dip them in ranch (see weird comment above), my oldest still drizzles on the maple syrup, and I add some mashed avocado, bacon crumbles, and a healthy pinch of everything but the bagel seasoning along with a now-cold cup of coffee.
Easy Cheesy Veggie Pancake Video
Ingredients
Make sure to read the full recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and instructions.
- Flour: white whole wheat, all-purpose, 50/50 all-purpose and whole wheat, gf blend
- Oil: butter or oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, olive oil or avocado oil
- Egg: adds a boost of protein and helps bind all ingredients together
- Milk: dairy or sub your favorite plant-based milk
- Carrots: finely shredded
- Zucchini: finely shredded
- Corn: use frozen
- Cheese: use your favorite shredded cheese. Mozzarella, cheddar or parmesan all work well here.
- Baking Powder: gives the pancakes a nice fluffy rise
- Salt: we’re using a small amount, but feel free to leave out if serving to baby
Gluten-Free Recipe Tip: Use your favorite 1:1 style of gluten-free flour.
Let’s Get Cooking
Toppings
Toppings and dipping sauces are everything to these cheesy vegetable pancakes, since we’re not using butter and maple syrup like we would for traditional pancakes. Here’s several of my family’s favorites to use:
- Greek yogurt
- Hummus
- Ranch dressing
- Ketchup
- Pesto
- Sour cream
- Salsa
- Cream cheese – a smear of veggie cream cheese would be particularly delicious!
- Guacamole
Recipe Tips
- Make ’em mini: When introducing a new food (such as these pancakes compared to traditional pancakes), it can help make them mini-sized, which is perfect for smaller hands.
- Dip ’em: Serve these veggie pancakes with your dipping sauce or a dressing, such as pesto, yogurt, hummus, ranch, or even ketchup!
- Prep ahead: Sometimes, if I’m already in the kitchen doing some meal prep for the week, I’ll shred or grate the carrots and zucchini ahead of time so that all I have to do is throw together the batter for these pancakes on a busy weeknight.
- Sub frozen veggies: In addition, you can also substitute frozen veggies, such as a carrot, corn, and pea mix for this recipe, as these veggies are all small and this will cut down on prep time too.
- 1 1/2 cups flour white whole wheat all-purpose, 50/50 all-purpose and whole wheat, gf blend
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking salt
- 2 tbsp melted butter or oil coconut oil, vegetable oil, olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cups milk, regular or any plain plant-based milk
- 1/3 cup carrots, finely shredded
- 1/3 cup zucchini, finely shredded
- 1/3 cup sweet corn, frozen
- 1/2 cup ceddar cheese, shredded
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt.
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Wet Ingredients: Add in the melted butter, egg, milk, carrots, zucchini, corn, and cheese.
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Incorporate: Stir until incorporated; do not overmix.
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Cook: Heat a non-stick pan or pancake griddle over medium to medium-low heat. Pour 3 tablespoons of batter onto the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until tiny bubbles appear on the outside of the pancake. Flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes. If the batter gets too thick, add milk a tablespoon at a time and stir until you have the right consistency.
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Continue: Transfer pancakes to a cooling rack and repeat the process until you have used all the batter.
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Serve and Enjoy!
Age: 6+ months
Storage: These cheesy vegetable pancakes store well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can also freeze pancakes for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or reheat in the microwave.
Benefits of Veggie Pancakes: The name speaks for itself but in case you didn’t know, there are so many benefits to these veggie packed pancakes!
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- They are an excellent source of carbohydrates, our body’s main source of energy, to help fuel you throughout the day.
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- They are packed with fiber from the veggies, and flax seeds if you’re using them, to help with healthy digestion.
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- The veggies also provide numerous other nutrients like antioxidants, vitamin C, beta carotene, and vitamin K.
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- These pancakes also have some protein and calcium from the cheese and milk to help support healthy bones.
Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).