You cannot miss Chinese zucchini pancakes if you love a savory breakfast! Made with simple ingredients, these pancakes are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Served with a vinegar sauce and chili oil, you can easily finish half a dozen in one sitting! {Vegetarian}
Chinese zucchini pancakes are also called 糊塌子 (Hu Ta Zi) in Chinese. It’s a type of Northern Chinese comfort food that is especially popular in Beijing. The pancakes are made with grated zucchini, flour and eggs, seasoned lightly and cooked until perfection. The pancakes themselves are quite mild, so you can enjoy the freshness of the zucchini. For a richer flavor, I also enjoy serving them with a dipping sauce and a touch of chili oil. These pancakes are incredibly quick and easy to cook, making them a satisfying and nutritious breakfast on the weekend. My grandma used to make them for me, and I enjoyed eating them any time of day!
Chinese zucchini pancakes ingredients
Chinese zucchini pancakes use very simple ingredients and the seasoning is quite light.
The main ingredients are zucchini, eggs and flour. There is a small amount of green onion, salt, and sesame oil to bring out the sweetness of the zucchini without overpowering it.
In the picture below I show you all the ingredients just so you know how simple it is to make them. But you don’t need to portion out everything in small bowls like I did for the picture. Simply add the ingredients for the batter into one big bowl, so you can save yourself some dishwashing.
How to make Chinese zucchini pancakes
Making Chinese zucchini pancakes couldn’t be easier.
- Grate the zucchini into thin strands
- Add the green onion and salt, and let it sit
- Wait until the water seeps out of the zucchini
- Add the eggs
- Sift in the flour and add the sesame oil
- Mix everything together into a thin batter
- Shape and cook the pancakes in a pan
- Cook until both sides are golden and serve
Key cooking points
Reserve the liquid from the zucchini
By lightly salting the zucchini in advance, you will make it more flavorful and it will release less water during cooking. You will be using the liquid from the zucchini to mix the flour into a batter without using water.
Observe the batter and tweak the flour ratio if needed
The flour amount depends on the size of the zucchini you use. If using a very big zucchini, it will release more liquid and require more flour.
The batter should be quite thin, a bit sticky and runny, but not watery. Once you add it into the pan, you should easily be able to flatten the batter into a thin pancake using a spatula.
The batter for these Chinese zucchini pancakes is quite forgiving. If you make the batter a bit too thin or too thick, the result will still be tasty.
In general, if you prefer a chewy pancake, use more flour. I like my pancakes very tender, so I prefer a runnier batter.
Give the flavor a boost with dipping sauce
Chinese zucchini pancakes use very minimal seasoning for the batter. The key is to keep things simple and bring out the sweetness of the zucchini.
However, I highly recommend pairing my vinegar sauce with it. The sauce is sour, savory and a bit sweet and nutty. It goes so perfectly with the pancakes. I also enjoy adding a touch of chili oil to spice things up.
How to serve Chinese zucchini pancakes
Chinese zucchini pancakes are perfect for Sunday breakfast or brunch, but I wouldn’t mind serving it for any time of the day, from a light lunch, a snack in the afternoon, or a side dish for dinner.
These pancakes are perfect when served hot, when it’s crispy on the outside and buttery tender inside. But they are super tasty when served cold as well.
Other delicious breakfast recipes
Chinese Zucchini Pancakes
Servings: 6 pancakes (2 to 3 servings)
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini (about 300 g / 10 oz)
- 1 green onion sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 cup (75 g) all-purpose flour (or more, if needed)
- Oil spray
Instructions
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Use a coarse grater to grate the zucchini into thin strands into a large bowl. Add the green onion and the salt. Use your hand to mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes, until water seeps out of the zucchini. Reserve the liquid.
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Add the eggs and mix well.
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Sift the flour into the bowl. Mix until the flour is fully incorporated without any lumps. Do not over mix. The batter should be quite thin but not runny, and easy to flatten into a thin pancake using a spatula when added to the pan. You might need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to the batter if it’s too thick. And if you’re using a very large zucchini, you might need to add extra flour to the batter to thicken it.
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Mix all the ingredients for the dipping sauce together in a small bowl.
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Spray a thin layer of oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add about 1/4 cup of the batter and spread it out with a spatula so it’s round and flat. Cook until the bottom turns golden brown, 2 minutes or so. Turn to the other side and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the inside is just cooked. Transfer the pancake onto a plate. Repeat the process until all the batter is used.
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Serve the pancakes hot along with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 97kcal, Carbohydrates: 9.9g, Protein: 3.8g, Fat: 4.9g, Saturated Fat: 1.1g, Cholesterol: 62mg, Sodium: 223mg, Potassium: 171mg, Fiber: 0.9g, Sugar: 1.1g, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 1mg
