How to Make Apple, Zucchini,
Pumpkin and Banana Pancakes
Kitchen tools, gourmet foods, baking mixes, and hard-to-find baking ingredients mentioned in this article are available at The Prepared Pantry.
by Dennis Weaver
When I was a kid, my mother used to grate Jonathan apples, with the skin, and add them to her pancake batter along with a teaspoon of cinnamon. The grated apples would soften a bit as the pancakes were cooked. There would be a taste of apple in every bite and glimpses of red poking through. They were my favorite pancakes.
Years later, I discovered that I could mash bananas and add them to my pancake batter. Still later, I added pumpkin puree. And then grated zucchini. Finally, I found that all were especially scrumptious with cinnamon chips.
Every cook should have this collection of recipes stashed in the kitchen. They are very good pancakes—exceptional. And no matter how much syrup you drizzle over the top, knowing your pancakes are loaded with natural fruit or veggies, makes all that syrup seem a little less guilty.
The Recipes
These pancakes are easy to make. The batter is much the same—you just add grated apple or zucchini, mashed bananas, or pumpkin puree to your batter. They cook the same way. But they are a terrific change of pace and they're healthy. Because they're loaded with cinnamon chips, they are very good.
Cinnamon Chip Apple Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cups grated tart apple
- 1 large eggs
- 1 tablespoons oil
- 3/4 cup water, more or less
- 1/2 cup cinnamon chips
Instructions
- Heat the griddle to medium hot. Just before cooking, spread a little butter
on the hot griddle. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the grated apple, eggs, oil, and most of the water together.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir, adding more water as needed
to reach the right consistency. Fold in the cinnamon chips. Do not over beat. There
should be some lumps remaining in the batter.
- Pour circles of batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles start to set
in the top of the batter and the edges start to look dry. Flip the pancakes and
cook until both sides are a golden brown.
- Serve immediately.
Cinnamon Chip Zucchini Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 1 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/2 cup water, more or less
- 1/2 cup cinnamon chips
Instructions
- Heat the griddle to medium hot. Just before cooking, spread a little butter
on the hot griddle.
- In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the grated zucchini, eggs, oil, and most of the water
together.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir, adding more water as needed
to reach the right consistency. Fold in the cinnamon chips. Do not over beat. There
should be some lumps remaining in the batter.
- Pour circles of batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles start to set
in the top of the batter and the edges start to look dry. Flip the pancakes and
cook until both sides are a golden brown.
- Serve immediately.
Cinnamon Chip Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cups mashed ripe banana
- 1 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water, more or less
- 1/2 cup cinnamon chips
Instructions
- Heat the griddle to medium hot. Just before cooking, spread a little butter
on the hot griddle. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, banana flavor, eggs, oil, and most
of the water together.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir, adding more water as needed
to reach the right consistency. Fold in the cinnamon chips. Do not over beat. There
should be some lumps remaining in the batter.
- Pour circles of batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles start to set
in the top of the batter and the edges start to look dry. Flip the pancakes and
cook until both sides are a golden brown.
- Serve immediately.
Cinnamon Chip Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon dry ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3/4 cup water, more or less
- 2/3 cup cinnamon chips
Instructions
- Heat the griddle to medium hot. Just before cooking, spread a little butter
on the hot griddle.
- In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the canned pumpkin, eggs, oil, and most of the water
together.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir, adding more water as needed
to reach the right consistency. Fold in the cinnamon chips. Do not over beat. There
should be some lumps remaining in the batter.
- Pour circles of batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles start to set
in the top of the batter and the edges start to look dry. Flip the pancakes and
cook until both sides are a golden brown.
- Serve immediately.
Dennis Weaver is the founder of The Prepared Pantry, a full line kitchen store in Rigby, Idaho. The Prepared Pantry sells kitchen tools, gourmet foods, and baking ingredients including hundreds of hard-to-find ingredients.