Name: Zucchini Pancakes (糊塌子)
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 23 min
Ingredients: 1 zucchini (aka courgette, about 10oz (280g) each); 1 stalk scallions; ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp ground Sichuan pepper (or white pepper, five spice pepper); 2 eggs; ½ tsp sesame oil; ½ cup all-purpose flour; Neutral cooking oil (for pan-frying); Black rice vinegar; Minced garlic; Chili oil

Jump to Recipe

An easy breakfast loaded with nutrients, Chinese zucchini pancakes require minimum effort to make. Adaptation and Make-ahead tips are provided.

zucchini pancakes on a tray with sauces.

Jump to:

What are zucchini pancakes
Ingredients
Cooking process
Make ahead
Optional dipping sauce
What to serve with
Adapt with other ingredients
Other breakfast recipes
📋 Recipe

What are zucchini pancakes

Do you like savory breakfast, as I do? Today’s recipe, Chinese Zucchini Pancakes, is a simple and delightful one to try.

Known as Hú Tā Zi/糊塌子 in Chinese, these humble yet delicious pancakes are a popular dish in the northern regions of China. My mum passed down her recipe to me, and now I cook it regularly for my own children.

Soft and flavorful, zucchini pancakes are reminiscent of Egg & Scallion Crepes, but with the added goodness of vegetables, they are even healthier.

Unlike Jian Bing (Chinese Crepes) or Scallion Pancakes, which require some effort to make, zucchini pancakes are very quick to cook and totally kitchen novice-friendly.

Ingredients

Here is a simple list of ingredients for making Chinese zucchini pancakes.

Zucchini, aka courgette
Scallions, aka green onion, spring onion
Eggs
All-purpose flour
Ground Sichuan pepper. This is my family’s favorite spice to season savory pancakes. If unavailable, use white pepper or Chinese five-spice powder to substitute.
Sesame oil
Salt
Neutral cooking oil, for pan-frying. It can be vegetable, canola, sunflower, corn, soybean, rapeseed oil, etc.

🛎 NOTE: You don’t need any water for this batter as the water in the zucchini and eggs are enough to combine the flour.

Cooking process

Step 1: Prepare the vegetables

Wash the zucchini thoroughly to remove any dirt. No need to peel its green skin. Use a grater (or a food processor) with medium holes to thinly shred the zucchini. Use a knife to finely chop the scallions.

adding salt and pepper to grated zucchini.

Put these two ingredients into a mixing bowl. Stir in salt and Sichuan pepper (or white pepper, five-spice powder). Let sit for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Mix the batter

After 10 minutes, you’ll see quite a bit of liquid extracted from the zucchini.

Add the eggs and sesame oil then stir to incorporate the whites and yolks.

In three batches, stir the flour into the mixture. The consistency of the batter should look quite thick but still spreadable.

Step 3: Pan-fry the pancakes

Add a little cooking oil to a skillet/frying pan. Heat until hot. Pour in some batter.

flattening zucchini pancake batter with a spoon.

Spread it to an even thickness with the back of a spoon.

Leave to cook over medium-high until the bottom side turns golden. Use a spatula to flip over the pancake. Cook the second side until it browns a little too.

🛎 EXTRA TIPS:

You may decide the size of your pancakes (Mine are about 6 in/15 cm in diameter). Keep in mind that it may be a little challenging to flip the pancakes in one piece if they are made too large.
Adjust the heat as needed. The surface of the pancake should look almost dry when the bottom side is browned to the right shade (neither too pale nor too dark).

Make ahead

If you plan to have zucchini pancakes first thing in the morning, I suggest you prepare the batter the night before and store it in the fridge.

Since the water in the zucchini will be extracted further over time, the batter will become a little thinner after resting overnight. So use a little more flour than suggested in the recipe. Before pan-frying, mix the batter very well.

Optional dipping sauce

These zucchini pancakes taste wonderful on their own, especially while warm. However, they’re often served with a dipping sauce in restaurants or Chinese households.

My family’s favorite is a simple mixture of black rice vinegar and minced garlic. Or, just dip them in homemade chili oil for an extra kick on the palate. Check out my Dumpling Sauce post for more inspiration, or use any shop-bought sauces that you enjoy (e.g. Laoganma chili sauces).

What to serve with

To accompany zucchini pancakes, my top pick would be Chinese Congee (see image below). A simple soup would be great too, such as Egg Drop Soup, Tomato & Egg Soup, etc.

a bowl of plain congee with toppings like fried dough, preserved mustard stem and pork floss

Alternatively, we use these pancakes as wraps and fill them with protein options such as Char Siu, cooked chicken, ham slices, braised beef shank, etc.

Adapt with other ingredients

This recipe can be altered by adding other ingredients to the batter.

Vegetable options include carrots, Chinese chives, bean sprouts, spinach, kimchi, onion/shallots (fried in a little oil beforehand), etc.
Protein options include minced ham, chopped shrimp, crumbled tofu, grated cheese, etc.

🛎 NOTE: When adding extra ingredients to the batter, you may need to add a little more water to adjust the consistency.

Comments