Oat Zucchini Blueberry Apple Pancakes +9M

I’m always looking for breakfast healthy ideas for the kids. Somehow breakfast is a tricky meal: there is not a lot of time to prepare, we are always in a rush during week days and my kids really like sweet food in the early morning rather than savory ones. Yes, we have our breakfast favorites (plain yogurt with honey + wholewheat toast with homemade jam + fruit + cereals with milk) but I really like to find new ideas to satisfy their sweet taste and at the same time give them a healthy and nutritious meal to start the day full of energy.

The oat zucchini blueberry apple pancakes are loaded with nutrients, naturally gluten and dairy free. Tested with the kids and 100% approved.

They can be served to babies in small tiny pieces starting from 9 months of age, they are a super baby led weaning idea.

If your little one likes oatmeal, she will love this recipe! Oats are naturally gluten free and they are a good substitute for the all purpose flour. I blended them all together with the other ingredients and cooked the pancakes right away. The final consistency had soft lumps inside, like the oatmeal. If your baby is into a super smooth consistency I suggest to prepare the pancake mix the evening before, store it in the refrigerator overnight so that the oats will soak and get super tender and cook the pancakes in the morning.

I sneaked in some green veggies too, it doesn’t hurt 🙂 I used zucchini but you can also try spinach or swiss chard. I also used Kefir instead of yogurt for a totally dairy free recipe. Yes, you can substitute Kefir with regular plain yogurt.

With the suggested quantities I was able to prepare 10/12 small pancakes. I served 2 each to my kids and I froze the remaining ones for crazy mornings. I will simply move the frozen pancakes from the freezer to the toaster and warm/thaw in few minutes!!

The procedure is easy. Start finely grating the zucchini. Squeeze the extra water with your hands. In a food processor add all the ingredients: rolled oats + applesauce + grated zucchini + fresh blueberries + egg + baking powder + baking soda + vanilla extract + kefir (plain, no flavor) + maple syrup + coconut oil. Blend few minutes up until smooth.

Heat a small pan and add one tablespoon of pancake mix. Shake the pan to evenly spread the mix. Cook the pancake 2 minutes, flip on the other side and keep cooking for another minute or two. When you flip the pancake you will see it raising instantly 🙂 it’s a fun thing to see with the kids!!

Serve warm with some honey/yogurt/maple syrup/date syrup and fresh fruit on top. Yum!!

4.2 from 5 votes
Oat Zucchini Blueberry Pancakes
Ingredients
  • 1.5 cup rolled oats (150gr.)
  • 1/2 cup applesauce (150gr.)
  • 1/2 zucchini (finely grated)
  • 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup plain kefir (or yogurt)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
  1. Finely grate half zucchini. Squeeze the extra water with your hands.

  2. In a food processor add all the ingredients: oats, grated zucchini, applesauce, blueberries, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, kefir, maple syrup, egg, coconut oil. Blend up until smooth.

  3. Heat a pan and add 1 Tablespoon of mix. Shake the pan to give a nice round shape to the pancake. Cook 2 minutes

  4. When you will see that the bottom part is cooked + bubbles will start forming on the surface, flip the pancake on the other side and keep cooking for another minute.

  5. Stack the pancakes one on top of the other to keep them warm. Enjoy!!

 

26 Comments

Did you make this recipe? Share the love, tag @buonapappa on Instagram and hashtag it #buonapappa I would love to see your creations!

  • Reply
    Carly Sears
    April 3, 2018 at 3:36 am

    Is there a substitute for the yogurt?

    • User Avatar
      Reply
      Barbara Lamperti
      April 3, 2018 at 3:48 am

      Hi! yes, I used kefir, a non dairy probiotic drink.

      • Reply
        Carly Sears
        April 3, 2018 at 7:48 pm

        I mean a vegan version. Can I use non-dairy milk in place of it? Sorry, I should’ve clarified in my first comment!

        • User Avatar
          Reply
          Barbara Lamperti
          April 3, 2018 at 7:59 pm

          ops, sorry I didn’t get it 🙂 sure, you can use coconut yogurt or any other kind of vegan yogurt you like, same quantities. Also, I saw a vegan kefir at the store too! ciao ciao, b

      • Reply
        Ana
        October 25, 2018 at 7:20 pm

        Kefir is not dairy-free, it’s made from cow’s milk 🙁
        Otherwise great recipe <3

  • Reply
    10 ways to vary baby led weaning pancakes - sweet and savoury recipes - Weaningful
    July 14, 2018 at 2:08 pm

    […] 2. Oat zucchini blueberry pancakes […]

  • Reply
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    […] 8. Oat Zucchini Blueberry Pancakes […]

  • Reply
    Jen
    February 17, 2019 at 4:01 pm

    How long are these good in the fridge for? Can I also freeze them?

    • User Avatar
      Reply
      Barbara Lamperti
      March 29, 2019 at 10:27 pm

      Hi Jen! I usually keep them in the refrigerator for one day. It’s easier to freeze them, separated by a piece of parchment paper so that they don’t stick. Place them for 30sec in the microwave and finish thawing them in the toaster for one minute. They are still fluffy and moist! ciao, b

    • Reply
      Marie
      May 3, 2020 at 2:50 pm

      Mine are mushy in the middle. Is this normal? I cooked them for a long time hoping they would set up and they did not.

      • User Avatar
        Reply
        Barbara Lamperti
        June 18, 2020 at 6:44 pm

        Yes, they are softer than regular pancakes. If they are too mushy you can squeeze the zucchini a bit more to remove all the extra water. Thank you!! Ciao, b

  • Reply
    Teresa
    March 15, 2019 at 8:23 pm

    Hiiiii !!
    What in plase of yogurth? Baby lactose intolerance

  • Reply
    Kim
    August 2, 2019 at 1:53 pm

    Is there and alternative to the maple syrup? Maybe mashed bananas?

    • User Avatar
      Reply
      Barbara Lamperti
      September 25, 2019 at 5:51 pm

      Hi Kim, if you want a #noaddedsugar recipe I would substitute the applesauce (1/2 cup) with a banana (mashed, 1/2 cup) and skip the maple syrup. Thank you so much for watching, ciao! b

  • Reply
    10 ways to vary baby led weaning pancakes - sweet and savoury recipes
    October 6, 2019 at 8:33 pm

    […] 2. Oat zucchini blueberry pancakes […]

  • Reply
    Rachel
    April 4, 2020 at 10:54 pm

    Hi I used all the ingredients except the maple syrup and the pancakes did not cook well in the pan. I couldn’t even flip them over and when I added a little flour to help solidify them, they would only cook on the outside and the middle would stay gooey!

    • Reply
      Marie
      May 3, 2020 at 2:52 pm

      Are they supposed to be mushy on the middle? I made these exactly to the recipe and they are mushy no matter how long I cook them.

      • User Avatar
        Reply
        Barbara Lamperti
        June 18, 2020 at 6:45 pm

        Hi Marie! If they are too mushy the zucchini might be still a bit too watery. I would suggest to squeeze well all the extra water and grate them finely, that’s how you can remove more water. Thank you so much for trying the recipe!! ciao, b

  • Reply
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    June 26, 2021 at 6:09 pm

    […] Oat Zucchini Blueberry Apple Pancakes +9M […]

  • Reply
    Krista
    November 6, 2021 at 1:18 am

    I’m renaming these “Blueberry Oatmeal Cakes” for my recipe book because pancake might be a bit misleading. The texture is definitely closer to that of an oatmeal. They stay a little mushy in the center and taste like oatmeal, but have the benefits of a less messy finger food. They aren’t the prettiest pancakes, but they taste good and are a great consistency for toddlers. My baby’s getting tired of scrambled eggs, so I’ve been looking for something that I can make just as quickly in the morning. Tonight I made these to freeze and reheat later, but next time I might just keep the batter in the fridge and make one each morning until I run out.

    I found shaking the pan after pouring the batter to be an absolutely crucial step if you want a “flippable” cake. I also only had success if I cooked my oatmeal cakes past where I would flip a pancake, but they didn’t taste burnt at all. Mine never bubbled like a pancake, so I would just flip when I was able to shake the pan and have the pancake slide across without sizzling.

    I would probably rate this 4 stars, but I felt the need to balance out the lower star rating because as long as you go into this recipe thinking “toddler oatmeal cake,” it doesn’t disappoint!

    • User Avatar
      Reply
      Barbara Lamperti
      December 30, 2021 at 3:11 am

      Love how you renamed the recipe! Naming recipes is a tricky job 🙂
      Thank you so much for sharing. Ciao, B

  • Reply
    Ayme
    November 15, 2021 at 4:04 pm

    My 17 month old baby girl loved them! I think They were a bit too moist inside but still delicious,( I had one). Next time I will dry out the zucchini even better. My husband made himself a regular sized pancake because he said it made the house smell so good when I was cooking them. He loved them! Lol go figure! The man never eats veggies so I was happy even my husband liked it and ate it!!

    • User Avatar
      Reply
      Barbara Lamperti
      December 30, 2021 at 3:09 am

      Wow! Double win, baby girl and hubby. That’s awesome!! Thank you so much for sharing, ciao. B

  • Reply
    How We Include More Veggies In Our Kids’ Diets | My Magical Twins
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  • Reply
    Tina
    May 25, 2023 at 3:57 pm

    Hi! Just want to say thank you! I started making these when my kid was a baby and she still eats them at least once a week now as a 4 year old. Recently I started using a flax egg instead of a chicken egg because of daycare restrictions for my younger one and they hold together SO MUCH BETTER!! I am never going back.

    • User Avatar
      Reply
      Barbara Lamperti
      June 6, 2023 at 12:16 am

      Aww, thank you to you for sharing. Love the flax egg substitution! Ground flax has a great binding property as egg substitute. Ciao! B

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