Cucumber Pancakes

Vegan Cucumber Pancakes that are so light, fluffy, crispy and savory, with the freshness of cucumbers and mint. The pancakes make a delicious breakfast or snack. They are gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free, and they are incredibly easy to make with a one-bowl batter!

Crispy cucumber pancakes on a gray plate with mint leaves scattered around.

Why you’ll love these vegan cucumber pancakes

  • They are an unusual but delicious summer’s treat. While you will find cucumbers at the supermarket year-round, summer, when these beauties are in peak season, is the best time to enjoy them. There’s nothing quite like their refreshing flavor to make the dog days more bearable. In these pancakes the cucumbers add that amazing freshness and tons of flavor.
  • They are so easy to make, and I cannot stress this enough. The batter is made in one-bowl, you just need a handful of ingredients, and they come together in minutes.
  • They are crispy and savory. These pancakes fry up lacy and golden around the edges, and the turmeric gives them a lovely yellow hue.
  • They are gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free and vegan. These are suitable for nearly any diet, and they are healthy too, so anyone can enjoy them.
Cucumber pancakes stacked on a gray plate with a fork and mint leaves scattered around.

Ingredients for cucumber pancakes

  • 3 medium cucumbers (roughly 1 pound)
  • 2 cups chickpea flour
  • ½ cup rice flour
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • ½ medium red onion
  • 1 green chili pepper. (Like serrano or jalapeno)
  • ¼ cup mint leaves.
  • Salt to taste
  • Water
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for cooking the pancakes. You can also make these without oil in a nonstick griddle, or use a cooking spray.

How to make cucumber pancakes

  • Grate the cucumbers using the large holes on a box grater or in a food processor.
  • Place in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients except the water. Mix well. Then set aside for 10 minutes. This gives enough time for the cucumber to express its juices and give you an idea of how much water you need to add.
  • Slowly add in water as needed to make a pancake batter. You will likely not need much–I needed under ½ cup.
  • Heat a griddle on medium high heat. Coat the surface with oil and scoop out the pancakes on the griddle, using the bottom of the spoon or scoop to flatten the pancakes and shape them into rounds. I used a ⅓rd cup measure which gave me 12 pancakes.
  • When the edges sizzle and look golden, flip the pancakes and cook another minute or so.
  • Serve hot with vegan sour cream or a spicy chutney.
Savory cucumber pancakes on a gray plate with mint leaves.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to squeeze out the juices from the cucumber?

No! We put those tasty juices to work for us by using them as the liquid component in the pancake batter instead of water. You might need to add a little batter to get the correct batter consistency, but wait 10 minutes after mixing up the ingredients, let the cucumber juices express, and then add the water as needed.

Can I make these without the rice flour?

Rice flour adds a nice crispiness to these pancakes but if you can’t use it just add ½ cup more of chickpea flour.

I can’t eat chickpea flour. Is there a substitute?

You can use the batter for my moonglet recipe, made with mung beans, and add the cucumber and mint to it instead of the other vegetables and herbs. Or, if you can’t eat any lentils, use 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour and 1 cup rice flour for the batter.

Are these cucumber pancakes healthy?

Extremely so. Each serving of two pancakes has 264 calories, 11 grams of protein and six grams of dietary fiber. There are also important nutrients here from the cucumbers.

What should I serve with the cucumber pancakes?

You can eat these by themselves, or serve with a mint chutney. I also love them with this sweet-tangy-spicy onion chutney.

How long can I store the cucumber pancakes?

Store the pancakes and not the batter, preferably. Make all the pancakes at once, then store in the fridge. Reheat on the griddle or in a toaster oven before serving.
For longer storage flash freeze and then store in a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw and reheat on griddle or in toaster before serving.

Closeup of Savory Cucumber Pancakes on a black plate with scallions and tomatoes.
Stack of cucumber pancakes in gray plate with mint leaves.

Print

Savory Vegan Cucumber Pancakes

Vegan Cucumber Pancakes that are so light, fluffy, crispy and savory, with the freshness of cucumbers and mint. The pancakes make a delicious breakfast or snack. They are gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free, and they are incredibly easy to make with a one-bowl batter!
Course Snack
Cuisine Indian
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword Cucumber pancakes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings (2 pancakes each)
Calories 264kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3 medium cucumbers (grated on the large holes of a grater)
  • ½ cup rice flour
  • 2 cups chickpea flour (besan)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • ½ red onion (minced or grated)
  • 1-2 green chili peppers (like serrano or jalapeno, minced. Deseed for less heat)
  • ¼ cup mint leaves (finely chopped)
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil (or cooking spray, for cooking the pancakes)

Instructions

  • Place the grated cucumber in a bowl with all the juices and add the rest of the ingredients except the water. Mix well, then set aside for 10 minutes. This gives enough time for the cucumber to express its juices and give you an idea of how much water you need to add.
  • Slowly add in water as needed to make a pancake batter. You will likely not need much–I needed under ½ cup.
  • Heat a griddle on medium high heat. Coat the surface with vegetable oil and scoop out the pancakes on the griddle, using the bottom of the spoon or scoop to flatten the pancakes and shape them into rounds. I used a ⅓rd cup measure which gave me 12 pancakes.
  • When the edges sizzle and look golden, flip the pancakes and cook another minute or so.
  • Serve hot with vegan sour cream or a spicy chutney.

Notes

  • Rice flour adds a nice crispiness to these pancakes but if you can’t use it just add ½ cup more of chickpea flour.
  • If you can’t eat chickpea flour, you can use the batter for my moonglet recipe, made with mung beans, and add the cucumber and mint to it instead of the other vegetables and herbs. Or, if you can’t eat any lentils, use 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour and 1 cup rice flour for the batter.
  • Store the pancakes and not the batter, preferably. Make all the pancakes at once, then store in the fridge. Reheat on the griddle or in a toaster oven before serving.
    For longer storage flash freeze and then store in a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw and reheat on griddle or in toaster before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cucumber pancakes | Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 509mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 169IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg

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