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!
Cucumbers are one of summer's most beloved veggies, and a great way to enjoy them is in dishes like this delicious vegan cucumber cake and these savory, delicious vegan cucumber pancakes, inspired by a cucumber dosa recipe made in the Konkan region of western India--a region my father belonged to.
These are light, airy pancakes with crispy golden edges and they are also so good for you. Cucumbers are no nutritional lightweights: they are packed with phytonutrients that help ward off disease and preserve good health. They contain good quantities of important vitamins and minerals, including vitamin K and potassium, and they are extremely low in calories. They are mostly water, so they keep you hydrated and regulate your digestion. And they make your skin glow! All this in addition to being incredibly delicious.
In these gluten-free cucumber pancakes the cucumbers add a fresh flavor as does mint, another summer's gift whose flavor dovetails so nicely with that of cucumber.
Try making these savory pancakes for breakfast or a snack. Each serving of two pancakes packs in 11 grams of protein and 6 grams of dietary fiber, as well as a healthy dose of veggies. You can indulge without a care!
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, like a besan cheela, 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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
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.
Rice flour adds a nice crispiness to these pancakes but if you can't use it just add ½ cup more of 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.
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.
You can eat these by themselves, or serve with a mint chutney. I also love them with this sweet-tangy-spicy onion chutney.
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.
Related recipes
Savory Vegan Cucumber Pancakes
Equipment
- Cast iron griddle or nonstick griddle
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.
Recipe 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.
Martha Meyer
This was fantastic! YUM and fresh and spicy -- and a terrific solution to getting 3 large cucumbers in our CSA box yesterday! What a great recipe!
Vaishali
Yay, so happy you loved them!
A
What a great recipe! Do you think it would work with zucchini? I have so many this year!
Vaishali
It would be awesome with zucchini!
S
Thank you for the recipe! Absolutely loved it!
Vaishali
So happy to hear!
Todd
Very good. Next time I will peel the cucumber too and add some onion salt. Agreed - good with ketchup.
Vaishali
Awesome!
krithikap11
I bought a couple of cucumbers to try this out, I like that the recipe uses the water released by the cucumber. I always feel bad when recipes with zucchini have me wring out as much water as possible!
I'm wondering if I can store the mixed batter in the fridge? Will the cucumber continue to give out water?
Vaishali
Hi, it's probably going to be fine, but I haven't tried that so can't say for sure. Usually it's best to make pancakes right after mixing the batter and save those instead of the batter.
Megha Shah
Hiya, this looks like a great recipe... can i substitute the mint with Coriander?
Vaishali
Hi Megha, absolutely-- go for it! 🙂
Ana
These came out great! I doubled the recipe and my husband and I ate almost all of them. I had to peal my cucumbers though because their skins were tough and waxy.
Rubot
Thank you! Having found you blog a while back I've tried a few things and everything I've made has been delicious. These pancakes are just beautiful and are happy I my tum right now!
Vaishali
So happy-- glad you've liked the recipes! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
The Vegan Junction
Cucumber, who would've thought. I like that they're nice and thin and crispy. 🙂
mayashetty108
Lovely presentation! This is a treat during summer time, I make it too during summer & is a hot favorite.Check my recipe for Cucumber Pancakes on my blog,"stirringmyspicysoul.com" when you find time , would love to hear what you think 🙂
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Maya, you have a delicious blog, and I love those sweet pancakes. My parents would make those too-- how lovely to rekindle those memories. 🙂
mayashetty108
Thank you, for your kind words, Vaishali, so new to Blogosphere, though have been saving my recipes to date, so happy to hear from you,still figuring out the do's & dont's of a starting a blog, very soon will get into the groove,so appreciate your kind feedback 🙂
Saranya
I am going to try this over the weekend! I love cucumber and anything crispy - this sounds like a match made in heaven! Although I should admit I am a little like your Jay - hard to sneak a raw cucumber past me too 😀
Vaishali Honawar
Hi Saranya,Cucumbers are quite wonderful, agreed. Hope you try it! 🙂