Zucchini Fritters
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These fritters are unbelievably easy to make, low calorie, and the perfect way to sneak in some veggies!
Featured Comment
I’m always looking for new ways to use up my lingering summer zucchini. I’ve made zucchini crisps and zucchini sticks but I wanted to try something a little different this time – something “not fried” per se and a bit healthier. That’s when these oh-so-lovely fritters happened.
why i love this recipe
- Great way to repurpose all the summer zucchini. Have you made way too much zucchini bread this season? Don’t worry – you can still use up all that summer zucchini bounty with these crowd-pleasing crisp-fluffy zucchini fritters!
- So great for picky eaters. These fritters are wonderfully nutritious, low in calories, and the perfect way to sneak in some extra veggies and greens for those picky eaters.
- Ridiculously easy to whip up. Zucchini fritters are so easy to make, perfectly crispy and golden brown on the outside, light and airy on the inside.
- Can be served in so many ways. Serve them as an afterschool snack, an appetizer, a side dish or even a light lunch with a side of tzatziki sauce.
- Freezer-friendly. Fritters are so great to make ahead of time, and can keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, reheating very well in the oven or air fryer.
how to make the easiest, crispiest zucchini fritters
- Prep the zucchini – grate, salt and squeeze out all the excess moisture
- Mix all the ingredients together
- Scoop and form into little fritters, flattening as needed
- Cook until golden brown and crispy, flipping once
- Keep warm in a low oven (if needed) and serve with your favorite dipping sauces
tips and tricks for success
- Squeeze dry the zucchini. This is a key step to avoid soggy fritters! Grate the zucchini, adding 1 teaspoon salt – the salt not only seasons the zucchini beforehand but also draws out the excess moisture. Wrap the grated zucchini in a clean dish towel or cheese cloth, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
- Cook in batches. Work in batches to properly cook the fritters for maximum crispness. An overcrowded pan will unfortunately steam the fritters instead.
- Mix it up. Use a different kind of cheese (ex. feta or cotija), add fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano or dill) or fresh lemon zest to brighten up some of the savory flavors.
- Keep warm. The fritters can be kept warm in a low oven at 250°F.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover fritters can be soggy when reheated. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.
- Freeze as needed. Place the fritters on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the fritters to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through and crispy, about 10-15 minutes, or in the air fryer at 350°F for 4-5 minutes.
what to serve with zucchini fritters
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
For the best texture and flavor, use a large, heavy-bottomed skillet that holds heat evenly. It helps get that signature crispy exterior.
Zucchini Fritters: Frequently Asked Questions
Zucchini is very high in water! So to avoid soggy fritters, we want to squeeze out as much water as possible. That way, we can get those favorited crisp, golden brown edges.
A box grater will work beautifully here!
The possibilities are endless! You can serve them with a dollop of sour cream, tzatziki sauce, or as a side dish to our favorite lemon herb roasted chicken.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! Zucchini fritters freeze very well, and can keep in the freezer for 2-3 months. For best results, freeze without any toppings or sauces until thawed and reheated.
Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds zucchini, grated, about 3 cups
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large egg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Equipment
Instructions
- Place grated zucchini in a colander over the sink. Add 1 teaspoon salt and gently toss to combine; let sit for 10 minutes. Using a clean dish towel or cheese cloth, drain zucchini completely.
- In a large bowl, combine zucchini, flour, Parmesan, garlic and egg; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, scoop 3-4 tablespoons of batter for each fritter, flattening with a spatula, and cook until the underside is nicely golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, about 1-2 minutes longer.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
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Mine turned out like pictured, used two large zucchini and drained it in a fine colander pushing all the moisture out then squeezing in both hands to make sure it was fairly dry. Add all the other ingredients and followed cooking instructions. Served with dollop of sour cream, chopped tomato and a few basil leaves. Enjoyed it, would make it again.
Made these this morning to go with my breakfast…..delish! I grated the zuccini last night, squeezed out the excess water, and refrigerated in a bowl lined with paper towels, so the zuccini was perfect this morning:) I followed recipe to a T, and cooked in a pan wth 1 tbsp of cocnut oil. Served with 1 tbsp of Greek yogurt. Thanks for this recipe…will make for my family next!
Is the Parmesan cheese fresh grated in this recipe?
The Parmesan should always be freshly grated. I do not recommend using Parmesan cheese from a tin can!
Your recipe sounds great , I have added fresh zucchini flowers from my garden. Very hard to collect them unless you have at least 4 zucchini plants. I add them to the batter and they add a nice touch to the fritter. Very tasty!
I added some grated onion and carrot and served them with a Ranch dip. Yummy! Thanks for the post.
Having found this recipe on Pinterest and feeling a bit adventurous, I gave this a try. I substituted asiago and romano cheese instead of parm, giving it a bit more flavor. Definitely easy and the ingredients are usually already in the kitchen. Thank you so much for posting this. It even fits in with my diet plan!
Can you make these with almond flour instead of regular flour?
You can certainly try substituting almond flour but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. Using a substitution may also result in a mediocre outcome.
These look amazing! Do you think they are freezer friendly? Do you think the fritters could be made and pulled out, thawed, and then browned?
I just saw a previous post with this same question. My understanding is you do cook them. What is the best method of re-heating?
That’s really up to you and what you are comfortable with. I actually prefer to cook them on the stovetop on a hot skillet.
It is summer now in New Zealand, and I finally have a bumper crop of zucchini. Tried this recipe today… they were stunning! We have already eaten half of the first batch, and will absolutely be making more over the next months. Oh yes, they are “damn delicious”!
Just got done making. I used yellow squash and zucchini. Didn’t have cheese cloth to soak up water. I used a pillow case. They came out amazing. .
I need to be on a low cholesterol diet. Why is the cholesterol so high in this recipe? Any suggestions on a substitute ingredient to help?
Eggs and parmesan cheese are naturally high in cholesterol. For someone with high blood cholesterol, the recommendation is to limit cholesterol intake to 200 mg/day. At 101 mg/serving, if you plan your other food for the day accordingly, this dish could fit into your diet.
Also, please remember that dietary cholesterol has less of an effect on blood cholesterol than was once thought. The biggest dietary impact on blood cholesterol is actually synthetic trans fat!
Never drain mine but use 1 egg for every packed cup of zucchini.. Feel your thowing out vitamins when you drain liquid ..no bad..only good cholesteral in this recipe
Apologies if anyone has already asked this, can you freeze these? I’d love to try some but seeing as I live alone and cook for one freezing some seemed like a good option. If anyone has tried freezing let me know how they turned out!
Charlotte, you can freeze these in individual servings and reheat as necessary.
So good! I also put a little feta cheese in it and extra garlic…..was good!
Can you use a nonstick electric griddle to these on?
I haven’t tried it myself but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work!
Do you happen to have the nutrients for this?? I was basically wondering about the calories, sodium, carbs and sugar? Thank you!
Unfortunately, as I am not a registered dietician, I am not comfortable sharing nutritional information for any of my recipes. I recommend utilizing online calorie counters at your discretion to obtain such information.
I basically took your recipe, added 2 eggs and a crap ton of curry powder, and cooked it like s frittata. Basically, it was awesome!!
I love these, my favorite restaurant in my hometown would serve these with thick yogurt with sweet apricot preserves such wonderful accompaniment!
Now I can recreate at home; Merci!
So I have tried and tried to make this recipe, along with a altered version that uses coconut flour instead and I can’t get them to turn out. The coconut flour ones didn’t turn out because they were too dry and fell apart. These ones were too eggy/moist that they didn’t even cook at all. I used tapioca flour instead of arrowroot flour, not sure if that makes a huge difference or not. I didn’t use cheese either because I’m dairy free. I have squeezed all the juice out of the zuchinnis too, so I know that’s not the issue. Any advice?
Hi,
I made these last night.
They were delicious! Although I just had one problem.
They wouldn’t hold together as well as your look in your picture.
Should I add another egg?
Would it be because I didn’t use a cheese cloth to drain the zucchini?
I’m or entirely sure what could have gone wrong but an additional egg should certainly help as a binder for next time.
I made these and my husband is obsessed with them. Love your site!
-Meg
http://www.MegLovesIt.com