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.
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DRAIN WELL as recipe says. Mine were slightly limp as I didn’t drain enough. I like to substitute onion for garlic but either way very good. I made a batch and 3/4 and my husband and I ate them all!!
This is outstanding. I’ve made it 2 times, making a double batch now. These are delicious, great re heated and my baby even loves it!!
Absolutely yummy. Also easy to make
These are easy and delicious!, I made dairy free with vegan parmesan cheese due to my husband having alpha gal. He loves them froze our doubled batch. Thank you!
Thank you for this brilliant recipe. I just added chives from my garden.
Yummmm
Could I make the batter ahead of time and refrigerate it?
I have tried lots of variations to this recipe and not a fan of the pre-made batter. I shred and prep the veggies part (we like shredded carrots and finely diced broccoli added in) but don’t add the egg and mix until ready to cook. Cooked ones re-heat well next day or freeze.
Just finished making them and wow, they are delicious! I may have tried to sneak in more zucchini than the recipe so I did have to add a little more flour and another egg. 🙂 Yummy!
Great recipe!! Followed the original recipe. Took three towels to get the water out, but they were not soggy. Husband said we can eat that regularly, and he is not a zucchini fan! Thanks for another great way to eat our surplus of zucchini!
could you make this in the air fryer?
Loved this recipe! ❤️ I shredded my zucchini in the Cuisinart (leaving the skin on of course). Then placed in a colander with the salt and used a spatula to squeeze out the excess liquid after it sat there for 10 mins. Also used a combo of grated & shredded Parmesan. Next time I will try almond flour as others have mentioned. Fantastic taste! Plan on making this again and again.
Tried this recipe and replaced flour with ritz cracker crumbs. They were delicious! I will be making these again. Like my husband said it’s a keeper.❤️
These are excellent!!!! Could you make these into one “pizza” crust and top with your favorite toppings? I do this with riced cauliflower and it is delicious, so thought maybe zucchini would work just as well. Your thoughts….
YUM! Huge thumbs up from my husband and I. Fantastic way to use up an overabundance of zucchini. We served it with sour cream, chives and hot sauce to taste. Delicious!
These were excellent!
Wow it’s a quite wonderful and easy snack recipe. It is exactly the one that I was looking for. And thank you so much for these easy steps. It just makes it even more interesting. My kids loved it…
I add red pepper to mine. It needs just a little kick. Also wondering if instant potatoes sprinkled in would prevent them from being soggy.
May give that a try.
Delicious! Added 1 medium brown onion, used 2 teaspoons of minced garlic instead of fresh garlic cloves, and used a combination of Parmesan, English cheese (the orange one) and Tasty cheese instead of just Parmesan. We also used more like a half cup of flour, and it was half SR flour and half plain flour. Forgot to beat the egg, don’t think it made a difference.
Simply served with a thin spiral of tomato sauce…SO DELICIOUS!!
(My partner was convinced he wouldn’t like them because he doesn’t like zucchini…he was wrong lol! Neither of us like zucchini but loved these fritters, so a great way to sneak in some veggies for the kids or picky eaters!)
Very good! Mine were not a pretty as the ones pictured but they were very good!
Super yum. Had to add more egg but was good
Hi what’s the white cream you put at the end? Was thinking of doing this for my toddler.
Looks like sour cream.
Loved this recipe
I added shallots, red capsicum and curry powder and made a stack with bacon. Tomatoes on top drizzled with balsamic glaze yum xx