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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easy to make and easy to halve!
Any gluten free variations of this recipe?
Dorothy, I make a very similar recipe to this one. It calls for almond flour and green onions is only difference. But truthfully just about any GF flour would work like Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur etc.
I combined this recipe with a very similar one on another blog, turned out great! The only changes, added 2 tbsp. of mayo, 1/4 tsp. oregano and 1 tbsp. of diced yellow onion. Also added some feta per another comment’s suggestion.
Served with sour cream sprinkled with parsley and dill. Delicious and easy!
Best zucchini fritters I have made.
Definitely delicious.
I just made a batch of these with an overgrown zucchini from the garden. I used 1/4 cup ground almonds and 1 tbs flaxseed meal in place of the all purpose flour, two eggs and 1 tsp garlic powder.
They were quick and easy to whip up for a tasty brunch with some bacon, eggs and grilled tomato. I’ll be making them again
Prepared tonight and it was just delicious.
Thanks
Amazing and so easy to make!
Really delicious!
I felt mine was too dry so I added another egg and a little touch of water, my veggie mix was also zuch, yellow squash, carrots, and sweet onion. Then I added some spices that matched the curry blend I’d made (into the dry mix before the eggs) and it was fantastic.
With the extra egg it made it more like a small veggie omelet thing but it was great. And the curry was veggie so it added lots of protein to dinner!
Great recipe! Easy to change up if you want. I added dried onion instead of fresh, and gave it time to hydrate. I also added a TB of feta along with the parm. So, so good!
Made tonight, added some hatch green chile and a little thyme, everyone raved.
Loved the flavour of this recipe! Delicious! I did however add a combo of minced white and green onion (about 1/4 cup)…Love my onions!!! Anyhoo…I followed the instructions with regard to squeezing out the juice from the zucchini and my fritters turned out a bit soggy. Any suggestions? I have researched other recipes and instead of flour, bread crumbs or panko is used. Next time I will tweak your recipe to see if that change makes any difference.
It might have had to do with the onion you added – try squeezing the onion of its liquid and adding in an extra tablespoon of flour or some bread crumbs. Found this to be really helpful when I made these.
Try using a potatoe ricer to get rid of fluid, works great!
Squeeze the zucchini by hand, and the onion too. I added a medium onion to my mixture and fritters were not soggy at all. 🙂
These are SO good! I added a red pepper from the garden as well (maybe Fresno Chili pepper) – added a little zip to it. LOVE!
Great ideat! Will have to try that. Thx,
Thought the garlic would be too much but it was perfect. Easy and delicious!
Delicious and really quick! Perfect for an appetizer on a summer night. We paired this with geek yogurt, Whole Foods Harissa vinegarette and hummus for some more protein. Yum!
Good recipe. Easy to follow. Quick.
Simple and super delicious! We will definitely do again! I probably went a little heavy on the garlic — but super, super good! Now I know what I can do with all that zucchini from the garden! It was mentioned that it would be a great addition to a brunch too (we did it with dinner.)
Made these for lunch today! They were awesome! Ty
Easy to make and really good!!
Just made these this morning. I opted to use small cast iron skillets for slightly larger but individual fritters. Filled them in to the edges and then patted down. Flipped after a few minutes, no issues with sticking. Came out good, love cast iron cooking!