This healthy Crispy Zucchini Fritters recipe makes a delightful appetizer or side dish! Grated zucchini is mixed with Parmesan cheese and garlic, fried in a skillet, then baked in the oven. Serve these gluten-free and vegetarian fritters with sour cream or your favorite homemade dipping sauce!
It’s zucchini season!!
Home gardens are thriving, and grocery stores are fully stocked. However you get them, zucchini is a versatile ingredient that livens up any dish.
As you may already know, Summer is when they’re abundantly available. And if you grow them yourself, you need a million ways to use them up.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups, and Air Fryer Zucchini chips are on regular rotation this time of year in our house.
But the most addicting recipe using the Summer squash? Zucchini Fritters!
They’re perfectly crispy, have the best flavor, and are easy to make.
Fritters are excellent as a family friendly snack, appetizer, or side dish.
And why not enhance the deliciousness with a dip like sour cream, Sriracha Mayo, or even Special Sauce!
Ingredients
The simple ingredients needed to make zucchini fritters include:
- Zucchini. Well, obvi! You can either buy from your local grocery store, farmers market, or grow your own in a garden.
- Substituting the zucchini with squash is not recommended since they have a slightly different texture and moisture content.
- Flour. A gluten-free 1-to-1 flour was used in this recipe. A regular all purpose flour or a Paleo flour blend will work just as good.
- Salt. This is an important ingredient for a reason other than flavor. It actually helps the zucchini release excess moisture so they come out super crispy, and not soggy.
- Parmesan Cheese. Not only does the Parmesan cheese give a yummy, cheesy flavor, but it also helps the fritters to stay together. A dairy-free Parmesan may be substituted.
- Egg. One LARGE egg, not extra-large or medium, is used in this recipe. The egg helps to bind the fritters so they do not fall apart while cooking.
- Garlic cloves. Fresh garlic cloves are best, but you can substitute with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder if that is what you have.
How to Make Zucchini Fritters
Making these fritters is a similar process to making Corn Fritters and even Crab Cakes. Here are the easy steps for making zucchini fritters:
- Grate the zucchini.
Use a food processor with a grating attachment or a boxed cheese grater to shred the zucchini.
- Lay zucchini out in a flat layer and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
Strain excess moisture from zucchini using a cheesecloth or a thin dish towel. You will end up with about 1 cup of grated zucchini and 1 cup of strained liquid.
- Mix everything up.
In a large bowl combine grated zucchini, flour, cheese, egg, garlic, and black pepper. Stir until well combined.
- Form into balls.
Make 8 equally-sized balls that are each about 2-3 tablespoons each.
- Fry in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side.
Add 1 tablespoon oil and 4 balls to the pan. Smash the zucchini balls with the back of a spatula. Spread them out to about 2 ½ – 3 inches in diameter and about ½-inch thick. Cook until browned and repeat with remaining four zucchini balls.
- Bake the fritters.
Place all zucchini fritters back into the skillet and bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.
Expert Tip: A cast iron skillet is key in getting that crispy exterior and is the best skillet to use. However, a ceramic-coated skillet also works well.
How to Grate Zucchini
You have two options to choose from when grating zucchini for this recipe:
Run the zucchini through a large food processor with a grating attachment. This is relatively quick, easy, and comes out with uniform pieces.
Use a boxed grater. This works but is not ideal. It takes a bit longer and the zucchini tends to be more mushy than grated.
Shredding Zucchini:
- Trim the ends off and then cut each zucchini lengthwise into 4 spears.
- Add spears to a large food processor and push through until grated.
- Repeat with remaining spears.
(And if you have any leftover, freezing zucchini is a great way to save it for later!)
Straining Zucchini
Once you have the zucchini grated, the next step is to get rid of the excess moisture. Too much moisture will result in soggy and not crispy fritters.
- Lay grated zucchini out in a single layer or place in a colander.
- Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Place grated zucchini in a cheesecloth or a thin dish towel and strain until all of the moisture comes out.
- For 1 ½ pounds of zucchini you will end up with about 1 cup of liquid and 1 cup of zucchini.
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: Cook the fritters completely. These zucchini fritters do not do well when mixed together ahead of time and not cooked.
- To Store: Let the cooked zucchini fritters come to room temperature. Then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze: Arrange in a single layer and freeze for 2-3 hours. Then transfer to a freezer safe ziplock bag or container.
- To Reheat: Return the fritters to a skillet over medium heat, or pop in the air fryer until heated through.
FAQs
If all of the extra moisture is not removed from the zucchini before cooking, the fritters will be soggy.
Remove extra moisture by sprinkling grated zucchini with salt and straining well with a cheesecloth.
Let zucchini sprinkled with salt sit for 10-15 minutes. Then use a cheesecloth or a thin kitchen towel to squeeze all of the extra liquid out.
Enough binder may not have been used. Egg, Parmesan cheese, and flour are use in this recipe to hold the fritters together.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Sprinkle with salt. This draws out the extra moisture from the zucchini.
- Strain it real good. Use a cheesecloth to squeeze out the liquid.
- Fry then bake. To ensure a crisp crust and fully cooked middle, sear in a skillet first and then bake.
- Save time and effort. Smash the zucchini balls into ¼-inch thick patties, then cook in a skillet for about 3 minutes per side.
- Freeze the extra. If you have extra grated zucchini, freeze it for future use!
What to Serve with Zucchini Fritters
Now that you have your zucchini fritters ready to enjoy, it’s time to serve them up!
Serve these shredded zucchini fritters simply with a side of sour cream, either diary-free or regular. Or make one of these easy homemade sauces:
More Zucchini Recipes
Have plenty of zucchini on hand? Try these other easy recipes:
Healthy Zucchini & Squash Casserole
Zucchini Fritters Recipe
This healthy Crispy Zucchini Fritters recipe makes a delightful appetizer or side dish! Serve these gluten-free and vegetarian fritters with sour cream or your favorite homemade dipping sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. zucchini grated
- 1 tsp. salt
-
½
cup flour or GF 1-to-1 - ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 large egg whisked
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-
Grate zucchini using a food processor with a grating attachment or with a boxed grater.
-
Lay zucchini out in a flat layer and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
-
Strain excess moisture from zucchini using a cheesecloth or a thin dish towel. You will end up with about 1 cup of grated zucchini and 1 cup of strained liquid.
-
In a large bowl combine grated zucchini, flour, cheese, egg, garlic, and black pepper. Mix until well combined.
-
Form 8 equally-sized balls that are each about 2-3 tablespoons each.
-
In a large cast iron skillet over medium heat add 1 tablespoon oil and 4 balls. Smash zucchini balls with the back of a spatula and spread out to about 2 ½ – 3 inches in diameter and about ½-inch thick.*
-
Sear zucchini fritters for 2-3 minutes per side or until browned. Remove from skillet. Repeat with remaining four zucchini balls.
-
Place all zucchini fritters back into the skillet and bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.
-
Serve zucchini fritters with sour cream and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- 2 zucchini fritters equals one serving.
- If dairy-free, substitute with a dairy-free Parmesan cheese.
- If you do not want to bake the zucchini fritters simply smash the zucchini balls until they are closer to ¼-inch thick. Sear for the recommended 2-3 minutes per side, or until browned.
- These zucchini fritters do not do well when mixed together ahead of time and not cooked. The zucchini will continue to lose its moisture and you will end up with a soggy mess.
- To Store: Let the cooked zucchini fritters come to room temperature. Then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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elaine foondler says
These were delicious except no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get all or most of the moisture out of the grated zucchini and it was a big mess and had to fry patties longer than suggested. Inside hey were still mushy but very tasty nonetheless although not crispy. My kitchen was a mess. Ended up with more than 1.5 lbs of grated zucchini so had to adjust other ingredients and will never be able to remember what adjustments I made. LOL.
Suggestion: Try making Bisquick Impossible Zucchini pie (or quiche). (You can get this recipe from Bisquick recipes) Almost same recipe for ingredients, then just pour everything into pie pan or quiche baking dish (at least 10 inch round) bake for required time, and eliminate the time and effort of frying the fritters which is time consuming and messy.
London Brazil says
Thanks for the feedback, Elaine! Just out of curiosity – did you try using a cheesecloth? That’s the easiest way I’ve found to completely wring zucchini of all their moisture.
Betty says
I made these and they were great ,I spooned the mix in the pan ,cooked on one side before turning. We enjoyed them. Thanks
London Brazil says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Betty! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Sarah says
So is the strained off liquid simply to discard?
London says
Yes! Just discard the liquid, Sarah 🙂
Anonymous says
Could you add corn?
London says
Absolutely! You can either take out some of the zucchini and add back the same amount of corn, or just add another 1/2 cup without any changes!
Kim Mericle says
I don’t have a good scale. Roughly how many zucchini makes 1 1/2 pounds?
London says
Great question, Kim! Roughly 2-3 medium-sized zucchini will equal a pound. Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Carol Scott says
These sound great, but I try to stay low carb. – can I use almond flour instead of regular white flour?
London says
I haven’t personally tried it out, but I bet it would work! You might even want to try an almond flour/coconut flour combo. Please let me know how they turn out for you! 🙂
Stephanie M says
These look delish! Could I use cassava flour instead of the Paleo blend flour? We have a tree nut allergy in our family. And if so, measurements? Thanks!
London says
Hi Stephanie! I actually used a GF flour blend for this recipe, so there are no nuts in it! The Bob’s red mill 1-to-1 blend is my go to. You can also use regular all purpose flour, instead, too. Cassava flour can work, but it might turn out slightly more gummy. Hope you enjoy!
Jules Shepard says
I straight up LOVE zucchini fritters but have not tried your version YET! Gotta make use of the bountiful harvest while we can!
London says
Yay! So excited to hear what you think, Jules! I think you’ll LOVE this recipe!
Katie says
These were delicious!
I made a vegan version.
Instead of Parmesan I used nutritional yeast.
Instead of an egg I made a chia egg (1 1/2 T chia seed seeds and 4 T. Water)
Delish!
London says
Yay! That’s great to know that they can be made vegan easily. Did you use the same amount of nutritional yeast as Parmesan cheese?
Carol McCollum says
Could these be cooked in an air-fryer? I think I’ll try this with a bit of quinoa for added fiber & protein. ..and low-fat or fat free cheese… either mozzarella or Swiss.
London says
Yes, they absolutely can, Carol! Would love to know what alterations you make and how it turns out!