Zucchini Fritters
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Delightfully browned and crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and positively packed with flavor, these Zucchini Fritters are super easy to make and can be made with all kinds of flavor profiles. A healthy and delicious lunch or dinner, you’ll find yourself making them again and again!
I love all the seasons of the year, but when it comes to gardening summer is especially exciting. As a gardener it’s incredibly rewarding to see all the toil and labor pay off when it’s time to harvest the vegetables and fruits. I grow hundreds of pounds of produce every year for our family to eat fresh, to can and freeze dry, and to give away to friends.
We moved 3000 miles from the West Coast to the East Coast last year, leaving behind a flourishing garden only to have to start over again. Agh! But I tackled it with passion and vigor and it was the first thing I got to work on once we got here, prepping the ground so that it would be ready for growing this year. The decorating, painting, and the kitchen and bathroom remodels could wait (and they did)…healthy food was the priority!
I garden organically and use a no-till method that promotes healthy, microbe-rich soil for nutrition-packed vegetables. We expanded our growing space on our new property to include three massive garden plots and a fruit orchard. Here’s a glimpse of a few of our garden areas.
The harvest this summer is rich and plentiful and the squash is no exception. As any gardener knows, zucchini is a vegetable that just keeps giving and giving…and then keeps giving some more!
One of our favorite ways to eat summer squash is simply to season it with salt and pepper, throw it on the grill, and then drizzle over some flavored herb and garlic oils. Easy, quick, healthy, and delicious!
Another favorite way to prepare zucchini is to make zucchini fritters. Beautifully browned and crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside, they’re super yummy!
Zucchini Fritter Flavor Variations
Zucchini takes on whatever flavors you add to it, so these fritters are customizable to a variety of flavor profiles.
Season them with Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese like I have in this recipe. Or incorporate Mexican spices and some queso fresco. Prepare them with our homemade Greek Seasoning and serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt or Tzatziki Sauce. Add some chopped olives and smoked paprika for a taste of Spain. Or how about a Moroccan flair by adding some finely diced Preserved Lemons and serving with a dollop of Preserved Lemon Cilantro Yogurt Sauce?
The sky’s the limit and you can get as creative as you like!
Zucchini Fritters Recipe
Let’s get started!
The key to getting these Zucchini Fritters nice and crispy is to get as much of the moisture out as possible. To do that you put the shredded zucchini in a bowl and toss it with salt. That will draw the liquid out of the zucchini.
After about 30 minutes you’ll see just how much water those zukes pack in them! Next rinse and drain the shredded zucchini in a colander. Then wring it out as best as you can. Probably the most effective way is to put it in a clean dish towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Just keep squeezing and wringing, wringing and squeezing until it’s as dry as you can get it.
I strongly recommend using fresh herbs for these zucchini fritters. You can change up the selection and the ratio according to what you have available. Add the herbs, onion and garlic to the shredded zucchini.
Add the eggs. Stir it to combine.
Next stir in the flour, Parmesan and spices.
You’ll end up with a very moist – but not sopping wet – mixture.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once hot drop about 3 heaping tablespoons’ worth of batter per fritter into the skillet and fry on both sides until nicely browned.
Place the fried fritters on a paper towels to drain.
Serve immediately while the fritters are still crispy. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of fresh parsley or other herb for garnish. Serve it with a green salad for a light lunch or with a pasta or grain salad for a more substantial meal.
Enjoy!
For more delicious zucchini recipes be sure to try our:
- Zucchini Au Gratin with Rice
- Creamy Zucchini Soup with Gorgonzola
- Whole Grain Zucchini Muffins
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Lemon Lime Zucchini Cake
- Chocolate Deception Cake
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Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 2 pounds zucchini , washed and grated and tossed in a bowl with 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian herbs basil, rosemary, oregano, etc
- 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour GF: use gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Let the grated zucchini tossed with the salt sit for about 30 minutes, then rinse, drain and thoroughly wring out as much liquid as you possibly can (this is key for achieving crispy fritters). One of the most effective methods is to place the grated zucchini in a clean dish towel and wring out the liquid.
- Stir in the eggs, onions, garlic and herbs. Stir in the flour, Parmesan and spices.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot drop about 3 heaping tablespoons of batter per fritter in the skillet and fry on both sides until nicely browned. Place the fried fritters on paper towels to drain. Serve immediately while crispy. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of parsley for garnish.Serve it with a green salad for a light lunch or with a pasta or grain salad for a more substantial meal.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet July 28, 2015
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Can you share the recipe for the zucchini Alfredo sauce you made for your kids? I have a 3 year old and twin 20 month olds who would rather die than eat something green.
Hi Kerry! You can either add a bunch of pureed zucchini to this Alfredo Sauce recipe or make an even simpler version just by pureeing a large zucchini (you can remove the peel if you don’t want the sauce to be green) along with a little cream (milk curdles when heated) and then simmering it in saucepan, adding a dollop of butter and melting in the Parmesan and some salt and pepper as needed, then thickening it with a bit of cornstarch dissolved in water. I make the same kind of veggie sauce using sweet potatoes as well, which my kids also like.
Fantastic, I will definitely try it. Thanks so much!
I love make fritters out of my garden zucchini!
What a great way to use up zucchini!
I have a ton of zucchini, definitely will be making this soon!
These fritters will disappear really quickly in our house! I can’t wait to make them!
I have a ton of zucchini from my garden this year and more keeps popping up! I like the idea of fritters because everyone seems to go straight for zucchini bread ;P
I love fritters! These look amazing!
An update…I made these and they were fantastic! We had them with a slice of tomato from the garden, topped wth fresh ricotta cheese and garnished with fresh basil…delicious.
That sounds heavenly, Loretta, thanks so much for sharing!
I made these yesterday and they were FANTASTIC! Everyone loved them. I made them with fresh organic zucchini from my garden.
My husband placed my cast iron frying pan on our preheated outdoor grill because I didn’t want to fry them indoors. I didn’t want to have to clean the stovetop afterwards and it was also a hot day. Cooking outside was the better option. When the oil was very hot we added the fritters and closed the lid on the grill. When they were deep golden brown and very crispy we served them immediately!
There was one fritter left over so the next day it was made into a sandwich. Served cold with a slice of red onion, and crisp romaine lettuce and mayo! Unbelievably delicious sandwich.
I am going to make as many of these as possible once I have a more zucchini from my garden later in the summer! I plan to freeze them and have them throughout the winter! ❤️❤️❤️
ThNk you for this amazing recipie
That’s so awesome, Joy, I’m thrilled to hear it, thank you! We have zucchini growing in our garden, too, and I’m going to make them on the grill next time – it sounds fantastic! And I love the idea of eating them on a sandwich. I’ve always loved grilled veggie sandwiches so these sound like a great option. Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Can these be frozen?
Hi Loretta, yes they can but let them thaw and drain completely and pat them dry before frying.
Can they be cooked and frozen, or should I freeze them uncooked? Your answer seems to indicate they are uncooked.
Absolutely, they can be cooked and frozen. Keep in mind that when you thaw them they’ll no longer be crispy so I’d either pop them in the oven for a quick broil and maybe even pop them in the toaster.
I made these last night and they were wonderful! I practically strangled the shredded zucchini to get as much water out as I could and the fritters were nice and crispy at the edges. Thanks for another great recipe!
Fantastic, Cori, thanks so much for the feedback!
I adore zucchini fritters and these look wonderful! I am SO intrigued by the alfredo sauce though. That sounds all kinds of amazing!
It was such a deliciously deceptive way to get my kids to eat zucchini, Des!
These look so good! I am obsessed with zucchini right now and am trying to make it all kinds of ways. I need to make these soon for sure!
Thanks, Ashlyn! My obsession is kind of forced right now with a gazillion pounds of zucchini growing out of our ears! :) But these are super yummy and I’ll be whipping up several more batches before the season is over.
Could you dry the zucchini in a salad spinner effectively? I just got one and wondering about how to use it outside of lettuce.
Hi Valerie! I haven’t tried it with a spinner so I honestly can’t say. Give it a try and then once you’re done squeeze it with your hands and see if there’s still more liquid that needs to come out.
Ahh, it was too dense for the spinner, it didn’t do anything, just stuck to the side. I wrung out as you recommended. Oh, wow, they were tasty. I’m not a giant zucchini fan but I’m always looking for new ways to get my vegetables, and these delivered. Fresh herbs make all the difference. Thanks again for another terrific recipe, Kimberly.
Awesome, I’m truly happy to hear that, Valerie! I agree, I’m generally not a huge zucchini fan either so I’m always looking for ways to to incorporate it into dishes that make it taste good. Thanks so much for the feedback as well as letting us know how your attempt went with the spinner! :)
Yes I just love these! Anything zucchini is good in my book!
They’re definitely a great way to enjoy zucchini, Sam!