If you like your fritters crispy on the outside and moist but not soggy on the inside, then you’re going to LOVE these Zucchini Fritters! The trick for extra crisp (and flavour!) is to add a touch of parmesan.
This is a terrific quick and easy zucchini recipe that’s super economical!
Zucchini Fritters
I have a theory that you can fritter anything (something I’ve elaborated on in my Pakora recipe!) And frittata anything.
And the Asian blood running through my veins also insists that I tell you that you can stir fry anything (follow the formula in this Stir Fry Sauce recipe) and make fried rice from anything.
Today, we’re frittering.
The thrifty side of me revels in the fact that you can take 2 unruly discounted zucchinis and a handful of pantry staples and end up with a stack of these golden crispy fritters that are can’t-stop-eating-them delicious. It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?
The path to crispy zucchini fritters
That you want crispy outsides goes without saying – there’s nothing sadder than a towering stack of soggy fritters.
But we also need to get the inside right. We want moist insides but not soggy and certainly not dry. Though if I had to choose from the lessor of two evils, I’d take dry over soggy insides – because at least I could douse them in inordinate amounts of yogurt or sour cream to make them palatable.
However, soggy insides I cannot bear and they can’t be salvaged.
And the only path to avoid soggy insides + achieve those crispy outsides is to wring out the excess liquid from the zucchini. Grate, salt, leave aside for 10 minutes, then wring out the excess liquid.
Parmesan for crisp and flavour!
In addition to removing the excess water from the zucchini, I like to add parmesan into the batter. Not only does it add flavour (umami booster!), it ups the crisp factor. Like in these Crispy Parmesan Crusted Potatoes, Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Parmesan Crusted Cauliflower. 😇
These aren’t quite as fully parmesan coated as those, but it’s all in the same spirit: parmesan = crisp 🙌🏻 – Nagi x
More zucchini recipes
For everyone with zukes taking over their garden / off loaded by family and friends / couldn’t resist a store bargain:
Healthy Cream of Vegetable Soup (Zucchinis are the secret ingredient!)
Zucchini Tian (French Rice Bake)
And more patties and fritters (I love them!)
Broccoli Chicken Fritters – made with chopped chicken
Zucchini Fritters
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Crispy Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
Zucchini:
- 500 g/1 lb zucchini (2 medium ~ 23cm/9″ long)
- 1 tsp salt
Batter:
- 1 large egg
- 2 green onions , halved then finely sliced
- 1/4 cup parmesan , grated (fresh or store bought)
- 1 garlic clove , large, minced
- 1/2 cup / 75 g flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of pepper
- 4 tbsp olive oil , separated
For Serving:
- Yoghurt or sour cream
- More chopped green onions
Instructions
Zucchini:
- Grate zucchini using a box grater. Grate on the diagonal so you get long strands.
- Place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Mix, then leave for 10 minutes+.
- Squeeze out excess water using hands (or bundle up tea towel) then place zucchini in a bowl.
Batter:
- Preheat oven to 200F/100C (for keeping fritters warm). Place rack on tray (helps keep crispy)
- Add egg, green onions, parmesan and garlic into the zucchini bowl. Mix to combine.
- Scatter over flour and baking powder (don’t dump in one spot), and add pinch of pepper. Mix until flour is just incorporated – batter should be thick but soft (see video, Note 1).
Cooking:
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan over medium high heat (or medium if stove is strong). Drop 1/4 cup batter in the pan (ice cream scoop is perfect). Do 3 or 4 mounds.
- Flatten lightly with spatula to about 1cm / 4/5″ thick.
- Cook for 3 minutes until underside is deep golden (adjust heat if browning too quickly). Flip and cook the other side for 3 minutes. Transfer to tray and place in oven to keep warm.
- Repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve immediately with a dollop of yoghurt or sour cream and garnish of extra green onions if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
I wanted to share a pic of Dozer bounding around the park but kept missing the shot. Food photos are much easier – they don’t move!!
I have made zucchini fritters many times, but as usual, I have found an extra tip in this one- the Parmesan was a great addition! I have also added parsley and dill and served with cucumber and kefir raita. A keeper!
Super easy and customizable! Had some leftover zucchini and broccoli grated it up, leftover mashed potatoes, threw that in. No green onion so I used cilantro. Made a quick dipping sauce of greek yogurt mixed with gochujang. Such a great snack!
Thank you!! Love your little tips and tricks which are lacking from most recipes. Or the common sense: don’t press the living daylight out of the Zucchini… 😂😂 and I admit I did! So thank you for this final, but very important advice! I think of your advice also when making Sticky pork: the sauce (liquid) must be reduced – and you only get that with a bit of patience. These advices make all the difference from a “nice” platter, to one that wows!
I love these! We make them on a regular basis in the summer. Always turns out great!
Made the zucchini fritters tonight, they are SO good. The recipe was perfect, no problems at all. Hubby bought a zucchini plant thinking it was a cucumber plant. I promised him good food from it and your recipe was the best !!
The zuke just kept weeping water despite the salting and squeezing. Extra egg didn’t deal with it. The fritters just wouldn’t hold together.
I’ve missed seeing you on my email, so pleased to see your smiling face when I was hunting a good recipe for Zucchini patties. Thank you so much.
I didn’t have green onions on hand so I subbed with sautéed yellow onion (hubby hates raw onion). I also sautéed frozen corn and added that to the batter since I didn’t have quite enough zucchini. Topped with leftover tzatziki. Delicious!
Yum! Followed recipe very closely. The salt really helps the zucchini so don’t skip this. Cheesecloth essential for squeezing out moisture. I added carrot to the recipe and did two eggs. Turned out so yummy. 3yr old wouldn’t try them til dinner time was being cleared and then declared she liked them. Pest. 9 month old with no teeth was happy to gum on these too.
Overall very good flavor and texture; I just wish the inside was cooked through a bit more. I kept the heat at medium and the fritters under 1cm thick, but they still seem a bit undercooked inside. Any tips?
This recipe was a lot simpler and held together better than most others I’ve tried for zucchini/summer squash fritters. I followed it to exactly, and they came out tasty and nice and crispy
The one problem I always seem to have is that the inside never seems fully cooked to me. I kept my heat at medium since my burners run hot, and even let them cook longer than the recommended time. Maybe this is just how zucchini fritters are? Any tips for getting the inside to cook through? I kept them at 1cm or even less.
Great recipe, cooked up nicely. Subbed the onion for chives and added feta and added chilli flakes. Delicious.
I’ve tried to make fritters many times and failed. But not this time – these were perfect! Nb. I used vegan cheddar instead of parmesan. Thanks once again!
Have lost count on how many times that I’ve made these. Always turn out amazing!
I mix it up sometimes and add grated haloumi, or crumbled feta to the mix. Plus I add chopped herbs – parsley or dill.
So delicious 😋
Made these for breaky this morning and they were delicious!! I’m dairy intolerant so I skipped the parmesan and added a bit extra salt. I also did half zucchini and half sweet potato. Will be bookmarking this one!
Love this recipe, thank you. Have already shared it with others and we are making it again this week for the third time in just a few weeks!
Easy and tasty !
Very tasty. I’m of Eastern European heritage so I call them Zucchini Bleenies. I made a slight tweak. Instead of putting the salted shreds in a bowl, I put them in a colander over a bowl. A lot of the liquid drained out so I didn’t have to squeeze as much. Also, if you need to add liquid before cooking, you can use the zucchini juice instead of water.
I make this almost weekly for my toddler and call them ‘kink cakes’.
She smashes them and they are great to reheat in the air fryer for quick dinners or as is for picnic lunches.
Love this recipe! Only had 2 small courgettes so added a grated carrot as well. Turned out amazing.