Zucchini Fritters
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These fritters are unbelievably easy to make, low calorie, and the perfect way to sneak in some veggies!
I’m always looking for new ways to use up my lingering 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 fritters happened.
Now these fritters are unbelievably easy to whip up. Simply grate your zucchini, drain them completely using a dish cloth, and throw them in a bowl with all of your other ingredients. From there, scoop them right out onto a hot skillet, flattening them up to resemble a pancake. Flip, cook, serve. Easy enough, right?
These fritters are wonderfully nutritious, low in calories and the perfect way to sneak in some veggies for those picky eaters. The best part is, you can serve them as a snack, an appetizer, or even a light lunch!
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
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 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 my favorite lemon herb roasted chicken.
Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds zucchini, grated (about 3 cups)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large egg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
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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2 eggs…perfect! Didn’t use salt, but did wrap in clean kitchen towel.
Great!
Chungah – I am impressed with the numbers of responses to this great recipe for Zucchini Fritters.
I noticed that so many mentioned how hard to get the water out. You kept referring them back to the recipe. I wonder if they added the salt when putting them out to drain. I recently heard a chef on TV say that, “the salt helped draw out more water.” You have it in your recipe but I wonder if they skipped that salt. Thank You for posting so many good healthy recipes. I keep coming back to your site. You are helping people eat better.
Quick and easy to make. Maybe I dried mine out too much, because I needed to use 3 eggs instead of the one the recipe called for, but other than that it worked great
O…M…G…!!!
Very delicious and very good for you. Yes, they are easy to make, just make sure you add the salt to the zucchini first. The salt draws out a lot of water from the shredded zucchini. I doubled the recipe so I could save some for another day. Just took out 5 lbs of it from my garden yesterday and made a bunh of bread and fritters. Family and friends are about to be real happy with these treats.
Will it work with whole wheat flour instead of all purpose white flour? Thanks
Yes.
Just had these as my lunch today! Thank-God these aren’t fattening! I had to force myself to stop eating them, I had these w/some white fish and I can’t remember having a better lunch. These are a far cry from soup & salad. Thanks for the recipe
I experimented with this recipe all afternoon. The first fritter I cooked seemed too raw in the middle and too brown on the outside. I made sure I cooked the next one slower and kept it cooking for a full two minutes on each side. It still seems to wet inside. I added more flour and cheese to the batter and and tried again. Still to wet in the middle. It must have been that I didn’t drain the zucchini well enough. I had drained it in a salad spinner and got a lot of water out, but I guess not enough. The recipe is really good and I ate all 5 of my experiments 🙂 but I have yet to get them cooked like a pancake. I will keep trying, but for now I’m full!
It may make a difference what elevation you are at while cooking. I’m in Indiana and I had to add 1/2 cup flour. Also, to help avoid a soggy center, after putting a spoonful in the pan, flatten them very thin. This worked great for me.
I made fritters tonight. I did not have scallions so I used onion, and I also added shredded carrot. They were very tastey
I have been making these for a long time. I don’t drain my zucchini and it comes out great. I also use some oregano in mine good stuff.
I have made these alot and i don’t drain my zucchini and they turn out great. I all so sprinkle some oregano in the batter. good stuff.
Wow! Just put these into permanent 5 star rotation in my family cookbook. I also dredged the patties in seasoned panko crumbs for extra crunch. BEST USE OF ZUCCHINI EVER!
Love these, with the expansion of a tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning.Bring them to life. thanks you for sharring.
sorry also meant to ask, how many actual fritters does this recepie make.
Unfortunately, it is so difficult to say how many fritters are made with this recipe as there is much room for variation – thick fritters, wide fritters, mini fritters, etc.
I once read a comment somewhere about someone cooking fritters in muffin tins so that they are a neat shape.
I haven’t tried it, thou wondering how they would go? or is it best to allways cook them in a fry pan rather than oven.
I actually have not tried cooking them in muffin tins – but it sounds like a genius idea!
Yum! This sounds great! I don’t know if anyone already asked, but do you know if this will freeze well? Thanks!
Yes, they do!
Eager to try this recipe..but I don’t have any parm cheese at home tonight. How do you think it will work if I omit that ingredient?
Thank you!
Saron
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
Has anyone tried baking vs frying? And, how far in advance do you recommend making before serving? Do they hold up well at room temp?
These sound absolutely delicious and I’m going to be making these this weekend for one of our movie night appetizer snacks! I’ll be back with the results…I have a feeling it’s gonna be a winner!! 🙂
Olive Oil isnt a healthy choice for frying Avacado Oil is though!!!!!
I think I’d omit the garlic for minced onion for better taste 🙂
Hi! How many fritters in one serving??
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to say how many fritters are made in a single serving as there is so much room for variation – thick fritters, wide fritters, mini fritters, etc.