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.
Did you make this recipe?
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I was on the fence about if this recipe would work for me and my family, but I was trying a bunch of new recipes with a bumper crop of zucchini in the back yard and went for it. THEY WERE AWESOME! My husband gobbled them up too. I minced some jalapeno in a couple of them and those were great too. These are company worthy for sure.
Made these tonight and they were devoured. Excellent recipe! I am going to try a version using Trader Joe’s broccoli slaw instead of zucchini.
Thanks for the recipe with the great photos! A friend gave me a zucchini from her garden, and I’ve never cooked anything with zucchini before. My mom used to make a fantastic zucchini bread, but I wanted a recipe with less calories and gluten. These were perfect, and so delicious that there were no leftovers for later.
Well. I only had the one zucchini. Thanks again for the recipe!
They came out not done in the middle and were difficult to flip. So I came back and re-read the recipe, then noticing they are only supposed to be tablespoon sized portions! Am going to try again as soon as my pan is cooled!
Can you freeze the fritters and reheat later? I have THAT much zuke
Yes, absolutely. You can freeze these in individual servings and reheat as necessary.
I made a GF version of these tonight using zucchini fresh from my garden and potato flour (not starch, it’s dehydrated ground potato). I used a little garlic powder and onion powder and a few dashes of hot sauce. My 7 y.o. who hasn’t liked other versions loved this one! I used some fresh basil from the garden, lemon juice, salt, pepper, honey and a couple of spoonfuls of mayo as a “sauce” and it was delish! I can’t wait for tomorrow so that we can have the leftovers. Thanks for posting such a wonderful recipe!
I made these also, and they are so good , I made extra and put them in the freezer, when I wanted one I would microwave it for a second then put in the toaster very good, plus they get a little crispie.
Chungah, Hi 🙂 I found your website here about a week ago & LOVE LOVE LOVE your zucchini crisps (2 DIE 4!!!) & am about to fry up a batch of these zucchini fritters. Your cauliflower soup will be my next cooking experience. I have to say that so far your recipes have been beyond damn delicious. Thanx 4 sharing altho, I might get really angry with you if I gain 5 lbs or more on all these DELISH dishes 😉
Mohna
I made these today and they were really good. I had to use another egg and more flour; I think I might’ve used too much zucchini. But delicious anyway!
Hi.
My batter was too runny.
Nothing as was yours.
Shiffali, did you drain the zucchini completely as directed in the recipe?
These look like a great way to sneak in some veggies. Do you think this would work if I did half zucchini and half yellow squash?
Yes, that sounds like a great idea!
I made these thisafternoon and they were really moist inside, what did I do wrong 🙂
Katie, the inside is meant to be a little moist (as long as the fritters are cooked through) so I’m not entirely sure if anything really went wrong!
I read a reply from you (Chungah) on August 22, 2014 and you said they shouldn’t be moist and now you say they should be moist. What is the correct answer at the end of August 2015? I will be making them tomorrow.
Brenda, a little bit of moisture is fine as long as the fritters are cooked through.
Thank you. I am excited to try them!
I made these yesterday and they did not turn out 🙁 They wouldn’t stay together! Since there was no hope, I just cooked them like scrambled eggs. Flavorful mush now sits in the refrigerator. Bummer!
What a bummer! Did you drain the zucchini as indicated in the recipe?
As part of an italian family, we had these growing up. My aunt would make them and turn around to make the next batch and they’d be gone! Love them! We used sliced zucchini but I can’t wait to try them with grated! Thanks for bringing back warm childhood memories!
Micorplane a garlic clove and add a pinch of cayenne. Kicks it up a little. I also add chiffonade of fresh basil.
Mine turned out like pictured, used two large zucchini and drained it in a fine colander pushing all the moisture out then squeezing in both hands to make sure it was fairly dry. Add all the other ingredients and followed cooking instructions. Served with dollop of sour cream, chopped tomato and a few basil leaves. Enjoyed it, would make it again.
Made these this morning to go with my breakfast…..delish! I grated the zuccini last night, squeezed out the excess water, and refrigerated in a bowl lined with paper towels, so the zuccini was perfect this morning:) I followed recipe to a T, and cooked in a pan wth 1 tbsp of cocnut oil. Served with 1 tbsp of Greek yogurt. Thanks for this recipe…will make for my family next!
Is the Parmesan cheese fresh grated in this recipe?
The Parmesan should always be freshly grated. I do not recommend using Parmesan cheese from a tin can!
Your recipe sounds great , I have added fresh zucchini flowers from my garden. Very hard to collect them unless you have at least 4 zucchini plants. I add them to the batter and they add a nice touch to the fritter. Very tasty!
I added some grated onion and carrot and served them with a Ranch dip. Yummy! Thanks for the post.