You definitely won’t have any leftovers when you make these zucchini fritters. This is my go-to recipe whenever I have an abundance of zucchini, especially when they’re in season and growing like weeds! You only need one pound of zucchini for this easy fritter recipe, but you can double or even triple the recipe.
It takes next to no work to make these fritters, and the best part is, all you need are pantry staples! No need to make a trip out to the store just to make this simple zucchini recipe. It’s definitely the best zucchini fritter recipe you’ll make. If you need some more delicious zucchini recipes to use up your vegetable haul, try my Healthy Zucchini Pizza Bites or Chicken Zucchini Poppers.
Key Ingredients You Need
- Zucchini — Feel free to use pale green, striped, yellow, or orange zucchinis for this recipe. If possible, I recommend using medium-sized zucchinis as they’re less watery than giant ones.
- Parmesan Cheese — The parmesan cheese adds so much flavor to the fritters. It’ll also help bind them together.
- Olive Oil — You can’t skip the oil, unfortunately. The oil will get the fritters crispy and beautifully golden brown!
How to Make Zucchini Fritters
Step 1: Grate the zucchinis with a grater and wrap them in a paper towel.
Step 2: Squeeze the grated zucchini with your hands to remove the excess liquid and place it in a mixing bowl.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, add in the eggs and whisk.
Step 4: Add the grated zucchini, flour, parmesan cheese, garlic, scallions, salt, and pepper to the bowl.
Step 5: Mix everything until thoroughly combined.
Step 6: Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and pour in enough olive oil to almost cover the pan’s surface. Once the oil is hot, add large heaping spoonfuls of the zucchini mixture into the pan, flatten with a spatula, and cook until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined bowl to absorb the excess oil before garnishing and serving.
Tips For This Recipe
- If your batter seems too soft, you can add a couple of extra tablespoons of flour to help bind the fritters together.
- I like using my handheld grater for this, but a box grater works wonderfully. If you don’t have a grater, you can use a food processor with a grating attachment or cut it up very finely.
- Zucchini is very neutral in flavor, so parmesan, salt, and pepper are a must. Be sure to season the mixture generously.
- The oil needs to be hot before you add the fritters in. If the oil is not hot, your fritters end up absorbing more oil than needed. The mixture should sizzle when you add them to the pan.
- Avoid moving the zucchini fritters around once you’ve added the mixture into the pan. Flip it only once to lower the chances of breaking the fritters.
- If you’ve got extra vegetables such as carrots, you can grate them as well to add to the mixture.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make these into gluten-free zucchini fritters by swapping the all-purpose flour for almond flour. You could also use gluten-free flour as well. I like the one-to-one gluten-free flour, so you don’t have to adjust the amount used.
The more water you squeeze out of the grated zucchini, the less likely the fritters will be watery. If you’re using homegrown zucchini, they tend to have more water, so an extra step you can do is add some salt to the grated zucchini and let it sit for a minute. Doing so will draw excess water out so you can squeeze even more out. The less moisture, the better.
You can store any leftover fritters in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. My favorite way to reheat them is in an air fryer, so it stays crispy. You can also reheat them in a pan or the oven. If you’ve doubled or tripled the recipe, you can freeze the extra by placing them in a single layer on a lined sheet pan. Once frozen, transfer them into a freezer-safe bag and store them for up to 3 months in the freezer.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this Zucchini Fritters Recipe, then don’t forget to leave me a 5 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 lb zucchini
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup scallions chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil for cooking
- optional: sour cream garnish
Instructions
- Grate zucchini with a grater and wrap in a paper towel. Squeeze the zucchini with your hands to remove the excess liquid and place it in a mixing bowl. Discard the used paper towel.
- Add in the eggs and all other ingredients (minus olive oil) and mix in a large mixing bowl.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and pour in enough olive oil to almost cover the pan's surface. Once the oil is hot, add large heaping spoonfuls of zucchini mixture (approx. ¼ cups) into the pan and flatten with a spatula. Cook for approximately 3 minutes on each side (until golden brown).
- Once done cooking and removing from pan, place fritters on a paper towel to absorb excess oil and cool a bit before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with sour cream optional.
Video
Notes
- If your batter seems too soft, you can add a couple of extra tablespoons of flour to help bind the fritters together.
- I like using my handheld grater for this, but a box grater works wonderfully. If you don’t have a grater, you can use a food processor with a grating attachment or cut it up very finely.
- Zucchini is very neutral in flavor, so parmesan, salt, and pepper are a must. Be sure to season the mixture generously.
- The hot needs to be hot before you add the fritters in. If the oil is not hot, your fritters end up absorbing more oil than needed. The mixture should sizzle when you add them to the pan.
- Avoid moving the fritters around once you’ve added the mixture into the pan. Flip it only once to lower the chances of breaking the fritters.
- If you’ve got extra vegetables such as carrots, you can grate them as well to add to the mixture.
Can these be made ahead and reheated?
Great question Liz. Yes, you can make these ahead and either store them in your refrigerator or freezer for later eating. I would say they are good in the refrigerator for 4 days maximum. The best way to reheat them is either in a toaster oven or in a pan with a little oil heated up. Let me know how they come out for you!
Can these be made without the Parmesan cheese? Dairy free over here. ?
Hi Jamie- yes you definitely can. The cheese is a nice little touch of additional flavor but not essential in making them. Let me know how they come out!
In your post your refer to Zucchini as a vegetable. Zucchini is a Fruit Not a vegetable.
Ok, thank you for the clarification.
Could you make these in an air fryer?
Yes you definitely could. I haven't though so I don't have exact instructions for you but should be pretty easy to figure out.
I’m about to go make these now but I would love to know what type of pan that is in the video!
Hi- I use Hexclad pans, love them!