Zucchini fritters are a classic recipe to make with all that summer garden zucchini. Grated zucchini, onion, egg, and flour are formed into patties and pan-fried until golden brown and crispy.
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Mild, savory fritters have a soft interior and crispy, browned edges from pan frying.
Made with fresh ingredients. Use up some of that garden zucchini along with an onion, egg, flour, and a bit of seasoning. That's it!
Yield: 8 fritters
Serve with: Sour cream, ketchup, or a simple aioli
More fritters: Greek Zucchini Fritters, Zucchini Corn Fritters, and Zucchini Potato Pancakes
Jump to:
Ingredients and substitutions
- Zucchini - You'll need about 3 medium zucchini grated on the large side of a box grater for this recipe.
- Onion -Onion adds flavor to your fritters. I don't recommend omitting it.
- Flour - Flour helps bind the ingredients together and creates a batter along with the egg.
- Egg - The egg binds the ingredients together and prevents your patties from falling apart while cooking.
- Seasoning - Garlic powder, salt, and pepper add flavor to your fritters. Herbs like thyme, oregano, or basil also make great additions.
- Oil - Any neutral cooking oil you have on hand works here. You may not need all of the oil listed in the recipe card.
How to make zucchini fritters
- Squeeze as much liquid as possible from your shredded zucchini, then add it to a bowl with the remaining fritter ingredients.
- Stir until evenly incorporated.
- Add ¼ cup heaping of mixture into the pan and gently flatten into a patty. Cook until lightly browned on the first side.
- Carefully flip (fritters will be delicate) and brown on the second side before transferring to a paper towel lined plate.
Tips and tricks
Squeeze the liquid from your zucchini - Squeeze out at much liquid as possible from your zucchini and onion before mixing the batter. Excess moisture will make your fritters turn out limp and soggy.
Preheat your pan - Make sure your pan is preheated and oil is hot before adding the fritter mixture. To test the oil, drop a single shred of batter into the pan. If it sizzles right away, your oil is ready. If the oil isn't hot enough, the fritters will turn out soggy and greasy.
Don't skip the oil - Fritters will stick and create a mess if there's no oil added to the pan. Using oil not only prevents your patties from sticking to the pan, but helps create that crispy, golden brown crust.
Medium heat is best - High heat cooks the outsides quickly, but leaves the insides soggy and uncooked. If your fritters are browning too quickly, turn the heat down slightly.
Don't flip fritters until they're ready - If they're sticking to the pan, resist the urge to poke at them or scrape them off the pan. Once they're golden brown on the bottom, they'll release from the pan and flip easily.
Drain on paper towels - Transfer cooked fritters onto a paper towel (or tea towel) lined plate. This helps soak up excess grease and prevents sweating and moisture from forming on the plate, which makes them soggy.
Frequently asked questions
A few ways to prevent soggy fritters include squeezing as much liquid as possible from your shredded zucchini, preheating your pan, and draining your fritters on paper towels after frying. Check out the tips and tricks section above for more details!
A few popular choices include dipping sauces like sour cream, ketchup, or a basil aioli. Fritters also go well with a bowl of soup or a fresh garden salad.
Find more sides and sauces on my complete list: what to serve with zucchini fritters: 20 sauces and sides
Fritters can stick to the pan if the heat is too high, they're not ready to flip yet, or there's not enough/any oil in the pan. I highly recommend keeping your heat around medium and reducing if your fritters appear to be browning too quickly. Your fritters will release easily from the pan once they're golden brown and fried on the bottom.
Fritters are delicate, but shouldn't fall apart when handled or while flipping in the pan. The egg and flour included in the recipe act as a glue to hold the zucchini together, so I don't recommend omitting either of these ingredients. You'll also want to be sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible from your zucchini before beginning. Excess liquid can make the batter too wet to hold together while frying.
📖 Recipe
Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 3 medium (405 g) zucchini, or 3 cups grated
- 1 small onion
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup (50 g) cooking oil, *
Instructions
- Grate zucchini and onion using the large side of a box grater (or a food processor with a grating disc). Wrap grated zucchini and onion into several layers of paper towel (or a tea towel) and squeeze over the sink to remove as much excess liquid as possible.
- To a large bowl, add grated and squeezed zucchini and onion, as well as egg, flour, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir until completely incorporated.
- In a skillet or sauté pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Test oil heat with a single shred of batter. If it sizzles right away, your oil is ready.
- Add ¼ cup heaps of batter into the pan, then gently flatten with a spoon into thin patties. Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until fritters are golden brown and release easily from the pan. If fritters are browning too quickly, turn the heat down slightly.
- Transfer cooked fritters to a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil.
- Repeat with remaining batter, adding more cooking oil to the pan as needed to prevent sticking. Serve fritters warm.
Recommended Equipment
Notes
- * You may not use all of the listed cooking oil - use as much as needed to prevent sticking in the pan.
- Squeeze the liquid out: Skipping the step of squeezing the liquid from your grated vegetables will make your fritters very wet and soggy.
- Nutrition: Calories are calculated assuming 25% of cooking oil is absorbed into fritters while cooking, and each fritter being made with about ¼ heaping cup of batter.
- Storage: Leftover fritters will keep for 3-4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
Comments
No Comments