Golden brown and crispy, these easy zucchini fritters are the perfect way to use up a summer surplus of zucchini. Flavored with fresh parsley, onion, and garlic, these savory pancakes are deliciously tender without being mushy. These can be served any time of day with a creamy herb yogurt sauce or hot sauce.
In This Post
No matter how many zucchini recipes you've made, somehow it's never enough with the surplus of zucchini in the summer. Thankfully today there's a new favorite way to enjoy zucchini! These recipe for zucchini fritters make for a wonderful light lunch or side dish, and even can be enjoyed at breakfast!
Reasons To Love This Zucchini Fritters Recipe
- Quick, easy to follow recipe- even little hands can help
- Bursting with flavor from the fresh herbs and garlic
- Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside
- Makes a wonderful lighter main dish, side dish or lunch, even replacing has browns at breakfast
- Prep for the week ahead, they reheat perfectly!
- The perfect way to use up the surplus of summer zucchini
You Need These Ingredients
- Zucchini: You need about a pound of zucchini. Shred them by hand or make it easier on yourself and use a food processor.
- Onion: I find the zucchini fritters taste best with sweet onion, but use what you prefer. Remember to finely chop the onion so the fritters stay together better.
- Salt & Pepper: For flavor, and the salt also has a very important job of drawing out the moisture from the zucchini.
- Eggs: 2 eggs help find the fritters together so they don't fall apart while they cook.
- Garlic: I always recommend using fresh garlic when you can, but garlic powder will work if needed. See the recipe notes for the amount.
- Fresh Parsley: The fresh parsley adds brightness and fresh flavor to the fritters.
- Cornmeal: Many zucchini fritters recipes use flour to bind the ingredients together but I found the fritters were still a bit soggy for my liking- this recipe uses cornmeal for an added crunch. This also keeps the zucchini fritters gluten free for those that need it.
- Cornstarch: This helps thicken the mixture and absorb excess liquid.
- Baking Powder: Provides a lift so the fritters are flat and tough.
- Olive Oil: For cooking/frying.
Success Tip: How to Prevent Soggy Zucchini Fritters
It's known that zucchini contains a lot of moisture, so much that it will make or break your fritters. Make sure you take the time to remove as much liquid as you can. Shred the zucchini, and combine with salt. The salt helps pull the water out of the zucchini.
Place the zucchini shreds into a paper towel-lined bowl (or use a clean kitchen towel), lift it out, and squeeze over the bowl. You will be shocked to see how much liquid comes out of the zucchini.
Overview: How To Make Zucchini Fritters
The full printable recipe is below, but let's walk through the recipe before you get started.
- Prep the Zucchini: Line a bowl with paper towels, or a clean kitchen towel.) Combine the shredded zucchini and salt. Set aside for 5 minutes. This starts the process of pulling the moisture from the zucchini while you make the yogurt sauce.
- Make the Yogurt Sauce: Whisk together the yogurt sauce ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Operation 'Get Rid of Moisture': Lift the zucchini, including the paper towels, and squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can. The more liquid removed, the less soggy the zucchini fritters will be. Even when you think you're done, squeeze it once more. You'll be amazed at how much liquid you were able to get out of the zucchini!
- Combine Ingredients: Whisk the eggs and spices together. Then, fold in the zucchini, onion, cornmeal, cornstarch, and baking powder until evenly combined.
- Cook the Zucchini Fritters: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Scoop 2-3 Tablespoons of the mixture and place it onto the hot skillet, gently flatten with the back of a spatula. Repeat with 2-3 more. Cook until golden brown and crispy, about 4 minutes. Flip, then cook for another 3-4 minutes on the other side. Set the cooked fritters on a paper towel-lined plate until ready to serve.
FAQ
When zucchini fritters are soggy it's because there's too much moisture (likely from the zucchini.) Make sure you squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Absolutely, I do this often! Yellow squash is a 1:1 replacement for zucchini in this recipe.
More often than not it's because there's too much moisture, however they could also be undercooked. Make sure you wring out as much of the liquid as you can from the zucchini, even when you think you removed it all, try once more. When cooking, make sure it's gold brown before flipping.
The easiest way is to combine the zucchini and salt in a paper towel-lined bowl. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then squeeze as much liquid as you can out of it. Even when you think you're done, give it another squeeze.
What To Serve With Zucchini Fritters
- Replace hash browns or roasted potatoes at breakfast
- Enjoy as a lighter lunch along side a green salad or air fryer chicken
- Serve as a side dish to baked salmon or chicken meatballs
Crispy Zucchini Fritters
Description
Ingredients
Zucchini Fritters
- 3 cups shredded zucchini, 2 medium/large zucchini
- 1 ¾ teaspoons salt, divided
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup finely chopped sweet onion
- ⅔ cup cornmeal
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
Herb Yogurt Sauce
- ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon a pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Line a large bowl with paper towels (or a clean kitchen towel.) Place the shredded zucchini and 1 teaspoon salt, and gently mix together. Place a paper towel on top and press down. Let the zucchini sit for 5 minutes while you make the yogurt sauce.
- Whisk the yogurt sauce ingredients together in small bowl. Cover tightly and refrigerate until needed, or up to 4 days.
- Lift the zucchini, including the paper towels and, over the sink or bowl, squeeze out as much liquid as you can. You want to remove as much of the moisture as possible so the fritters aren't soggy. When you think you're done, squeeze 1-2 more times. The volume of the zucchini will be reduced once the moisture is removed- that's just what we want! Set aside on paper towels (or kitchen towel.)
- Whisk the eggs, remaining ¾ teaspoon salt, garlic, parsley, and pepper together in a large bowl until combined. (I typically use the bowl that the zucchini sat it while it rests on paper towels.) Fold in the zucchini, onion, cornmeal, cornstarch, and baking powder until evenly combined.
- Heat the 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, scoop 2-3 Tablespoons of the zucchini mixture and place onto the hot skillet, gently flattening with the back of spatula. Repeat with 2-3 more without overcrowding the skillet. Cook until golden brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Flip, then cook for 3-4 more minutes on the other side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining mixture, adding more olive oil as needed.
- Serve the warm zucchini fritters with the herb yogurt sauce or hot sauce and garnish with fresh parsley. Leftovers stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. See reheating instructions in the recipe notes.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the yogurt sauce up to 4 days in advance. See step 2. Leftover zucchini fritters stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To Reheat: Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat in the microwave, or use an air fryer at 400°F for 2-4 minutes. You can also place them on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 6-8 minutes.
- Freezing Instructions: Allow the zucchini fritters to cool completely, then place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. See above for reheating instructions.
- Yogurt: You can use non-fat, low-fat, or full-fat Greek yogurt. You can also use sour cream or both. In a pinch, you can use plain regular yogurt.
Brighton says
Made these today after I saw you posted them! I had a bunch of zucchini from my garden so I made a double batch. I froze half and had some for lunch. Was delicious.
Christina says
Brighton, I'm so glad that you loved these! Thank you for leaving a review.