This homemade Zucchini Fritters Recipe is oh-so-easy to make and you’ll get perfectly crispy fritters every time. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is.
We love zucchini recipes from Crispy Fried Zucchini to Zucchini Casserole. If you are a fan of zucchini recipes, this Zucchini Fritter recipe is a must-try.
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Zucchini Fritters Recipe
We love growing squash in the garden, from Yellow Squash to Zucchini and Spaghetti Squash. If you grow your own zucchini, you know they mass produce. We love them fried, baked, grilled, and even in Vegetable Stir Fry. We are always on the lookout for creative zucchini recipes like this one; fun, simple and so tasty!
Zucchini Fritters have been a family favorite for years and a staple in our home all summer long. As soon as our zucchini are ripe, there is a batch of fritters sizzling on the stove. Here’s why you will love this recipe:
- Kid-friendly – Our children love zucchini fritters which makes me feel so good knowing they are getting a healthy portion of veggies.
- Great texture – Crispy on the edges, tender in the middle, and never soggy.
- Versatile – We enjoy them for breakfast as an alternative to hash browns, for lunch, and even as a snack when the craving strikes.
Zucchini Fritters Video Tutorial
Watch Natasha make this easy zucchini fritters recipe. It’s such a simple recipe but worth discovering.
Ingredients
Zucchini fritters have simple ingredients. If you have the zucchini and green onions, everything else is just pantry and refrigerator staples. Scroll down to the print-friendly recipe card for ingredient quantities.
- Zucchini – While you can use large or medium, I find that medium zucchini is best because the seeds aren’t as big and the skin is a little more tender. This makes a difference if you’re grating by hand.
- Salt – I prefer cooking with sea salt, but table salt will do.
- Eggs – Lightly beat these in a small bowl.
- Green onions – Also known as scallions. You can substitute chives for a milder flavor if you’d like.
- All-purpose flour – Just enough to hold the fritters together.
- Baking powder – Key to a nice, light texture.
- Ground black pepper – For a bolder flavor, you can use fresh, coarsely ground peppercorns.
- Olive oil – As much as you need for sautéing.
Pro Tip: The trick to getting these crisp around the edges is to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. You can do this with your hands over a colander or using a cheesecloth. Homegrown zucchini tend to hold even more water, so you may need to toss in an extra zucchini just in case it shrinks down too much after draining.
How to Make Zucchini Fritters
- Prepare the zucchini – Grate zucchini on a box grater or in your food processor, transfer to a large mixing bowl and toss it with a teaspoon of salt.
- Drain – After 10 minutes, squeeze the zucchini over the sink or through a cheesecloth to release the excess liquid. You’ll need to measure 3 1/2 to 4 cups of zucchini once it’s drained.
- Add egg and green onion – Stir the green onions and eggs into the bowl
- Finish the batter – Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small bowl and stir into the zucchini.
- Cook the fritters – Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet set over medium heat. Add a heaping tablespoon of batter to the hot pan for each zucchini fritter. Flatten slightly, then cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crispy, reducing the heat if needed.
- Serve – Plate the fritters and serve them warm with a dollop of sour cream.
Pro Tip: I like to use a trigger-release ice cream scoop to easily scoop the mixture and create equal-sized fritters.
Common Questions
Zucchini fritters combine shredded zucchini with flour, seasonings, and other ingredients to create crispy little cakes. In American cuisine, zucchini fritters rank up there with corn fritters and apple fritters as the most popular fritter recipes.
Yes, this zucchini fritter recipe is easily made gluten-free by using a measure-for-measure all-purpose flour substitute.
Yes, yellow squash is interchangeable with zucchini in most recipes, and it works here, too.
While you can make zucchini fritters in the oven, they won’t be as crispy, so I don’t recommend it.
Yes, this recipe can be doubled. To make cooking faster, you can use two skillets for cooking instead of one.
To Serve
Our favorite way to serve Zucchini fritters is for breakfast or brunch, paired with:
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt – dolloped over the fritters
- Chives – a tasty and pretty garnish
- Tzatziki Sauce – a great dip or topping
- Marinara – warmed and served as a dipping sauce
- Aioli dip – one of our favorite dips
Make-Ahead
Here are some tips to help you get a head start on your fritters.
- To Refrigerate: You can grate the zucchini ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to a day. The finished zucchini fritters can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Freeze zucchini fritters in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: Reheat your fritters in a 350ºF oven until they’re warmed through, in a skillet over medium heat, or in the microwave.
These zucchini fritters are a great way to use up a bumper crop of zucchini from your garden. They are easy to make, perfectly crispy, and even kids love them.
More Zucchini Recipes to try
If you love this zucchini fritters recipe, then you won’t want to miss these zucchini recipes.
- Zucchini Lasagna
- Crispy Fried Zucchini
- Pasta Primavera
- Grilled Vegetables
- Roasted Vegetables
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Morrocan Vegetable Skewers
Zucchini Fritters Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb zucchini, about 2 large or 5 medium
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, divided
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- olive oil for sautéing
- sour cream, to serve
Instructions
- Wash zucchini and trim off ends. Grate on the large holes of a box grater or use the grater attachment for the food processor. Place zucchini in a large mixing bowl, stir in 1 tsp salt, and set aside for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, squeeze handfuls of zucchini tightly over the sink to remove extra water. It helps to wring it out in a cheesecloth if you have one. It is impressive how much water comes out! You should end up with 3 1/2 to 4 cups of squeezed dry zucchini. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Add 1/2 cups chopped green onion and 2 lightly beaten eggs.
- In a small bowl, stir together 3/4 cup flour with 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper, or season to taste. Add flour mixture into zucchini mixture and stir until well combined.
- Place a large heavy-bottomed cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat* and add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the zucchini mixture a heaping tablespoon at a time** and flatten out the tops slightly to make them pancake-shaped. Sauté for 3-5 minutes per side or until golden brown. If they brown too quickly, reduce the heat. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream.
Notes
**Use a trigger-release ice cream scoop to easily scoop the mixture and create equal-sized fritters.
I guess we add the egg mixture to the flour mixture?
Hi Stephanie! It’s exactly in step 3.
Delicious, nutritious, and easy to make gluten free! Pairs well with a homemade tzatziki
Perfect way to eat zucchini! I often go to your blog when I need something reliably good to eat. Thank you Natasha!
Such a great base recipe, it holds itself on it’s own and served it with a fresh lemon dill sauce! We also had fun playing! So many herb and cheese variations. We made this with things like fresh Tarragon, Lemon Zest, and Parm. Jalapenos and Cheddar. Even grated red potatoes and bacon served with a sriracha aioli! Key is removing that water. If you find it too liquidly (as we did when we place it in the fridge for a couple hours) we just dabbed around the outside with a paper towel and then added another absorbent like parmesan cheese or Italian bread crumbs. We also 3/4 cooked some and then threw them in the freezer for a quick grab and go re-fry later. The garlic infused olive oil from TJ’s was a great addition to use for frying that added an additional kick. Thank you Natasha!
Make this with 1 large zucchini which left me with 1 cup after squeezing water out; decreased other ingrediants by 73% used 1 egg and was excellent. Will make again
I have one blade on my food processor and it’s chop so I chopped the zucchini and used white onion. I added one extra egg and an extra 1/2 cup of flour and doubled the seasoning. They turned out great!
Can I add some parmesan cheese to this recipe?
Hi! I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I added about 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese (the powdered kind), and they were great!