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.
My husband says this recipe is a keeper. I grated an onion in with the zucchini just because I’m extra in the kitchen 😄 I did add a little extra pepper.
That sounds lovely. Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Kim!
My teenage vegetarian daughter said this dinner changed her life. She gives it, hands down, best meal of the year 😆 I used self rising flour and omitting the leavening. We served with a little mayo, thick slices of garden tomatoes and basil, with a balsamic vinegar reduction (Trader Joe’s). Flour worked perfectly; will rinse some more of the salted zucchini liquid off before squeezing next time. Thanks!
Thankyou Natasha !!! I like your recipes !!!
Mine did not get crispy. I squeezed the water out but too dry. Hardly any flavor.
Hi Liz, zucchini fritters will get crispy on the edges when they are freshly cooked but they don’t stay crispy because zucchini is so moist and that’s normal.
These are delicious. My new favorite zucchini fritter recipe. Very simple to make but very flavorful. Easy to make too, highly recommend.
Delicious… I added sautéed onion and bacon.
Delicious 1st time I’ve made them easy recipe to follow, husband approved.
Thanks so much for my introduction to zucchini fritters❤️
You’re very welcome!
Delicious 😋 I had the grated Zucchini left over from the Zucchini Bread I made….still in the oven…so I made these Fritters….DELICIOUS 😋 Almost like the ones my Mom would make with our over populated garden of Zucchini….My husband had a couple for lunch and approved 😋
That’s wonderful to hear, Janet!
Just made these and they were amazing!! I had another zucchini left and was going ti make another recipe with it, but I might just make this one again next week! I tried them with Tzatziki and that was a good pairing as well. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re very welcome! I’m so glad you love it.
I cut the recipe in half, and added 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning, and 1/4 tsp dry parsley. I was out of green onions, so I chopped some red onion very fine. It was delicious! I will definitely make again! Great portable lunch to pack and bring. Thanks so much!!
What proportions do I use with only1 zucchiniA
Hi Arlene! You can change the serving size in the recipe card to convert the ingredients for you.
How many calories in this zucchini recipe
Hi Rode. See the number of servings at the top of the recipe card, it makes about 24 fritters. The nutrition facts table is at the bottom of the recipe card. The serving size is one fritter.
These came out great! I added some more seasoning to taste and fresh garlic from the garden into the mix. Soo yummy. Also, I appreciated how you wrote the measurements out in the directions, it made recipe easier to follow. Thank you!!
Really, really good way to use up those summer Zuchinni’s when they’re overflowing from your garden!
The best recipe for those garden zucchini, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing tasting fritters. Great for my Mediterranean eating lifestyle. Used gluten free flour. Will use this again especially with family coming go a week and I have so many zhuchinni in my garden. Thank you
I did not enjoy these. Tasted quite flavorless. Ended up adding garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and allepo pepper to salvage but overall the texture was just soft and weird. I usually like Natasha’s recipes but it was a miss this time.
Hi Nancy, I’m sorry to hear that. The #1 cause of that happening is not draining the zucchini adequately. Zucchini hold a lot of water and if it isn’t properly squeezed out, the texture will seem mushy and the flavor will be more bland
Sorry, meant to ask, just grate them and store them,or grate and squeeze them and store.
Grate and squeeze after 10 minutes. Please go to this portion of the recipe How to Make Zucchini Fritters it’s in step 1 and 2.
Hi Natasha. In the make ahead note, you say it can be grated and stored in the fridge for day. My question is should i squeeze out the juice after grating or just grate them and squeeze out the juice and refrigerate them? thanks.
Hi David, if making ahead its best to great and squeeze out any juice you can before refrigerating it.
Best recipe hands down! I did add a bit of parmesan cheese and it was amazing. Definitely making these again and again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
These look really good. Am I able to substitute almond flour?
Hi Karen! I have not tested this recipe without flour. Several of my readers reported using GF 1:1 flour successfully, but I don’t see any other substitutions mentioned. It may be a good experiment to try something like almond flour but without testing it myself, I can’t say. Let us know if you try an other alternatives.