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Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

Zucchini Fritters

Jun 29, 2022 · 19 Comments

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Collage with a stack of zucchini fritters with sour cream and chives on top, a further away picture with zucchini fritters scattered on a white marble surface, and the words "zucchini fritters" in the center.

These exquisitely crispy Zucchini Fritters are the best you'll ever have! They're pan-fried to golden perfection and the perfect way to use summer zucchini for a hearty side dish, finger food lunch, or even a main dish for dinner.

Zucchini fritters in a stack topped with sour cream and fresh chives with a small cup of sour cream and a zucchini in the background.

Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini Fritters are basically the perfect thing to make with all of that garden zucchini you have during the summer.

You can make a main meal out of it or you can serve on the side. Either way, it's amazing.

These zucchini fritters feature fresh zucchini in a fritter batter with a perfectly crispy exterior and a warm, soft interior. They're nutritious, low in calories, and a fun way to sneak some extra veggies into a meal.

Why Do You Salt and Strain the Zucchini?

This process, involving covering the shredded zucchini in salt and allowing it to sit in a colander, allows the extra water to drain from the zucchini, resulting in a firmer, less soggy fritter with all that zucchini flavor that you want!

How to Keep Zucchini Fritters from Getting Soggy

Soggy fritters are the worst. Keep yours nice and crisp with these tips.

  1. Follow the draining and squeezing process of the zucchini described above and in the recipe. Zucchini holds a lot of moisture, or water, and when cooked, that moisture will leak out into the fritter causing it to be soggy. Removing the extra moisture before cooking will also remove the extra moisture, aka sogginess, from the fritter.
  2. Zucchini fritters need a binder to absorb any extra moisture, hold the fritter, and help crisp up when it's fried. In this recipe, eggs and flour are both binders.
  3. Don't cook too many fritters in the pan at once. Never cook more than 2 to 3 maximum in the pan at the same time. Putting in too many at once will lower the temperature of the pan, and will make it harder for the fritters to get crispy.

How to Serve Zucchini Fritters

First of all, I recommend serving them slathered with sour cream and fresh chives. The sour cream adds the perfect amount of creamy tanginess to the situation, and fresh chives should go on everything.

You can also serve with other sauces if you prefer, such as red pepper jelly, chutney, bacon jam, tzatziki, sweet and sour sauce, marinara, ranch, or honey mustard.

As far as what to serve zucchini fritters with, they're hearty enough to be a meal and light enough to be a side or snack, making them the all-around perfect food.

Serve them with other fried favorites like this Southern Pan Fried Catfish, Southern Oven Fried Chicken, or even fried eggs. You can also serve them with grilled or baked pork chops or chicken.

To serve them as the main dish, round out the meal with roasted or grilled veggies, mashed potatoes or cauliflower, rice pilaf, risotto, potato salad, or coleslaw.

Zucchini fritters scattered on a white marble countertop with sour cream and fresh chopped chives and two whole zucchini

Can You Freeze Zucchini Fritters?

Yes! Follow the full recipe, and allow them to cook to room temperature. Then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 to 6 months.

To reheat, air fry or convection bake at 370°F for about 8-10 minutes, or until heated all the way through.

You can also bake them at 350°F in a conventional oven. Lay frozen fritters on a baking sheet, and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through and crispy again.

More Zucchini Recipes You'll Love

  • Sauteed Zucchini and Summer Squash - a quick and easy side dish recipe that our family uses every single week in the summer. It really is that good!
  • Vegetable Tian - possibly my all-time favorite use for zucchini. It's a little more time-consuming to make, but certainly worth the effort. Sliced vegetables sit elegantly in rows on sautéed onions and garlic and are roasted to perfection and topped with parmesan cheese.
  • Zucchini Farfalle Pasta Salad - a quick, simple, and fresh pasta salad that's perfect for summer picnics and potlucks.
  • Lemon Zucchini Bread - a classic zucchini bread recipe with a little zing of lemon.
  • Creamy Avocado Zoodles - zucchini noodles tossed in a creamy, fresh avocado sauce for a rich, zesty, and even a little spicy vegetarian dish.
Zucchini fritters in a stack topped with sour cream and fresh chives with a small cup of sour cream and a zucchini in the background.

Zucchini Fritters

These exquisitely crispy Zucchini Fritters are the best you'll ever have! They're pan-fried to golden perfection and the perfect way to use summer zucchini for a hearty side dish, finger food lunch, or even a main dish for dinner.
5 from 19 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Zucchini Fritters
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12 fritters
Calories: 61kcal
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

  • 1 pound zucchini (about 1 large or 2-3 medium)
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chives plus more for serving
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • Oil for frying
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Sour cream for serving

Instructions

  • Wash zucchini and trim off ends. Grate on the large holes of a box grater or using the grater attachment for the food processor.
  • Place zucchini in a large colander over the sink. Toss with salt. Let sit 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, squeeze handfuls of zucchini tightly over the sink to remove extra water. You can also use a tea towel or cheesecloth to wring out the water. You should be left with about 1.5-2 cups dry zucchini.
  • Add zucchini, egg, Parmesan, chives, and black pepper to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
  • Add flour and baking powder and stir again to incorporate.
  • In a large heavy-bottom skillet over medium high heat, add about 2 tablespoons oil.
  • Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls, flattening with back of the spoon. Fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden. If they brown too quickly, reduce the heat.
  • Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream and chives for garnish.

Video

Notes

Nutrition facts are for one fritter, frying oil included, but sour cream and chive topping not included.
  • Oil: Since these are pan fried, your oil doesn't have to have a super high smoke point. Feel free to use any you'd like. I personally stick with butter (which can brown a bit during frying), ghee, or olive oil, and stay away from avocado oil in particular, as it has a strong over-powering flavor.
  • Zucchini: If you have an extra large garden zucchini, cut it in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds before grating to prevent sogginess.
  • Cook only a couple fritters at a time. Over-crowding your pan will drop the temperature, and make for soggy fritters. Cut your cook time by using 2 skillets instead of one.
  • Using a cookie scoop to scoop batter can be easier since it will help pop it out of the spoon for you.
  • For some heat, add a few dashes of Louisiana-style hot sauce or red pepper flakes to the batter. You can also consider adding it to the sour cream for serving, if you want some heat, but you have littles who may not.
  • Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. 
  • Freezer Directions: After frying, allow to cool completely, then transfer to a baking sheet and freeze flat. When fritters are fully frozen, transfer to a freezer container, and freeze for up to 3-6 months. When ready to use, preheat oven to 350°F. Lay frozen fritters on a baking sheet, and bake for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through and crispy again.

Nutrition

Serving: 1fritter | Calories: 61kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 186mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg
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Appetizers, Recipes, Side Dishes, Summer, Vegetarian, Veggies Zucchini Fritters Recipe, Zucchini Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Claire says

    June 29, 2022 at 7:36 am

    These were delicious. I appreciated the tip on how to avoid them going soggy as this has happened in the past. Very helpful!

    Reply
  2. Sue says

    June 29, 2022 at 7:55 am

    Perfect recipe for all that summer zucchini ~ love your tips for keeping them crispy 🙂

    Reply
  3. Shadi Hasanzadenemati says

    June 29, 2022 at 8:01 am

    My family is going to love this! Thank you for this amazing recipe.

    Reply
  4. Dannii says

    June 29, 2022 at 8:14 am

    This is my favourite way to use up zucchini when we have a lot from growing it.

    Reply
  5. Toni says

    June 29, 2022 at 9:00 am

    These are so perfect!! My kids loved it! Such a great way to have them eat veggies!

    Reply
  6. Tayler says

    June 30, 2022 at 1:24 pm

    My garden is bursting with zucchini, so I can’t wait to try making these fritters! They look amazing

    Reply
  7. Claudia Lamascolo says

    July 03, 2022 at 8:34 am

    Perfect timing my zucchini needs to be cooked and I am tired of the bread recipes this is perfect making today!

    Reply
  8. Suja MD says

    July 03, 2022 at 11:49 am

    This was a such a delicious and easy recipe! I went perfect with my dinner meal. So good!

    Reply
  9. Jacqueline says

    July 03, 2022 at 12:14 pm

    Oh yes please! Perfect to use up a glut of homegrown courgettes

    Reply
  10. Sara Welch says

    July 03, 2022 at 12:30 pm

    Enjoyed these with dinner last night and they did not disappoint! I love how versatile zucchini is, and this was no exception; easily, a new favorite recipe!

    Reply
  11. Mirlene says

    July 12, 2022 at 11:41 am

    My kids suprisingly loved these fritters! I try to get them to eat their veggies and this was the one they love the most!

    Reply
  12. Heather says

    August 16, 2022 at 7:59 am

    Super easy and delicious! Loved the chives...great way to use up summer zucchini!

    Reply
  13. Tayler says

    August 16, 2022 at 8:09 am

    I’ve made these fritters a couple of times and they always turn out perfectly! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

    Reply
  14. Toni says

    August 16, 2022 at 8:11 am

    These are really perfect side dish!! Everyone at my house really loved it!

    Reply
  15. Tara says

    August 16, 2022 at 8:15 am

    Oooh such an easy and delicious use for summertime zucchini! The flavors sound amazing, especially paired with that crispy texture.

    Reply
  16. Rosemary says

    August 16, 2022 at 8:23 am

    Thank you for your tips on how to make the zucchini less soggy. There is nothing like the excess water ruining the taste. I can't wait to make fritters with my leftover zucchini. Love your simple step by step instructions. Cheers.

    Reply
  17. Carrie Robinson says

    September 05, 2022 at 11:18 am

    Perfect way to use up all of that end of summer zucchini! 🙂 I will have to try this recipe soon.

    Reply
  18. Renee | The Good Hearted Woman says

    September 05, 2022 at 11:26 am

    These are such a great way to use up those monster zukes that keep hiding in the back of the garden.

    Reply
  19. Dana Sandonato says

    September 05, 2022 at 12:58 pm

    Absolutely loved these zucchini fritters! Bookmarked for future snacking. Great way to use up the summer bounty!

    Reply

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Hello! I'm Michelle!
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