Quick Summary: These pan-fried zucchini fritters stay crispy on the outside and hold together in the skillet. The secret is removing moisture from the zucchini and using mostly egg yolks. Serve with yogurt caper sauce or your favorite dip. Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 6 minutes | Makes: 15 fritters
Jump to: RECIPE | Best Vegetables for Fritters | Ingredients | Sauces | Tips for Crispiness | Growing Zucchini | FAQ
I’ll never forget the tearful phone call from my daughter after she tried my original zucchini fritter recipe. They fell completely apart in the pan. She was a new cook and I felt horrible that my recipe didn’t work for her. I went back to the recipe and developed this version to remedy the failure.
The keys are squeezing every bit of water out of the shredded zucchini, using one whole egg plus an extra yolk (too much egg white makes them fall apart), and getting the oil smoking hot before the fritters hit the pan. They cook in about a minute per side and come out golden and crispy.
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Vegetables to Use for Fritters
Fritters, sometimes referred to as “vegetable pancakes” are popular across the world and can be made with a wide variety of ingredients.
Fritters work with almost any vegetable or protein. Here are some popular ingredients for variations on vegetable fritters:
- Corn fritters
- Shrimp
- Potato or sweet potato
- Apple
- Kimchi
The possibilities really are endless!
Ingredients
Here’s an illustrated ingredient list for my recipe for zucchini fritters. For more detailed ingredient amounts and cooking instructions, go to the recipe below
Favorite Sauces for Zucchini Fritters
In addition to a variety of ingredients, you can easily change up the flavor profile by using different dipping sauces or spices during cooking. Some great sauce pairings for these zucchini fritters include:
- Romesco sauce
- Mexican Chimichurri sauce
- Ranch or thousand island dressing
- Tzatziki sauce
- Harissa sauce
- Yogurt caper sauce (check out the notes in the recipe below)
Tips for Crispy Fritters That Don’t Fall Apart
Although popular, versatile, and delicious, fritters can sometimes be a bit challenging. The two biggest complaints is that they can turn out soggy instead of crispy, or that they don’t stick together in the skillet.
Key to “crispy” fritters:
- Get as much moisture out of the grated zucchini as possible. Salt them a bit and let them drain in a large colander for at least 15 minutes. Then wrap them in paper towels or a cloth and squeeze out reamaining moisture
- Drain the chopped onions along with the zucchini to get rid of the moisture in the onions also.
- Make sure the pan is hot before adding the fritters. The oil should be starting to smoke before placing any fritters in the pan
- It helps to use a cast iron skillet instead of a non-stick pan. The cast iron skillet retains the heat after adding the fritters
Key to fritters that don’t fall apart:
- Use the yolks of the eggs and go easy on the whites. Large eggs that have a lot of whites can make a difference in whether your fritters are soggy or crispy. I use one whole egg and 1 egg yolk.
- Fold the ingredients together with a gentle hand. Don’t overmix the batter
- Make sure and get the oil nice and hot before adding the fritters. You should hear them sizzle when you drop them in the skillet. It only takes about 1 minute on each side to cook them into the desired golden brown.
- Keep them on the thin side. They only need to be 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick for the crispiest fritters.
Growing Your Own Zucchini
Want to try your hand at growing your own zucchini? It’s easy and the freshness can’t be beat! Here are a few posts to help kickstart your gardening adventure.
- Tips to planting and starting zucchini seeds
- Vegetables to grow along with zucchini
- Baby zucchini for small space growing
- Tips for successful pollination
Other Delightful Zucchini Recipes
FAQ
The most common causes are too much moisture in the zucchini, too much egg white, or oil that isn’t hot enough. Follow the draining steps carefully and use one whole egg plus one yolk rather than two whole eggs.
You can, but they won’t be as crispy. Bake at 400°F on a greased sheet pan for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
The batter is best used immediately. The salt continues to draw moisture from the zucchini, which can make the fritters soggy if the batter sits too long.
Yellow summer squash works as a direct substitute. For corn or potato fritters, the technique is similar but ratios may need adjusting.
If you like my articles about cooking and gardening, subscribe to my weekly newsletter, where I share free recipes and gardening tutorials.
Crisppy Zucchini Fritters
Equipment
- large bowl
- colander or large strainer
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Shredded zucchini should be about 2 cups after water is squeezed out of it
- ¾ Teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 Scallions chopped; can substitute chives
- 1 Tablespoon Parsley Or other herb (I used mint)
- 2 Teaspoon Fresh oregano minced
- ¼ Cup Panko
- 2 Ounce Shredded parmesan can use asigo, manchego, or pecorino
- 2 Tablespoon flour all-purpose
- 2 Teaspoon Baking powder
- 2 small eggs use 1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk; keep them cold
- 1 Tbsp olive oil refined or “light” for high heat
Instructions
- Turn the oven on to low (250 degrees F) and set a wire rack inside of a baking sheet (cookie sheet).Shred the zucchini (use the large holes of a box grater). Pat The zucchini dry with paper towels and then sprinkle with salt (about 1/4 teaspoon) and let drain in a large strainer for 15-30 minutes. Then wrap it in cloth or paper towels and squeeze the rest of the water out (or just use your hands and squeeze).Alternatively press the zucchini firmly with spatula while it is still in the strainer.The key is to get as much water out of it as possible.1 Pound Shredded zucchini
- In a large bowl, combine the dried zucchini, scallions, herbs, panko, cheese, flour, baking powder and salt. Stir together with a spoon. In a small bowl, whisk the cold egg and egg yolk together briefly and then fold into the zucchini mix.2 Scallions, 1 Tablespoon Parsley, 2 Teaspoon Fresh oregano, 1/4 Cup Panko, 2 Ounce Shredded parmesan, 2 Tablespoon flour, 2 Teaspoon Baking powder, 2 small eggs
- In a large skillet (preferable cast iron), heat the oil over med-high heat. When oil starts to smoke, spoon in about 1/3 cup of the zucchini batter and flatten with back of measuring cup to form thin flat rounds (about 3“ and 1/4" thick cakes). Don’t overcrowd the pan – you will need to cook in 2 batches. Cook 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. You may have to turn heat down if they are browning too quickly. Flip them over with a spatula and cook other side for 2-3 minutes. or until golden brown. Use a fish spatula or a very thin metal spatula and flip them quickly so they do not fall apart.Transfer fritters to the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping the pan well-oiled as you go.1 Tbsp olive oil
- Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream or a yogurt-caper dipping sauce (see sauce recipe in the notes below)
They really did stay together!
I wish there was some other way to dry out the zucchini. That wrap in a towel and squeeze method always stops me. Not sure why. I’m looking forward to making these again, though. Last time they fell apart and were decidedly UNcrispy. User error, I’m sure. This time will be better. Thanks for all the great recipes you provide. I’ve never had a loser yet. 🙂
Stay cool! It’s supposed to be over 100 here again today.
Yeah, same problem here with the squeezing technique. Try letting them sit in the colander for 30 minutes (salted) and then use a rubber spatula to press the water out while they’re still in the colander. Also make them as thin as you can get away with. We’re trying them again today….I’ll weigh in when we’re done.
5 stars wasn’t a choice (no radio button) but well deserved! They were delicious and didn’t fall apart at all. Two medium zucchini made 8 fritters. The subs I made were: Basil for oregano, Bobs 1:1 g-free flour for wheat flour, toasted g-free breadcrumbs for panko and I added 1 shredded carrot.
Yes, the star rating thing needs to be fixed. Thanks for leaving a comment anyway! I like your substitutions using gluten-free ingredients. I don’t know how to work with gluten free recipes very well, so I leave that to those in the know. Carrots is a good add also!