Zucchini Fritters

These easy, golden zucchini fritters are made with a few simple ingredients. They're perfect as a side dish or a light meal.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Rest time 30

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 388kcal

1 pound zucchini unpeeled; 2 medium zucchinis
½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
½ cup scallions chopped
1 tablespoon garlic minced
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup superfine almond flour
½ cup grated Parmesan not shredded
½ cup olive oil or avocado oil

Grate the zucchini using your food processor's grating attachment or the largest holes in a box grater.
Place the grated zucchini in a strainer set atop a bowl. Mix in ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Allow to drain for 30 minutes, then press on the zucchini with a spoon to extract even more liquid.
Transfer the grated zucchini to a medium bowl. Mix in the scallions, garlic, black pepper, eggs, almond flour, and grated Parmesan.
Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Use a 4-tablespoon scoop to scoop mounds of the mixture into the skillet, cooking 4 at a time. Gently flatten the mounds with the back of a spoon.
Cook the fritters until browned and set on the bottom, for 3-4 minutes. Carefully flip them using two spatulas and cook until browned on the other side, for 2-3 more minutes. *See notes below.
Remove the cooked fritters to a platter lined with paper towels and cook two more batches. Between batches, re-mix the mixture and skim loose crumbs out of the oil with a slotted spoon. Add more oil as needed.
Serve immediately.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with high-heat parchment paper and spray it with olive oil.
Follow steps 1-3 of the pan-frying instructions. Scoop 12 mounds of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to gently flatten and shape the mounds into rounds. Spray their tops with olive oil.
Bake them until golden brown, for about 15 minutes on each side, spraying again with olive oil after flipping them.
Serve immediately.

Pick young, firm zucchini. They are less watery. Some zucchinis weigh as much as 12 ounces. Those are too big. The zucchinis should weigh 6-8 ounces each.
The more liquid you remove from the grated zucchini, the crispier the fritters will be and the less risk of them falling apart. You might be tempted to skip this extra step, but please don't. It's essential to the success of this recipe.
The bottom of the fritters should be browned and firm before you attempt to flip them. If you flip them too early, they will fall apart. Baking is easier because it ensures that they won't fall apart. It's more difficult to determine when they're ready to flip when pan-frying.
The nutrition facts assume the fritters absorb about ¼ cup of oil.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them uncovered in a 350°F oven or enjoy them cold. You can also freeze the cooled leftovers for up to three months.