Pan-fried until beautifully browned on the outside and tender inside, these zucchini fritters make a delicious side dish or a light meal.
I enjoy zucchini in many recipes, including zucchini lasagna, zucchini noodles, and roasted zucchini. These zucchini fritters are especially good. Made with fresh zucchini, scallions, garlic, and Parmesan, they’re flavorful, hearty, and gluten-free.
Ingredients and Variations
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
- Fresh zucchini: Try to pick young, firm zucchini. They are more flavorful and less watery.
- Chopped scallions: I use the green parts only, although it's fine to use the white parts - just make sure to slice them very thinly.
- Flour: I use superfine almond flour to absorb liquids and thicken the mixture.
- Parmesan: Adds flavor and absorbs liquids, similarly to the almond flour.
- Olive oil: I use it for frying the fritters. Sometimes, I use avocado oil or ghee.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Mix grated and drained zucchini, scallions, garlic, salt, pepper, eggs, almond flour, and Parmesan.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Scoop mounds of the mixture into the skillet. Cook the fritters in batches until browned and set, for about 3-4 minutes per side.
Serve immediately, as a main course or a side dish.
Recipe Tips
- Please don't skip the step of salting the zucchini and draining it. The more liquid you remove, the crispier the fritters and the less risk of them falling apart. For the same reason, please choose young, firm zucchinis. Those have a lower water content.
- Some fritters will be ready faster than the others. It's OK to remove the ones that are ready and add more mixture to the skillet, as shown in the image below.
- Keep an eye on the fritters as they cook and reduce the heat if needed. See the burnt fritters in the photo below? When cooking the third batch, my skillet became overheated, and I wasn't paying attention.
Recipe FAQs
You should wash and dry it, but you can leave it unpeeled.
Yes. Sometimes, I use ¼ cup of minced yellow onions instead of scallions.
A previous version of this recipe focused on baking. However, I have experimented over the years and have found that I prefer pan-frying because the result is crispier and tastier.
Having said that, these fritters can be baked, and baking is admittedly easier than pan-frying. The baking instructions are provided in the recipe card. Here is a photo of the baked fritters:
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I keep them in a glass food storage container, as shown in the photo below. Reheat them uncovered in a 350°F oven or enjoy them cold. You can also freeze the cooled leftovers for up to three months.
Serving Suggestions
Main Course
You can serve these fritters as a side dish, but they are substantial enough to be served as a main course. I like to serve them with a side of tomato salad, as shown in the image below. It makes for a pretty, colorful plate!
Side Dish
When I serve these fritters as a side dish, I serve them with a simple main course such as boneless chicken thighs, baked chicken drumsticks, or the grilled chicken breast shown in the photo below.
Dips/Toppings
You can serve the fritters or top them with any of the following dips: sour cream dip (shown in the image below), sriracha mayo (shown above in the photo with the grilled chicken), pimento cheese, or yogurt dip.
Recipe Card
Zucchini Fritters
Video
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
Pan-Frying Instructions:
- 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.
Baking Instructions:
- 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.
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition per Serving
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Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Jeri says
For the zucchini fritters: Is it possible to use all purpose flour or coconut flour?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Jeri,
I only tested this recipe with almond flour, but if you're OK with using all-purpose flour, I would try using 1/2 cup. If the mixture seems too dry, add an extra egg.
P.A. Fletcher says
Very good recipe. Hubby will eat this. recalled it just in time for summer. gluten free. too! thank you! Also made these last summer with red pepper, black beans, corn, fried fritter style. light and satisfying.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you like these fritters!
Eileen says
Thanks for the recipe! It is very adaptable. I tried microwaving the grated zucchini uncovered for about 8 minutes to remove the water and that was a time saver. Also used pea protein powder in place of the almond flour and it still tasted pretty good!
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm glad you enjoyed these fritters, Eileen! Thanks for the comment and for sharing your tweaks.
Shameela Collier says
Hi there
am I able to air fry these?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Shameela,
Probably, but I don't own an air fryer, so I can't give you exact instructions.
Alli says
Can I do this with all purpose wheat flour instead of coconut flour? I understand that Willamette it not keto, but I'm not strictly doing keto I'm just doing lower than average carbs.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Alli,
Yes. As you're OK with the carbs/gluten, you can use 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour. I hope you like them!