Crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside, and bursting with the flavors of summer, these Zucchini Fritters are an excellent way to use the season’s bounty. The recipe is naturally vegan and easy to make and these are a snack you need on your radar.
About Zucchini Fritters
Right around this type of year, my countertops are overflowing with zucchini. They’re an easy crop to grow, and prolific, too!
While I love Chocolate Zucchini Bread, I wanted to make a savory dish with my summer squash. These crispy Zucchini Fritters are the result of my tireless explorations, and boy are they tasty!
Usually, zucchini fritters are made with all-purpose flour, but this is a wholesome version made with whole wheat flour. The texture is light and soft from inside and delightfully crisp on the outside.
Table of Contents
I’ve also been able to make this an egg-free recipe by using chickpea flour as my binding. Adding chickpea flour and baking powder helps in giving a soft texture to the fritters and also makes them crispy from the outside. Black salt can also be added to mimic the eggy aroma due to the presence of sulfur.
In addition to being ridiculously tasty, this is an incredibly easy one-bowl recipe. Just keep adding ingredients to the bowl and mixing it! There is no need to squeeze the grated zucchini of their juices, meaning it’s totally fuss-free.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Whole Wheat Flour – You can make these zucchini fritters with all-purpose flour too, though you may need to add a bit more flour in the recipe if using it.
- Chickpea Flour (or Gram Flour a.k.a. Besan) – Substitute cornstarch, rice flour, potato starch, or tapioca starch for chickpea flour or gram flour.
- Zucchini – Any color or shape of summer squash can be used, including patty pan, zephyr, or yellow summer squash. I used regular green zucchini in the photos below.
- Onions – Any color of onion will work here! You can also swap in leeks, shallots, or spring onions if you prefer.
- Garlic – Fresh is preferable, but you can swap in garlic powder in a pinch.
- Celery Stalk – For a bit of earthiness. Fresh fennel can be used instead.
- Parsley or Cilantro (Coriander Leaves) – For bright, herbaceous flavor.
- Black Pepper & Salt – For seasoning. Freshly cracked black pepper will have far more flavor than pepper powder.
- Baking Powder – For leavening.
- Black Salt – Optional, but delicious.
- Olive Oil – Or any neutral oil you prefer.
How To Make Zucchini Fritters
These simple summer squash fritters are so easy to make. Here’s how:
Preparation
1. Finely chop 1 medium-sized onion, 2 to 3 inches small celery stalk, 2 to 3 medium garlic cloves, and a few parsley leaves.
You will need ⅓ cup finely chopped onions, ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic, 2 teaspoons finely chopped celery, and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves.
2. Rinse 2 medium-sized zucchinis (300 grams) and then pat dry with a kitchen towel. Grate them using a handheld grater, box grater, or food processor.
Do not grate them too finely. Use the larger holes on whichever grater you choose. You can peel the zucchini if you want to, but you don’t have to.
Make Batter
3. Put the grated zucchini in a mixing bowl. I directly grate the zucchini into a mixing bowl to cut back on the dishes.
4. Add the finely chopped onions, garlic, parsley and celery.
5. Add ½ heaped cup whole wheat flour and ¼ cup chickpea flour or gram flour.
6. Season with ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper (crushed), ⅛ teaspoon black salt (optional), ½ teaspoon salt, or add it as required.
Also, add ½ teaspoon baking powder.
7. Mix very well. Depending on the water content in the zucchini which will vary with the variety and farming methods used, the batter can become too thick or thin.
If the batter is very thick and floury, then sprinkle it with some water. If the batter becomes thin and runny, then add some wheat flour.
Make Zucchini Fritters
8. In a 10 to 10.5 inches seasoned, heavy cast-iron skillet or pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. For frying each batch of 3 fritters add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil.
Let the oil become hot. Using a serving spoon or ¼ cup measuring cup begin to pour the batter on the pan.
9. Gently place the batter on the pan.
10. Then with the back of the spoon or cup, spread lightly. Do not spread thin as then the fritters break.
11. Begin to fry on medium-low to medium heat. I usually fry on medium-low heat so that the insides are cooked well.
The cast iron skillet retains heat and this helps in crisping the fritters.
12. Depending on the size of the skillet, you can fry three to four or even more zucchini fritters at a time.
13. When one side is crisp and golden, gently remove and flip. Fry the second side.
14. Fry the second side till golden and crisp. For even frying you can flip once or twice.
15. Remove and place them on kitchen paper towels for a brief period just for the extra oil to be soaked up. Do not keep them for long as then they can stick to the paper towel.
You can even use a strainer with a bowl underneath to drain the oil. Make all zucchini fritters this way.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Zucchini Fritters with a dipping sauce of your choice. You can even serve it with sour cream, yogurt, ketchup or creme fraiche.
Expert Tips
- Batter Consistency: The batter consistency should be a thick batter. If the batter becomes too thin or runny, the fritter will become soggy and wet from inside. In this scenario, adding some wheat flour helps to get the right consistency. If the batter looks very thick, floury, and dry, then sprinkle it with some water.
- Type of Zucchini: To make these you can use any colored zucchini – green or yellow. In the recipe, I have used green zucchini. But do make sure that the zucchini is not bitter. Before you chop, do a taste test, and if it is bitter, trash it.
- A Note on Frying: While shallow frying, you can add less oil. Though frying in less oil will reduce the crispiness. To quicken up the frying process, use two skillets side by side. Use a heavy seasoned pan to avoid fritters sticking to the pan.
Optional Variations
- Cheesy Fritters: For a cheesy flavor add 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes. To get a vegetarian cheesy flavor, add some vegetarian parmesan cheese or cheddar cheese to the batter. If you add cheese, reduce the salt in the recipe.
- Add More Veggies: You can add additional vegetables like grated carrots, finely chopped bell pepper (capsicum), and grated cabbage to your fritters for added nutrition and flavor.
- Gluten-Free Option: For a gluten-free recipe, use chickpea flour entirely for the batter. Thus add ¾ to 1 cup of chickpea flour to the batter.
- Flour: You can also make these easy zucchini fritters with all-purpose flour. You may need to add more all-purpose flour to the recipe if using it.
- Baked Fritters: Make baked zucchini fritters by adding 1 tablespoon of oil in the batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 to 20 minutes till golden. Halfway through remove the fritters and brush them with oil. Then continue to bake till done. Line the baking tray with parchment paper before baking.
FAQs
Oops! Sounds like the oil wasn’t quite hot enough. Make sure the oil is shimmering and very hot before adding the batter, which will help to sear the zucchini and create a crisp crust. If you add the batter when the pan is cold, the oil has a tendency to seep in and make it soggy.
I typically like to serve them with a creamy sauce like a yogurt dip or a zesty dip like Cilantro Chutney.
More Easy Snacks!
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Zucchini Fritters Recipe Made Easy & Tasty
Ingredients
- ½ heaping cup/75 grams/2.7 ounces whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup/25 grams/0.9 ounce chickpea flour or gram flour (besan)
- 3 cups thickly grated zucchini/2 medium sized/500 grams/1.10 pounds zucchini
- ⅓ cup onions – finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon garlic – finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons celery stalk – finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons parsley or cilantro (coriander leaves), chopped
- ½ teaspoon black pepper – crushed or ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper powder- add as per taste
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black salt – optional
- ½ teaspoon salt or add as required
- 10 to 12 tablespoons olive oil or sunflower oil or any neutral flavored oil for frying
Instructions
Preparation:
- Finely chop the onion, celery stalk, garlic cloves and a few parsley leaves.
- Rinse the zucchini first and then pat dry with a kitchen towel. Grate them thickly using a hand-held grater or box grater or a food processor. Do not grate them finely. Use the larger holes on whichever grater you choose or grate in the food processor. You can peel the zucchini if you want to.
Making batter
- Take the grated zucchini in a mixing bowl. Add the chopped onions, garlic, parsley and celery.
- Add both whole wheat flour and chickpea flour. Season with crushed black pepper (crushed), black salt (optional) and regular salt. Add the baking powder.
- Mix very well. Depending on the water content in the zucchini, the batter can become too thick or thin. If the batter becomes very thick, then sprinkle some water. If the batter becomes thin and runny, then add some wheat flour.
Frying
- In a seasoned and heavy 10 to 10.5 inches cast-iron skillet or pan heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil on medium-low or medium heat. For frying each batch of 3 to 4 zucchini fritters add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil. Using a serving spoon or ¼ cup measure begin to pour the batter on the pan.
- With the back of the spoon or measuring cup, spread lightly. Do not spread thin as the fritters will break.
- Begin to fry medium low to medium heat. Fry three to four zucchini fritters at a time.
- When one side is crisp and golden, gently remove and flip. Fry the second side till golden and crisp. For even frying you can flip once or twice.
- Remove and place them on kitchen paper towels for a brief period just for the extra oil to be soaked up. Do not keep for long as then they stick to the paper towel. You can even use a strainer with a bowl underneath to drain the oil. Make all zucchini fritters this way.
- Serve Zucchini Fritters hot with a dipping sauce of your choice.
Notes
- Zucchini: Both green or yellow zucchini can be used.
- Consistency of batter: Zucchini fritters batter has a thick consistency. If the batter becomes too thin or runny, the fritter will end up becoming soggy. In this scenario, add some wheat flour. If the batter looks very thick, then sprinkle some water.
- Cheesy Flavors: To get a vegan cheesy flavor add 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes to the batter. For a vegetarian cheesy flavor, add some vegetarian parmesan cheese or cheddar cheese to the batter. When adding cheese, reduce the salt in the recipe.
- Flour: You can make these zucchini fritters with all-purpose flour also. You may need to add more all-purpose flour in the recipe though.
- Binding Ingredient: You can use corn starch, rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch in place of chickpea flour or gram flour.
- Frying: You can fry the fritters with less oil. But frying in less oil will reduce the crispiness. Use two skillets side by side to quicken up the frying. Use a heavy seasoned pan to avoid fritters sticking to the pan.
- Gluten-Free Option: Use only chickpea flour entirely to make the batter. Add ¾ to 1 cup chickpea flour to form the batter.
- Baking: You can make baked zucchini fritters by adding 1 tablespoon oil in the batter. Line the baking tray with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 to 20 minutes till golden. Halfway through remove the fritters and brush them with oil. Then continue to bake till done.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve Zucchini Fritters with any dip you like. You can even serve with sour cream, yogurt or creme fraiche.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Zucchini Fritters recipe from the archives first published in July 2020 has been updated and republished on July 2023.
Hi, I tried baking these fritters today. They came out well but was wondering that maybe I should have baked them for a longer duration or at a higher temperature. Also, what spice suggestions would you have if we want a slightly spiced version to be had without any accompaniment. Want to add that due to non availability I skipped parsley and celery, any substitutions?
Baking them for some more time rather than at a higher temperature. As zucchini has plenty of water, it will take more time for it to bake and cook well. Do add a few tablespoons of oil in the batter while baking.
You could add more red chilli powder or cayenne pepper for a spicier variant. Another suggestion is to add some ginger-garlic paste, together with spices like red chilli powder, garam masala powder etc. It will give these fritters a different flavor and taste.
For the fresh herbs, you could also use coriander leaves (cilantro), chives, spring onion greens, basil or mint, instead of parsley or celery.
Hi.. this looks very interesting. Can I use dudhi as a replacement for zucchini? And any suggestions for adapting this to a paniyaram pan? Thanks
You can use lauki, but squeeze the water out as lauki will have more water than zucchini. Sprinkle some salt on the grated lauki and then squeeze the juices. No suggestions for adapting to a paniyaram pan. But in case the batter looks too dry, then you can add some water or the squeezed lauki juice.
Thanks so much! Look forward to trying it soon 🙂