I finally recreated the tender, delicious Fresh Zucchini Fritters I first fell for at a local Italian Restaurant. A perfect recipe for your summer zucchini!

This is an excellent zucchini recipe for a starter or side dish. Now you’ll be begging your friends to unload their garden zucchini at your doorstep so you, too, can make these delightful zucchini pancakes.

3 Zucchini Fritters on a white plate with herb garnish and sour cream

Why You Must Make

  • I was finally able to create the perfect copycat recipe of the Zucchini Fritters I used to love at a local Italian restaurant!
  • They’re the perfect way to use up your excess of garden zucchini!
  • My blogger friend, Kate, gave these a whirl and wrote this on Facebook: We just finished a fabulous dinner. Zucchini fritters from my friend Liz’s blog and a kale and grilled peach salad from Food 52. We liked it so well that we decided to make it all again tomorrow.

Years ago, I first sampled a zucchini fritter recipe at Tavola di ToSa, a now long gone Italian restaurant owned by Tony Hanslits, an incredible local chef. I would look forward to his tasty zucchini fritters when I stopped in for lunch, but they never came out quite right when I attempted to recreate them at home.

They were soft, green, and full of zucchini and topped with sour cream, chives, and a sprinkling of sea salt. Simple, yet exquisite. 

zucchini fritters on a white rectangle tray

Ingredient Notes

  • Pantry Staples – Kosher Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper, Flour, Olive Oil.
  • Zucchini – 1 pound or about 2 medium, grated.
  • Egg – Have at room temperature if possible for easier incorporation.
  • Scallions – Also known as green onions.
  • Sour Cream or Yogurt – To serve.

Fast forward to a couple of summers ago. I found a similar recipe in Everyday Foods magazine that came very close to those dreamy zucchini fritters. Now I look forward to making them this time of year when zucchini is plentiful.

How to Make

  1. First, grate your zucchini. This can be done with a box or hand grater or with a food processor.
  2. Then, salt the shredded zucchini and let it rest before squeezing the excess liquid from the zucchini. I find it easiest to do this with a potato ricer as it neatly squeezes out all the juices. I’ve also done this with my hands over a colander.
  3. PRO-Tip: The salt pulls water from the zucchini helping to ensure as much liquid as possible is extracted.
  4. PRO-Tip: If you’re wondering why your fritters are soggy, it’s probably because you didn’t get enough liquid removed from your shredded zucchini. Watery zucchini will prevent the fritters from crisping properly, so make every effort to remove as much liquid as possible.
  5. Saute your fritters in hot oil. When the oil is hot, there is less absorption into the fritters as they cook.
  6. Press down on the mounds of zucchini batter with your spatula. Making flat fritters help them cook evenly.
  7. Drain on paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper while still hot.
  8. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of herbs, if desired.
Overhead view of 3 zucchini fritter on a fancy, decorative white plate

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Fritters?

Fritters are fried batter filled with meat, fruit, or vegetables. Corn fritters and apple fritters are most common, but the options are endless, and this is the general definition. The Jewish culture has their latkes and the Turkish have mucver with feta, dill, and mint.

So whether you call them zucchini fritters, zucchini pancakes, or zucchini latkes, you’ll still want to make them every summer when zucchini is plentiful!

Why are my Fritters Soggy?

There are a couple of reasons your fritters could be soggy. First, if you don’t squeeze out enough moisture from the shredded zucchini, it will make the batter too wet. Plus, if the oil is not hot enough, the exterior will absorb too much oil before the exterior gets crisp.

Why are my Zucchini Fritters Falling Apart?

If your pan is not hot enough or you aren’t using enough oil to fry them, they will be tough to flip and can break apart. And the batter shouldn’t be too thin as this will make them difficult to turn, too. Add a touch more flour if needed.

How Should You Serve Fritters?

I love a simple sprinkle of kosher or sea salt, but here are a few other ideas. Offer ketchup, yogurt dip or a dollop of sour cream with these zucchini pancakes. Even chutney or guacamole will work.

Add them to any menu. They’re great with grilled chicken, fish or beef. They’re even tasty for breakfast or brunch along with your bacon and eggs!

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Zucchini fritters on a round white plate with herb garnish

Zucchini Fritters

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Yield 3-4 servings

Tender and delicious Zucchini Fritters adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini, coarsely grated
  • Kosher salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 2 scallions, finely chopped
  • ½ cup flour
  • Olive oil
  • Sour cream or yogurt

Instructions

  1. Sprinkle the grated zucchini with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Let rest for 10 minutes or so to allow the salt to draw out moisture from the zucchini. Squeeze zucchini using a ricer or by hand.
  2. Whisk the egg in a medium bowl. Add zucchini, scallions, flour, and pepper to taste. Mix well.
  3. Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium heat. Scoop mounds of batter (about 2 tablespoons each) into the pan, pressing down lightly to flatten with a spatula. Saute for about 4-6 minutes on each side, till golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-covered plate to drain excess oil.
  4. Salt and serve while hot, garnishing with sour cream or yogurt if desired.

Notes

To prevent soggy fritters, make sure to squeeze out as much liquid from the grated zucchini. Also, heat your olive oil in the pan before adding the fritter batter.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

3

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 188Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 261mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 8g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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This recipe was first shared in August 2010. Photos and text were updated in 2020.

Zucchini Fritter ingredients with our dog, Lambeau