If you like your fritters crispy on the outside and moist but not soggy on the inside, then you’re going to LOVE these Zucchini Fritters! The trick for extra crisp (and flavour!) is to add a touch of parmesan.
This is a terrific quick and easy zucchini recipe that’s super economical!
Zucchini Fritters
I have a theory that you can fritter anything (something I’ve elaborated on in my Pakora recipe!) And frittata anything.
And the Asian blood running through my veins also insists that I tell you that you can stir fry anything (follow the formula in this Stir Fry Sauce recipe) and make fried rice from anything.
Today, we’re frittering.
The thrifty side of me revels in the fact that you can take 2 unruly discounted zucchinis and a handful of pantry staples and end up with a stack of these golden crispy fritters that are can’t-stop-eating-them delicious. It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?
The path to crispy zucchini fritters
That you want crispy outsides goes without saying – there’s nothing sadder than a towering stack of soggy fritters.
But we also need to get the inside right. We want moist insides but not soggy and certainly not dry. Though if I had to choose from the lessor of two evils, I’d take dry over soggy insides – because at least I could douse them in inordinate amounts of yogurt or sour cream to make them palatable.
However, soggy insides I cannot bear and they can’t be salvaged.
And the only path to avoid soggy insides + achieve those crispy outsides is to wring out the excess liquid from the zucchini. Grate, salt, leave aside for 10 minutes, then wring out the excess liquid.
Parmesan for crisp and flavour!
In addition to removing the excess water from the zucchini, I like to add parmesan into the batter. Not only does it add flavour (umami booster!), it ups the crisp factor. Like in these Crispy Parmesan Crusted Potatoes, Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Parmesan Crusted Cauliflower. 😇
These aren’t quite as fully parmesan coated as those, but it’s all in the same spirit: parmesan = crisp 🙌🏻 – Nagi x
More zucchini recipes
For everyone with zukes taking over their garden / off loaded by family and friends / couldn’t resist a store bargain:
- Cheesy Zucchini Bread (No Yeast)
- Creamy Zucchini Soup
- Greek Zucchini Tots
- Healthy Cream of Vegetable Soup (Zucchinis are the secret ingredient!)
- Chinese Zucchini Pancakes
- Zucchini Tian (French Rice Bake)
And more patties and fritters (I love them!)
-
Broccoli Chicken Fritters – made with chopped chicken
Zucchini Fritters
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Crispy Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
Zucchini:
- 500 g/1 lb zucchini (2 medium ~ 23cm/9" long)
- 1 tsp salt
Batter:
- 1 large egg
- 2 green onions , halved then finely sliced
- 1/4 cup parmesan , grated (fresh or store bought)
- 1 garlic clove , large, minced
- 1/2 cup / 75 g flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of pepper
- 4 tbsp olive oil , separated
For Serving:
- Yoghurt or sour cream
- More chopped green onions
Instructions
Zucchini:
- Grate zucchini using a box grater. Grate on the diagonal so you get long strands.
- Place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Mix, then leave for 10 minutes+.
- Squeeze out excess water using hands (or bundle up tea towel) then place zucchini in a bowl.
Batter:
- Preheat oven to 200F/100C (for keeping fritters warm). Place rack on tray (helps keep crispy)
- Add egg, green onions, parmesan and garlic into the zucchini bowl. Mix to combine.
- Scatter over flour and baking powder (don't dump in one spot), and add pinch of pepper. Mix until flour is just incorporated - batter should be thick but soft (see video, Note 1).
Cooking:
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan over medium high heat (or medium if stove is strong). Drop 1/4 cup batter in the pan (ice cream scoop is perfect). Do 3 or 4 mounds.
- Flatten lightly with spatula to about 1cm / 4/5" thick.
- Cook for 3 minutes until underside is deep golden (adjust heat if browning too quickly). Flip and cook the other side for 3 minutes. Transfer to tray and place in oven to keep warm.
- Repeat with remaining batter.
- Serve immediately with a dollop of yoghurt or sour cream and garnish of extra green onions if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
I wanted to share a pic of Dozer bounding around the park but kept missing the shot. Food photos are much easier – they don’t move!!
Also serves beautifully topped with tomato, sliced avo, fresh coriander and Greek yoghurt +/- bacon. Young and old adore this recipe aka “green pancakes” for dinner. I struggle cook them fast enough to meet the demand for “another one”. Thank you Nagi.
Love these zucchini fritters. They turn one of my least favourite vegetables into something delicious. Do they work okay with cornflour or rice flour if I’m cooking for gluten-free friends?
Love all your recipes Nagi …Every time I’m looking for inspiration in my kitchen I look up your website , and your recipes are honest good food easily sourced and made ….thankyou .maddi .
Crispy and delicious! The parmesan cheese gives it a kick.
These are so delicious! Quick, easy, very economical, tasty AF and perfect for brunch, lunch or a light dinner (especially with crispy bacon rashers, sour cream and sweet chilli sauce!)
Total winner, love these. We have zukes coming out or ears but this and the chocolate bread recipe are making it easy to get through them – I’ve only given away a few zucchini so far and now I’m planning to freeze some (shredded) so I can ensure a continuous supply of deliciousness year round, LOL! 🙂
Nagi, do you use different sized ice cream scoops for different recipes? Can you advise on the size? I note that they use a numbering system that means X scoops per litre. Ie, size 30 means 30 scoops per litre and is therefore approx 33 ml per scoop. I’d love to know what sizes you use for different recipes.
So good! Really popular with all the family. Will be making these regularly over the zucchini season. Thanks Nagi!
I always play and add to even great dishes like this baked Zuc fritter that I have done several times. I added shredded radish, some hot sauce, diced mushroom and made a sauce of 1/3 each sour cream, plain yogurt and butter with garlic salt to taste warmed a bit to cover over just before Serving.
Wow! So simple yet SOOO tasty! I had a small bowl of leftover salad bits (red onion, capsicum, some shredded cheddar) so tossed it in + an extra egg to be on the safe side since mine were small. They were scrumptious. Ta xx
This has been the best Zucchini dish I’ve made at homemade a long time. Substituted parmesan for tasty cheese which made the fritters a touch tender. But they still came out delish.
Another hit! Perfectly crispy and light thanks to Nagi’s instructions. I added in fresh corn cornels (squeezed the moisture out of these as well to retain crispyness). Loved by everyone at our house.
Another great recipe Nagi. They were delicious. Thanks M
I cook these all the time they are a big hit especially for breakfast with eggs and bacon. YUMMO
Hi, I was just wondering why you put baking powder in your zucchini fritters?
Oh my goodnes, these are so delicious. Didn’t have green onions so we used a little onion powder and swapped a bit of garlic powder for the fresh garlic. Also used Bob’s gluten free 1 to 1 flour and homemade dairy free parmesan cheese (cashew based). Our toddler kept asking for more and she doesn’t usually like anything with zucchini in it! We will definitely be making these again.
Hi Miss Nagi, your recipe looks simple but have a great detailed and guide to those who loved cooking.
Are the calories based on a single fritter or serving of 6-7 fritters?
The recipe serves six, Matthew so the nutrition is for a single serve/1 fritter! N x
I’m trying to collect some vegetarian recipes. And these recipes that I’ve looked at on this page
hi can you freeze these
These were champion! I seem to have waaaay too many zucchini growing in my garden, so I’m glad I’ve found this great recipe for lunches/light summer dinners. BTW I used gluten-free plain flour (home-blend).