Zucchini Fritters

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Zucchini fritters turn your favorite summer vegetable into crisp, golden patties. Take one bite of these surprisingly low-carb fritters, and I guarantee you’ll be going back for seconds. Especially when topped with the creamy garlic chive yogurt sauce.

A stack of zucchini fritters on a plate.

Simple, seasonal, and versatile vegetables are always my go-to for creating some of the best recipes. Now that we’re knee-deep in summer, it’s time to take advantage of none other than our favorite summer squash: zucchini. 

You can chop it, puree it, zoodle it and of course shred it. And with such a mild flavor, it really lets the other ingredients shine. Which is perfect for when I’m craving something cheesy and garlicky – like these zucchini fritters

Best of all? The crispiness makes it taste like a guilty pleasure, like my baked zucchini fries. But it’s a healthy, low-carb meal that’s filled with good-for-you ingredients. 

Zucchini Fritter Ingredients

These zucchini fritters are a marriage made in vegetable herb heaven. Here’s what you’ll need.

  • Zucchini: forms the bulk of the patties, and it’s a great way to sneak more veggies into your everyday meals.
  • Shallots: adds a mild and delicate onion flavor with a hint of garlic.
  • Eggs: 2 lightly beaten eggs are need to help bind the flour. 
  • Almond Flour: I’m using almond flour, but coconut flour works as well. See my notes below.
  • Goat Cheese: adds lovely cheesy creaminess, but you could add parmesan cheese or leave the cheese off entirely for a dairy-free version.
  • Salt and Pepper: for that perfectly seasoned flavor.
A top down view of a plate of zucchini fritters.

How To Make Perfectly Crisp Zucchini Fritters

You can make these fritters thin and crispy, or thick and chunky. It’s up to you!

  1. Prep the zucchini. Grate the zucchini, add it to a bowl, and sprinkle it with salt. The salt will help to extract moisture from the zucchini. After 20 minutes, squeeze out the liquid using a cheesecloth or nut milk bag and return it to the bowl. 
  2. Make the batter. Give the zucchini a good mix with the sliced shallots, eggs, almond flour, goat cheese, salt and pepper.
  3. Time to fry. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a pan, then carefully dollop mounds of the batter and gently flatten. Let them cook on each side for 3-4 minutes, or until they’re beautifully golden brown. 
  4. Rest on paper towel. While they’re resting, you can make the garlic chive yogurt sauce.

Can You Bake Them?

You sure can. They don’t come out quite as crispy, but you can bake them at 400F for 12-15 minutes on each side. Just spray or brush a light coating of oil on the sheet pan and on top of the fritters.

Zucchini fritters frying in a pan with oil.

Garlic Chive Yogurt Sauce

Zucchini fritters honestly taste good with just about any creamy partner. Whether it be a chipotle sauce for a hint of spiciness. Or homemade tzatziki to add a Mediterranean twist. 

But this garlic chive yogurt sauce might be my favorite pairing. It’s simple with just the right amount of aromatics. 

  • Yogurt: I like a thick Greek yogurt, but any dairy or non-dairy yogurt works.
  • Garlic & Chives: A simple combination of herbs for the perfect punch of flavor.
  • Salt & Pepper: Season to your liking.

Just whisk these all together and voila! Your fritters will be perfectly cooled by now, so dollop on top or use it as a dip. 

A Few Cooking Tips To Keep In Mind

  • Don’t skip the flour. Even though you’ve drained your zucchini, you still need a binder along with the egg. And if your batter is too soft, just add a little more flour.
  • Add a good amount of oil. If you want extra crispy, beautifully golden, and delicious fritters make sure the oil lightly coats the bottom of the pan. 
  • Let the pan warm up. Before dolloping your batter into the pan, make sure it’s properly heated with the oil. You’ll know it’s ready if your fritter sizzles when it touches the pan. 
  • Don’t overcrowd. Evenly space out your fritters so that the pan temperature doesn’t drop. I make this recipe in two batches in the pan.
A stack of zucchini fritters with a dollop of sauce.

Ways To Serve Fritters

For me, I simply enjoy these on their own. But you can also treat these fritters as an accompaniment to any meal. 

  • Serve as an appetizer. If you’re cooking up a much larger dinner, zucchini fritters will be a great way to get everyone’s taste buds warmed up. 
  • Serve as a side dish. For a more hefty meal, this pairs great with a piece of pan-seared salmon or poached chicken.
  • Add a salad. To add a refreshing bite, a simple kale salad, Israeli salad, or cucumber salad will help round out the flavors. 
Four zucchini fritters on a plate, topped with sauce and chives.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers 

As with most fried food, these fritters will not be as crispy the following day. But nonetheless, they’ll taste just as delicious. Here’s a few storage options. 

To Store: Place cooled fritters in an airtight container and store for up to 5 days in the fridge. 

To Freeze: Use a freezer-safe bag or container and store for up to 2 months in the freezer. Just make sure to place parchment paper between them if you stack them.

To Reheat: Make sure to thaw the fritters either overnight in the fridge or on the counter for about 30 minutes. Then simply reheat in the microwave. Or for a more crisp texture, bake them in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through. 

Zucchini Fritters Recipe Video

Want to see how I make this recipe in my kitchen? Watch the video below!

More Fun Zucchini Recipes

Whip up any of these zucchini recipes for a healthy, nutritious meal. 

And for something slightly sweeter, give my Paleo Zucchini Bread or Chocolate Zucchini Bread recipe a try!

Four zucchini fritters on a plate, topped with sauce and chives.

Zucchini Fritters (gluten-free, low-carb, keto)

4.97 from 112 votes
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 10 fritters
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Zucchini fritters are the perfect appetizer or small bite. And these goat cheese zucchini fritters are topped with a creamy garlic, chive, yogurt sauce.

Video

Equipment

  • Nut Milk Bag My favorite tool for straining zucchini and many other things.
  • Le Creuset Braiser A staple cookware you'll see me use frequently. It's worth the investment!

Ingredients 
 

  • 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, about 2-3 medium to large zucchini
  • 1 shallot, finely diced
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, for frying

Garlic, Chive Yogurt Sauce:

  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions 

  • Grate the zucchini and put into a bowl. Sprinkle with salt, stir together and let stand for 20 minutes. The salt will work to draw the moisture out of the zucchini.
    Grated zucchini in a bowl.
  • Squeeze out the liquid from the zucchini, with either a nut milk bag or cheesecloth, then return to a clean bowl.
    Squeezing the liquid from the zucchini with a nut milk bag.
  • Add the shallot, eggs, goat cheese, almond flour, salt and pepper. Then stir to combine.
    Zucchini fritter ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  • Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Using either your hands or a spoon, dollop out mounds (approximately 1/4 cup worth) of the mixture into the hot pan. Using a spatula, push down each fritter to flatten.
    Zucchini fritters in a pan frying in oil
  • Cook the fritters 3-4 minutes on each side, or until they're lightly golden.
    Zucchini fritters in a pan golden on one side.
  • Remove the fritters from the pan and place them on a paper towel to dab away any extra oil.
    Zucchini fritters on a paper towel lined plate.
  • Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl, stirring until creamy.
    Making the garlic chive yogurt sauce in a small bowl.
  • Serve the fritters with a dollop of the sauce, then enjoy!

Lisa’s Tips

  • To Store: Place cooled fritters in an airtight container and store for up to 5 days in the fridge. 
  • To Freeze: Use a freezer-safe bag or container and store for up to 2 months in the freezer. 
  • To Reheat: Make sure to thaw the fritters either overnight in the fridge or on the counter for about 30 minutes. Then simply reheat in the microwave. Or for a more crisp texture, bake them in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through.
  • If you’d like to use coconut flour instead of almond flour, start with 1/4 cup and add more as needed. Coconut flour is highly absorbent, so you can use less.

Nutrition

Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 236mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 280IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten free zucchini fritters, keto zucchini fritters, paleo zucchini fritters, Zucchini Fritters
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

Recipe originally posted August 2014, but updated to include new information and photos.

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

4.97 from 112 votes (1 rating without comment)

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303 Comments

  1. I love this recipe! It is one of my go-to recipes. I got a nut milk bag just like yours to make the process easier. Thanks! 

    1. You sure can. They don’t come out quite as crispy, but you can bake them at 400F for 12-15 minutes on each side. Just spray or brush a light coating of oil on the sheet pan and on top of the fritters.

  2. Thank you Lisa for another beautiful recipe. I baked these in the oven rather than fry. Very easy to do and delicious .5 stars

  3. These are the best zucchini fritters I’ve ever made. My whole family (parents, husband and teenage daughter) loved them. I subbed 1 tbsp nutritional yeast for the goat cheese as I am not a cheese fan. Turned out fantastic!5 stars

  4. These look so delicious! My son has an egg allergy, is there an alternative that you can recommend as a binding agent? I would love to make these for dinner tonight! 

  5. Hello, tried these fritters and they turned out to be super delicious. Skipped the dairy and added a mix of chick pea flour and whole wheat flour as almond flour was not available and it worked out well. Thank you5 stars

      1. Hi! Just a quick question, can I make the batter and store it in the Fridge and then cook them fresh as I am ready to eat them?5 stars

      2. It’s better to cook these first before storing away as the zucchini will get soggy over time.

  6. These are absolutely delicious!!  So easy to make and these are now firmly on my menus list of healthy things to eat, I fried them in grass fed butter as I don’t like olive oil.  Thank you I will be following you now 👌5 stars

    1. I haven’t tried yet, but it might work. Just make sure to spray oil before you press down. Let me know how it turns out!

    2. Hi Patti, It should work in waffle iron; I use mine for shredded potato “waffles” and they turn out amazing! Thanks for the idea, I’ll have to try with the shredded zuc.

  7. They are delicious and the video was very helpful. The only thing that I did differently was to not slice the end with the stem off of the zucchini. I left it on to use it like a handle when I was grating and this allowed me to grate it right down to the stem without any waste! Thanks for such a great tasty recipe!5 stars

  8. These were delicious to share with a relative who is gluten and dairy free! Does the nutritional information include the sauce?4 stars

  9. loving the flavors in these fritters!! these are so good. the yogurt sauce is a must. thanks for another killer recipe. 5 stars

  10. Excelente, I made a half batch last week. I am making them again this week. Very nice side dish. Love love love. They also taste great as left overs the next day. Heated up well in the microwave. 5 stars

  11. Will this work with yellow squash? I have yellow squash and I’m trying to find unique recipes for it. Thanks!

  12. I’ve made these exactly as written. Absolutely delicious. I’m trying my best to eat healthier, down 10 lbs. This is a super easy recipe to follow. Great quick breakfast treat. I can’t stop at just one. Thanks Lisa!5 stars

  13. Made these for dinner last night. Very easy and quick to make. I ate 4 of them last night for my dinner and had 7 left over. I decided to heat up 3 of them for breakfast this morning and just popped them in the microwave. First let me say they were delicious last night, but they were EVEN BETTER this morning! Lisa, how do you make your recipes taste so good the first time around but even better as leftovers?! You’re like a kitchen wizard or something. Thanks for another great recipe! I definitely recommend!5 stars

    1. Happy to hear you enjoyed these zucchini fritters! They’re definitely one to keep in rotation :)

    2. Hi Lisa, I would like to make these, can I ask how many fritters adds up to serving please. I am following an 800 low carb low cal diet. Many thanks.

  14. Very good! I used homemade yogurt for the dipping sauce. Also, I realized I didn’t have enough zucchini so I shredded one yellow squash along with the rest of the zucchini. I also used parmesan and coconut flour. Would definitely make this again.5 stars

  15. I made these fritters with blueberry, thyme and lemon goat cheese and wow it gave them a pleasant citrus undertone. These are delicious and so quick and easy to put together.5 stars

  16. These fritters were very very delicious. And the yogurt sauce goes absolutely beautifully with them. I could eat these every day! Thank you for the recipe. Your video was also very nice. You show thoroughly how they are prepared but the video is not unnecessarily long. If I don’t have goat cheese some day, any suggestion what to replace it with?5 stars

  17. Hi. Just found your website and its fantastic. One thing you could add tho. There is a nutricion info but it does not say what is it based on. Is it based on 10 fritters? Or just 1. Just cant figure this one out.
    Other than that just keep the Good job :) Love from Poland.

    1. Hi Marty – The nutritional information on my website will always be per serving. In this case, it is for one fritter.

  18. delicious and easy! My hubby and I did not have cheese cloth but a quick google search revealed that since it’s cotton, you can use any old cotton shirt instead!

    Also, I’m gluten free AND nut free so we used gluten free flour (glutino brand) 1-1 replacement and it worked well.

    we also used key lime yogurt, and the lime added a welcome bit of flavor.

    Thank you5 stars

  19. Made the fritters today! They are excellent in texture and flavor. Also made the garlic aioli, used on the fritter and even warmed it up with dinner (great sauce for chicken and mushrooms)! Thanks for your time and energy on these recipes. 5 stars

  20. Hi Lisa !
    I just made these, so yummy!
    Please can you tell me about the “nutrition value” is it for one fritter?
    Thanks5 stars

  21. These look amazing could I use regular flour instead we have tree it allergies at our house.

    Thanks 

    1. I haven’t tried this with regular flour, but I’m thinking it could work. Let me know how it turns out!

  22. These were delish and fried up perfectly. I replaced goat cheese with a 1/4 C dairy free cashew Parmesan ‘cheese’ and it all worked well.5 stars

    1. Hi Amanda – I haven’t tried this recipe with frozen zucchini. But I suspect they’ll be too soft and mushy.

      1. I used frozen tonight and as long as they are completely thawed and you squish all the water out…they turned out fabulous! I also skipped cheese and used coconutmilk yogurt. So delicious!5 stars

  23. Hi Lisa,
    I made this recipe already and I have to say it’s divine! So good that it will be one of my favourites. I would like to make it again but ran out of almond flour. Can I use gluten-free rice flour instead?

    Thank you, and for the delicious recipes,
    I am so happy I found you on the internet. 
    Happy Easter! 5 stars

    1. Hi Anita – happy you love this recipe! I haven’t tried this with rice flour, so if you do, let us know how it turns out!

  24. Gosh, these babies are good! They were very moist and drippy going into the skillet, but they fried up beautifully: crisp outside and tender inside. I had no goat cheese, so I subbed feta and it was wonderful. I also added a shake of Penzey’s Sunny Paris herb blend. Gonna try their Herbs de Provence next time. Need to think of a dairy-free topping as yummy as yours looks, Lisa. Five stars! 5 stars

  25. I made these yesterday for dinner and they came out to be extremely delicious and filling with the yogurt dip. I had three fritters abs did not even require a side.

    I did have to improvise a bit by adding a shredded potato to compensate for having less zucchini. I also used a little whole wheat  flour in place of almond flour and only needed 1 large egg to bind.

    The only challenge I had, was that despite sweating zucchini for 2 hours and squeezing moisture from potatoes, by the time I readied the batter and 1/4 cup portions, they started to leak moisture and break apart while handling and turning. So I ended up dredging the fritters in whole wheat panko, which added a layer of crunchiness and stopped the breaking.

    Top notch recipe that will be in regular rotation at my end.5 stars

    1. Oh no! Sorry to hear your fritters still turned out great despite the bit of moisture towards the end.

  26. These fritters are one of my go-tos and I make them weekly, thanks for such a yummy recipe!

    Also, and this may sound silly but thank you for the quarter cup measurement per fritter. I measure before I drop and cook and they turn out literally perfect and beautiful every single time!5 stars

  27. Beautiful fritters! We made enough for two sittings but couldn’t resist polishing them off in one! Thank you Lisa <35 stars

  28. Made these for the first time yesterday and couldn’t resist making them again today! Absolutely to die for! Thank you!
    I also enjoy adding a bit of lemon juice to the yoghurt sauce :)5 stars

  29. I didn’t have enough zucchini so I mixed in a couple of grated potatoes also drained and I used 1/3 cup grated Parmesan and wow a home run with the wife and kids5 stars

    1. Hi – while I haven’t tried a egg-free version of this yet, you could always try adding a chia egg, or vegan mayo as a binder.

  30. Hi Lisa,

    Could I substitute coconut flour for the tapioca flour, I don’t want to buy another flour, or could I use more almond flour and use xantham gum to help hold it together.

    Thanks,
    Liz J5 stars

  31. These are delicious!! Ours didn’t turn out as crisp- I think we need to squeeze out more water from the zucchini next time. But they were still delicious! If you like zucchini, I definitely recommend giving this recipe a try!5 stars

  32. OMG just thinking about these my mouth waters. I was nervous about making these and whether they were going to turn out well – but thanks to all of Lisa’s detailed instructions in the recipe and video, the fritters were a great success! They have a pretty powerful taste, so if you have a sensitive stomach, don’t overload on these at once, even though you might want to as they’re so YUMMY. :)5 stars

  33. My favorite zucchini recipe! I am making these for my 3rd time now. I used my air fryer instead of a pan and these turned out so crispy and delicious. My kids and husband even loved them! 5 stars

  34. Hi Lisa! Do you think it is possible to freeze these fritters before frying? So like freezing them raw but in circular shape, would it hold up after defrosting?

    1. Hi Sara – It would be best to freeze these after cooking otherwise the zucchini will become too watery once they defrost.