These crispy, delicious Zucchini Fritters with Herb Yogurt Sauce are the best summer dinner recipe! They’re chock full of vegetables and flavor- a vegetarian meal everyone will love.
Zucchini’s are a highlight of summer, and thanks to their light taste, there’s so many ways to use them. They’re great in salads, or simply sauteéd in butter and garlic, and of course, they’re a great addition to baked goods.
Peak zucchini season runs from about June-August, and at one point in time I really did think that there could be too much of a good thing! But I’ve been playing with zucchini recipes for awhile now, and these Zucchini Fritters are a perfect way to use them!
How to Easily Grate the Vegetables for the Fritters
The first step of making the zucchini fritters is grating the vegetables. You can do this with a hand or box grater, but it’s definitely easiest to use the grating attachment on a food processor. It makes the whole process so quick and easy! Just be sure to wash and dry the veggies beforehand, but no peeling necessary.
Once the vegetables are grated, the next crucial step is to line a colander with a thin dish towel, cheesecloth or nut milk bag, and place the grated vegetables on top. Toss the veggies with ½ tsp salt and let sit for 10 mins. This helps draw out the excess moisture.
After 10 minutes, wrap the cloth and squeeze out as much excess liquid from the vegetables as possible. Place the grated vegetables in a large bowl and then it’s time to mix in the other ingredients!
Other ingredients in the zucchini fritters
With the seasonings and parmesan, these zucchini fritters are Italian-inspired. There are many different variations that you can play around with, but the rest of the ingredients added are:
Parmesan Cheese- grated parm helps bind the fritter together and of course gives a great flavor. I mean what isn’t made better by adding parm?! If you are making this a vegan version, try using nutritional yeast as an alternative!
Flour- the flour is important in this recipe because even with squeezing out the excess liquid from the vegetables, it still needs the flour to help hold it together and give it some structure. I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour, but any all-purpose flour will work. You do need to adjust the amount of flour if you use anything except all-purpose.
Egg- similarly, the egg will bind the fritters together, too. If you are vegan, I would try making and adding a flax egg! Make sure the egg is beaten before adding it to the bowl.
Seasonings- these zucchini fritters are seasoned with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. If you want to change it up, there are so many different flavor combinations that you can play around with. Think cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder!
Simply add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.
pan frying the fritters
Once you’re done mixing the ingredients in a large bowl, it’s time to fry them up!
Heat a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Once the skillet has heated up, add oil until ½ inch thick. Allow the oil to continue heating for another minute or so, or until a droplet of water sizzles in the oil.
Using a measuring cup, measure out ¼ cup of the batter and add it to the skillet. Use a spatula or a fork to flatten the fritter out until it’s pancake shaped!
Continue frying on medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until the fritter is browned. Flip and fry for another 3 minutes on the other side.
Once the fritters have cooked for 3 minutes per side, place them on a dry paper towel to absorb excess oil.
I love having these fritters with a side salad for a vegetarian dinner! My Kale Power Salad would be perfect!
If you love this recipe, please leave a comment below. Also, come say hi on Instagram and follow me on Pinterest for more recipe inspiration!
Zucchini Fritters with Herb Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
For the Zucchini Fritters:
- 2 medium zucchinis
- 2 large carrots
- 1 white onion
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- neutral oil (evoo, vegetable, avocado)
For the Herb Yogurt Dipping Sauce
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 large lemon, juice & zest
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Optional: add any finely chopped fresh herbs that you may have on hand, such as chives or parsley
Instructions
- Either grate the zucchini, carrots and onion by hand, or use the food processor attachment. Line a colander with a thin dish towel and add the grated veggies on top. Toss with 1/2 tsp salt and let sit for 10 mins. Then, bundle the towel and squeeze as much excess liquid out of the grated veggies as possible. Add to a large bowl.
- To the bowl, add the rest of the zucchini fritter ingredients except the oil and mix well.
- Heat a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat for 5 mins. Add 1/2 inch of oil and allow to heat for another minute or until a drop of water sizzles.
- Scoop out 1/4 cup of the zucchini fritter batter and add to the skillet, using a fork or spatula to flatten. Repeat but don't overcrowd the pan.
- Fry on each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and fry for another 3 minutes. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt herb dipping sauce ingredients.
