Every summer, without doubt, we always have zucchini lying around in the kitchen. I’m always looking for new delicious ways to cook the veggie, and these baked zucchini fritters have been one of my favorite recipes for years and years. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, they’re the perfect snack, appetizer, or side dish and come together with little mess or stress thanks to the oven.
I’ve used so many different spices and seasonings, so I can guarantee it’s easy to customize the batter any way you please. And since they’re delicious hot, warm, or at room temperature, they’re perfect for picnics and lunchboxes! Serve them with grilled chicken breasts or oven-baked St. Louis bbq ribs for a meal your family will love.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Perfect for picky eaters. I can fully admit, thanks to my kids, that these are picky eater approved!
- Easy for meal prepping. Whether it’s a party or just a busy week, they reheat beautifully for a healthy side you can feel good about!
- Vegetarian through and through. If you’re serving a crowd, these are great to ensure you meet all your guests’ dietary needs.
Tips for Busy Cooks
I’m always looking for ways to prep in advance with any recipe I make. With these fritters, don’t make the batter too far ahead of time so the texture isn’t runny, but you can easily measure and chop the ingredients and keep them in the fridge; all you need to do is grate the zucchini and stir to combine.
Key Ingredients Note
- Zucchini – Select medium-sized zucchini for this recipe. Ensure they’re fresh by choosing ones with tiny hairs and no nicks or cuts.
- Breadcrumbs – I like to use regular breadcrumbs for this recipe. But you can also substitute a combination of all-purpose flour and ½ teaspoon of baking powder. Alternatively, panko works well too, but pulse it in the food processor for a finer crumb.
- Large eggs – Used for binding the fritters together.
- Finely minced red onion or shallots adds tang and color. If you want less acid, I recommend using shallots; they are a bit sweeter.
- Garlic clove – Grate it on a microplane so that it melts into the zucchini batter mixture.
- Cornstarch helps thicken the batter and makes the fritters crispier than using all-purpose flour. If desired, you can easily substitute all-purpose flour with ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
- Finely chopped fresh parsley – Fresh herb flavor, you can easily swap this for dill, chives, or even tarragon if you’d like.
- Grated Parmesan adds a nice, cheesy saltiness. You can also use Pecorino Romano.
- Italian seasonings – Use the store-bought blend, or if you already have dried oregano, thyme, and marjoram at home, that works great too.
- Paprika adds warm flavor and a bright color.
- Black pepper – Another peppery warming spice to compliment the mild zucchini.
- Oil spray – Best for lightly greasing the top of the fritters before baking for a golden brown finish.
- Sour cream – Creamy dip or sauce for serving. Have fun here with mix-ins, if desired. Greek yogurt is another great sub as well.
How to make baked zucchini fritters
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Grate zucchinis on a large box grater. You should get about 4 cups of grated zucchini.
- Place the shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much water as you can. You’ll end up with approximately 2 cups of squeeze-dried zucchini.
- Mix zucchini, eggs, onion, and garlic in a large bowl.
- Add breadcrumbs, cornstarch, parmesan, fresh parsley, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, pepper, and the beaten eggs. Mix everything well. (NOTE: Don’t add any liquid. Even though we squeezed out most of the liquid, zucchini still has plenty of moisture to bring the dough together.)
- Drop zucchini mixture (about ¼ cup) onto the prepared baking sheet. I use a large cookie scoop. Then use the back of the scoop or your fingers to flatten the dough into a fritter shape.
- Spray the top of the patties with olive oil spray.
- Bake the fritters for 30 minutes, flipping the fritters and spraying again with oil halfway through.
How to air fry the zucchini fritters:
If you want to air fry the fritters, preheat the air fryer to 400ºF and cook them for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Expert Tips:
- Be sure to wring the zucchini out very well before making the batter. To keep these fritters from getting soggy and the batter from being too runny, this step is key to success. Use a clean kitchen towel or nut milk bag.
- If you want to use panko breadcrumbs, pulse them in a food processor until finer in texture before stirring them in.
- Add other spices and herbs. Have fun with these fritters! You can try adding thyme, dill, chives, and scallions. And for spices smoked paprika or ground coriander would also be delicious.
- Scoop the fritters to be the same size for even cooking. I recommend using a measuring cup or cookie scoop to easily measure out the batter.
- Don’t over-mix the baked zucchini fritter batter. This is key, or else it could become gummy in texture after they are baked.
- You can also make these on the stovetop, it just takes twice as long! You can cook 3 to 4 at a time in a nonstick skillet with oil until golden brown and cooked through.
What to serve with baked zucchini fritters
There are so many options, they make an excellent side dish, appetizer, or even main course. Here are some other dishes my family loves to enjoy with them:
Storage
Zucchini fritters can remain in the fridge for up to one week. Alternatively, you can freeze them for 3 months.
When it comes to reheating, I recommend using the air fryer or oven to help the outside re-crisp. You can even warm them through in a nonstick saute pan for a couple of minutes. If you want to heat them in the microwave, that works, they just won’t be crispy on the outside.
These are also ideal for meal prepping. I like to make a big batch and enjoy them throughout the week.
FAQs
This all comes down to how well you have extracted the water from the zucchinis. If the they are too runny, add extra flour. If the batter is too thick, add a little bit of water.
Yes, of course! Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF. Drop the zucchini mixture on little individual parchment papers. Cook for about 10 minutes, flipping them halfway.
Simply stir in more spices as well as herbs. Get creative with what you already have at home.
Baked zucchini fritters
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium zucchini
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup finely minced red onion or shallots (¼ of a large onion)
- 1 large garlic clove grated
- ½ cup breadcrumbs (Note 1)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- oil spray
- ¼ cup sour cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with a parchment paper.
- Grate zucchinis. You should get about 4 cups of grated zucchini.
- Place the grated zucchinis in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much water as you can. You’ll end up with approximately 2 cups of squeeze-dried zucchinis.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together zucchini, eggs, onion and garlic.
- Add breadcrumbs, cornstarch, parmesan, fresh parsley, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper and the beaten eggs. Mix everything well. (NOTE: Don’t add any liquid. Even though we squeezed most of the liquid out, zucchinis still have plenty of moisture to bring the dough together.)
- Using a large cookie scoop, drop zucchini mixture (about ¼ cup) on the prepared baking sheet. Use the back of the scoop or your fingers to flatten the dough into a fritter shape.
- Spray the top of the fritters with oil spray.
- Bake the fritters for 30 minutes, flipping the fritters and spray again with oil spray half way.
- Serve hot or at room temperature with sour cream.
Share your thoughts! If you make this please leave a review letting me know how it was!
Notes
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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