Zucchini Fritters

This Zucchini Fritters Recipe is going to show you how to make a delicious healthy gluten-free appetizer everyone will love.

We are replacing the traditional fritter “flour” with something a little lighter that puffs a little crispier.

What is a Zucchini Fritter, Exactly?

Zucchini fritters are a combination of shredded zucchini with flour and other seasoning that comes together to make a crispy little cake.

For us, zucchini fritters are reminiscent of frituritas de malanga or yuca that we ate all the time growing up.

My grandmother would use the odds and ends of anything, mix it with egg and flour and deep fry it for a delicious snack. 

Ani

In this recipe, sweet summer zucchini is shredded and held together with chickpea flour or corn masa. This helps the fritters stay very light, airy and gluten free. The thing about using all purpose flour, is that if you don’t cook it well enough, the food will be gummy and not really crisp up the way you want a fritter to.

We decided to use chick pea flour. It binds everything together the way flour does, but it doesn’t have any of the heaviness, and will not leave you with that raw flour taste. Chickpea flour can be found in almost any supermarket aisle. It’s right by the regular flour, trust us just look up.

Tips for Making Our Zucchini Fritters

We wanted to make fritters that were light and would puff easy. This is why we chose chick pea flour. However we know not everyone has chick pea flour, or can find it, so you can also use cornmeal (if you want to keep it gluten free) or just regular flour.

The fritters make a great appetizer if you make them smaller or a side dish if you want to make them bigger. Use an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to get an even amount for each one.  

 You can make them ahead of time, lay them on a sheet pan fitted with a rack and pop them in a 325 degree oven for 5-7 minutes to warm them up again. 

Try Some of Our Other Favorite Appetizers

Zucchini Fritters

Recipe by Abuelas Cuban CounterCourse: AppetizersCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups of grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchinis, rinsed and trimmed)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and freshly cracked pepper

• 1 egg

• 1/4 parsley, chopped

• 1/3 cup, grated Parmesan 

• 1 1/2 teaspoons of creole seasoning 

• 1/2 cup of chickpea flour or fine corn masa 

• ¼ cup or more of canola or vegetable oil 

• Garnish: sour cream or crème fraiche, 1/4 cup chives, finely minced and left whole for decorating 

Directions

• Place the shredded zucchini in a colander and squeeze out any of the liquid. Let it stand for a few minutes to see if more liquid comes out. 
• Place zucchini in a large bowl. Add the egg, seasoning, onion, salt and pepper. Mix it together so it is completely mixed in. 
• Add in the chickpea flour or masa. Mix together. The mixture should be wet but stick together. If you see too much liquid add a tablespoon more of chickpea flour and mix. 
• In a nonstick pan, add a few tablespoons of the oil. Heat the oil to medium. Work in a few batches not to over crowd the pan. Drop in the zucchini mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove and drain on a wire rack.
• If the oil becomes to dark, empty out the pan and add more oil. Continue to fry the batches. 
• When you are ready to serve, garnish with sour cream or crème fraiche and a sprinkling of chives.