Zucchini Fritters

These Greek style zucchini fritters (KOLOKITHOKEFTEDES) are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. They are loaded with fresh herbs and even a bit of cheese. There are so many zucchini fritters recipes out there but these Greek style ones are my favorite. They are easy to make and are pan fried lightly to make them just crispy enough without absorbing too much oil.

Zucchini Fritters

These always remind of me of summer as a kid. We loved coming inside from a day playing outside to find a stack of these waiting for us to enjoy. My dad was and is an avid gardener. Since his knee replacement happened during gardening prep time, his garden this year is pretty much non existent other than garlic and the odd strawberry and blackberry. But in the past it’s been loaded with peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, chives, onions, garlic just to name a few. There was always so much zucchini small and large. We would eat it slice and grilled, pan fried and in these delicious fritters. This time I had some extra from a recipe I was making with them and I thought I would make them with my mom for old time sake, plus they are delicious and I could finally nail down a measured recipe for you all.

Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini Fritters

The most important thing when it comes to making these Greek style fritters is making sure you have almost no moisture left in them so be prepared to use some muscles when prepping these little guys. I usually wring them out by hand first and then use paper towels to wring then out dry as well. Too much moisture means soggy fritters and you don’t want that. Sweating them by adding a little salt and letting them sit for 10 minutes helps a lot as the salt draws out moisture and then you wring them out.

Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini Fritters

We use to eat these plain with maybe a bit of feta but I thought I would pair these babies with my creamy and delicious tzatziki which is light and tangy and pairs so well with the fritters.

Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini Fritters

The fritters themselves are light and so flavourful packed with the fresh herbs and seasonings. They make great appetisers and perfect dippers. I know you will love this super simple recipe for Greek style zucchini fritters.Enjoy!

Zucchini Fritters

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Recipe

Servings: 10-12 fritters

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Resting Time: 10 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Ingredients

  • 4 cups grated/shredded zucchini about 2-3 medium
  • ⅔ cup all purpose flour plus more if needed and also to dust with, which is optional (see notes)
  • 2 large eggs whisked
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼-½ tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 cup fresh herbs - a combination of parsley dill and mint chopped finely
  • 2 scallions chopped finely
  • 1 small onionor shallot chopped very finely (optional)
  • ¼ cup Mizithra cheese or Parmesan or even feta cheese (optional)
  • 2-3 tbsp of olive oil  

Directions

  1. Once your zucchini is grated squeeze/sprinkle a touch (¼ tsp) of salt over it and let stand 10 minutes. Then wring out the water from it using paper towels, or a clean dish towel or cheesecloth. This is a very important step to avoid soggy fritters. Squeeze out as much water as possible, then squeeze one more time for good measure.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the ‘dry’ zucchini, flour (see notes), eggs, onion powder, garlic powder, scallions, onions if using, all the fresh herbs, cheese and pepper and just a pinch of salt as salt will draw more water from the zucchini. (I usually sprinkle a little salt on them after they come out of the frying pan not before)
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat (non-stick is helpful), then add 1 Tbsp of olive oil or coconut or or cooking fat of choice (you’ll use 1 Tbsp per batch)
  4. Scoop the mixture in a heaping Tbsp, roll into a ball and then flatten in your hands to make a patty (you can use a cookie scoop for consistency as well). Dust with flour and it’s ready to be pan fried (this is optional)
  5. Gently place them into the hot skillet and then gently press down to flatten further with a wide spatula. Pan fry until golden brown approx 2-3 minutes and then carefully flip using a wide spatula. Fry on the second side another 2-3 minutes until golden brown, lowering heat a bit if necessary.
  6. When done, carefully remove to a wire rack while you make additional batches. Make sure to check and adjust heat between batches if necessary to avoid burning the fritters, and add an additional Tbsp of oil before each new batch. Serve hot with your favourite dipping sauce - I’m partial to serving them with my tzatziki.  Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • Depending on how moist the zucchini mixture is you may need to add a little extra flour. Basically you want your mixture to hold like you would when making meatballs. If it’s not holding sprinkle in extra flour a tablespoon at a time until mixture holds together.

Zucchini Fritters