Zucchini fritters are easy to make, and a fabulous way to use seasonal zucchini! This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and oil-free.
FAQ: I have a lot of zucchini, what can I make?!
I created this recipe for vegan zucchini fritters when growing our own zucchini one year. Now, those zucchini can’t grow fast enough to keep up with how much we love this recipe!
Say hello to these vegan zucchini fritters.
I get this question often, and I see it a lot on social media.
Maybe we have a garden with zucchini plants producing well, or perhaps we get CSA boxes, and during the summer it’s zuke overload! Or, we just see them incredibly fresh at farmers’ markets or in grocery stores at a steal.
Whatever the reason, we need some good recipes to make use of summer squash. Especially when you get one of those huuuuge zukes!
Granted, I don’t buy them that big. Zukes taste better when smaller: they are sweeter, with smaller almost imperceptible seeds, and thin skins.
When those zucchini are a little larger (or we simply have quite a few smaller ones), these zucchini fritters will serve you well.
Last year I posted this zucchini bread, which is delicious if you haven’t yet tried it. #hinthint
But, we don’t always want to bake. Especially during those hot spells of summer.
And, as much as I love sweets, we all appreciate a good savory recipe.
So, I shifted gears from sweet to savory to create these new… scrumptious… zucchini fritters!
Why These Zucchini Fritters Work So Well!
Zukes are underappreciated in the veggie world, imo.
The question is always “how do I USE UP these zucchini“… rather than “woohoo look I have all these zukes“!
I mean, if we got a score of avocs or spuds, I don’t think we’d be searching a way to “use them up“!
It makes sense. Zukes don’t have a particularly distinctive flavor or texture – like red peppers, or sweet potatoes, or mushrooms.
They are somewhat bland and watery, seemingly unremarkable.
But it’s their rather unremarkable flavor and texture that makes them a great candidate for certain recipes.
They take on flavors very well, much like tofu. And their high-moisture content makes them useful for things like zuke bread – and these fritters!
The chickpea flour in this recipe is essential. Please don’t fuss with substitutions. It’s perfect here, and is usually fairly inexpensive (especially in ethnic food sections of stores).
However, an important heads-up about the chickpea flour: do NOT eat the batter raw. Uncooked chickpea flour tastes awful – and can also upset your stomach.
So, tasting the batter = no-no. And I don’t say that often. 😉🍪
Speaking of cooking, I use my ScanPan to pan-fry these without oil. I tried baking them, and the flavor/texture just wasn’t the same.
So, do yourself a favor and pan-fry. Use a good quality non-toxic pan. I highly recommend a scan-pan if you don’t know which brand to buy.
The recipe has some additional notes for seasonings that are useful to review. Other than that, though, these are easy to make!
Enjoy, kids, and please leave some feedback. So few comments on these new recipes – no clue if you’re lovin’ them!
Here are some more kid-friendly recipes for the family to enjoy!
- Chickpea Salad
- Creamy Hummus
- Vegan Banana Bread
- Hummus Tortilla Pizzas
- 10 Minute Avocado Pasta
- Healthy Vegan Rice Krispy Treats
Easy Vegan Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 3 cups grated zucchini yellow or green, do not peel, just trim ends; use large hole of a standard cheese grater
- 3/4 – 1 cup chickpea flour see note
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp sesame tahini
- 1 tsp dijon mustard (optional)
- 3-4 tbsp chives or sliced green onions green portion
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp dill seed don’t substitute dried dill week; see note for substitutions
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (it’s helpful to first whisk together the tahini with the lemon juice and dijon). Combine with a spoon or spatula until you have a uniform mixture. As the zucchini releases moisture (from the added salt), the chickpea flour will absorb that liquid. Allow mixture to sit for 15-20 minutes.
- When ready to cook, heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Use an ice cream scoop to measure the mix, and transfer level scoops to your skillet. Use a spatula to flatten into a fritter shape on the pan.
- Cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, until golden on the first side. Flip with the spatula, and cook for another 2-4 minutes on the second side.
- If the fritters are getting too brown, reduce heat to allow the centers of the fritters to cook more fully. Work in batches, you should be able to cook the mixture in two batches on the pan. Once golden brown and set, remove and serve immediately. Makes 7-8 fritters, serving 3 as a light meal, or more as an appetizer (see note).
Notes
- Cooking Note: These are best pan-fried. Oven baking doesn’t give the same texture. I use a large ScanPan for these (and for other oil-free pan cooking).
- Serving Suggestions: These make a light meal, or a delightful appetizer. Try serving with a vegan sour cream (or a thinned cream cheese – try thinning this recipe with a little water), or even simply with ketchup or a balsamic reduction. Also try these as a savory breakfast!
- Flour Note: Depending on the moisture in the zucchini, and how it measures grated, you may need more/less flour. I like 3/4 cup – it yields fritters that are still moist with the zucchini but hold together just fine. You can always start with 3/4 cup, and adjust with a touch more flour if you like as you start to cook. More flour will yield firmer patties. As mentioned in the blog post, don’t substitute other flour here.
- Dill Seed Note: Dill seed beautifully accents these fritters. If you don’t have it, I wouldn’t substitute fresh or dried dill weed. Instead, try substituting 1/4-1/2 tsp cumin seed or fennel seed.
- Batch Note: If you have hearty appetites or serving more than 3 people, definitely double this recipe!
- Appetizer Note: Shape these into smaller fritters for appetizer or nibbler portions. You can serve each with a small dollop of vegan sour cream or a drizzle of a balsamic reduction.
Photos credit: Angela MacNeil
Ella says
I made these as directed, and was pleased with the result. I’m not a big fan of dill except in pickles, so next time I will use a different spice. I froze most of them to have on hand later. I was planning to eat them with a hummus dressing, and that was delicious, but today I had them dunked in tomato soup, and they worked pretty well as a healthier replacement for grilled cheese. Nice to have something to help with the tomato soup!
Dreena Burton says
Hi Ella, thank you for the response, so happy you are enjoying the recipe and will find ways to customize to enjoy even more!
Tricia says
Wow! We‘ve been cooking everything with our bumper crop of zucchini and just tried these fritters tonight. This recipe is a keeper! Only change we made: we added 2 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast. The dill seeds really are a great addition. Thanks so much for another zucchini recipe winner!
Dreena Burton says
So happy you love them, Tricia, we do too. Thanks for the glowing feedback!
Jude Yo says
I have no non stick pans so can you advise another way of cooking? Air fryer? Baking? Roasting? Boiling? , ha, just kidding on that one! Temperature and times please include. Thank you all very much!
Karen Booth says
You can line your pan with parchment paper. Then as soon as you can buy a good nonstick pan. To make fat free cooking simple and easy. You deserve good health. And cutting parchment paper to keep things from sticking might become tedious.
Eilene says
I just made the zucchini fritters. They are delicious and the dill seed is just the right addition. I bought the dill seeds on Amazon. I never used them before and I loved the flavor. This will be a staple all summer long.
Thank you for a great recipe.
Dreena says
Thank you Eilene for the wonderful review! I’m so happy you are loving the recipe. -Dreena
Morgan says
Delicious! I added shredded carrots and some chopped spinach to increase the batch I was making. I also added more lemon juice, tahini and mustard for a stronger flavor. Thanks for sharing!
Dreena Burton says
Thanks for the glowing review, Morgan, so happy you loved them!
Karen Reinhard says
Do you squeeze out liquid of zucchini first before mixing it in with the other ingredients?
Dreena Burton says
Hi Karen, no, you just add the zukes. The liquid from the zukes will be absorbed by the chickpea flour. Easy!
Paula says
I just made them and they are great! I used Garlic salt, chilli sauce and they set perfectly, they didn’t fall apart at all! Love love love 😀
Dreena says
So happy you loved them, thank you Paula for the feedback and great review!
Janet says
I love these fritters without the optional dijon mustard (I tried it both ways)! I couldn’t find dill seed, so I tried the alternate cumin seed and fennel seed that you suggested. I REALLY like them with fennel seed! I dip them in ketchup. My nonstick pan apparently isn’t non-stick, so I tried broiling them, and that worked great! Thank you!
debbie says
Will the recipe change if I do not use the dill since I don’t like dill or cumin?
Dreena says
Hi Debbie, it won’t affect the texture, just flavor. So you might add some garlic or onion powder, or other spice/herb that you like for a boost of flavor.
Anat from Israel says
WOW. GREAT. easy recipe, tasty flavors. works good without oil. THANK YOU
Dreena says
Thank you Anat, appreciate the great review and so happy you enjoyed the fritters.
Lynn says
Hi Dreena!
Love all of your recipes! I have one request, it would be so helpful if you posted nutritional information on your recipes. My husband is a type 1 insulin dependent diabetic so this would be helpful in calculating his dosage.
Dreena says
Hi Lynn, thanks so much, I’m glad you are enjoying my recipes. I’d love to offer it, perhaps in time, when I can bring on an assistant to take care of that additional admin work. It’s a lot for me to cover myself for all of my recipes. If it helps, you can enter the nutritional information in this site: https://nutritiondata.self.com/ (there are others, but this is the one I’m most familiar with). That way you can compute the nutritional stats to approximate a given recipe.
Susan says
These are exceptional!!
Grated a medium cooked potato into mixture, as per another poster.
Part of my regular fare now!
Thanks for another great recipe.
Dreena says
Thank you Susan! I appreciate your feedback and rating. So happy they will be in regular rotation for you. 🙂
Riaz khan says
loved this zucchini recipe. I will definitely try it.
Kirstin says
These were delicious!! And easy to make. Thanks Dreena!
Greetings from Germany:-)
Susan says
These look delicious! I’m hoping to fix them later today, but I don’t have chickpea flour. Can I grind dry chickpeas to make my own flour?
Thank you for your help
Dreena says
Hi Susan, yes you can. If you have a high-speed blender you can grind dry chickpeas. May be very noisy, but should do the trick!
Ioana says
Mine turned out bitter, could that be from the chickpea flour? I did add a bit more than the recipe says and it was my first time cooking with it
Dreena says
Hi Loana, it sounds like it might have been. If the patties were too thick the batter may not have fully cooked inside. Chickpea flour tastes *really* bad uncooked. Either try a little less next time, or flatten more when cooking. Hope that helps.
Susan says
@Ioana, it could also have been from a bitter zucchini.
Riannon bruce says
Tried these tonight but added a grated potato as well. Absolutely delicious thanks for sharing the recipe
Dreena says
so happy you enjoyed them, Riannon! Potatoes, yes! I’ve been doing the same with grated potatoes (using leftovers), makes them more filling too.
Karen Booth says
Yum. A friend gave me an unidentified summer squash. Which seems a lot like green pumpkin. Turned out delicious with this recipe. I did add some fresh onion and swiss chard since the squash was not as watery as zucchini. Served with tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and tzatziki sauce. So good. Thank you.
Dreena says
Thanks for the note, Karen! So glad you were able to use that summer squash. Love your serving suggestion. 🙂
Carol says
Hi Dreena-
Made a double batch right off the bat cause I knew we’d love ‘em!
We’ve had a hearty green salad ( beans tomatoes cucumbers red onion,etc) with these to round out the meal.
We sopped up the balsamic dressing with the fritters. Heavenly summer dinner.
Thank you for all your yummy recipes over the years. ♥️
Vegan now for 10 + years.
Dreena says
So happy to read that, thanks Carol – and for the kind words.
Teri McCallum says
I have played around with a lot of chickpea pancakes because I love them so much. Your suggestion to let the batter was the tip I needed. Thank you so much. I made this according to your recipe with the exception of doubling up on the dill and adding basil. They were fantastic!
Dreena says
Hi Teri, thanks for the feedback. I’m so happy these worked well for you! Many thanks -D.
Sabine says
Hi Dreena! These are so good. I’ve been making them for breakfast these last few days every since I saw you on an interview with Chef AJ. Your recipe books were a great help when I transitioned from vegetarian to vegan 9 years ago.
I’ve added a few things to my zucchini fritters because I just can’t leave a good recipe alone. I use the besan flour and add in a few tablespoons of quick-cook oats, and I also add in a few tablespoons of hulled hemp seeds. I’ve also tried different spices (curry, TexMex, dill) and I don’t see my fritter love ending any time soon. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Sabine says
Ooops, forgot to mention that I make them in my non-stick waffle iron. Soooo easy and delicious..
Dreena says
Hi Sabine, thanks for your kind note. I really appreciate that, and delighted you are enjoying the fritters… and that you are making them your own! That’s what cooking is about. Thanks again!
Samara says
These are the best! Simple to make and cook and perfectly delicious zucchini fritters. Love the dill seed, too. Thanks for another sensational recipe Dreena!!
Dreena says
Wonderful, thank you Samara!
Juliet says
Is it possible to sub quinoa flour or another flour for chickpea? Can’t have chickpeas.
Dreena says
Hi Juliet, I haven’t tested with other flours. I wouldn’t use quinoa. Can you use red lentil flour?
Anna says
Fantastic!!
Tanya says
These are delicious! I used mung flour as it’s all I had and it worked really well;-) Am making a second batch for my son’s 4th birthday;-)
Trish Aquino says
Hi Dreena! I have made these twice now and am going to make a double batch tonight. I followed the instructions and they are fantastic! They cook up perfectly and are delicious! I have no side effects, no bloating, and feel GREAT after eating. That’s how eating is supposed to be! Thank you! I can’t wait to pick up one of your cookbooks!
Dreena says
So, so happy to read this. Thanks Trish – and yes, we should indeed feel good after eating!
Susan says
I only have regular non-stick frying pans, not a scan pan. I tried these and they stuck like crazy. We ate them anyhow, even though they were basically piles of mush with all of the browned bits stuck to the pan. The flavor is DELICIOUS, so I would really like to make this work! Any advice? Perhaps I needed to add more chickpea flour; they were still somewhat loose and moist when I made the patties. Would that make them less likely to stick? (I was thinking the opposite, that more moisture would mean less sticking, but maybe I have it backwards).
Dreena says
Hi Susan, did you change any of the ingredients? If not, I’d suggest letting the fritters set longer. Don’t flip until they are very well set on the first side. Also, be sure the pan is preheated nicely. Depends on the pan, but just like pancakes, the first batch is never the best. Because the heat in the pan evens out better. So, try those things and hopefully should work much better.
Lisa Silva says
You could also try putting a small square of eco baking paper in the pan when you cook if things stick to your pan
Dreena says
great suggestion, thanks Lisa!
Olwyn says
I love these Dreena! Made my first batch with a golden zucchini I was gifted with and I am making them again with a smaller green one. I thought I was using dill seed but it was celery seed – I still loved them! Now I am looking for a scan pan as my nonstick pan is not cooperating! I don’t use oil so I need a good one and am grateful for the recommendation.
Stephanie says
Perfect timing on the Zucchini Fritter recipe, Dreena. I picked a medium sized one yesterday from my garden and was trying to decide what to do with it. I ended up using the whole cup of chickpea flour as my zucchini was quite moist.I started with 3/4 of a cup, but about 10 minutes into the wait time, I stirred the mixture and it seemed too wet so I added 1/8 of a cup, stirred, then added another 1/8 of a cup. I also used the kala namak as you recommended above. I used my non-stick pancake griddle and they all fit on at once. I had some leftover marinara sauce that I served on top. My husband LOVED them and so did I. They are easy and very tasty. I will definitely make them again.
Melody says
Loved this I don’t use tahini so subbed w soy sauce and I did use dill weed as can’t
Have seeds !
Theses are by far my very very Favorite
Thanks for the inspiration ❤️❤️❤️
SandyinAnaheim says
I just made these and they’re really good!! I received the email earlier in the week and have been waiting eagerly to make them. I’m Italian and just HAD to modify them a little to add garlic, onion and a little red pepper flakes. That worked REALLY well. Thanks Dreena!
BTW – You mention a note re the amount of chickpea flour, but I don’t see it?
Kayme says
These look sooo good! I always see fritters with eggs and wish there were a way I could veganize them. You’ve gone and done it for me! Can’t wait to try them. Thank you!
Mary Krickimire says
Do they freeze well? My husband would eat these but we are empty nesters and I don’t want them to spoil. I make chick pea patties and they freeze well. Thank you
Dreena says
Hi Mary, I haven’t tried freezing them – mostly because the batch doesn’t last long! It’s not a huge batch, and they are light in texture (unlike a bean burger). I’d suggest making them, and just refrigerating any extras. Then you can reheat or use in a sandwich, etc. Hope that helps.
Melody says
I froze mine then when I’m hungry for them I just pop in toaster oven
Love these Dreena!!!!! Best EVER
Dreena says
Hi Kayme, thanks, I think you’ll love them! Also, if you want to add an ‘eggy’ flavor without the egg, you can reduce the salt and add in some black salt (kala namak).
Enjoy!