Italian zucchini fritters are easily flavored with Italian herbs and cheese and cook up into crisp patties you won't be able to get enough of! A few simple tricks yield reliably crisp and delectably golden-brown fritters without fuss. Perfect for using up summer zucchini, this recipe contains instructions for both pan frying and air frying zucchini fritters.
Fritters of some sort have long been a beloved dish in my family, though artichoke fritters tended to edge out the more commonly seen zucchini fritters. Both delicious, of course, and funnily enough neither were ever really served with a dipping sauce.
When you have a hungry crowd hovering over the plate of just-cooked fritters willing them to cool down faster, all thoughts of a side sauce go out the window!
Now in zucchini season, I've kept this recipe for Italian zucchini fritters handy for appetizers, small plates, snacks, a part of dinner...really anytime I can sneak them into our menu. Italian cheese and a seasoning blend adds the perfect amount of flavor to fritters - I can't make them any other way!
With simple steps, this recipe highlights a few key elements so you can produce a crisp crust, balanced saltiness, and tasty flavor every time.
Why This Recipe Works
- Sufficient sweating the shredded zucchini is really important for developing crisp fritter crust.
- A medley of herbs and spices flavors a somewhat-bland vegetable (sorry!) just right and along with Parmesan, provides Italian-style flair.
- Just a little baking powder in the batter results in fritters that rise beautifully.
- The recipe card below also includes tested steps to turn this batter into air fryer zucchini fritters, too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Zucchini: Look to use small to medium/medium-large zucchini with firm, unblemished skin. The recipe card measurement is given in shredded cups so the zucchini size doesn't need to be precise. Huge zucchini may be bitter and are generally considered less flavorful.
- Parmesan: Another hard Italian cheese, like Pecorino Romano, works just as well.
- Eggs & Flour: Necessary to bind everything together and give the zucchini fritters structure.
- Dried Spices: These include garlic powder, oregano, basil, and black pepper.
- Baking Powder: So the texture is not so dense.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Sweating Zucchini for Fritters
It's essential to "sweat" the shredded zucchini before making these Italian-style zucchini fritters, which means salting the zucchini and letting it sit before squeezing out the liquid. Zucchini have a very high water content, and excess water impedes achieving that crispy texture we know and love when it comes to fritters.
Three medium to medium-large zucchini can release 12-13 ounces of liquid!
- Shred zucchini and place it in a large mesh sieve set over a bowl. Season with salt, stir, and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Transfer zucchini to cheesecloth and wring out and discard as much moisture as you can. There will be a lot!
- Beat eggs in a bowl, then stir in the dried spices, sweated zucchini, Parmesan, and parsley.
- Stir in the flour and baking powder evenly.
I like to cook Italian zucchini fritters two ways - pan fried and air fried. Both are delicious and hold together well, though understandably the pan fried fritters win out on achieving the crispiest, tastiest crust.
- Pan fry: Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then pan fry patties for 2-3 minutes per side, or until a deep golden-brown crust develops. Transfer cooked fritters to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil as they cool.
- Air fry: Generally grease your air fryer basket OR line the bottom of your air fryer basket with parchment paper and shape the batter into equal patties. Spray the top of each fritter with olive oil, then air fry for 7-8 minutes. Flip, spray the new fritter tops with oil, then air fry again for 5-8 minutes, or until golden-brown. These don't require draining on a paper towel.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- No Peeling - You do not need to peel zucchini before making zucchini fritters.
- No Rinsing - Do not rinse off the salt after sweating the zucchini.
- Pan Size - Don't use your largest skillet here as the oil will have a larger surface area to run off to and be thinner. I reach for my 10-inch pan, but one even smaller would be fine.
- Freezing Zucchini Fritters - Once cooled, you can freeze cooked zucchini fritters for 3 months in an air-tight container or bag with all excess air pressed out. Place a square of wax or parchment paper between fritters when stacking to prevent them from freezing together. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating Zucchini Fritters - Reheat in a skillet set over low heat, a low toaster oven, air fryer, or oven to best regain some crispness. Avoid the microwave as that will lead to soggy fritters.
- Dipping Sauce - I don't really measure on the occasions I make a zucchini fritter dipping sauce, but the one pictured here is a mixture of sour cream, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, chopped parsley and a bunch of dried seasonings to taste: garlic powder, thyme, chives, shallots, oregano, salt, and pepper. Absolutely delicious, and I will update this post with a link to the recipe once I detail the measurements.
- Prevent Air Fryer Sticking - Lining the bottom of an air fryer basket with parchment paper can be helpful to prevent soft doughs (like air fryer pigs in a blanket) or batters from sticking. This is especially true if you have a basket-style tray as it common with air fryer/toaster oven models. Follow the important tips in the box below, as well as all safety instructions relevant to your specific model.
Air Frying with Parchment Paper
Make sure the parchment paper is trimmed down to only cover the bottom of the basket and is not going up or hanging over the sides. Also be sure to place a fritter near each corner of the parchment paper to weigh it down. Reason being is that once the air fryer fan begins, any excess/loose parchment can lift off the tray and risks burning if it gets too close to the heating element.
Related Recipes
Did you enjoy this recipe? I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a comment review in the recipe card below!
Italian Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 5 ½ cups shredded zucchini (about 3 medium to medium-large zucchini)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons fine salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¼ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 ¼ teaspoons dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup finely-shredded Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
- ¼ cup finely-chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- Olive oil for pan frying
Instructions
Prepare the Batter
- Grate zucchini (no need to peel) and add it to a large sieve set over a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and toss to combine evenly. Let the zucchini sit for 30 minutes. Use this time to prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Press down on the zucchini to release even more water, then transfer the grated zucchini to a large piece of cheesecloth or a clean thin dish towel. Wrap it up in a secure bundle and squeeze out and discard as much liquid as you can.
- Beat eggs in a mixing bowl until smooth, then whisk in the garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, and pepper. Add the wrung out zucchini, Parmesan, and parsley and stir to combine. Stir in the flour and baking powder until evenly combined.
Pan Fry Instructions
- Add 3 Tablespoons of oil to a 10-inch non-stick pan set over medium heat. Once sufficiently heated, scoop roughly 1 ½-Tablespoons of batter into the pan and flatten out a bit with the back of the scoop or a spoon. You will likely be able to fit 3-4 fritters at a time so you'll have to cook in batches.
- Pan fry for 2-3 minutes per side, flipping once the bottom side reaches a deep golden-brown. Transfer cooked fritters to a paper towel-lined plate or a wire rack. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining batter, adding a little extra olive oil to the pan as needed throughout. Adjust the heat if needed to prevent burning. Serve immediately.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Spray air fryer basket generously with cooking spray or cut a sheet of parchment paper just large enough to lay flat on the bottom of your air fryer basket. Make sure it does not overhang the sides at all.
- Scoop the fritter batter onto the prepared basket and shape into patties of equal thinness. Work in a single layer and leave some space between each one. If using parchment paper, be sure to place fritters near all four corners so that the edges don't flip up once the fan mechanism begins.
- Spray each fritter with olive oil then air fry at 350°F for 7-8 minutes. Flip each fritter over, spray the now-top side with olive oil again, and air fryer for another 5-8 minutes, or until deeply golden-brown to your liking.
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
Susan Renee Hennings says
Can these fritters be baked?
Alyssa says
Hi Susan, I haven't personally baked these but I'm not sure if they'd crisp up to that nice fritter texture in the oven. The flavor would be there though! If I were to give it a try, I'd use a hot oven temperature (425°F) and generously grease the pan with oil (similar to how I make my baked salmon patties: https://www.mysequinedlife.com/baked-salmon-patties/ ). I hope that's helpful, please let me know if you give them a try!