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.

A stack of pan fried Italian-style zucchini fritters on a plate next to a bowl of dipping sauce.

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

Text-labeled fritter ingredients in separate bowls.

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!

Shredded zucchini tossed with salt draining in a mesh sieve set over a bowl.

Shred zucchini and place it in a large mesh sieve set over a bowl. Season with salt, stir, and let sit for 30 minutes.

Shredded zucchini after having moisture pressed out through cheesecloth.

Transfer zucchini to cheesecloth and wring out and discard as much moisture as you can. There will be a lot!

A bowl of batter in the process of being mixed together.

Beat eggs in a bowl, then stir in the dried spices, sweated zucchini, Parmesan, and parsley.

The fritter batter mixed together in a bowl with a spatula.

Stir in the flour and baking powder evenly.

Pan-fried zucchini fritters draining on a paper towel lined plate.

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.

Zucchini fritters on a plate with a sour cream dipping sauce.

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.

If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!

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