Healthy Zucchini Fritters

Ingredients For Zucchini Fritters

• Healthy Zucchini - You'll need two zucchinis to make these fritters. Once grated, this should make about 4 cups. Depending on where you're located in the world or what's available, you can choose from various kinds of zucchini. Feel free to use what you are familiar with. I used medium zucchini in this recipe, which came out about 4 cups.
• Flour - Use gluten-free or regular all-purpose flour. Plant-based flour such as almond flour, coconut flour, or chickpea flour, will also work.
• Eggs - The eggs help to bind the ingredients so that the fritters hold shape while cooking and eating. 
• Oil - to pan fry these zucchini fritters use the highest quality olive oil.If you don't have olive oil, you can also use vegetable oil or avocado oil. There are some easy key factors to look into when purchasing olive oil.
• Parsley - Fresh or dried parsley will do. You can also use dill or chopped green onion or fresh cilantro. 
• Vegeta - This is my favorite all-purpose seasoning. You could easily make your own seasoning blend by mixing 2 tablespoons of paprika, 2 teaspoons of onion powder, 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of black pepper, 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 ½ teaspoons of dried basil, 1 ½ teaspoons of dried parsley, and 1 ½ teaspoons of dried oregano. This amount will last for multiple recipes. Here we use only about 1 teaspoon of Vegeta.  
• Seasonings - vegeta already contains salt but these fritters should have enough seasoning overall and you may need to add more salt separately.

Tips For Making Gluten Free Zucchini Fritters

• Before serving the crispy zucchini fritters, place them in a single layer on paper towels so that any excess grease from the frying gets absorbed. 
• To make uniform-sized fritter balls, measure the zucchini mixture using an ice cream scoop. Squeeze lever scoops work best for easy removal of the fritter batter. 
• If you are concerned that the fritter patties will fall apart when frying, place the rolled balls in the freezer for about 20 minutes first, which should help them keep their shape. 
• Leftover zucchini fritters that have been frozen can be reheated in a skillet, toaster oven, or in an air fryer, but you'll need to keep a close watch on them as it's easy to overcook them. 
• Cheesy fritters! A delicious add-in that you may like to consider is freshly grated cheddar cheese or Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup). 
• I like to leave the zucchini unpeeled but it is only if I have the best, new, and freshest zucchini available. Younger zucchini's skin is great in flavor and not bitter and tough like some bigger and older zucchinis. But this is rather a rare occurrence.

How Can I Prevent Soggy Zucchini Patties?

Soggy fritters are anything but enjoyable to eat. Here are some ways that you can prevent soggy zucchini fritters:

• Shred the zucchini into smaller pieces. Larger grated pieces of zucchini will naturally hold extra water which can contribute to soggy fritters. Shred the zucchini as you would potato when making hash browns. 
• Once shredded, sprinkling the zucchini with salt will help to draw out excess moisture in the veggies. It's important to let the freshly shredded zucchini sit in a fine sieve over a bowl for about 10-15 minutes so that the salt has enough of an effect and the liquid collects in the bowl below. 
• Wrap the shredded zucchini in a fine cheesecloth and physically press or squeeze any excess water out. 
• Ensure you fry both sides of the fritters so that each side crisps up and turns a golden brown. 
• When reheating stored fritters, avoid the microwave which will turn the fritters soggy. Rather, reheat in a skillet, toaster oven, or air fryer. 

Freezing And Storing Instructions

• Store. Once the fritters are cooked, let them cool completely and store them in a food-airtight container for 3-4 days. If you have any leftover zucchini, store it properly in the fridge.
• Reheat in the oven (best results), air fryer at 400 F for 5 minutes, microwave, or in a nonstick skillet with very little oil.
• Make ahead. Zucchini fritter batter is very easy to make ahead. Zucchinis can be grated 1-2 days in advance and stored in the fridge.
• The zucchini corn fritters batter mixed with all the ingredients will chill beautifully in the fridge for 2-3 days and will be ready for cooking. The chilled batter makes slightly crispier fritters!
• Freeze. Transfer cooked fritters to a glass container with a lid (add layers of parchment paper in between the fritters) and pop them into the freezer.
• They'll be good for up to 2 months.