Zucchini Fritters are an appetizer made with zucchini and corn, fried to a crispy golden brown and dipped in a homemade seasoned sour cream.
ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
Zucchini and corn are a couple of my favorite summertime vegetables. The more ways to use these in recipes, the better! I love the taste of the sweet corn in every bite, and they would be a perfect appetizer or side dish.
I paired them with a homemade seasoned sour cream, which only added to the savory flavors. But, you could enjoy these fritters with or without the sour cream.
ZUCCHINI FRITTERS RECIPE
The fritters and seasoned sour cream are the two main parts of this recipe. You could make the sour cream dipping sauce first, and keep it in the refrigerator until the fritters are made. Or, there is plenty of time to mix it together while you are frying the fritters.
Fritters Ingredients (full recipe below)
- Zucchini–Make sure you drain the grated zucchini as best you can to get out the most moisture.
- Corn kernels–You could use frozen corn, but make sure it is thawed and really well-drained before adding it to the fritter batter.
- Onion–The grated onion also needs to be drained.
- Garlic
- Mozzarella cheese
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil
Dipping Sauce Ingredients
- Sour cream
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Garlic salt
- Cayenne pepper
HOW TO PREPARE THE ZUCCHINI
To grate the zucchini, don’t peel it or take out the seeds. Just rinse the zucchini well in cool or lukewarm water, cut off the ends, and simply grate it. Then, remove any excess moisture from the grated zucchini. Gently wrap the zucchini in a paper towel (or a clean dish towel) to dry it out a bit. Wrap it up in a paper towel again if there is remaining moisture. For the best results, you want to drain the zucchini as much as possible. You will need about 4 cups of grated zucchini.
HOW TO MAKE ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
After the zucchini has been grated, put it in a large bowl. Add the drained corn kernels, drained grated onion, garlic, mozzarella cheese, eggs, flour, salt, and pepper. Mix everything together well. (If the batter seems too thick, let it sit for a while, but don’t add any more liquid.) Set that aside as you heat up the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. The level of heat is very important when making these fritters. If the temperature is too high or too low, the fritters will not turn out as expected.
To fry the fritters, use a 3 tablespoon scoop (like an ice cream scoop) to add the batches of fritter batter to the skillet. Flatten the batter to about a 3-inch fritter and about as thick as a fluffy pancake. I could fit 3-4 in the skillet at one time; just be sure to not overcrowd the pan. Cook the fritters for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until they are a deep brown (but not burned). If you haven’t already, this would be a great time to make the dipping sauce.
After the fritters have been fried to a deep brown on both sides, remove them from the skillet and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve them when they are nice and hot and crispy! The leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days. If you freeze them, they will last up to a month. Be sure to label and date the containers you are freezing them in.
HOW TO MAKE THE DIPPING SAUCE
This seasoned sour cream is SO GOOD on the Zucchini Fritters. I loved the fritters without it, but it just adds so much additional flavor when you dip the fritters in the seasoned sour cream.
To make it, simply mix together the sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper. If you are making this ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
CAN I BAKE ZUCCHINI FRITTERS?
Yes! If you want to skip the oil and the frying, go for it! These turn out great when baked! To bake the fritters, make the batter as instructed. But, instead of frying them in oil, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with nonstick spray and scoop the batter onto the lined baking sheet, flattening them out a bit like when frying.
Bake the fritters for 15-20 minutes PER SIDE at 375°F, or until they are golden brown. Again, serve immediately, with or without the dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Ingredients
FRITTERS
- 2 large zucchini, grated (about 4 cups) and well-drained
- 1 can corn kernels, drained
- 1/2 small white or yellow onion, grated and drained of liquid
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
DIPPING SAUCE
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
FRITTERS
Trim the ends off the zucchini and shred on a grater. Remove excess water from zucchini by wrapping in a paper towel and tightly squeezing. Wrap it in another paper towel if there is any remaining liquid in the zucchini. (You want to make sure to get as much moisture out of the zucchini as you can.)
Add the drained zucchini to a large mixing bowl.
Add drained corn, drained onion, garlic, cheese, eggs, flour, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Using a 3 tablespoon ice cream scoop, add fritter batter to the pan in batches of 3 or 4. (Don’t overcrowd the pan). Flatten the tops, so that each scoop is about 3 inches wide and as thick as a fluffy pancake.
Cook the fritters for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until the fritters are a deep brown, but not burned. Repeat with the remaining batter. Place the cooked fritters on a paper towel-lined plate to serve immediately. As you are cooking the fritters, make the dipping sauce.
DIPPING SAUCE
In a medium bowl mix sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Set in the fridge to chill while you finish cooking the fritters.
