Are fritters a breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack type of recipe? What's your vote?
As I was categorizing this post I realized I would eat them at all four times. For a savoury breakfast, these Baked Vegan Zucchini Fritters served with a dollop of sour cream, a side of apple sauce, some home fries and a light salad would be just divine. For lunch I could see them served along side a bowl of tomato soup and maybe a light salad here as well (I love salad)! For dinner, with Creamy Coconut Garlic Mushrooms, and some mashed potatoes. For a snack, I just pick one up and eat it cold, no utensils needed. You could even layer these into a sandwich or use as salad topper. So many scrumptious options.
So why does my recipe make only 6 zucchini fritters? Because I'm a damn fool that's why. I would make another batch right away but I am out of zucchini. Boo-urns. So you are welcome to double this recipe if you like.
These are definitely going to be a new regular for me. Light, healthy, easy to pull together, fancy looking, fancy tasting, all the fancy things I like in a recipe. I think I will make them in larger batches and even try freezing some. Quick fancy brunch, here I come!! So fancy.
Side note: I said it too many times! The word fancy is starting to not sound like a real word anymore. I hate it when that happens!
To make these fritters into fritters, and not soggy blobs of zucchini, you will first need to grate the zucchini.
Then line a bowl with a clean dish towel, and fill with the grated zucchini. Sprinkle with magic fairy dust... or salt, whatever you call it. Toss, and then let rest for 10 minutes. The salt will help pull the water out of the zucchini. Then you just gather up the sides of the cloth, so that the zucchini is trapped inside, then squeeze the zucchini so that water is released. Do this for a minute or two so most of the water comes out. You will never get ALL the water out, zucchini is 95% water!! So don't even try. Just get the excess out.
Now add the zucchini to a bowl along with onion, garlic, whole wheat flour, nutritional yeast, and flax, and mix to combine.
Form your patties and bake for 20-25 minutes flipping once midway through, until golden on both sides and cooked through.
Top with a dollop of vegan sour cream, some fresh chives, a crack of pepper, or however you like.
Baked Vegan Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 4 cups grated zucchinis
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground flax or ground chia
- 3 tablespoons warm water
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Line a large strainer with a clean dishcloth and fill with the grated zucchini. Sprinkle the salt over the zucchini then lightly toss the zucchini to coat. Let rest for 10 minutes. Gather all ends of the dishcloth so that the zucchini is trapped inside, now squeeze the zucchini, squishing out the water. Squeezed out as much water as possible.
- In a small bowl mix together the flax and warm water. Set that aside.
- In a large bowl mix together the squeezed zucchini, onion, flour, nutritional yeast, flax mixture, and garlic. Mix well. Scoop up enough for one fritter in your hands, and form a patty. The dough will be quite sticky. Spread them out on your baking sheet. If they are a little messy you can tidy them up by wetting your hands and patting them into shape.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping them once midway through. They are ready when both sides are nicely browned and they are cooked through. Serve hot or cold with a dollop of vegan sour cream, or your favourite dipping sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Featured Ingredient: Zucchini. 46 Recipes 82 Days to go!
Bon Appetegan
Sam.
Kassy | Enjoying Earth says
I only recently found your blog, and I have been preparing to make pretty much all of your recipes at this point, but it all started here! The only vegetable I had left was zucchini a few nights ago so I searched for an easy recipe to use them in, and I landed over here. They were so so good! These babies will forever be on my go-to list for quick and delicious meals, and I think I am going to make mini fritters for my a party tomorrow night to get some non-vegan opinions 😉 I'm sure they will be a hit!
Sam says
Yay!!! Welcome to my blog. So happy you loved the recipe Kassy! I hope you try and love many more of my recipes. Just let me know if you ever have a question 🙂
Amanda says
Hey there, the flavor was great but texture not so good gummy, stuck to pan, and never browned. What temperature do you cook them at and you never mentioned greasing the baking pan. Remember newbie chefs such as my husband who attempted these might be trying to follow your recipes.
Sam says
Hmmmm you're not the first person who had trouble with this recipe. I'm not sure why, but I have put it on my list to make them again to see if I can give any other pointers. I will let you know if something changes. Sorry about the recipe not turning out great Amanda! I will do my best to fix it for you 🙂
Sam says
Follow up: I tested the recipe again, and it turned out great for me. These fritters are pretty moist on the inside, so if that's not your thing, you could try making mini versions to help them get dryer through out. I also found that if you leave them out overnight they dry out a bit more too.
Maya says
I have brewers yeast from making lactation cookies. Can I substitute it in place of nutritional yeast?
Sam says
Hi Maya,
I think that should work fine, nutritional yeast is slightly nuttier in flavour, so the recipe may taste a little different but it should be ok.
Enjoy!
Leigh says
I made these last night for the first time - OH MAN so good!
Thank you for sharing all the yummy!!
Sam says
So happy you loved them Leigh! Thank you for coming back and leaving your review 😀
Monique McDowell says
Holy.Crap. I was expecting to like this fritter ok. But then I made a sauce to dip them in and I'm suddenly head over heels for these fritters. This recipe is going into weekly rotation effective immediately!
Sam says
Haha! That's awesome!! I'm so happy you liked the fritters so much Monique! What sauce did you make?
Monique says
Sam,
I made a sauce I got from a recipe for salmon cakes....tastes like spicy yum yum!
I doubled up on the recipe and am so glad I did! Heading to the store after work to buy more zucchini and onion to make these for tonight!!
1/2 cup mayo (I used vegenaise)
1 t hot sauce
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 t capers
1 t ketchup
1 garlic clove (I used habanero garlic)
pinch of old bay
blend together in a mixer
(I also added a couple squirts of siracha)
Sam says
Oh that sounds great! Thank you for sharing Monique 🙂
Susan Wolfe says
I'm curious if you tried to freeze them? And if you did, did you cook them first?
Sam says
Hi Susan,
I haven't tried to freeze them because I have a teeny tiny freezer (and I also tend to eat the entire pan in one go) haha. I think they would freeze well once cooked. Then you could spread them out on a baking tray, and bake at a lower temperature until hot and crisp again. If you give it a try, let us know how it works out for you.
Dee says
Making them now. Had to throw away a whole tray because they wouldn't brown and. Couldn't be released from parchment lined tray. Made a triple batch and fried them. Then they were great!
Sam says
Hmmmm I am wondering if my oven temperature was off when I wrote this recipe... Although I see it worked for some people. So happy you were able to fry them and rescue them!
Sherrie says
Sorry to burst everyone's bubble but I made these and they were AWFUL. Followed the recipe exactly but substituted all-purpose flour for the whole wheat flour. Grated the zucchini and squished the water out using a kitchen towel. Placed the patties on parchment paper to bake.
They came out soft and gummy, even baked them a little longer because they never really browned.
I ended up throwing the whole batch in the garbage.
Maybe they didn't turn out well because I live in Denver-(high altitude?) or that I used pre-ground flax seed instead of grinding them from whole seed.
Any suggestions? I really wanted to like this recipe as I have an abundant crop of zucchini.
By the way, I love the name of your website! 🙂
Sam says
Awww that's such a bummer! I'm sorry the recipe didn't work out for you Sherrie. Do you think that perhaps your oven is a little cool? I bought an oven thermometer to use in my oven, because I find ovens are often not accurate. You said your zucchini fritters never really browned, which is what makes them a great texture, so thats why I am wondering about that. I don't think the flax would be the issue because that is to holds them together. If they held together fine, then it shouldn't be the problem. I'm glad you like the website name! I hope this doesn't deter you from trying more recipes in the future!
Gwyneth Knolls says
These sound delicious and easy but I do not have a proper oven...only a toaster oven. Would they cook properly in that?
I have a garden with an excess of zucchini and am always looking for more recipes to use them. I'm going to try your recipe and let you know if it works.
Sam says
Hi Gwyneth,
I don't actually have a toaster oven, so I am afraid I don't have much experience with them. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out, and if you have any toaster oven baking tips!
Ricky says
Toaster oven wasn't the Bee's Knees... mine came out soggy and didn't brown. I normally fry my fritters, but gave the toaster oven a shot. I kept the oven at 400• and had the patties in for about 20 mins each side. They were still soggy and not very brown. So I cut them in half and made even flatter patties and put them to broil for about another 15 mins. They got brown but still soggy and didn't taste that good. Think I'll stick to frying them. ❤
Sam Turnbull says
Ah, yeah doesn't sound like the toasted oven worked well. Better stick to an oven or frying next time. Thanks for the advice!
Anna says
Hi There.
I came across your site because I am trying to find something to make for my 1 year old that does not have eggs in it (due to possible allergens, didn't get tested though and really don't want to go through that).
What is Nutritional Yeast? And will that be something I can omit? Or is it ok for me to give that to my child?
Spencer says
Nutritional Yeast is basically inactive brewers yeast. It absorbs a bit of moisture but mostly adds flavor like any spice you put in would. It has a distinctly cheesy taste and is often used by dairy-free people to make cheese sauces and to spice up popcorns, salads, and soups. You could find it online or at any health food store.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast
Sam says
That's exactly right Spencer! Thank you for sharing 😀
sylvieamesee says
Love zucchini fritters and I use to eat them at any time of the day! My mother store them in the oven and each time I go to the kitchen to have a coffee, I open the oven and have 1 or 2... I'll ask my Mum to try the vegan version but in bigger quantities (I'll have these 6 fritters on my own for sure!)
Sam says
Hahaha I know what you mean! I can easily have fritter after fritter!! Omnomnom! I hope you and your mum enjoy!
amy says
I as well am wondering what type of flour to substitute for the wheat flour. Any ideas Sam?
Sam says
Hmmm... gluten free cooking isn't my specialty yet. I think an gluten free all purpose flour blend, like the one from Bob's Red Mill would work fine. I would also try oat flour.
If you try let me know how these work out for you!
Best,
Sam
Undine says
Masa harina might work as a flour substitute.
Sam says
Thanks for the tip Undine 😀
Régine Bohar says
Masa harina, being made from corn, is likely to contain GMOs, unless you can source some organic one (I ordered some from the health food store)
Sam says
Good to know!
Shannon says
Do you have any estimate what the volume of the zucchini shreds were after squeezing out the liquid? I want to try using a mix of zucchini and other veggies but they don't all have the same water content. Thanks!
Sam says
Hmmm... I don't really know, but I think using other veggies will work great. I have a recipe for Sweet Potato Pancakes which is very similar. As long as you try to get the majority of water out so that the pancakes will stick together it should work just fine. Enjoy!
Shannon says
Thank you for the reply! I will check out the other recipe too, and let you know how it goes.
Srivani McIntosh says
Hi Sam... just found your blog and this was the first recipe I tried. OMG - these are AMAZING!!! And soooooo simple. We absolutely devoured them (hubby, 20 month old daughter and myself). I served with a cashew sour cream - but they really don't need anything. When I formed the fritters, I slathered my hands with coconut oil to keep the batter from sticking - and a little natural moisturizing never hurts the hands.
Thanks for a great recipe - this one is a keeper for sure. I look forward to exploring your blog and recipes.
Srivani
Sam says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed your first Recipe from my blog. I hope you enjoy many more to come 🙂
Anonymous says
Hey Sam!
These wee DELICIOUS but they were a little gooey in the middle. What dd you think I did wrong?
Candice
Sam says
Hi Candice,
So happy you enjoyed them! You could have cooked them a little longer to cook all the way through. If they looked like they might get too brown on the outside, you could try making the patties a bit thinner so it's easier to cook all the way through, or try lowering your oven temperature. All ovens vary slightly.
Hope that helps!
Sam
Srivani McInosh says
Hi Sam... I just found your vegan blog about a week ago and this is the first recipe I've made. I made these tonight - OMG - absolutely amazing flavour. And actually so very easy. I actually oiled my hands a bit with coconut oil before forming the fritters, so that helped with the sticking... and helps to condition/moisturize my hands too! 🙂 My husband LOVED these too. We served with Cashew "sour cream"... but they really don't need anything. Thanks for the great recipe. I look forward to exploring your site and trying more recipes.
Sam says
Hi Srivani,
Yay! So happy you and your husband loved them! Good idea about oiling your hands. I hope you enjoy more of my recipes to come. Thank you for the lovely comment!
Sam
Srivani McIntosh says
Sorry I posted twice! I wasn't sure my first one worked and I really wanted to comment! 🙂
Sam says
Haha, no problem! I am always happy to receive nice comments!!
Kathy Sturr says
I would eat these morning noon and night, too! Yum, and guess who has some zucchini?
Sam says
Zucchini is a hot commodity these days! Glad I am not the only one who would eat these all day long. I wonder what other delicious foods fit in to that category?
Linda @ Veganosity says
Oh my gosh Sam, my mouth is watering! These look fantastic!! I need to get to the supermarket and buy some zucchini and make these for dinner.
Sam says
Haha, thank you Linda!
I had to rush to the market and get more zucchini!
thezsdad says
These sound delicious, and I'm definitely going to try them as soon as possible. However, as someone who watches his sodium intake, I need to point out that were you to follow the recipe and use it to make six servings, each would have approximately 404 mg of sodium, since there's 2,300 mg of sodium in a teaspoon of salt and the other ingredients contribute small amounts as well. Personally, I'd omit the salt completely, but for anyone who wouldn't, that's a pretty hefty amount of sodium, along the lines of commercially-prepared foods, and they ought to be aware of it!
Sam says
Hi thezdad,
I think some of the salt would get washed away when you squeeze out the zucchini, but absolutely, omit the salt if you like. If you omit the salt completely, just make sure to give the zucchini a couple extra good squeezes, as the salt helps in pulling the water out of the zucchini.
Enjoy!
rivkapivka says
Sounds AMAZING! Do you think oat flour would work as a sub?
Sam says
Thank you!
I haven't tried it myself, but I think it would work just fine. If you give it a go, let us know how it turns out for you. 🙂