These easy Zucchini Fritters are delightfully crispy, loaded with nutrient-rich ingredients, and perfect for pairing with a creamy saffron yoghurt sauce. You’ll love them for meal prep, too!
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I think zucchini may be one of the most versatile foods there is. It bakes up into beautiful cupcakes or chocolate zucchini bread. It’s great savory or sweet. Hello, baked zucchini fries! And I do love a good zucchini fritter.
I’m particularly fond of what’s happening with these fritters. Loads (loads!) of zucchini is partnered up with chewy kernels of kamut for a fritter that is substantial without being heavy. The kamut takes the fritters from side dish or appetizer to main affair, and topped with a dollop of saffron-scented Greek yoghurt, I dare say they become a complete meal.
This recipe uses up a lot of zucchini and turns out a lot of fritters. It is easily halved if you’re so inclined, but also know that the fritters freeze and re-heat beautifully.
Here’s why you’re going to love this recipe for zucchini fritters:
- It’s made with whole grains, but the golden-brown, crispy exterior means these fritters don’t taste like you’re eating something super healthy.
- Unlike traditional zucchini fritters, this recipe packs in a decent amount of protein between the kamut, eggs, whole wheat flour, and Greek yoghurt. And the nutrition doesn't stop there! It's also got fiber, calcium, and plenty of other vitamins and minerals.
- They’re the versatile main dish you didn’t know you needed in your life—pile them high with roasted vegetables, pair them with homemade marinara for dipping, make them into vegetarian sliders, whatever!
Ingredients for Zucchini Fritters
You’ll find specific quantities in the printable recipe card at the end of this post (just use the “jump to recipe” button to skip right on down) but here’s a quick overview.
- Zucchini --> Yellow squash works in this recipe as well.
- Salt --> The salt helps draw the moisture from the zucchini so it crisps up nicely in the skillet.
- Kamut --> Cook the kamut before starting the recipe, then let it cool.
- Eggs --> Eggs are necessary to hold the fritters together.
- Scallions --> These add some onion-y flavour without quite as much bite.
- Fresh thyme --> Dried thyme works too; just use ⅓ the amount when you're not using fresh herbs.
- Garlic --> While you could use garlic powder, I prefer the flavour of fresh in these zucchini fritters.
- Whole wheat pastry, white whole wheat, or all-purpose flour --> A gluten-free all-purpose flour would work, too. Just make sure it’s a measure-for-measure substitute for regular flour.
- Baking powder --> Another little trick for crispy fritters.
- Salt and pepper --> Freshly cracked black pepper is always best.
- Olive oil --> You’ll want to choose a cooking olive oil here, not EVOO, which has a lower smoke point.
- Boiling water --> This draws out the colour and flavour of the saffron.
- Saffron threads --> Yes, they’re pricy, but they’re worth a splurge once in a while!
- Greek yoghurt --> Thick Greek yogurt brings tangy flavour and protein to the table.
- Fine grain sea salt --> Just a little bit to finish.
How to Make Zucchini Fritters
Step 1: Use a box grater to grate zucchini and place it in a large bowl, or a colander set inside a large bowl. (Alternatively, you can shred the zucchini in a food processor.) Add the salt, toss to coat, and let the zucchini sit for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Transfer the zucchini to a clean dish towel or cheese cloth; wrap the cloth around the zucchini and squeeze out as much excess moisture as you can. Discard the liquid.
Step 3: Return the zucchini to the bowl and stir in the kamut, eggs, green onions, thyme, and garlic. Mix in the flour and baking powder, then season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Line a baking sheet with paper towels, or line a wire rack if you plan on freezing your fritters.
Step 5: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the bottom in olive oil, then drop the zucchini mixture into the pan in heaping tablespoons. Fry for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown, then flip the patties and cook the other side for 2 minutes more.
Step 6: Transfer the cooked fritters to the paper towels to soak up some of the excess liquid. If you're cooking all of the fritters before serving, place the tray in the oven on low heat to keep the finished fritters warm.
Step 7: Combine the boiling water with a pinch of saffron threads in a small bowl. Let the saffron steep for about 10 minutes, then stir this into the yoghurt and season with salt to taste.
Serve the zucchini fritters with a dollop of the saffron yoghurt.
Tips for the Best Zucchini Fritters
Squeeze, squeeze, and squeeze some more
Seriously, squeeze the ever-loving heck out of the zucchini. The more liquid you squeeze out, the crispier your fritters will be, and the better they’ll hold together.
Don’t be afraid to use a generous amount of oil
Not generous generous—we’re not deep-frying here—but you do want a good coating on the bottom of the skillet. This will keep the fritters from sticking and falling apart when you flip them, and it also helps achieve that perfect crispy exterior.
Use a spatula to smash the fritters a little bit
After adding the batter to the pan, press down on the zucchini fritters with a spatula, then run the spatula along the sides to push them in. Compacting the fritters helps them hold their shape better when you have to flip them over.
How to Freeze and Reheat Zucchini Fritters
Freezing Zucchini Fritters
Let the zucchini fritters cool on the wire rack, then place them in an airtight container or freezer bag (I use reusable silicone freezer bags) with parchment paper between the layers to keep them from sticking.
Reheating Zucchini Fritters
Although you can reheat zucchini fritters from frozen, I prefer letting them thaw in the refrigerator or microwave first because this lets them reheat more evenly, without the unwelcome surprise of cutting into a fritter with a frozen middle when you sit down to eat. (Womp womp.)
The thawed zucchini fritters can be warmed up in a skillet with oil or cooking spray, in a 400ºF oven, or in the air fryer. In a pinch, you can heat them in the microwave, but they’ll be less crispy that way.
Recipe FAQs
There are a few potential reasons why your fritters fall apart. First, the zucchini may have been too wet; this is why squeezing it is so important! The second most common reason is that the fritter sticks to the pan, so when you go to flip it, it comes apart. Using enough oil in the pan to coat it well—and adding more oil to the pan if needed—will help with this.
I love pairing these crispy zucchini fritters with creamy saffron yoghurt, but there are so many other options. You can put a different spin on the yoghurt sauce by adding smoked paprika, garlic, or making a tzatziki dipping sauce. Spoon oven-roasted cherry tomatoes over the fritters, or keep it simple with jarred marinara sauce, a squeeze of lemon juice, or sour cream.
You can make these zucchini fritters and store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Yes, you can bake zucchini fritters if you prefer, but you won’t get the same crispy texture. To bake them, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and spray or brush the tops of the fritters with olive oil; bake at 400ºF for about 10 minutes, then flip, spray the tops again, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until both sides are golden brown.
Kamut is a high protein form of wheat. It is a good source of vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, pantothentic acid, copper, and complex carbohydrates, and it is often tolerable by those who are sensitive to other forms of wheat. It's a great alternative to panko or breadcrumbs in these zucchini fritters.
Other recipes you might enjoy
Looking for more ways to use the bounty from your garden or farmers market? Here are some more ideas for summer produce:
Warm Zucchini Noodles with Tomatoes and Halloumi
Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Quinoa
Vegetarian Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes
Vegetarian Frittata with Corn and Tomatoes
Green Beans Gremolata
Easy Zucchini Fritters Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large zucchini About 2lbs / 1 kg zucchini
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups kamut cooked and cooled
- 4 large eggs
- 4 medium scallions thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry white whole wheat, or all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil for frying
- 1 Tablespoon boiling water
- 1 pinch saffron threads a good pinch - around 20 threads
- 1 cup Greek yoghurt
- fine grain sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Shred the zucchini on a box grater and place in a large bowl. Toss with the salt, and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Place the zucchini in the center of a clean dish towel or cheese cloth, wrap tightly, then squeeze as much liquid from the zucchini as possible and discard. You should end up with about 2.5 – 3 cups of relatively dry shredded zucchini.1 large zucchini, 1 teaspoon salt
- Return the zucchini to the bowl and mix in kamut, eggs, green onions, thyme, and crushed garlic. Add flour and baking powder and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.2 ½ cups kamut, 4 large eggs, 4 medium scallions, 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, 3 cloves garlic, 1 cup whole wheat pastry, salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Line a baking sheet or wire rack (if you’re fritters are going directly into the freezer) with paper towels. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom, and drop heaping tablespoons of the batter into the pan. Fry until golden on one side, about 3-5 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side for 2 minutes more. Remove fritters from frying pan and onto the prepared tray to drain on the paper towels.olive oil for frying
- If you want to cook all of the fritters before serving, keep the tray in the oven on low heat so that the fritters stay warm.
- To make the saffron yoghurt, combine boiling water and a pinch of saffron threads in a small bowl. Let sit for about 10 minutes while the saffron steeps in the water. It should be vibrantly coloured and fragrant. Stir in the yoghurt, and season with salt to taste.1 Tablespoon boiling water, 1 pinch saffron threads, 1 cup Greek yoghurt, fine grain sea salt
- Serve hot zucchini fritters with a generous dollop of saffron yoghurt.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only
Kim
Oh, these were so good! I had wheat berries on hand so cooked some up in the IP to use and they turned out hearty and chewy with a lovely crunch from frying. We used a marina dip instead of the yogurt (cause that's what I had on hand) and the kids loved dipping. Very good, thank you!
Sustainable Cooks - Sarah
I love how much zucchini is in these fritters. Most recipes call for just a cup or so of zucchini and I can't figure out why they don't try to shove more in there.
Katie Trant
"Shove more in!" is my zucchini fritter motto.
Devi
Where do you find kamut in Stockholm?
Katie Trant
I find it just at my regular grocery store (Hemköp) amongst the rice, quinoa, and other grains.
DeENA KAKAYA
the photography is as gorgeous as the recipe itself, deep, has bite, silky and intoxicating colour. I need a holiday to shake off and I need a stack of these beauties! x
Katie Trant
Thanks Deena! They really are lovely with the chewy kamut in them, and that saffron yoghurt is something else. Yum!
Kathryn
I've cooked with kamut flour before but never used the grains; I love this idea for the perfect end of summer meal!
Katie Trant
Definitely try the grains! They're really lovely, and can be used anywhere you'd normally use a chewy whole grain like wheatberries or farro.
Courtney @ The Fig tree
These fritters look wonderful. I just bought kamut to try for the first time. I'm glad i found this recipe, as I was not 100% sure what to make with it. Thanks for sharing.
Katie Trant
You can do so many great things with kamut! Use it anywhere you'd use wheatberries, spelt, or farro. I hope you like these fritters!