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If you are looking for new tasty ways to eat your vegetables, this simple recipe is for you. Soft, fluffy and irresistibly delicious, these savory zucchini pancakes come together in under 10 minutes. Believe me, these are the easiest healthy zucchini fritters ever!
As I am writing this post, it’s Monday and I’m sitting on a plane all the way to Chicago. My girlfriend and I are going there for a week, a week full of delicious food. From deep dish Chicago pizza to Trader Joe’s, the food is actually the most exciting part of our trip. We were so excited and busy planning our trip (meals) that yesterday night we were left with nothing but leftover chicken, one zucchini and one egg. Plus three heads of broccoli, which we ended up freezing.
Thinking on what to have for dinner, the first though was to reheat the chicken, boil the zucchini and microwave the egg. But the idea did not appeal us that much, so I decided to experiment and came up with these savory zucchini pancakes. Ready in under 10 minutes with a bunch of simple ingredients, there are honestly the easiest healthy zucchini fritters in this planet.
The ingredients
When I say that these are the easiest healthy zucchini fritters, I mean it! This recipe only requires a handful of simple ingredients, common household ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. And don’t worry if something is missing, because in the next lines you are going to find all substitutes.
Ready to learn more? Here’s all you need to make healthy zucchini fritters at home.
- Zucchini: this recipe requires a small fresh zucchini, grated and squeezed. Keep in mind that, if it is too large, the vegetable will add to the batter too much moisture and you may need to adjust with more flour.
- Egg: this ingredients is a must for soft and fluffy savory pancakes that taste good. For vegan zucchini fritters, you can replace with one flaxseed egg or chia seed egg. However, the result won’t be exactly the same.
- Oat flour: to make healthy zucchini fritters that are also gluten-free, this recipe uses oat flour. As an alternative you can replace with spelt flour, wholewheat flour, all purposes flour or even almond flour.
- Olive oil: use extra virgin olive oil for the best taste and nutrition. As a substitute, you are free to utilize any other type of oil or melted butter. My recommendations are avocado oil, walnut oil or pumpkin seed oil.
- Salt, pepper and seasonings: for the most delicious zucchini pancakes, add salt, pepper and as many seasonings as you want. Whenever we make these fritters at home, we like garlic powder and onion powder!
- Baking powder: this will make your zucchini pancakes rise.
Recipe variations
Besides being so simple, this zucchini fritter recipe is incredibly versatile. Add other veggies, some cheese or nuts – the options how you can make zucchini pancakes are literally endless. And if you still need ideas, here are some of my favorite variations.
- Make these healthy fritters with grated zucchini and carrots.
- Mix in a generous amount of Parmesan cheese, mozzarella or shredded cheese and make cheesy zucchini pancakes.
- Add bacon or chunks of ham, together with some cheese if you desire, and your easy zucchini fritters will turn out addictively delicious!
- Season these healthy zucchini fritters with a selection of your favorite spices: garlic powder and onion powder are my favorite!
- Stir into the batter a handful of crushed nuts and seeds for crunchier zucchini fritters.
How to make easy zucchini fritters
Start by grating the zucchini in a large bowl. Once they are grated, transfer the vegetable to a clean towel and squeeze to remove the extra water.
Put the grated and squeezed zucchini to a bowl, then combine with the egg, the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. If you want, feel free to add any other seasoning you may like. Stir well until you get a smooth mixture.
Gradually sift in the oat flour flour and baking powder, mixing to incorporate with the batter. Depending on the size of the zucchini, you may need to adjust with a drop of milk if the batter is too dry or with more flour if it is too liquid.
In the meantime, heat a nonstick skillet, making sure it is slightly greased or oiled so that the zucchini fritters won’t stick. When hot, pour one scoop of batter into the pan. Cook your healthy zucchini fritters over medium heat until the underside is golden and bubbles begin to appear on the surface, then flip with a spatula and cook until golden.
Tips for the best zucchini fritters
Do you want to learn how to make the best healthy zucchini fritters? Then keep on reading because I’m about to give you a couple of recipe tips.
- After grating, squeeze the zucchini very well to remove all the water in excess. If you don’t so, your healthy fritters will be too moist and watery.
- For the best taste, make sure you use (extra virgin) olive oil. And be generous with it!
- Don’t over-mix the zucchini batter or the pancakes will turn out quite flat.
- Don’t be afraid of adding more flour if your batter is too liquid. Each zucchini has a different size and therefore contains different amounts of water.
- Make addictive zucchini fritters by stirring in some cheese, bacon, nuts, seeds and extra seasonings.
- Let your healthy zucchini fritters cool for a while before eating. The more they cool, the tastier they get. At least for me!
More healthy appetizers
The easiest healthy zucchini fritters
Ingredients
Optional
- garlic powder, onion powder
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini. Once grated, using a clean towel squeeze the zucchini to remove the extra water.
- Transfer the grated and squeezed zucchini to a bowl, then add the egg, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Stir well, until all ingredients are combined.
- Gradually sift in the oat flour and baking powder, mixing to incorporate with the batter. Depending on the size of the zucchini, you may need to adjust with a drop of milk if the batter is too dry or with more flour if it is too liquid.
- Heat a nonstick skillet, slightly greased or oiled. When hot, pour one scoop of pancake batter into the pan. Cook your healthy zucchini fritters over medium heat until the underside is golden and bubbles begin to appear on the surface, then flip with a spatula and cook until golden.
How many per serving? Thank you!
Hey dear Maddie,
thank you for your comment. One serving is about 5 zucchini fritters, depending on the size you make them.
Have a great day,
Matteo
how much Gram zucchini?
Hey Chris,
thank you for your comment. The zucchini should have a weight of approximately 80 grams, after grating and squeezing.
Let me know if you any have further question!
All the best, Matteo