Baked zucchini fritters are a simple, light and tasty dish, crispy on the outside with a soft and flavorful heart.
They are great served as an appetizer or as an everyday meal. For a summer cocktail party with friends, if you make them small enough, they are a perfect finger food.
Either way, you can enjoy them with delicious dips, sour cream or serve them with a delicate chickpea hummus.
Think of them as a lighter variation of fried zucchini meatballs!
Baked zucchini fritters are perfect to eat either hot or cold. You don’t even have to cook the zucchini first. Just shred them, mix with Parmigiano cheese, eggs, breadcrumbs and spices.
An amazing recipe that is quick to make and will win everyone over.
Here’s how to make baked zucchini fritters in just a few steps to delight your guests.
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How to Make Italian Baked Zucchini Fritters
- Prep Time: 10 Min
- Cook Time: 20 Min
- Yelds: 6
Ingredients
Doses for about 10 to 12 zucchini fritters
- 450 g (1 lb) of Zucchini (about 4 medium zucchini)
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
- 120 g (1 cup) of grated Parmigiano cheese
- 60 g (1/2 cup) of breadcrumbs + more for breading
- 1/3 teaspoon of fine salt
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
To prepare baked zucchini fritters you need a wide-hole grater or a julienne cutting tool.
A very important ingredient for this recipe is the breadcrumbs, for which you will need an electric grinder to shred the stale bread to perfection.
It’s necessary a large bowl to mix all the ingredients and a very handy kitchen brush to grease the patties before cooking.
And then a baking sheet and some baking paper to keep the patties from sticking, so you can use very little oil.
Finally, you need an airtight container if the patties are leftover or if you want to store them in the fridge for the next day.
Directions
Step 1) – To make Italian Baked Zucchini Fritters, first wash and trim the zucchini. Then shred the zucchini with a wide-hole grater.
Step 2) – Squeeze the grated zucchini with your hands to remove as much of the liquid as possible.
This step is very important because in this recipe you need to add the still raw zucchini to the mixture. Too much liquid is not going to let the patties become firm.
Place the grated and well squeezed raw zucchini in a bowl and add the other ingredients.
Step 3) – First the whole eggs. Then the grated Parmigiano cheese.
Step 4) – Now add the breadcrumbs, a pinch of salt and the chopped parsley. Mix everything together well.
Step 5) – Finally you can form the zucchini fritters. Take about a tablespoon of the mixture and give it a round, flattened shape, pressing it down well with your hands.
Step 6) – Coat the fritters in breadcrumbs on both sides, pressing well with your hands to make the breading stick.
Step 7) – Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Lightly grease it with very little oil. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
Place the patties on the baking sheet and with a kitchen brush for cooking, grease them with a little oil.
Step 8) – Bake the zucchini fritters for about 20 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking to get an even browning.
Baked zucchini fritters are ready to serve. Crispy and flavorful, they will be a hit!
How to Store Zucchini Fritters
You can keep Italian Baked Zucchini Fritters stored in the fridge in an air tight container for two/three days.
Can you Freeze Baked Zucchini Fritters?
You can freeze them but be sure to bake them first. Let cool completely and place them in an airtight food container.
If stored properly, they will keep for up to 1 month in the freezer.
You can reheat them while still frozen in the oven. Or you can thaw them and reheat in the microwave.
How to Serve Baked Zucchini Fritters
The doses of the ingredients we have suggested are enough for about 10 fritters. Of course, it depends on how big and thick you make them.
If you make them small enough, you can make as many as 20 and serve them as an easy appetizer. Larger ones, on the other hand, like the ones we made, become a quick meal perfect for weekdays.
Serve baked zucchini fritters with a dipping sauce to go with them, a simple fresh salad, or, if there are kids around, some tasty fries. Why not!
Why Remove the Water from the Zucchini?
It’s very important to squeeze the zucchini well to remove their water before preparing the mixture.
In fact, an excess of liquid would not make the fritters firm and dry so to make crispy fritters.
If you are not in a hurry, you can let the zucchini drain to remove excess water in a colander for a few hours. Or wring them out with a cloth or kitchen paper. We have shown you the most convenient and quickest method.
If, despite removing the liquid, the mixture seems too soft and you are unable to form the fritters, add 1 tablespoon of flour.
Zucchini Fritters: Some Flavorful Variations
You can flavor the zucchini fritters by adding some finely chopped onion to the mixture.
You can also choose to flavor the patties with your favorite herbs. We used parsley, but mint or chives also go very well with zucchini.
For richer patties, you can add some diced scamorza or mozzarella to the mixture. This way you will get a very fun and tasty cheesy look!
With the same recipe you can also use carrots or make very tasty and colorful mixed carrot and zucchini fritters.
