This zucchini fritters recipe is my mom, Nene's, and I wouldn't dream of touching a single measurement. Every summer, when her garden produces more zucchini than we know what to do with, she'd make batch after batch of these crispy fritters. They showed up on our table so often that, as a kid, I genuinely thought this was what zucchini was made for. Golden and crisp on the outside, tender in the center, and served with her simple garlicky yogurt sauce, they're still one of my favorite ways to celebrate zucchini season.
When your garden-or your grocery cart-is overflowing with zucchini, these fritters are a welcome change from yet another loaf of zucchini bread. They're simple enough for a weeknight, but special enough to serve at brunch or as an appetizer for friends. I love serving them hot with plenty of yogurt sauce for dipping, and they disappear just as quickly as my Southern Fried Green Tomatoes at a party. Add them to a lazy weekend spread next to a Fried Egg Sandwich and nobody's going hungry.
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Ingredients for Nene's Zucchini Fritters
Everything here comes together in two bowls - one for the fritters, one for the sauce you'll want to put on everything else too.
For the Fritters
- Zucchini
- Eggs
- Flour
- Kosher salt
- Baking powder
- Shallots
- Parmesan, grated
- Olive oil, for frying
For the Yogurt Sauce
- Whole milk yogurt
- Cucumber
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Fresh dill
- Olive oil
See recipe card for quantities.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
A few reasons this one's stuck around in my family for this long.
- It's a real family recipe. Nene's been making this exact version for decades, and it's never needed an update.
- The yogurt sauce makes it. Garlicky, cool, and a little bright from lemon - it's the reason people ask for the recipe.
- Great use for garden zucchini. If your zucchini plant is out of control right now, this is where it goes.
- Just as good as an appetizer or a light meal. Serve them as a starter or pile on a plate with a salad for dinner.
How to Make Zucchini Fritters
Make the sauce first so it has time to sit, then move on to the fritters.
Make the yogurt sauce
Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well; taste and add more garlic or lemon, if you like. Make this first so the flavors have time to meld. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, then drizzle with a little olive oil just before serving.
Grate & drain the zucchini
Grate zucchini by hand or with a food processor. Transfer to a colander lined with a dish towel and let drain - zucchini holds a lot of water, so get out as much liquid as possible. Once drained, squeeze out the rest.
Mix the batter
Combine the zucchini with the remaining fritter ingredients in a bowl; mix well.
Fry the fritters
Heat a shallow layer of olive oil in a pan. Scoop the batter into the pan with an ice cream scoop, flattening each mound into a disc. Fry on both sides until golden; drain on paper towels.
Serve warm
Serve warm with the yogurt sauce for dipping.
Substitutions
A few swaps that work well if you need them.
- Gluten-free: Swap the flour for a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Dairy-free: Use a dairy-free yogurt for the sauce - coconut or almond-based both work.
- Extra crispy: Swap panko for the flour in the fritter batter for a crunchier bite.
Variations
Once you've made these Nene's way, here's where you can play.
- Add fresh herbs: Stir chopped dill or mint into the fritter batter along with the parmesan.
- Swap the cheese: Feta instead of parmesan gives the fritters a saltier, tangier edge.
- Brighten it up: Add a squeeze of lemon zest to the batter for extra freshness.
Equipment
Nothing fancy here - just a few tools that make the process easier.
- Box grater or food processor - Premium: Cuisinart Food Processor - makes quick work of grating and saves the arm work. Budget: KitchenAid Gourmet Box Grater - a sturdy hand grater that does the job just as well.
- Colander - Premium: Bellemain 5 Qt Stainless Steel Colander - heavy-duty and won't warp from hot water. Budget: Chef Craft Plastic Deep Colander - light, cheap, and does exactly what you need for draining zucchini.
- Ice cream scoop - Premium: Zeroll Size 20 Ice Cream Scoop - the heat-conductive handle makes portioning batter effortless. Budget: Small cookie scoop, size 60 - a smaller scoop that still gives you even, round fritters.
- Skillet - Premium: Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet 10.25" (PFAS-Free) - holds heat evenly for a golden crust. Budget: CAROTE Ceramic Frying Pan 10" - non-toxic ceramic coating that keeps the fritters from sticking.
Storage
These are best fresh, but they'll hold up for a few days if you plan ahead.
- Store: Cooled fritters in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: In the oven or air fryer at 350°F until hot and crisp again - skip the microwave, it turns them soft.
- Freeze: Cooled fritters in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in the oven or air fryer.
- Sauce: Keep the yogurt sauce in a separate airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Top Tip
Squeeze every bit of water out of the zucchini before you mix the batter. Skip this step and the fritters turn soggy and fall apart in the pan instead of holding together and getting crisp.
FAQ
A few questions that come up most with this one.
You can fry them a few hours ahead and reheat in the oven right before serving, but they're best fresh off the pan.
Your zucchini probably still has too much water in it. Squeeze it hard - really hard - before mixing the batter.
You can bake them at 425°F on a lined sheet pan for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway, though they won't be quite as crispy as fried.
Feta or pecorino both work well if that's what you have on hand.
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Zucchini Fritters Recipe with Yogurt Sauce (Nene's)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Nene's zucchini fritters are grated zucchini, shallot, and parmesan pan-fried into crispy golden discs and served with a garlicky cucumber-yogurt sauce for dipping.
Ingredients
For the Fritters:
- 2 large zucchini, grated
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- ¾ cup flour
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 shallots, diced
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- Olive oil, for frying
For the Yogurt Sauce:
- 1 cup whole milk yogurt
- ½ cucumber, grated
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Handful of dill, chopped
- 1 tsp olive oil, plus more to drizzle
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Mix the yogurt sauce. Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well; taste and add more garlic or lemon, if you like. Make this first so the flavors have time to meld. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, then drizzle with a little olive oil just before serving.
- Grate & drain the zucchini. Grate zucchini by hand or with a food processor. Transfer to a colander lined with a dish towel and let drain - zucchini holds a lot of water, so get out as much liquid as possible. Once drained, squeeze out the rest.
- Mix the batter. Combine the zucchini with the remaining fritter ingredients in a bowl; mix well.
- Fry the fritters. Heat a shallow layer of olive oil in a pan. Scoop the batter into the pan with an ice cream scoop, flattening each mound into a disc. Fry on both sides until golden; drain on paper towels.
- Serve warm. Serve warm with the yogurt sauce for dipping.
Notes
Squeeze the zucchini as dry as you can - it's the difference between crispy fritters and soggy ones.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Pan-Fry
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
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