My zucchini fritters use grated zucchini, feta, fresh dill and mint and are pan-fried in olive oil until the edges go deep golden and crisp. I serve them with a cold lemony yogurt sauce. The whole thing takes about 35 minutes, and the one thing that absolutely makes or breaks this recipe is getting as much water out of the zucchini by wringing it bone dry before it ever hits the bowl. Everything else? Easy peasy.
Why my greek zucchini fritters stay crisp
Every August the same thing happens. The zucchini comes in faster than anyone can eat it, and there are only so many times you can grate it into bread, okay? I know because my husband counted last summer and I am somewhat embarrassed by how many loaves I gave away.
These fritters, kolokithokeftedes if you want the Greek name, are where most of mine go now. They turn a counter full of squash into something people actually crowd around.
The crispiness comes down to one thing, and one thing alone. And no, it is not the flour. It is how dry you get the zucchini. Salt it, let it sit, then twist it in a towel until it feels almost too dry to hold together. Call a friend who strength trains and wring it some more. Because wet zucchini steams in the pan and you get pale, floppy fritters. Bleh, I learned that the hard way over a few soggy batches before it clicked.
Feta, dill and mint do the rest. The feta crisps a little at the edges and stays creamy in the middle, the herbs keep it fresh, and a hit of lemon zest in the batter wakes the whole thing up.
If you are drowning in zucchini this is one of three places mine goes, alongside my squash and zucchini casserole when I want something for the oven instead of the stove and a cold zucchini ribbon salad when it is too hot to cook at all.
If your garden is still producing faster than you can cook, how to freeze zucchini keeps a stash for fritters in January, though you will want to thaw and squeeze it hard first.
What goes into zucchini fritters with feta
Full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the recipe card.
Use any zucchini you have, but grate it on the large holes of a box grater, not the fine ones. You want shreds with structure, not a wet pulp that collapses in the pan.
Block feta beats pre-crumbled and it’s really one of the hills I’ll die on. Bulgarian or French feta is creamier and crisps better at the edges than the dry pre-crumbled kind, which tends to be drier and saltier.
Fresh dill and mint together are the Greek signature, not just dill. The mint is quiet but you would miss it if it were gone.
Lemon zest goes in the batter and the sauce. Zest is where the perfume lives, juice only in the sauce, so the fritters taste bright without going wet.
Shruthi’s Top Tips
A few things that decide if these fritters turn out crispy or sad
- Squeeze the zucchini until it genuinely feels dry, not just damp. This is the single biggest reason fritters turn out soggy. You should end up with about 1½ cups of dry, fluffy shreds from 1 pound.
- Do not crowd the pan. Too many at once drops the oil temperature and they steam instead of browning. Four to five per batch is right.
- Press each scoop into a disk about ½ inch thick so the center cooks through before the outside goes too dark.
- If the batter feels loose after mixing, add another tablespoon of flour. Zucchini moisture varies and some batches need it.
- For the crispiest crispy zucchini fritters, serve them right away. To hold a batch warm, keep them on a wire rack in a 200°F oven so the bottoms do not go soft.
How to make zucchini fritters
- Grate the zucchini, toss with salt in a strainer, and let it sit 15 minutes to pull out the water. Wring the zucchini hard in a clean kitchen towel until it feels dry, about 1½ cups left.
- Whisk the yogurt sauce and chill it while you work.
- Mix egg and flour, then fold in the zucchini, feta, scallions, herbs, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper until it just holds together.
- Heat olive oil until it shimmers, then scoop heaping tablespoons in batches and flatten into disks. Cook 3 minutes until the bottoms are deep golden, flip, and cook 2 to 3 minutes more until set.
- Drain on paper towels, finish with flaky salt and extra herbs
- Serve hot with the lemony yogurt sauce and lemon wedges.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Yes. Freeze cooked, fully cooled fritters in a single layer on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag once solid so they don’t stick together. They keep about 2 months. Reheat straight from frozen in a 375°F oven until hot and crisp, around 10 to 12 minutes. Don’t freeze the batter, since the salted zucchini keeps releasing water and turns it mushy.
Yes! The yogurt sauce holds up to 3 days in the fridge, and you can mix the batter up to 4 hours ahead. The fritters themselves are best fried fresh, so they stay crisp. If you need to cook them ahead for a party, fry them, then hold them on a wire rack in a 200°F oven for up to an hour, or reheat in a 375°F oven to bring back the crunch. Cooked fritters keep in the fridge for 3 days.
You can, technically, but the egg is what binds the batter, so expect more delicate fritters. Replace the egg with a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed whisked into 3 tablespoons water, rested 5 minutes) and add an extra tablespoon of flour. Squeeze the zucchini even drier than usual and handle the fritters gently when you flip them.
Yes! Swap the flour for an equal amount of chickpea flour or fine cornmeal, both of which bind well and add a little structure. For gluten-free, a one-to-one GF flour blend works too. Whatever you use, the dry-zucchini step matters even more without wheat flour to absorb stray moisture, so wring it hard.
Almost always too much moisture! If the zucchini isn’t wrung bone dry, and my friend, I really mean bone dry, the batter stays loose and the fritters break when you flip them. Squeeze until you have about 1½ cups of dry, fluffy shreds from 1 pound. If the mix still feels wet after combining, add a tablespoon of flour, and don’t flip until the bottom is deeply golden and set – 3 minutes.
How to serve zucchini fritters
The best sauce for zucchini fritters is the cold lemony yogurt sauce in this recipe; serve them hot, straight from the pan, with the sauce for dipping and lemon wedges on the side. If you are wondering what to serve with zucchini fritters for a full spread, they work as a mezze starter with some eggplant hummus, a light lunch with Greek chickpea soup and a simple chopped salad, or a side next to grilled vegetables.
Variations
- Swap the feta for a firm goat cheese if you want a tangier, softer melt.
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the batter, or leave it mild and serve hot sauce on the side for the kids.
- Use half zucchini, half yellow summer squash when both are coming in at once.
You can refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Use the oven to re-crisp and don’t use the microwave (steam = soggy fritters).
Crispy Zucchini Fritters with Feta and Dill
Equipment
- Box grater or food processor with shredding disk
- Fine mesh strainer or colander
- Large nonstick skillet
Ingredients
For the fritters
- 2 medium zucchini, trimmed, about 1 pound
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, for drawing out moisture
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 3 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, for pan-frying, more as needed
For the lemony yogurt sauce
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt, full-fat
- 1 small clove garlic, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For serving
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh mint and dill, for garnish
- 4 lemon wedges
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the shredding disk. Transfer to a fine-mesh strainer or colander set over a bowl. Toss with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the salted zucchini to the center of a clean kitchen towel. Gather the corners and twist tightly, squeezing hard over the sink to wring out as much liquid as possible.
- While the zucchini drains, whisk together the Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, dill, olive oil and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt in a small bowl. Taste and adjust salt or lemon. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and flour until smooth. Add the squeezed zucchini, feta, scallions, mint, dill, grated garlic, lemon zest, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper. Stir gently with a fork until evenly combined.
- Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil into a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium until shimmering. Test by dropping in a small piece of batter; it should sizzle immediately.
- Working in batches of 4 to 5, scoop heaping tablespoons of batter into the pan, spacing them apart. Use the back of the spoon to flatten each into a disk about 2½ inches across and ½ inch thick. Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, until the edges look set and the bottoms are deeply golden. Flip carefully and cook another 2 to 3 minutes until the second side is golden and the fritters feel set when pressed gently in the center.
- Transfer the cooked fritters to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan if it looks dry, let it heat back up, and repeat with the remaining batter. You should get about 16 fritters total.
- Arrange the warm fritters on a serving platter. Sprinkle with flaky salt and scatter with extra mint and dill. Serve immediately with the lemony yogurt sauce and lemon wedges on the side.
Video
Notes
- Squeeze the zucchini until it feels genuinely dry. If you read the post, I probably said this 12 times, ha. But seriously, wet zucchini is the worst enemy of a crispy fritter.
- Do not crowd the pan. Too many fritters at once lowers the oil temperature and causes steaming instead of browning.
- Press the fritters into disks about ½ inch thick so they cook through evenly while staying tender inside.
- Crumbled block feta works best here. Bulgarian or French feta gives the creamiest texture.
- If the batter feels too wet after mixing, add another tablespoon of flour.
- Storage: keep cooked fritters in the fridge up to 3 days; the yogurt sauce keeps up to 5 days, and the batter can be mixed up to 4 hours ahead.
- Reheating: warm in a 375°F oven until crisp. Avoid the microwave, which makes them soft.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
