Zucchini Fritters with Garlic Herb Yogurt Sauce

Perfectly golden brown, crispy, and light zucchini fritters. Hold onto this recipe!

Haaaaaappy Monday!

Another summer weekend gone in the blink of an eye. I’m uncomfortable with how much “back to school”-age I’m seeing around every corner. To escape from reality, you could find me at the beach all weekend.

Is it just me or do some things just taste better at the beach? Like, corn on the cob. Actually, that’s always fabulous. Ok, juicy watermelon? Mmmmm. Cheesy pizza, chocolate chip cookies, loaded nachos, iced coffee, mango margaritas. Oh! And thick buttermilk pancakes from the diner. Favorite! Don’t tell my recipe I said that.

So after all those epic summer eats, I came home to a couple leftover zucchini fritters. These crispy rounds show summer who’s boss. I don’t even know what that means but they’re definitely the best use for your zucchini and answer to your weeknight dinner prayers. I CAN’T GET ENOUGH.

Can I just say right here right now how much I love sharing dinner recipes with you?? I’m blown away how much you’re loving this crazy simple chicken bake and my favorite way to eat salmon. So hopefully you’ll love these fritters just as much.

The Most Important Step

So you know how zucchini is, like, ultimately the wettest vegetable around? Close to it at least, right? Well, the moisture is great for baking zucchini bread and muffins. Not so great for fritters. Moisture strips these fritters of their crisp texture. They’ll be wet, gooey, and soft. So, the solution? Get as much moisture out of the zucchini as possible. Same with the potato as well– because we’re adding in a shredded sweet potato for flavor and substance. You’ll love it.

How much moisture you remove from the vegetables will make or break your fritters. Take the time to draw out as much moisture as you possibly can.

Use a large-hole box grater to shred your zucchini and potato. Place both in a strainer and press down with your hands to begin straining the water out. Next, wrap it all in a paper-towel lined bowl (multiple towels! or a clean dish towel) and just keep pressing. Let it sit for 45 minutes, then press again. Press the heck out of it!!

More fritter ingredients: beaten eggs, herbs, cornmeal, and cornstarch. The last two might be a little odd to you, but trust me! The cornmeal adds a wonderful, almost unexpected, crunch. The cornstarch helps to thicken the mixture up while also soaking up some liquid. The two also keep my zucchini fritters gluten free.

Now, liquid will pool in the bottom of the bowl as you scoop the zucchini mixture. So make sure you use a fork when scooping up small piles to form the fritters. You don’t want that liquid in the skillet.

Another trick for keeping your fritters crisp? Pan-fry in a little olive oil until they are golden brown on both sides. Nothing compares. There is no other way I make fritters. These things are so, so crisp on the edges!

You only need enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. That’s plenty.

Onto one of the best parts to this recipe! The creamy, flavorful yogurt sauce. Damn this stuff is so tasty. Kevin, who usually never likes condiments, dips, or sauces (I don’t know?!?!) loved it. I think– no, I know— I’m going to begin serving it with my crispy quinoa patties. Plain yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, mint, honey, salt, pepper, omg. The best accompaniment! There is so much flavor in each part of this recipe.

Kevin topped a couple of his with a little hot sauce. I may have even sprinkled blue cheese on top of mine. That’s not weird I swear; it totally works. Anything goes here, just make sure you get those veggies as dry as possible.

Serve the crisp zucchini fritters with corn on the cob or salad for a meat-free meal; or alongside a lighter protein like fish. We had ours with sliced tomato and fresh mozzarella. Light, yet super satisfying summer meal!

Zucchini Fritters with Garlic Herb Yogurt Sauce

Yield: 10-12 fritters

Prep Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Perfectly golden brown, crispy, and light zucchini fritters.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

Garlic Herb Yogurt Sauce

• ½ cup plain Greek or regular yogurt


• 2 teaspoons chopped parsley


• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint


• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice


• 1 Tablespoon olive oil


• 1 teaspoon honey


• 1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic


• salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Fritters

• 2 cups shredded zucchini (2 small or 1 large zucchini)


• 1 cup shredded sweet potato (1 small, peeled)


• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion


• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt


• 2 large Eggland's Best eggs


• 1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic


• 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley


• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint


• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


• ⅓ cup cornmeal


• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch


• 1/3 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Make the yogurt sauce by whisking all of the yogurt sauce ingredients together except for the salt and pepper. Taste, then add salt/pepper to your taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.


2. Make the fritters: Place the shredded zucchini, sweet potato, and onion in a large strainer. Top with 1 teaspoon salt and mix it around with a large wooden spoon. Press down with your hands to begin draining some of the water from the vegetables. Let that sit in the sink for a few minutes. Meanwhile, line a large bowl with paper towels or a clean dish towel (easier to use a towel!). Place the vegetable mixture in the bowl and top with more paper towels or fold over the dish towel. Begin pressing down; you need to get out as much liquid as possible. Grab more paper towels or a new dish towel as needed. Note: you can also simply wring out the vegetables in the dish towel over the sink. Just keep wringing! Let the vegetables sit in the towels for 45 minutes, then press again. The goal is to remove as much moisture as possible. Otherwise, the fritters will be soggy. You will be amazed how much water you wring out!


3. Whisk the eggs together in a large bowl. Once beaten, whisk in the garlic, parsley, mint, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Fold in the vegetables, then add the cornmeal and cornstarch until everything is combined.


4. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, use a fork to scoop up around 2 Tablespoons of the zucchini mixture (I always eyeball the amount). There may be liquid pooling in the bottom of the bowl, so make sure you use a fork so the excess liquid isn't in your fritter. Place the mixture onto the hot skillet and flatten with a spatula. Repeat with a few more, making sure not to overcrowd the skillet. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate until finished.


5. Serve warm fritters with yogurt sauce.


6. Make ahead tip: These fritters are best cooked and eaten right away. They make great leftovers stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat by placing on a lined baking sheet under the broiler for a couple minutes. Freeze fritters for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as directed before.

Recipe Notes:

Adapted from Bon Appétit magazine

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I don’t even know how I had leftovers, but I’m not complaining tonight! Definitely making another batch this week. Follow me on Instagram and tag #sallysbakingaddiction so I can see all the SBA recipes you make! ♥

Try my equally crisp coconut chicken with spicy honey orange sauce next!

Eggland’s Best provided me with eggs to bring you this recipe.

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