Zucchini fritters are family favorite savory vegetarian snack that can be easily made in your Air Fryer. These are crispy on the outside and delightfully tasty inside. All you need is a handful of ingredients and 30 minutes to make this vegan fritter recipe.
Learn how to make low calorie, non deep fried and eggless zucchini fritters in air fryer using this recipe. Similar to crispy masala chickpeas and air fryer fried pickles, this is our popular air fryer snack recipe. No air fryer? Don’t worry, I am including oven and pan frying instructions as well.
These vegan zucchini fritters are also gluten-free. I will also show you how to make simple substitutions to make it low carb and keto friendly.
Summer Garden Recipe
My family and I love gardening. Every year we plant our vegetable and herb garden. It is such a rewarding experience to sow, grow and enjoy garden fresh produce.
Zucchini plants are easy to care for and produce so many.. we always have a surplus. So besides usual stir-fry and pasta sauté additions, we make so many different zucchini recipes.
Best Zucchini Recipes
I love that zucchini noodles ( zoodles ) are low carb / low calorie alternatives to regular noodles and pasta. Thai Zucchini Noodles and Italian Zucchini Noodles are our family favorites.
Then there always is a Chocolate Zucchini Bread when you get a little too big zucchini. And I love my Air Fryer Zucchini Fries as much as potato fries. Zucchini Flower Fritters are also wonderful.
Gluten free and eggless zucchini fritters is my creative zucchini recipe. It is fun, simple and so delicious! It also is a perfect way to hide some veggies for the picky eaters!
Serving Ideas
You can serve them as a snack, an appetizer, a side dish or even a light lunch. Serve it along with savory delicious dips. Ranch, spicy mayo, ketchup or Avocado Cilantro Dip are all good choices.
You could make a lot of fritters at once and freeze the leftovers. Simply double or triple the ingredients in proportion. Best to reheat in the oven or air fryer to bring back crispy texture.
These fritters are unbelievably easy to make. Start off by grating your zucchini. Remove and drain the excess moisture by salting them. Make a breading mixture and mix in zucchini. Make round balls and flatten them like small pancakes. Air fry or pan fry them till golden brown. Flip, cook, serve and devour!
Pro Tips
- To get the perfect golden brown crispy outer layer, make sure to squeeze out the juice/ water out of grated zucchini. 10 minutes of salting helps. Then squeeze out rest using your hand. You can also wrap it in a cheesecloth and squeeze the liquid.
- For exact measurements, use the zucchini after you remove the liquids. You might have to add more flour if the batter / dough feels too wet.
- Shredding the zucchini can be done several ways. Using the grater attachment on a food processor is easy and effortless. You can also use the coarse side of a box grater.
- You can use the juice collected after squeezing the grated zucchini instead of water or broth in making soups, curry, rice, dough or sauces. It does have a lot of nutrients which you may not want to waste.
Why you will love these Healthy vegetarian Zucchini Fritters:
They are easy to make. Taste amazing . Have layers of different crispy texture. A great way to eat and enjoy your vegetables with rich source of protein and fiber. They are full of simple, wholesome ingredients. Delicately flavored and work on multitude of different servings.
This recipe is Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free, sugar-free.
Ingredients
Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card towards the end. Here’s what I used. ( Highlighted text links are Amazon Affiliate Links. See our disclosure for more info)
Zucchini, red onion, minced garlic, chickpea flour also called garbanzo beans flour, rice flour or all purpose flour, cayenne pepper, salt, ground black pepper and oil spray. Fresh herbs like chives or basil for garnish.
Useful Kitchen Tools include Box Grater, Steel Colander, Air Fryer and Oven Mitts.
Substitutions
- I used a mixture of chickpea flour and rice flour for breading. It is best gluten-free flour mixture where chickpea flour binds the dough together while rice flour helps keep it light and crispy.
- You can also use 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1 egg mixture. For a vegan option, use flax egg where you mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 2 tablespoons of water.
- I did not use any cheese but you can use 1/4 cup regular or plant based cheese or nutritional yeast.
- For flavors, I am keeping it simple. Minced fresh garlic, cayenne pepper and ground black pepper makes it wonderfully delicious. You can use a variety of different spice mixes like Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, Cajun seasoning or all purpose seasoning.
- Cooking oil spray is perfect for keeping it low calorie, low oil. You can also brush the fritters with any cooking oil.
- Since we are already salting the zucchini, you don’t need much extra salt in the dough. So taste the dough before adding extra salt.
- The batter should be thick to form a patty. Scoop a tablespoon of batter for each fritter, flattening with a spatula. If it’s too dry, add a tablespoon of oil or water at a time. If it’s too wet, add a tablespoon of flour.
DIRECTIONS:
Place grated zucchini in a colander over the sink. Add salt and gently toss to combine; let sit for 10 minutes. Using a clean dish towel or cheese cloth, drain zucchini completely.
In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients. Add in drained shredded zucchini. Mix well and divide mixture into equal parts. Make round balls and flatten them like small pancakes
If using air fryer : Preheat the air fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the air fryer basket with oil spray. Place the fritters on the basket. Put it in the air fryer. Choose 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. Halfway through, open the lid, flip the fritters , spray some oil and air fry further. Once done, serve immediately.
If using Pan frying Method : Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Scoop tablespoons of batter for each fritter, flattening with a spatula, and cook until the underside is nicely golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, about 2-3 minutes longer. Serve immediately.
If baking in the oven : Place the prepared fritters on the greased baking sheet and bake at preheated 375 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes. For crisp baking, I recommend you use crisp baking tray. Halfway through, open the lid, flip the fritters , spray some oil and bake further. Once done, serve immediately.
Storage
These fritters store well in air tight containers in the refrigerator for up to one week.
To re-heat, place in a lightly greased skillet over medium heat and cook until warmed throughout OR place in a pre-heated 375 Fahrenheit oven until warmed throughout.
How to make Keto Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters?
To make low carb zucchini fritters, swap chickpea and rice flour for almond flour. For binding use 1 large egg, or 1 tablespoon flax egg. You can also use grated parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast.
How to Make Gluten free Vegan Zucchini Fritters?
This recipe uses all gluten free and vegan ingredients. Chickpea and rice flours are naturally gluten free.
Our Favorite Air Fryer Recipes
We love making crispy, low calorie and non deep fried snacks in the air fryer. Check out these popular recipes:
- Bang Bang Skinny Cauliflower Bites,
- Stuffed Mushrooms
- Crispy Fingerling Potatoes
- Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers
- Potato Fritters
- Kale Chips
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Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini - shredded salted and juices drained - About 1 cup
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Oil Spray
- Fresh chives or parsley for garnish
Useful Kitchen Tools
Instructions
- Place grated zucchini in a colander over the sink. Add salt and gently toss to combine; let sit for 10 minutes. Using a clean dish towel or cheese cloth, drain the zucchini well.
In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients. Add in drained shredded zucchini. Mix well and form a dough. Divide mixture into six equal parts. Make round balls and flatten them like small pancakes
If using air fryer : Preheat the air fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the air fryer basket with oil spray. Place the fritters on the basket. Put it in the air fryer. Choose 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. Halfway through, open the lid, flip the fritters , spray some oil and air fry further. Once done, serve immediately. - If using Pan frying Method : Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Scoop tablespoons of batter for each fritter, flattening with a spatula, and cook until the underside is nicely golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, about 2-3 minutes longer. Serve immediately.
- If baking in the oven : Place the prepared fritters on the greased baking sheet and bake at preheated 375 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes. For crisp baking, I recommend you use crisp baking tray. Halfway through, open the lid, flip the fritters , spray some oil and bake further. Once done, serve immediately.
- If using Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid or Mealthy Crisp Lid : Arrange the fritters in a circular fashion in a single layer in the frying basket. Place the frying basket on a trivet. Cover and secure the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid or Mealthy Crisp Lid. Air Fry at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. Halfway through, open the lid, flip the fritters , spray some oil and air fry further. Once done, serve immediately.
Sheryl
Hi! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂 When you say “cook further” do you mean another 5 mins in the air fryer or how long? Thanks!
admin
Yes. You start off the air fryer at 12 mins. Halfway through, flip them and spray some oil and continue air frying for rest of the 5-6 mins.
Alexis Kus
What are sauce dipping them into?
admin
You can use ketchup, mayonnaise with chili sauce, honey mustard, ranch or creamy Italian. I prefer to do one tomato tangy sauce and one creamy sauce
Alma
Can I substitute chickpea flour with another flour? My son is allergic to chickpeas. Thanks!
Team ProfusionCurry
You can use all purpose flour, riced potato or rice flour instead of chickpea flour.