This zucchini fritters air fryer recipe is so easy to make! It's the easiest way to make zucchini fritters that are crispy and packed with flavor.
Zucchini fritters are perfect for a delicious snack or appetizer dipped in sour cream, ranch dressing or your favorite dipping sauce.
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Why you will love this recipe
- It's easy to make with just a few simple and fresh ingredients.
- They taste amazing! Everyone will love them.
- Zucchini fritters are healthy and a great way to enjoy more vegetables!
Here is what you will need
This is an overview of the ingredients and steps to make this recipe; scroll down for a printable recipe card with exact measurements and instructions.
Ingredients
- Fresh zucchini
- Garlic
- Egg
- All purpose flour
- Onion
- Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Olive oil or avocado oil cooking spray
Equipment
- Food processor or box grater
- Large mixing bowl
- Skillet
- Air fryer
How to make this air fryer zucchini fritters recipe
Prepare the ingredients: Rinse and dry the zucchini, chop the garlic and onion, and shred the parmesan cheese.
Step 1. Strain the zucchini
Place the shredded zucchini into a strainer over a bowl and press down on the zucchini to release the excess liquid. Remove it from the strainer and place it on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, and pat dry.
Step 2. Cook the onion & garlic
Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Once the oil is hot, reduce to medium heat and cook the onions and garlic until they start to soften and remove them from the heat.
Step 3. Make the batter
Place the eggs, flour, grated zucchini, onion and garlic into a large bowl. And combine all of the ingredients.
Step 4. Form the fritters
Scoop out portions of the zucchini mixture and form them into patties or fritters. Arrange the fritters in a single layer in the air fryer basket or tray.
Step 5. Air fry the fritters
Spray the fritters with avocado or olive oil and air fry for 20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
The complete list of ingredients to make zucchini fritters in the air fryer is above. Below are notes about some of the ingredients along with ideas for substitutes.
Zucchini - Medium zucchini is the best to make zucchini fritters. If the zucchini is too small, you will need to use a lot of them! Alternatively, if the zucchini is too large, you will have to cut away the larger-sized seeds.
Yellow zucchini or summer squash can be substituted for zucchini.
All-purpose flour - I like to use whole wheat all-purpose flour, but you can use white if that is what you prefer.
Onion & garlic - Add a nice flavor to the fritters. You can replace them with ½ teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder, but keep in mind that the fritters won't taste as fresh.
Cooking spray - Helps to make the fritters taste crispy, my preference is avocado oil spray, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
Cooking spray can be substituted with a quick brush of olive or avocado oil before placing the fritters into the air fryer.
Variations
Here are some suggestions to change up your crispy zucchini fritters:
- Add more vegetables - add diced sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers, shredded carrots, olives, sundried tomatoes or a ¼ cup black beans to the batter.
- Cheese - Instead of parmesan cheese try, feta cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese or gruyere cheese.
- Vegan air fryer zucchini fritters Replace the egg with a flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed with 2 tablespoons water) and nutritional yeast or vegan cheese in place of parmesan cheese.
- Gluten-free zucchini fritters in the air fryer - Replace all-purpose flour with an equal amount of gluten flour blend or almond flour.
What to serve with air fryer zucchini fritters
Serve your zucchini fritters garnished with green onions as a snack or appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce like this blue cheese dressing, homemade onion dip, Greek yogurt, tzatziki sauce or sour cream.
Zucchini fritters also taste great as a side dish with grilled chicken, pork chops or seafood.
How to store leftovers
Zucchini fritters taste the best right after they come out of the air fryer. But if you do have leftover fritters, you can store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat them in the oven or your air fryer.
You can also freeze zucchini fritters by placing them on a baking sheet in a single layer and popping them into the freezer. Once they are frozen place them into a plastic bag or a stasher bag and freeze for up to three months.
Reheat them from frozen or thawed in a skillet, oven or air fryer.
Recipe tips
- For the most crispy zucchini fritters, it is important to remove as much moisture as you can from the shredded zucchini, see tips above and below.
- Save the reserved liquid from the zucchini and freeze it. Add it to your pasta water, or sauce, or use it to make vegetable broth.
- If you have a lot of zucchini from your garden to use up, this is a great recipe to make a double batch of and freeze them.
Aside from placing the shredded zucchini into a strainer and pressing it, try placing it on a clean kitchen towel, cheese cloth, or paper towel and roll it up with the zucchini in it squeezing out as much moisture as you can. You can also try placing the shreds into a tofu press to release the excess moisture.
If your zucchini fritters are falling apart, chances are they have too much moisture in them. Try adding a little more flour to the batter to thicken it.
You might also like these easy zucchini recipes
- Easy Zucchini Refrigerator Pickles
- Quick and Easy Zucchini Noodles with Chicken
- Stuffed Zucchini Rolls Recipe
- Zucchini Bread Recipe (Bread Machine)
📖 Recipe
Click on serving size to scale this recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded zucchini about one medium
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place the shredded zucchini into a strainer over a bowl and press down to release the excess liquid. Remove it from the strainer and place it on a clean towel or paper towel and pat it dry.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium and cook the onions and garlic until they begin to soften.
- Place the eggs, flour, zucchini shreds, onion and garlic into a large bowl; and combine all of the ingredients.
- Scoop out portions of the zucchini mixture and form it into 12 patties. or fritters. Arrange the fritters in a single layer in the air fryer basket or tray.
- Spray the fritters with avocado or olive oil and air fry in a preheated air fryer at 400 degrees f for 15 minutes, flip them over and air fry for 5 minutes longer.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used
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