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These baked zucchini fritters are SO easy to make and require just 6 ingredients. They’re made in the oven, come together in about 30 minutes and they're gluten free, too!
Ohhhh boy I’m excited to share this zucchini fritters recipe with you! They're great because they can easily be enjoyed at lunchtime or as a side to almost any meal.
I first tried zucchini fritters a few years ago, but I remember frying them in a skillet. While that’s one way to go, I wanted to create a healthier baked version that uses a combination of almond flour and breadcrumbs to keep these gluten free.
Why you'll love these zucchini fritters
- They're made with almond flour, meaning they're gluten free and therefore suitable for most dietary preferences
- They're easy to meal prep and enjoy throughout the week
- These fritters are flavored with shallot and a little bit of cheddar cheese to keep things simple and delicious
Ingredient notes
- Zucchini: I know this is pretty obvious, but you’re going to need zucchini in order to make fritters. In the recipe card below, I recommend using 2 medium zucchinis, but if you can only find smaller ones then make sure to use 3 zucchini.
- Shallot: Can sub red onion
- Egg: The egg is used to bind the shredded zucchini together. You can try using a flax egg if you’re allergic to eggs (combine 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal with 2.5 tablespoon water, then wait 10 minutes for the flaxseed to absorb the water), but I haven’t tried this myself. If you can eat eggs, I say stick with an actual egg.
- Almond flour: In order to keep these gluten free, I used almond flour. Plus, it has a mild nutty flavor to it, which I think works out much better than using all purpose flour. Substitution: if you can't find almond flour, simply omit the flour and use more breadcrumbs.
- Breadcrumbs: I love Panko breadcrumbs, so that's what I recommend. They're incredibly versatile, and most grocery stores sell a gluten free variety if you want to keep these gluten free.
- Cheddar cheese: The first time I made these I omitted the cheese, and the second time I added it in. Not surprisingly, I liked these much better with a little cheese simply because it adds more flavor.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Grate the zucchini. This is key! Slice the ends off of the zucchini, then use a box grater to grate the zucchini into a large bowl.
Step 2: Squeeze out the liquid. Pour the grated zucchini on top of a piece of cheese cloth, or place it into a nut milk bag. Then, use all of your strength to squeeze as much liquid out of the zucchini as possible. The more liquid you squeeze out, the crispier the fritters will be! This step may take a few minutes, and that's ok.
If you don't own cheese cloth or a nut milk bag, you can do this over several paper towels, though I do think cheese cloth/a nut milk bag works best.
Step 3: Add ingredients. Add the egg, shallot, breadcrumbs, almond flour, and cheese to the bowl with the zucchini and mix everything together really well. Add some salt and pepper as well.
Step 4: Bake. Grease a baking sheet with nonstick spray or line it with parchment paper. Then, use a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop out the zucchini and form it into a ball with your hands, placing it on a baking sheet. Use your hand to gently press down, forming the zucchini into fritters. Spray the fritters with nonstick spray beforehand (I use avocado oil spray), which will help them get crispy in the oven.
Bake the fritters for approximately 12 minutes, then remove them from the oven, use a spatula to flip them over and spray them with more nonstick spray before placing them back into the oven for 12 more minutes.
FAQs and Tips
- In order for these to be crispy, you HAVE to squeeze as much liquid out of the grated zucchini as possible. Otherwise, they will be soggy.
- Do NOT use your food processor to grate the zucchini -- it just won't work out as well.
- 4 ½ cups grated zucchini should equal about 2 medium sized zucchinis.
What if I can't find almond flour?
That's ok! If you can't find almond flour, I'd just use all breadcrumbs instead. So, instead of ½ cup flour and ⅓ cup breadcrumbs, use a little more than ¾ cup of breadcrumbs.
Can you freeze these?
Yes! Once the fritters have completely cooled, you can place them in a plastic bag in the freezer and they should keep for at least a week. You can also individually wrap them in plastic wrap to help them hold shape.
What sauce pairs best with fritters?
Honestly? Pretty much anything, in my opinion. Mayonnaise, sriracha, any kind of hot sauce, or even Greek yogurt pair well with these.
Related recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below!
Baked Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups zucchini grated
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon shallot minced
- ½ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup gluten free Panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- pinch of salt and pepper
- nonstick spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Use a box grater to grate zucchini into a large bowl. Then, transfer the zucchini onto a piece of cheese cloth, or into a nut milk bag and squeeze as much of the moisture out as you can. I've found that these work best for getting the moisture out. You want to squeeze as much liquid out as you can; otherwise, the fritters will be soggy.
- Add the egg, shallot, almond flour, breadcrumbs, and cheese to the bowl and stir to combine, along with salt and pepper.
- Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray, or line it with parchment paper. Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop the zucchini mixture into your hands, then form the mixture into balls and lightly press them down so they look like fritters. Spray nonstick spray (I used avocado oil spray) over the fritters, which will help them crisp up.
- Bake the fritters for 12 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a spatula to flip them over. Spray them with more nonstick spray, then bake for 12 minutes again.
- Serve them with a dollop of Greek yogurt or some hot sauce and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in June 2019. It was updated with new text and photos in May 2020.
Amanda says
Amazing!
Sub Panko for Rinds (to make lean keto). Perfect for quick & tasty meal prep to go!
Love that baker too to cut unnecessary fats
Erin says
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Gail Morrison says
All of a sudden we had several huge zuchinni to use. My husband wanted to try baked fritters so I reluctantly agreed amuse i e tried them before and they always seemed soggy. We made these and they were great! In fact, we then made a double batch so we could give some away and freeze some! They were easy,delicious and I especially liked them because I have Celiad and they were gluten free! So good!
Erin says
I'm so happy you enjoyed them!
Ed says
I will definitely do this recipe. Plus, I will try the other recipes. They look yummy and I’m sure they are delicious!! Can I use an air fryer? If so, please give me the temperature and the time for cooking in the air fryer? I will definitely let you know how they taste! Please email me your response? Thank you!
Erin says
I'm sure you can use an air fryer, but I haven't tested it so I don't know the exact time/temperature. If you try it, let me know how they turn out!
Alisa says
I’ve made different versions of these but this one is by far the best and easiest to make. I used a little more onion than called for, hot three pepper cheese because I like spicy and the coconut oil spray I had on hand but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and they turned out crispy and delicious!
Erin says
Thanks Alisa -- using three pepper cheese sounds delicious! Going to have to try that next time.
Brenda Ven says
As the second wave or covid hits, I've been trying to eat cleaner. This recipe hit it out the park for me. Zucchini has become one of my go-to vegetables due to its versatility. With that said I omitted the salt due to my dad's health issues and did not have cheese clothe so I squeezed the water out by hand and then used Bounty to remove the rest. I left them overnight in the fridge and patted them again prior to baking. They were a hit with my family. Thank you for helping those of us that are not foodies but are making healthier choices with recipes like these.
Sorry no pics, I was so excited to share and eat them.
Erin says
Thanks so much for the comment, Brenda -- glad you all liked the recipe!
Loretta Mannix says
I am sorry, I'd like to rate these better but I can't due to the fact that instead of taking 10-12 minutes per side they took 30 minutes per side and the inside is still not done ☹️. I have turned off the oven and left them in in hopes that the insides will firm up a bit 😁😁🤷🏻♀️.
Erin says
Hi Loretta -- I'm sorry they didn't work out. I've made these several times, so I know they do work, but you have to squeeze as much liquid out of the zucchini as possible (it can be quite the arm workout!). I hope you give them a second try.
Sally Ayres says
I made this recipe with just a couple small changes. I had 1 and 1/2 cups of fresh corn which I added. Then it also needed a second egg to hold it together. I didn’t have a shallot so I pulled a small red onion from my garden and chopped that up. We topped it with a dollop of sour cream. Delicious! I love baking them instead of frying. It took a few minutes longer to crisp up than recipe states, but turned out really good.