Without a doubt, summer is my favorite eating time of year! Backyard gardens, farmers markets, and roadside stands are loaded with just-picked fresh fruits and veggies. Even the humble zucchini is a standout during the summer, especially if it’s made into crispy vegetable fritters with creamy jalapeño sauce.
This recipe is actually great for any time of year, because the ingredients are available year round. These zucchini fritters are crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside, and full of veggie goodness. The spicy, addictive, creamy jalapeño sauce takes them over the top.
Start your veggie fritters by grating and salting some fresh zucchini, and setting it in a colander to drain. This is important because zucchini is watery, and you need to remove some of the water or your fritters will be soggy.
After letting the salted zucchini sit in the colander for about 30 minutes, squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands. Mix your grated zucchini with grated carrots, sliced green onions, garlic, a beaten egg, and self-rising flour.
I like to use self-rising flour for this fritter recipe, as I do for my Greek zucchini balls recipe. Self-rising flour helps the fritters puff up and makes them lighter. You can also use all-purpose flour if you want.
To crisp the veggie fritters, place 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Using a heaping 1/4 cup of batter for each fritter, cook the fritters for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until they’re browned and crispy. Press them to form vegetable patties if necessary.
Place the cooked fritters on a paper-towel lined plate to absorb any excess oil. These vegetable fritters don’t require much oil to get crispy, so you probably won’t have a lot of excess. Season the fritters with salt and pepper.
Optionally, after you’ve cooked the veggie fritters in a skillet, you can place them on a baking sheet, and bake them at 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) for five minutes. This will ensure they’re cooked all the way through. I usually do this because I like them thoroughly cooked, but it’s not 100 percent necessary.
I recommend serving these veggie fritters with creamy jalapeño sauce. I’ve posted the recipe here:
If you prefer, you can also serve your veg fritters with plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, ranch dressing, or tzatziki sauce.
These veggie fritters have a neutral flavor profile, so you can serve them with just about any sauce you like.
If you can, make the jalapeño sauce a few hours or a day before, so the flavors can blend.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! It just might get you and your crew to eat more veggies. If you like this recipe, check out some of our other vegetable recipes:
Honey roasted carrots with garlic & thyme
Spiral sweet potato oven fries
Veggie Fritters with Creamy Jalapeño Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded zucchini
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 cloves garlic pressed
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup sliced scallions green and white parts
- 2/3 cup self-rising flour or substitute all-purpose flour if desired
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- Additional salt and pepper to taste
- Creamy jalapeño sauce separate recipe
Instructions
- Sprinkle salt over shredded zucchini in a colander, mix lightly to blend. Let the zucchini sit for 30 minutes. Press and squeeze the zucchini to remove as much water as possible.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the zucchini, carrots, garlic, scallions, and eggs. Blend in the flour.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes or until hot. Add the olive oil.
- Using a ¼ cup measure, drop the vegetable mixture onto the hot skillet. Flatten the veggie mixture to form the fritters.
- Cook 3-4 minutes until the bottom is browned and crispy, then flip each fritter and cook another 3-4 minutes.
- Place the fritters on a paper towel lined plate to drain away excess oil. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
- Optionally, place the fritters on a baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven for 5 minutes. This will help make sure the fritters are cooked all the way through.
- Serve with creamy jalapeño sauce, sour cream, yogurt, or tzatziki sauce.
Nutrition
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