Zucchini Fritters
These delicious Zucchini Fritters are crispy, savory, and packed with veggies. They make a tasty and portable way to get extra nutrition into your kids. We serve them at breakfast, packed into lunches, or as yummy side dish for dinner!
Delicious, Savory, Veggie-Packed Zucchini Fritters
We’re all about squeezing veggies in wherever we can! And from our readers’ reaction to our vegetable muffins, a lot of you are too. These crispy and tender Zucchini Fritters have three different veggies, and make a delicious addition to your recipe rotation. These taste like hash brown patties, so even picky eaters will dig right in. And they’re made with other wholesome ingredients like whole grains, eggs, yogurt, and cheese.
They are are super crisp on the outside, and tender on the inside. The addition of cornmeal gives them a delightful crunch, while the corn offers a pop of sweetness. They make a delicious savory breakfast option, or tasty side dish with dinner (some of our favorite complimentary recipes below!). And my kids love them in their lunchboxes, too. Really and truly, they are just plain yummy. Delicious, easy, handheld nutrition. What could be better than that?
Here’s What You Need to Make These Zucchini Fritters:
- Zucchini
- Carrots
- Corn
- Eggs
- Cheddar Cheese
- Greek Yogurt
- Flour
- Cornmeal
- Chives
- Garlic
- Baking Powder
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil
How to Make Zucchini Fritters:
- Prep the vegetables. Grate the zucchini and carrots. Chop the chives. Toss them in a bowl and add the corn, garlic, egg and yogurt. Stir to combine.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper. Add to the vegetable mixture along with the grated cheese and stir gently just until combined.
- Fry up those fritters. Heat up the oil a large skillet over medium heat. Add a scoop of the fritter mixture (about 2 tablespoons each) to the hot pan and flatten gently with the back of the spatula. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, flipping halfway, until cooked through and golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack, and stack with paper towels if necessary.
- Serve. Cool slightly and serve with plain greek yogurt or sour cream and minced chives if desired. Enjoy!
Tips & Suggestions:
What kind of vegetables can I use to make fritters?
There aren’t many vegetables that can’t be improved by adding cheese and frying them in a skillet! We love the combination of zucchini, carrots, and the sweet bite of corn. But you can also try shredded potatoes, shredded sweet potatoes, diced broccoli, minced onion, grated apple, or shredded cabbage. Just make sure you keep the same ratio of veggies to batter.
How do you store leftover Zucchini Fritters?
Store leftover fritters in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to eat them, reheat in a lightly greased hot skillet, air fryer, or toaster oven until warm and crispy.
Other Substitutions:
- Replace the greek yogurt with sour cream.
- Add crispy, chopped bacon or diced ham to the batter.
- Add additional fresh herbs like basil, parsley, thyme, or dill.
- Replace the cheddar cheese with pepper jack, gouda, swiss, or colby cheese.
What should I serve with zucchini fritters?
When we eat these for breakfast, we like to serve them with crispy bacon and applesauce. But here are some yummy recipes that go really well with these Zucchini Fritters:
- Grilled Lemon Chicken
- Favorite Spinach Salad
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Chopped Kale Salad
- The Best Fruit Salad
- Homemade Tzatziki
More Veggie Packed Kid-Friendly Recipes:
Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 2 cups zucchini grated
- 1 cup carrot grated
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/4 cup chives chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Finely grate zucchini and carrots.
- Combine zucchini, carrots, corn, chives and garlic in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and Greek yogurt together. Combine with the veggies.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper. Add it to the veggies. Fold in the cheese.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet. Form balls of about 2 tablespoons of dough at a time. Add to skillet and press flat with the back of your spatula to form a fritter shape. Cook on both sides until golden brown. Remove from your skillet onto a cooling rack with a piece of paper towel on top. Serve warm with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of chives on top.
Nutrition
www.superhealthykids.com
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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This actually sounds pretty interesting to make. These Veggie Pancakes look really good to.
Mmm… And I love your children’s annual snow forts! Mine, too, were out for 3 hours, came in DRIPPING wet! My 15-month-old went out for about 30 minutes, before I forced him in, crying. He then sat at the back sliding door and watched his brother and sister play. Goes to show, that even at a young age, they WANT to be active and playing!
Veggie Pancakes look really good and healthy diet for kids, A great diet to grow kids healthy.
sounds good Veggie Pancakes Breakfast thanks for the recipe. I have add this recipes to my breakfast menu…………..
Just curious is that non-gmo corn…if so where did you find it?
I buy organic non-GMO corn frozen at Sam’s Club!
We grow our corn and freeze it!! Corn grows very well in Utah, and contrary to what people think, most corn seeds are not genetically modified. In fact, it is very difficult to purchase genetically modified seeds. You can only get them if you are a large corporpration or buy them by the truckloads.
Going to make these. Thanks.
Thank you…well they look pretty tasty, so I will be making these for my little ones…btw…the purchased the plate & bowl (food groups) for my girls and they were a hit…Thank you.
Could you make these with yellow squash instead of the zucchini?
Yes! I’ve done it before and it’s great!
Loved these!! The kids liked them okay think next time I’ll sub orange bell pepper for the carrots (my daughter seems to not like carrots.) Have you ever tried adding spinach? Just curious. We love spinach. Thanks for the great recipes!!!
Not yet! But if you add spinach, let us know how It tastes! Carrots are a terrific addition!
Hi Amy,
Thansk for the recipe. What can I substitute for cornmeal? I don’t have it at home. So anything else I can use instead?
I do think cornmeal would be a great substitute! Let me know how they turn out!
I am sorry. I guess my question wasn’t clear? I was wondering if I could substitute cornmeal with anything else in the above recipe – since I don’t have cornmeal with me?
Oh Sorry!! Maybe just use the same amount of extra whole wheat flour?
Could you freeze these after being made
Yes, you can! We tried and it worked well.
How did you reheat these after freezing?
Jamie- you could do it in the microwave or the oven.
can these be made without eggs or can I substitute something else for binding, such as milk? My son has an egg allergy, but these look great. Thanks!
I haven’t tried Diana- but instead of milk, I would probably do a flax substitution. We have some egg substitution ideas on this post: https://www.superhealthykids.com/the-essential-food-allergy-substitution-guide/
what can you use besides corn? Mince eaten corn turns into sugar. Thanks for your help 🙂
Mary- if you don’t eat corn, you can just leave it out.
What other types of flour could you use in place of the whole wheat flour?? I have gluten free oat flour and also nut flours. Has anyone tried this and if so how’d they turn out?
Thanks a bunch!!
You could try the gluten free flour Jeni- Or maybe even grind some oats into flour??
Hi there..im from malaysia..tq for the recipe.definitely going to try these for my active 5,4 and 2yrs old kids..hihi..great substitutes from their usual plain pancake.
These look great – what would you suggest to substitute the yogurt? Thanks
Could I leave the yoghurt out?
Hi.
Thanks for the great blog!
What can I sub the cheese with?
@Jen and Helen, you could use tofu as a sub for the yogurt, or any dairy free yogurt.
Michal, I would just leave the cheese out.
Thank you – so is the yogurt/tofu there to add protein or more of a creamy element?
More of a binder Jen.
Thank you 🙂
Has anyone tried baking these instead of frying in oil?
It was hard to get them to stick together, but don’t add more flour, it takes better just the way it is.
We love these and eat them for dinner 😉
my family didn’t like them very much. I liked them, but the texture was a little grainy.
Made these with my 2.5yo, he even ate some! Delicious.
I have the pickiest eaters in the world. I’ve been trying new recipes from here but strike out every time. However, my hubby and I loved these. I will take them for lunch.
these came out great! i used broccoli instead of zuchinni and i also used all frozen veggies and squeezed out the water. maybe less cornmeal would make these better, but they are good and i will freeze them also!
How much is a serving? And how do you make the sauce? Thank you!
Hi Silvia, the recipe makes four servings, total. (The number of pancakes is variable depending on what size you make them.) For the sauce you can just stir together yogurt or sour cream with fresh herbs. Dill is very nice. I hope this helps!
These look great! Do we need to squeeze the water from the zucchini ?
Yes, it works best if the zucchini is dry.
Delicious treat and so creative.
I can’t believe all the takeoffs of can’t use this and is it GMO corn or don’t eat eggs…if it don’t fit in your diet try something else. Your diet you know what to use as substitutes. Way too needy!
This looks great! Do you also have the recipe for the dipping sauce? Thanks!!
Here you go!
https://www.superhealthykids.com/recipes/kids-cucumber-dip-and-spears/
Hi,
Can I bake this in the oven to cut it into squares?
What temp and time do you recommend?
Thank you,
Sheila
It’s worth a shot! I would bake it 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes and check for doneness. Good luck!
What did you top these with? Is that some kind of herded sour cream?
It’s a mix of Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, herbs.