Vegan Zucchini Fritters
Last Updated on November 9, 2023 by Heather Reseck
These tasty vegan zucchini fritters are a great way to use an abundance of zucchini. They freeze well, so make extra to enjoy in the winter.
I faced several challenges in this recipe makeover:
- eliminating the eggs
- eliminating the gluten–from wheat flour in most recipes
- eliminating the cheese. I started by substituting vegan cheese. See the variations for a version that uses nuts or seeds instead of vegan cheese and is just as tasty.
- eliminating the excess moisture from the zucchini.
Zucchini is 94 percent water. So the first challenge when making zucchini fritters and patties is to get rid of the excess moisture.
I used part yellow squash since I had an overactive plant in the garden.
After 10 minutes of salting, the summer squash is wilted and ready to release excess moisture.
Gather the towel and start squeezing the liquid out into the bowl. Spread the zucchini out in the towel to form more of a log shape that’s easier to get your hands around for squeezing.
The zucchini and/or yellow squash should be fairly dry. You should squeeze out about a cup of liquid. If you use a thick towel, you may have slightly less than one cup of liquid since the towel will soak up some of the liquid.
While waiting for the zucchini, assemble the rest of the ingredients in another bowl: garlic, ground chia seeds, chickpea flour, vegan cheese, homemade Easy Vegan Parmesan, and dillweed.
After trying several combinations, I settled on using ground chia seeds and chickpea (garbanzo) flour to replace the eggs and wheat flour. Together they do a great job of binding and absorbing which makes fritters that hold together well without being gummy inside.
Chickpea flour makes these fritters more substantial and increases the protein content so they can be served as a main dish.
Stir the strained zucchini into the ingredients in the bowl. The mixture will be thick and will have a “beany” smell. But don’t worry. After baking, the chickpea flour smell and taste disappear.
Use a ¼-cup measure to portion the fritters. You will end up with six to eight fritters.
Flatten into 3-inch diameter fritters.
Bake at 400°F. for 15 minutes. Turn over and bake another 10-15 minutes.
Serve fritters warm or at room temperature with a dollop of cashew sour cream mixed with dill. Or serve plain. Or serve with salsa.
Variations:
- Yellow Squash Fritters: Substitute yellow squash for all or part of the zucchini. Remove large seeds.
- Zucchini Fritters with Parsley: Add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley.
- Mini Zucchini Fritters: Use 2 tablespoons of the zucchini mixture to form a 2-inch diameter fritter. Bake until lightly browned on the bottom, about 10-15 minutes. Turn over and bake until lightly browned on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Makes about 12-14.
- Greek Zucchini Fritters: Add 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint. Substitute non-dairy feta for the cheese. Omit parmesan. Serve with tzatziki sauce or nondairy yogurt with chopped fresh dill.
- Zucchini Fritters with Nuts or Seeds: Substitute 1/4 cup ground walnuts, almonds, cashews, or sunflower seeds and 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast for the non-dairy cheese. Add ¼ teaspoon salt.
Tips:
- If using an extra large zucchini, scoop the seeds out before shredding.
- You can use a potato ricer or salad spinner to squeeze the water out.
- If you use a thick, absorbent towel, the amount of liquid squeezed out will be less than one cup since the towel will soak up some of it.
Meal Prep Tips:
- Vegan Zucchini Fritters freeze well. Double or triple the recipe.
- Squeeze the moisture out of the zucchini in batches.
- Refrigerate for up to 1 week. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat thawed or frozen fritters in a toaster oven or at 350°F until heated through, about 15-20 minutes.
Vegan Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded zucchini (lightly packed)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 2 tablespoons ground chia seed or flaxseed
- ½ cup shredded nondairy cheese
- ⅓ cup chickpea flour
- ¼ cup nondairy parmesan
- 3 green onions finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried dillweed or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Line a large bowl with a dish towel. Place the shredded zucchini on top of the towel. Sprinkle with salt and stir. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, stir garlic, chia seed, nondairy cheese, chickpea flour, nondairy parmesan, green onions, and dillweed together in a mixing bowl.
- Gather the ends of the towel and twist around the zucchini to squeeze as much liquid as possible into the bowl. Spread the zucchini out lengthwise in the towel so you can wrap your hand around it and squeeze more liquid out. You should squeeze off about 1 cup of liquid.
- Stir the squeezed zucchini into the other ingredients in the mixing bowl. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Using a ¼ cup for each fritter, place on the baking sheet. Use your hands to form into 3-inch-wide patties.
- Bake until lightly browned on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Turn the fritters over and bake until lightly browned on the bottom, another 10-15 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with cashew sour cream mixed with dill. Or serve plain. Or serve with salsa.
Notes
- Yellow Squash Fritters: Substitute yellow squash for all or part of the zucchini. Remove large seeds.
- Zucchini Fritters with Parsley: Add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley.
- Mini Zucchini Fritters: Use 2 tablespoons of the zucchini mixture to form a 2-inch diameter fritter. Bake until lightly browned on the bottom, about 10-15 minutes. Turn over and bake until lightly browned on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Makes about 12-14.
- Greek Zucchini Fritters: Add 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint. Substitute non-dairy feta for the cheese. Omit parmesan. Serve with tzatziki sauce or nondairy yogurt with chopped fresh dill.
- Zucchini Fritters with Nuts or Seeds: Substitute 1/4 cup ground walnuts, almonds, cashews, or sunflower seeds and 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast for the non-dairy cheese. Add ¼ teaspoon salt.
- If using an extra large zucchini, scoop the seeds out before shredding.
- You can squeeze the water out with a potato ricer or salad spinner.
- If you use a thick, absorbent towel, the amount of liquid squeezed out will be less than one cup since the towel will soak up some of it.
- Double or triple the recipe. These freeze well.
- Squeeze the moisture out of the zucchini in batches.
- Refrigerate for up to 1 week. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator. Or reheat from thawed frozen in a toaster oven or at 350°F until heated through, about 15-20 minutes.
