March 29, 2024

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Cooking Is My World

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters – Averie Cooks

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Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters – Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer’s most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters Recipe

When summer is in full swing and zucchini is so abundant and you’re wondering what to do with it all, look no further than this super tasty recipe for air fryer zucchini fritters.

The zucchini fritters are lightly crisped on the outside, tender but not mushy on the inside, and there’s carrots and onions for extra flavor.

I also add a bit of cheddar cheese to make them extra tasty, plus garlic, salt, and pepper, of course. 

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

Rather than frying them in oil, which isn’t the healthiest option apart from frying anything stinks up your kitchen for days, I air fried these zucchini fritters.

Air frying keeps them healthier without sacrificing flavor which is key!

If you don’t have an air fryer yet, oven baking instructions are provided if you don’t want to actually fry them either. 

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

 

Ingredients in Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters 

To make these crispy yet tender zucchini fritters, you’ll need the following easy-to-find common fridge and pantry ingredients including the following:

  • Zucchini
  • Carrots (or omit and use all zucchini)
  • White or yellow onion
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • Egg
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • All-purpose flour
  • Fresh parsley
  • Pepper

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

How Do You Cook Zucchini Fritters in an Air Fryer?

Making zucchini fritters in an air fryer is so easy and the results are so worth it! Follow these straightforward steps for best results:

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

Step 1: Grate the vegetables with a box grater, add them to a colander, salt them, let the water drain out, and wring them as dry as possible. 

Tip: See below about the importance of removing excess liquid from the vegetable mixture so your fritters aren’t soggy!

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

Step 2: Add the egg, flour, cheese, parsley, and pepper to the vegetables and stir to combine.

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

Step 3: Make 2 tablespoon-sized patties using a medium cookie scoop to keep them uniform. 

Step 4: Add the fritters to a preheated air fryer sprayed with olive oil cooking spray and spray the fritters, too.

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

Step 5: Air fry them for 10 minutes.

Step 6: Flip, spray them again, and air fry for about 3 minutes before serving.

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

Can I Make Zucchini Fritters Without an Air Fryer?

Yes you sure can make zucchini fritters without an air fryer. Simply bake them in the oven. 

I have a 2012 recipe (yes I have been blogging for a very long time!) for Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters which are oven baked.

My recommendation is to use a baking sheet lined with either a Silpat liner. Or, if you have one, use a baking sheet with a wire rack above it which will help them crisp up.

Bake your fritters at 375F for about 8 minutes, lower the oven temp to 350F, and bake for about 10 minutes. 

However keep an eye on them and judge doneness by how they look to you based on your oven and what kind of baking sheet setup you’re using.

Keep the size at 2 tablespoons.

Also make sure to check out my Baked Zucchini Corn Poppers recipe if you’re looking for a delish baked zucchini recipe!

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

How Do You Keep Fritters From Getting Soggy?

There is no way to get a crispy zucchini fritter made in an air fryer if you don’t remove as much of the natural water and liquid from the zucchini and carrots before air frying or oven baking if you’re going that route.

What will happen is that the exterior may brown and appear crispy but the interior of the carrot zucchini fritters will stay mushy. 

Plus, removing the excess moisture helps them cook faster overall and in a more consistent fashion so that you don’t end up with overly browned exteriors with soft and soggy interiors.

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

To remove the excess moisture from the zucchini and the other vegetables follow these basic steps:

  1. In a large colander, combine the zucchini, carrots, onion, and garlic and set the colander in your kitchen sink.
  2. Add salt and stir.
  3. Wait 1 hour. During this time moisture will start to drain out the holes of the colander and into the sink.
  4. After 1 hour, wring out the vegetable mixture in a clean kitchen towel such as a tea towel or cheesecloth

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

What Should The Consistency of the Fritter Batter Be?

You want to make sure that your zucchini fritter batter is on the drier rather than moister side. That’s because it’s impossible to get crispy zucchini fritters if there’s too much moisture in the batter as I mentioned.

Make sure to salt, wait, and wring out the vegetable mixture as well as you possibly can.

After adding in the egg it will moisten back up a bit.

The flour and cheese both serve to help bind the air fryer zucchini fritter batter together.

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

Can I Make Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters Vegan or Gluten-Free?

I haven’t experimented specifically with making air fryer zucchini fritters vegan and gluten-free. However, my recipe for Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters offers vegan and gluten-free alternatives.

My recent Baked Zucchini Corn Poppers offers vegan and gluten-free options.

Therefore, to make these air fryer zucchini fritters vegan and/or gluten-free, I suggest:

  • Using flax egg or egg replacer for the egg called for.
  • Swap vegan shredded cheese for the real shredded cheddar cheese.
  • Use gluten-free 1:1 flour that’s intended for baking in place of the all-purpose flour.

Keep in mind that I haven’t personally tested these options but am quite confident they will work otherwise I would not suggest them. If you try them, please leave a message in the comments section!

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

Serving and Storage Suggestions for Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters 

You really don’t need anything special to serve with the zucchini fritters. Although we like them with a little bit of sour cream.

Another favorite salad dressing such as a ranch or blue cheese is also a nice touch.

Or try any one of these homemade 5 Easy Sauces, Dips, and Marinades. Any of them would be fabulous on the zucchini carrot fritters! 

These air fryer zucchini fritters are incredible hot and fresh right out of the air fryer. They will be at their peak of crispiness! As they sit, they lose their crispness.

However, extra zucchini fritters will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can eat them at room temp, nuke them in the micro, or intend to re-crisp them up in the air fryer for about 3 minutes.

Freezing and thawing won’t bode well for the zucchini nor the crispiness level, so I don’t recommend freezing them.

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

Tips for the Best Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters 

As I already mentioned, it’s very important to remove as much of the natural juices and moisture from the zucchini and carrots. If you don’t, your zucchini fritters won’t crisp up nearly as much in the air fryer.

That’s why salting, waiting, and wringing them out is mandatory.

If you have tons of extra zucchini on your hands to use, or don’t want to use carrots, simply omit the carrots in this recipe and use all zucchini.

When grating the zucchini, carrots, and onions, it takes me no more than 5 minutes when I do it on an old-fashioned box grater on the coarsest blade. I don’t bother with dirtying my food processor, although you could if you really want to.

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

I suggest making the zucchini carrot fritters with about 2 tablespoons of the mixture. If you make them larger they exterior will crisp up but the interior will still be undercooked and mushy.

I suppose you could make them smaller but that become an exercise in patience which I don’t have!

Use a 2-tablespoon or medium-sized cookie scoop to keep the fritters uniform and keep the guesswork out of it.

Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters - Lightly crisped on the outside, tender on the inside, and makes use of summer's most abundant vegetable! And air frying the zucchini fritters keeps them healthier than actual frying without sacrificing taste or texture! Perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy main course. Oven baking instructions also provided.

When placing the zucchini fritters in the air fryer, they can be nearly touching but do not crowd them. Cook your air fryer zucchini fritters in probably two batches, depending on the size of your air fryer basket.

Since all zucchini, carrots, climates, size of the zucchini fritters, and air fryers themselves vary, so will cooking time so keep an eye on your fritters.

I cook mine in a preheated 375F air fryer for 10 minutes on the first side, flip, and another 3 minutes on the second side but again watch your fritters and not the clock.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups zucchini, grated (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and grated (or omit and use all zucchini and add 1/2 cup extra zucchini)
  • 1/2 white or yellow onion, peeled and grated
  • 2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or another shredded cheese blend)
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely minced; optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Using the coarsest blade of a box grater (or use the grating attachment of a food processor), grate the zucchini, carrot, and onion and add them to a large colander along with the garlic and set it inside your kitchen sink.
  2. Add the salt and stir to combine. Wait 1 hour. During this time moisture from the vegetables will begin to release.
  3. After 1 hour, tightly wring out the vegetable mixture in a clean tea towel or cheesecloth. Tip – Do not use paper towels because even the best ones will shred and rip and you’ll be picking out paper shreds from your vegetable mixture.
  4. Place the wrung out vegetables in a large bowl and add the egg, cheese, flour, optional parsley, pepper, and stir to combine.
  5. Preheat the air fryer to 375F.* (See Notes for Oven Baking Instructions)
  6. Using a 2-tablespoon medium cookie scoop for uniformity, scoop out and form the fritters and lightly pat each fritter into a semi-flattened round shape but don’t overly flatten.
  7. Spray the basket of the air fryer with olive oil cooking spray or a similar cooking spray, add the fritters to the basket, and lightly spray them too. Tips – They need a bit of oil to actually “fry” so don’t skip this. Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. You will likely need to air fry the fritters in two batches.
  8. Air fry for 10 minutes.
  9. Open the air fryer, flip the fritters, lightly spray the top side with cooking spray, and air fry for 3 additional minutes, or until done.
  10. If desired, serve with sour cream, ranch or blue cheese salad dressing, or try one of these easy Homemade Sauces and Dips. Zucchini fritters are best hot and fresh. Extra fritters will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Either eat at room temp, gently reheat in the microwave, or place into the air fryer for about 3 minutes if desired. I don’t recommend freezing these.

Notes

*Oven Baking Instructions:

My recommendation is to use a baking sheet lined with either a Silpat liner. Or, if you have one, use a baking sheet with a wire rack above it which will help them crisp up.

Bake your fritters at 375F for about 8 minutes, lower the oven temp to 350F, and bake for about 10 minutes. 

However keep an eye on them and judge doneness by how they look to you based on your oven and what kind of baking sheet setup you’re using.

Keep the size at 2 tablespoons.

Also make sure to check out my Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato and Zucchini Fritters  or Baked Zucchini Corn Poppers recipes if you’re looking for baked zucchini recipes!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 52Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 393mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g

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Baked Zucchini Corn Poppers - Celebrating the flavors of summer in these EASY poppers that are slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside! Layered with flavor thanks to not only zucchini and corn, but also shredded cheese, fresh herbs and spices, and serrano chili for a kick making you want to pop just one more! Air fryer instructions as well as vegan and gluten-free options provided. 

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