Air fryer zucchini fritters are extra crispy outside and packed with tender onions, carrots, and melty cheddar inside! Make these golden little fritters in the air fryer in minutes. We love them dipped in sour cream as a light snack or appetizer.
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Why You’ll Love This Zucchini Fritters Recipe
- Crispy without the oil. Air frying requires way (WAY) less oil than deep-frying. All it takes is a light spritz of cooking oil, and everything stays contained inside the air fryer. You get a lighter fritter in a fraction of the time, without the mess.
- Summer-ready. Zucchini is one of our favorite veggies, especially in the summer when it’s in abundance. Homemade zucchini fritters are the best way to use up a bumper crop of zucchini at the end of the gardening season!
- Quick. Made with fresh zucchini, onion, carrot, and cheddar, these fritters go straight into the air fryer basket to cook for about 13 minutes. They’re crisp and delicious as an appetizer, snack, or side dish.
We love using the air fryer to cook our favorite summer veggies, from air fryer corn on the cob to air fryer green beans and these crispy air fryer zucchini fritters. It saves us from turning on the oven or hovering over a hot stove! And if you’re looking for another tasty appetizer to make in the air fryer, try these fried pickles.
What Are Zucchini Fritters Made Of?
Zucchini fritters are very adaptable, so while some recipes call for just shredded zucchini and onion, I like to include extra garden veggies. Below are some ingredient notes. Scroll to the recipe card for a printable list with the full amounts.
- Zucchini: If you happen to grow fresh zucchini in your garden, use it! Otherwise, if you’re shopping at the store or farmer’s market, choose zucchini that’s firm without any soft spots. Smaller zucchinis will have more flavor than larger ones.
- Onion, and Carrot: Grate your zucchini and vegetables using the large holes on a box grater.
- Garlic: Fresh, minced garlic adds a bright flavor. You can substitute garlic from a jar or garlic powder if you prefer (1/4 teaspoon of powder for each fresh clove).
- Salt and pepper
- Flour: All-purpose flour, or most kinds of flour (even gluten-free flour) will work here.
- Egg
- Cheese: I use shredded cheddar, but you can use parmesan, gouda, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or another cheese that you like.
- Parsley: Chopped fresh parsley, or you can use another herb like basil, thyme, or chives. Italian seasoning works great as a dried option.
How to Make Zucchini Fritters in the Air Fryer
These are hot, crispy zucchini fritters made easy! The air fryer makes the whole “frying” process super-quick and mess-free. Follow the steps below, and you’ll find the printable instructions in the recipe card after the post.
- Drain the zucchini. First, combine the grated zucchini, carrot, onion, and garlic in a colander and toss the veggies with salt. Let them sit for an hour to draw out the excess water. Afterward, wring out the zucchini mixture with a cheesecloth.
- Make the fritters. Now, mix the grated vegetables with flour, pepper, egg, cheese, and parsley. Form this mixture into small, round patties, about 1 tablespoon in size.
- Air fry. Arrange the fritters in the air fryer basket and cook at 375ºF for 10 minutes. Flip, and cook for another 3 minutes. When they’re golden and crispy, your fritters are ready to serve!
Cook’s Notes and Variations
- Salt and drain the veggies well. It’s important to draw as much of the liquid out of the vegetables as possible when making fritters. This way, they fry quickly and get crispy rather than soggy and mushy. Salting the vegetables helps draw out the water, so don’t skip that step.
- Preheat the air fryer. Not all air fryers require preheating, but some do. Most preheating models take about 3-5 minutes. If you do preheat your fryer, the fritters won’t need as much time to cook.
- Cook in batches. Make sure not to overcrowd the fritters in the air fryer basket. They should cook in a single layer, not touching. You may need to do this in batches, depending on the side of your air fryer.
- Different veggies. Grate up any veggies you have hanging around in the crisper drawer! You can bulk up these zucchini fritters with asparagus, bell peppers, cabbage, and potatoes– just about any vegetable that’s in season.
- Spicy. Give your air fryer zucchini a bit of kick with crushed red pepper flakes, Cajun spice, or chili seasoning, or drizzle the fried fritters with hot sauce, like sriracha.
- Herbs and seasonings. I’ll sometimes stir a spoonful of homemade pesto or chimichurri into the fritter mix. Smoky Sazon seasoning also adds great Puerto Rican flavor!
What to Serve with Zucchini Fritters
I love these air fryer zucchini fritters as an appetizer topped with sour cream, but they taste just as good with plain yogurt, Caesar dressing, honey mustard, or sweet chili sauce. This creamy and refreshing tzatziki sauce is another favorite!
As a side, zucchini fritters go great with mains like jalapeño popper chicken or this creamy sweet corn and roasted poblano soup and a green salad. We also love these crispy little fritters as a cookout side with other dishes like pesto bacon pasta salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to draw the moisture out of zucchini before frying is by salting the zucchini and letting it drain for an hour. The salt draws the water out, and when you wring out the zucchini afterward, you’re left with drier, tender zucchini that’ll fry up nice and crisp. See the How To section earlier.
I usually leave the zucchini to sit in the salt for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before shaping it into fritters. It may take more or less time depending on how much zucchini I’m using and how watery it is.
It could be that you didn’t drain the zucchini and vegetables well enough. Another reason that the zucchini fritters are soggy might be because the air fryer wasn’t preheated, or you overcrowded the basket. Hot air needs to circulate around the fritters to make the outside crispy.
The best oil for coating your air fryer (and fritters) is a pump-style cooking oil spray, like olive oil or avocado oil. I don’t recommend using aerosol sprays, like PAM, as they tend to smoke in high heat and damage the lining of the air fryer basket.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerate. Zucchini fritters last in the fridge for up to 5 days. To keep them fresh, store them in a food storage bag or airtight container.
- Reheat. The easiest way to reheat fritters is to place them back into the air fryer or oven at 350°F until hot. (You can also reheat them in the microwave, but the fritters won’t be as crispy.)
- Freeze. To freeze these zucchini fritters, first, flash-freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once they’re frozen solid, move them to freezer bags or an airtight container and freeze them for up to three months. Reheat directly from frozen, in the air fryer or oven.
More Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 3 cups grated zucchini, approx 1 1/2 pounds
- 1 carrot, grated
- ½ medium onion, grated
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon minced parsley, optional
- Sour cream, optional for serving
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Instructions
- Combine the zucchini, carrot, onion and garlic together in a sieve or small holed colander. Salt and stir. Let it sit for 1 hour to drain all the liquid from the vegetables.
- Squeeze the vegetables to remove any excess liquid, then place vegetable mixture in a clean tea towel (or cheese cloth) and squeeze again to get out as much liquid as possible.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F for 3 to 5 minutes.
- While the air fryer preheats, combine the vegetables, flour, pepper, egg, cheese and parsley in a large bowl. Stir until well combined. Form small round patties with a tablespoon of the fritter dough.
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray and place the fritters in the basket, making sure not to overcrowd. You may need to do this in batches depending on the side of your air fryer.
- Spray the tops of the fritters with cooking spray and place the basket in the air fryer.
- Cook for 10 minutes at 375°F. Turn the fritters over, spray with cooking spray, and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Serve immediately, with sour cream if desired!
Notes
- Preheating: Not all air fryers require preheating, but some do. If you do preheat the air fryer (three minutes is roughly the standard), the fritters won’t need as much time to cook.
- Salting: It is very important to get as much of the liquid out of the vegetables as possible, so they will fry quickly and get crispy rather than mushy. Salting the vegetables helps draw out the water.
- Sour Cream: I like to serve these with sour cream. They’re also good with any creamy dressing.
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