Here’s An Easy Greek Zucchini Fritters Recipe For You!
If you like crispy and flavorful fritters, you’ll want to try these Greek Zucchini Fritters.
Also known as Kolokithokeftedes, they are packed with freshly grated zucchini and full of flavor thanks to creamy feta cheese, parsley, dill and spices.
Easy to make and fry on the stove, these golden-brown fritters make a delicious appetizer or light meal that goes well with a classic tzatziki sauce!
Ingredients
To make this recipe, here are the Greek zucchini fritters ingredients you will need.
Aside from the zucchini itself and a few herbs and spices, it’s mostly just spices and binders like egg and flour that make it all happen!
- Zucchini – The main ingredient; choose firm zucchini with no soft spots.
- Scallions – Also known as green onions or spring onions; adds a mild onion flavor.
- Fresh dill – For extra flavor.
- Parsley – For extra flavor.
- Eggs – Helps hold the fritters together.
- Flour – Regular all-purpose flour works well.
- Breadcrumbs – Unseasoned breadcrumbs; for an authentic taste, don’t use panko.
- Baking powder – Helps the fritters rise slightly; make sure the baking powder hasn’t expired.
- Feta cheese – Adds richness and saltiness to the fritters.
- Salt – Enhances the overall flavor of the fritters.
- Black pepper – For a hint of spiciness.
- Olive oil – For frying.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
Before you make these Greek-style zucchini fritters with tzatziki, have a read through these recipe tips so that the fritters turn out delicious:
- Be sure to squeeze as much excess moisture out of the grated zucchini as you can so that they turn out crispy.
- Use fresh herbs for the best flavor. Instead of dill, you can also use fresh chopped mint.
- Depending on the saltiness of the feta cheese, you may want to adjust the amount of extra salt you add.
- The oil for frying should be hot enough that the zucchini fritters get crispy but not too hot so they don’t burn during frying while the inside is still uncooked.
How to Make Greek Zucchini Fritters – Step by Step Instructions
In this section, you can follow along with the recipe process photos to see exactly how to make this Kolokithokeftedes recipe.
This may help you if you are a visual learner and want to see what each step of the instructions should look like.
The recipe card with the exact measurements and cooking instructions can still be found at the bottom of this post!
Place the shredded zucchini in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let them sit for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture (this step is very important for crispy fritters).
After 30 minutes, squeeze the zucchini over the colander as much as you can to remove the excess water. This works well with a spoon, but you can also use your clean hands.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded zucchini, chopped scallions/green onions, parsley, dill and eggs.
Mix well with a spoon.
Add the flour, baking powder, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper and mix again until well combined.
Lastly, add the crumbled feta cheese and stir to combine.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add some olive oil. Make sure the skillet and oil are hot before adding any fritters.
Once the oil is hot, add 1 tablespoon of the mixture to the skillet and flatten it with a spatula, repeat with more of the mixture.
Don’t overcrowd the pan, work in batches if necessary.
Cook the fritters over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy. You can transfer the cooked zucchini fritters to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
Repeat with the rest of the mixture until all the fritters are cooked.
Serve the Greek zucchini fritters with tzatziki sauce or plain Greek yogurt. Enjoy!
Storage Tips
These zucchini fritters taste best when they are hot and crispy out of the frying pan.
But if you have any leftovers, you can store them in a sealed container or wrapped in foil in the fridge. They will last for about 2-3 days like this.
You can reheat them either in a frying pan with a tiny bit of oil, on a baking sheet in the oven, in the microwave, or in the air fryer (our preferred method).
If you want to keep the fritters for longer, you can also freeze them. For this, lay the cooked fritters in a single layer on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer.
Once they are fully frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and container and store for about 2 months.
Related Recipes
For more tasty Greek recipes, here are some dishes – some meat, some soups, some dips – that you might want to try out next!
- Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)
- Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)
- Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)
- Melitzanosalata (Greek Eggplant Dip)
- Tiropita (Greek Cheese Pies)
- Fasolada (Greek White Bean Soup)
Greek Zucchini Fritters (Kolokithokeftedes)
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini, shredded
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 4-5 tablespoons olive oil, for frying
Instructions
- Place the shredded zucchini in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let them sit for 30 minutes to draw out moisture (this step is very important for crispy fritters).4 medium zucchini
- After 30 minutes, squeeze the zucchini over the colander as much as you can to remove the excess water.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the shredded zucchini, chopped scallions/green onions, parsley, dill and eggs. Mix well.3 scallions, 1 tablespoon fresh dill, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, 2 eggs
- Add the flour, baking powder, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper and mix again until well combined.1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, salt, black pepper
- Add the crumbled feta cheese and stir to combine.4 ounces feta cheese
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add some olive oil. Make sure the skillet and oil are hot before adding any fritters.
- Once the oil is hot, add 1 tablespoon of the mixture to the skillet and flatten it with a spatula, repeat with more of the mixture. Don’t overcrowd the pan, work in batches if needed.4-5 tablespoons olive oil
- Cook on medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy. You can transfer the cooked zucchini fritters to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
- Repeat with the rest of the mixture until all the fritters are cooked.
- Serve with tzatziki sauce or plain Greek yogurt.
Notes
- Squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible from the grated zucchini so that they will be crispy when fried.
- Use fresh herbs for the best flavor. Instead of dill, you can also use fresh chopped mint.
- Depending on the saltiness of the feta cheese, you may want to adjust the amount of extra salt you add.
- The oil for frying should be hot enough to crisp the zucchini fritters but not too hot so they don’t burn during frying while the inside is still uncooked.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
How bout cooking then on a waffle iron? Would that work?
I haven’t tried it (yet), but it should work. You may have to experiment with the exact cooking time a bit though. Let us know how it turns out if you try it, Terri! /Lisa
Interesting. May be I will make those!
Thank you for this recipe.
I’m eating a couple as I write this. They’re Great.
I made a batch last week; and my son who does not like zucchini asked for them again.
I kept the general proportions of the recipe and only changed ingredients based on what was in my fridge. My family isn’t into dill, so we went with mint and a little celery leaf. It was a big hit.
The only thing you have to be careful about is the ratios. I had big zucchinis (they grow so fast…), did a good job of draining them, but it was still a little wet after I added the eggs (4 full eggs instead of 3 3/5 eggs for 27 fritters). An extra tablespoon each of flour and breadcrumbs fixed it.
This will be a regular dish in our house.
One last thing. Last weeks leftovers heated up fine, but we were munching on them cold from the fridge as well. They really are delicious.