Crispy Zucchini Fritters With Yogurt Dipping Sauce for a Light Summer Dinner

We still have so many zucchini coming off the tower garden that it was time to make one of my favorite recipes: Crispy Zucchini Fritters with Yogurt Dipping Sauce for a Light Summer Dinner!

Why This Recipe Works

These fritters are perfect for a light summer dinner or appetizer and don’t require a long time over the stove. My daughter loves helping me make these, so you might see little hands in some of these photos. Gotta love a good sous chef 🙂

They are crispy on the outside, soft and savory on the inside, and bursting with flavor. I love to dip mine in a yogurt sauce (optional recipe included), but you can just enjoy these on their own, or even put them into a bun and dress with your favorite condiments. Whatever you do, I promise you will love these fritters!

Before we get started, here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these Crispy Zucchini Fritters:

The Ingredients

Here are the ingredients included in these Crispy Zucchini Fritters:

• grated zucchini
• shallots
• garlic
• coconut flour (or other favorite gluten-free flour)
• baking powder
• eggs
• ghee
• zest of one lemon

Plus some of my favorite flavorful herbs and spices that make this dish pop:

• turmeric
• coriander
• fresh dill
• cilantro

You can play around with the herbs and spices or leave some out to your liking; I just happen to like this flavor combination. Something about the fresh dill and cilantro just tastes so much like summer to me.

You know by now I love to share the importance of ingredients, especially when we eat them in line with the seasons. All foods are more nutritious and flavorful when you eat them during their natural growing season, and that includes zucchini, the star of this meal.

That also goes for the herbs I used here, such as dill and cilantro. Sure, you can buy these things and certainly use them during other parts of the year. But again, they pack more flavor and nutrition during spring and summer. And our bodies are intelligent and prefer to eat this way! These fritters are seasonal eating at its best.

I’ve said this in my previous posts but zucchini is known in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a “cooling food,” meaning it helps pull excess heat from the body. This is very good for summer when we have excess heat.

Lots of people think “cooling food” means something like ice cold drinks or ice cream, but it’s not how it sounds, and they discourage eating too many freezing cold foods! (Go ahead and enjoy that occasional ice cream, though ;))

Other excellent cooling foods here are the yogurt, dill, and cilantro, which are conveniently all in season right now.

Cucumber is another cooling food, as well as bitter greens, so I like to serve this up with some sliced cucumbers and a bed of arugula. And the lemon zest takes the whole flavor profile up a notch, so don’t skip it!

How to Make Crispy Zucchini Fritters

The first step is to saute your garlic and shallots in olive oil, then remove from them from the heat and transfer them to a mixing bowl. Here’s where you’ll add your spices: the turmeric, coriander, salt, dill, and cilantro, and stir to combine, and set aside.

Next, in another bowl, add the flour, baking powder, eggs, and ghee. Pat the grated zucchini with a paper towel to remove excess water, then fold the shredded zucchini and shallot mixture into the flour mixture. Stir well to combine.

Using your hands, begin forming patties out of your mixture, about 3-4 inches in diameter and roughly 1/2 inch thick. You should wind up with 8-10 patties.

Now it’s time to fry them up! Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan over medium heat. Once hot, add 4-5 patties to the pan and sauté them for about 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom (handle gently with a spatula so the patties stay together). Carefully flip, and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.

Remove from the pan and place on a dish lined with paper towels to catch any excess oil from the patties. Repeat this process with the second batch, then remove those from heat and add them to your paper towel-lined platter.

While the patties cool, make your dipping sauce: add all ingredients into a bowl except for a few sprigs of cilantro (which you’ll use for garnishing). Stir until combined well. Now you’re ready!

To assemble the plate, spread 2 tablespoons of the dipping sauce onto a plate. Top with zucchini fritters, lemon zest, and fresh cilantro. If desired, add sliced cucumber, arugula, and a drizzle of olive oil for a healthy light lunch.

Make these as an appetizer, or a light main meal. You can serve them over a salad or in between a gluten free bun with the yogurt dipping sauce as your condiment.

And, if you like these recipes, be sure to try my Zucchini Lasagna (gluten-free), Zucchini Cocoa Berry Smoothie, and Fried Squash Blossoms. Enjoy!

Crispy Zucchini Fritters with Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Recipe by Alessandra Macaluso

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: dinner, appetizer

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

12

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• For the Fritters:

• 6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

• 2 shallots, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric

• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander

• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

• 3 tbsp. dill, chopped

• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

• 3 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)

• 3/4 cup coconut flour (you could use almond flour as well)

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 2 eggs lightly beaten

• 2 tbsp. ghee, melted

• zest of one lemon, for garnish

• extra cilantro, for garnish

• For the Dip:

• 1 cup coconut yogurt

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)

• 3 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Directions

• In a skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Once hot, add the shallots, and sauté until soft and translucent (about 5 – 7 minutes). Add the garlic and stir continuously for 30 seconds, then remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the turmeric, coriander, salt, dill, and cilantro, and stir to combine. Set aside.
• In another bowl, add the flour, baking powder, eggs, and ghee. Pat the grated zucchini with a paper towel to remove excess water, then fold in the shredded zucchini and shallot mixture into the flour mixture. Stir well to combine.
• Using your hands, begin forming patties out of your mixture, about 3-4 inches in diameter and roughly 1/2 inch thick. You should wind up with 8-10 patties.
• Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan over medium heat. Once hot, add 4-5 patties to the pan and sauté for about 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom (handle gently with a spatula so the patties stay together). Carefully flip, and sauté for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and place on a dish lined with paper towels to catch any excess oil from the patties. Repeat with the second batch. Remove from heat and add patties to your paper towel-lined platter. While the patties cool, make your dipping sauce (see below).
• For the Sauce
• Add all ingredients into a bowl except for a few sprigs of cilantro. Stir until combined well.
• To assemble
• Spread 2 tablespoons of the dipping sauce onto a plate. Top with zucchini fritters, lemon zest, and fresh cilantro. If desired, add sliced cucumber, arugula, and a drizzle of olive oil for a healthy light lunch.
  
  Alternate ways of enjoying these fritters: on top of a salad, in a bun of your choice, or straight from the pan.

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