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It’s summertime, and living is easy… especially when you have an Air Fryer and a great recipe! These crispy Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters are just that. Packed with sweet corn, fresh zucchini, and a hint of Parmesan, they’re so flavorful you’ll want to make them again and again!
No Air Fryer? No problem! You can still enjoy these delicious fritters by making my pan-fried zucchini fritters with quinoa. They’re just as yummy and a great alternative!
Crispy Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters
One of the best things about summer is the abundance of fresh, delicious produce. Sometimes, the sheer amount and variety can be a bit overwhelming. That’s why I love recipes like these air fryer zucchini fritters. Combining zucchini and corn, this fabulous fritter recipe showcases the natural sweetness of the ingredients, making the most of your summer bounty! Or try the same combo but in salad form with my fabulous grilled zucchini salad!
Fritters are essentially little fried patties made from fruits or veggies, and while they sound simple, deep-frying them can be a hassle. The process involves dropping food into hot oil, carefully lifting it out, draining it, and repeating the steps – not to mention dealing with the mess, odor, and potential for burns.
Thus, enter the air fryer! This handy kitchen gadget crisps up foods to perfection, giving them that classic fried texture and taste with hardly any oil. Even better, there’s virtually no mess, making cleanup a breeze. Just lightly spray the fritters with cooking oil, place them in the fry basket, and let the convection heat do the rest!
What You’ll Need
Crispy, golden, and delicious, this easy Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters recipe uses a handful of wholesome ingredients you probably already have on hand. For exact measurements, please scroll down to the recipe card.
- Fresh Zucchini – Grate your zucchini with the large holes of a cheese grater.
- Corn Kernels – You can use fresh, frozen, and even canned.
- Parmesan Cheese – I use grated parmesan cheese to add a salty, umami flavor to the zucchini cakes.
- Onion – The onion should be grated just like the zucchini.
- Spices and Seasonings – Salt, black pepper, and paprika, along with dried parsley, basil, and oregano. Feel free to add your favorite seasonings or use fresh, finely chopped herbs for a burst of flavor.
- Eggs – You will need two eggs to help bind the ingredients together.
- Flour – I used almond flour, but all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour are great alternatives.
- Baking Powder – This serves as a leavening agent. It helps the fritters puff up and become light and airy.
- Oil Spray – Any high-heat cooking spray will work.
How To Make Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters
Follow these easy steps to make delicious zucchini cakes with corn, and enjoy all the crispy goodness without the fuss! Pair them with a relish like Ajvar and watch them disappear off the plate.
- Prepare Zucchini and Onion: Grate the zucchini and onion separately using the large holes on a box grater. Place the grated zucchini on a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much water as possible.
- Mix Up the Fritter Batter: In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except flour, baking powder, and oil spray. Mix well to combine, and then gently stir in the flour and baking powder until just combined.
- Make Patties: The batter should be firm enough to form patties rather than runny. If necessary, add more flour to achieve a firm consistency. Shape the batter into 10 to 12 patties.
- Air-Fry the Fritters: Spray the air fryer basket with oil. Place fritters in the basket (work in batches so you don’t crowd the fritters). Spray the fritters lightly with oil and cook for 6 minutes. Turn, spray again, and cook 6 minutes more.
Recipe Tips
- Remove Excess Moisture: Grate the zucchini and then squeeze out as much water as possible using a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth. This prevents the fritters from becoming soggy.
- Even Sizing: Form the fritters into even sizes so they cook at the same time.
- Bread ‘Em Up: For extra crunch, try pressing a layer of breadcrumbs or crushed pork rinds onto the outside of the fritters before frying.
- Chill out: To ensure the fritters are firm and won’t fall apart, chill the formed patties for 5 to 10 minutes before frying.
- Preheat the Air Fryer: Preheating your air fryer for a few minutes before cooking can help achieve a perfect crispy texture.
- Don’t Overcrowd: Arrange the fritters in a single layer in the air fryer basket without overlapping. Overcrowding can lead to uneven cooking.
Serving Suggestions
The zucchini fritters are perfect as an appetizer or as a side dish for a casual meal. Try serving them alongside a juicy pork chop recipe, like my Instant Pot pork chops, or pair them with my stove top chicken breasts for a tasty meal.
Take things for a Southwest spin with my easy Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup. The soup’s Tex-Mex flavors work perfectly with the zucchini and corn in the fritters! You can also serve the fritters with any dip you like, from homemade Ranch dressing and honey mustard sauce to French onion and guacamole!
How To Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Wrap the fritters loosely with paper towels to absorb any excess moisture, and then pack the wrapped fritters in food storage bags or containers. Store for up to 5 days or freeze for 2 to 3 months.
- If reheating from frozen, first thaw in the refrigerator. Then, unwrap the fritters and place them on a jelly roll pan or other baking dish. Heat in the oven at 350˚F until warmed through.
More Recipes with Zucchini
- Creamy Parmesan Baked Zucchini
- Zucchini Egg Bake
- Cheesy Zucchini Casserole
- Zucchini Tomato Casserole
ENJOY!
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Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 pound zucchini, about 2 medium-sized zucchinis
- 1 cup corn kernels, canned or frozen
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup grated yellow onion
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup almond flour, or all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- cooking oil spray
- sour cream, yogurt, herb dip, ranch dressing, etc…, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat Air Fryer to 360˚F.
- Shred the zucchini using the large holes on a box grater; transfer the grated zucchini to a kitchen towel. Wrap the kitchen towel around the zucchini and squeeze out as much water as you possibly can. Then, transfer the zucchini to a large bowl.
- To the zucchini, add corn kernels, cheese, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, paprika, and beaten eggs; stir to combine.
- Add flour and baking powder; stir until everything is well incorporated. If mixture is too wet, add more flour. The drier the zucchini, the less flour you'll need to use.
- Shape the mixture into 10 to 12 patties.
- OPTIONAL: Place the uncooked patties in the freezer for around 5 to 8 minutes to keep their shape.
- Grease the air fryer basket with cooking spray.
- Working in batches – do not crowd the air fryer basket – place the fritters in the air fryer in a single layer and spray each patty with cooking spray. Cook for 6 minutes.
- Flip over the fritters; spray with cooking spray and continue to cook for 6 to 8 more minutes, or until browned.
- Remove from air fryer and serve.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Can I make these a day earlier? then keep in fridge and use the day after.
Thanks
Yeah, absolutely. You can even reheat them the next day in the air fryer for a couple of minutes.
These were delicious! I’ve made different ones before and I like how these were puffier and less oily. The sauce I’ve used before – sour cream/yogurt, lemon, and nutmeg – goes well with these too.
Can you keep the uncooked patties in the freezer and cook one at a time as needed? I have a small air fryer and live by myself. Or would you recommend cooking them and then storing them in the freezer and reheat in the air fryer as needed?
Hi!
Yes, definitely. You can wrap them individually and then put them all in an airtight container or freezer bag, pulling one out when you need it. You won’t even have to thaw it out—just put it in the air fryer and maybe add a couple of minutes to the cooking time.
Thankyou for this recipe, these are soo yummy.
My mixture wasn’t dry enough to make patties and I didn’t want to add anymore flour so I cooked them in the waffle maker ‘perfect’
These were great! I made them low FODMAP by substituting green onion tops for the onion and 1/2 teaspoon Gourmend Garlic chive powder for garlic. I also used a mix of Gluten-free flour and almond flour. Lastly, I ran out of zucchini so I used a bit of shredded carrots. Yum.
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Made these up tonight…delicious!! My air fryer has a rack and the patties stuck a little maybe because I did not have parmesan cheese and subbed grated mozzarella😀. I saved a couple of patties to saute in olive oil and they came out wonderfully crisp. Thanks for a well thought out and well presented recipe.
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Loved these ran out of time and put them on stovetop with coconut oil spray. They were amazing!
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Recipe sounds amazing! I do not have an air fryer can i bake on a rack in my regular convection oven?
I want to give this 5 stars because the taste was THERE… but I feel like I kept adding flour… and adding flour… and the dough was still wet and sticky and hard to mold. Any idea what may have went wrong here? Looking forward to trying them again!!
Hi!
I think, maybe the zucchini wasn’t dry enough? Just a guess because that’s what happens to me. I make these fritters often and I always start with 3/4-cup flour and work my way up because, sometimes my zucchini is drier than other times. Like, sometimes I’ll put more effort into squeezing out the water. 😄
This is why I state in the recipe to add more flour if needed. Also, let’s not forget the eggs… the eggs you use, and depending on their size, may add to that wet batter. I hope this helps!
I use a metal potato ricer to squeeze water out of my vegetables before I fry them.
Oh ok, good to know! Thanks for the tip. 😊
Very interested in this and it looks delicious. Didn’t think corn was Keto friendly though….what keto friendly veggie would be best instead of the corn?
If following a strict Keto diet, don’t use the corn. But, corn is still OK to use on a low-carb diet.