These delicious zucchini and corn fritters are a great easy meal. Serve them with a salad or serve them as a side dish. They are crispy and full of summer flavor!
Every gardener knows that time of the year when suddenly it seems like the zucchini is taking over your kitchen and the rest of the house. They come in from the garden by the bucket load and since they’re not the greatest vegetable to preserve, you’re left trying to figure out all the ways that you can use zucchini.
A few years ago, in addition to my low sugar zucchini bread, my death by chocolate zucchini bread, and my favorite Mediterranean zucchini casserole, I added these fritters to my list of favorite zucchini recipes.
How to Make Zucchini and Corn Fritters…
Growing up, my mom used to make fritters all the time. They never had zucchini in them, they were made of potatoes and carrots and onions (kinda like latkes). She used to place the plate on the kitchen island and we would just grab one whenever we passed by.
I do the same with these zucchini and corn fritters, I just leave them on the kitchen counter and they disappear during the day. They are light and crispy and full of summer flavor!
Ingredients…
To put these fritters together you are going to need two medium zucchinis and two corn cobs. Since zucchini and corn are ready for harvest at the same time in the garden, I’ve always used fresh corn. Of course, I think that fresh corn tastes the best, however, you might be able to use canned corn instead.
You’ll also need 4 ounces of goat cheese (or you can replace it with feta cheese if you prefer). You’ll need two eggs and about 1/2 cup of matzo meal. If, after mixing together all the ingredients, you notice that the mixture is not dry enough to make the fritters, you might need to add a bit more matzo meal.
As far as seasonings, I use 1.5 tsp salt, 1 tsp of black pepper, and lemon zest from one lemon that gives the fritters a fresh, light taste. You can play around with the seasonings and add cumin, cayenne pepper (if you want them hot), or paprika… Whatever you think can work!
Lastly, you’ll need oil for frying the fritters. I don’t think that it matters which oil you use, I usually use canola oil or vegetable oil. Add about 1/2 inch of oil to your frying pan. This recipe makes 20 fritters.
Kitchen Tools…
You’ll need a cutting board and a chopping knife. You can grate the zucchini by hand, however, I really recommend pulsing the corn in a food processor after you take it off the cob and before you mix it with everything else to make the fritters mixture. If you don’t, it pops like popcorn when you fry it! So, if you already have the food processor out, you can also use it to grate the zucchinis as well.
You’ll need a mixing bowl, a wooden spoon for mixing, and a deep frying pan. If you want, you can use a kitchen thermometer to check the oil temperature (it should be about 300 degrees F), but you don’t have to. You can just insert a wooden toothpick into the oil, if bubbles form around the toothpick, it means that the oil is ready for frying.
Lastly, you’ll need a fish spatula for turning the fritters and a rack to place them on to cool. I use my sheet pan and the cooling rack that came with it. It works great because then the sheet pan can catch the excess oil.
How to Make Zucchini and Corn Fritters…
Step 1 – prepare the fritters mixture. Grate the zucchinis and squeeze them of any excess liquid, you want it as dry as possible. Cut the corn off the cob and again, I recommend that you pulse it in the food processor a few times to break the kernels (I didn’t do it here and it’s not mandatory but recommended). Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl…
And mix. You want the mixture relatively dry so it’s easy to form the fritters and so they don’t fall apart when you fry them. If you feel that the mixture is too wet, add a bit more matzo meal.
Step 2 – fry the fritters. Add about 1/2 inch of oil to your frying pan, set it on the stove top, and turn the heat to high. Bring the oil to about 300 degrees F and then lower the heat a little bit to keep this temperature (you don’t want the oil to get to hot that it burns the fritters from the outside without cooking them from the inside). Grab about two tablespoons of the mixture and form it into a patty…
Lower the fritters into the oil and fry for about five minutes…
When the fritters are golden on one side, use the fish spatula to turn them over onto the other side and fry for an additional five minutes or so…
When they are ready, move them to the cooling rack to cool before serving.
Serving Zucchini and Corn Fritters…
It’s better to serve these warm. Let them cool for a few minutes on the cooling rack and then dig in! They can be served as a side to any meal but I think that they are better served as a snack or an appetizer or as a meal on their own.
Serve them as the main dish with a side of egg salad, beet salad, green beans, celery salad, or cabbage salad. They also go really well with a side of fermented vegetables. You can serve them with fermented beets, or fermented beans, or fermented radish for a meal full of garden vegetables!
Frequently Asked Questions…
Yes! It’s better to use fresh corn, however, if for some reason you can’t put your hands on a couple of corn cobs feel free to use canned corn. Make sure to drain it well before adding it and it’s still recommended that you pulse the corn in the food processor a few times before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
Definitely! Feel free to add grated potatoes or sweet potatoes. You can add grated carrots or rutabaga or other root vegetables. You just want to make sure that you don’t add vegetables that are too wet, we want to keep the mixture pretty dry so the fritters don’t fall apart when frying.
You can use paprika or cayenne pepper if you want to make these spicy. Garlic powder might work well also or you can try curry or cumin, or chili flakes. Really, anything goes! Experiment and make them your own.
Yes, you can, however, I love matzo meal since it’s a bit more coarse and seems to soak up the liquid pretty well. It also adds great taste. If you use flour or bread crumbs, start with the same amount as the recipe calls for and adjust if needed.
About 300 degrees F. I sometimes use a kitchen thermometer to check the temperature and sometimes I just insert a wooden toothpick into the oil. If bubbles form around the toothpick, the oil is ready for frying. The trick is to keep the temperature and not let the oil get too hot. When it reaches frying temperature, turn the heat down a little bit. We want to keep the oil hot but not too hot that it burns the fritters from the outside without cooking them from the inside.
Add more matzo meal! As you are frying the first batch, the vegetables that are still in the mixture in the mixing bowl might release more of their liquid. If you notice that the mixture gets too wet, add more matzo meal. You can also squeeze the fritter a little bit as you form it. So generally, if your fritters fall apart when you fry them it usually means that the mixture is too wet.
Yes, you can! And I consider it a great way to preserve zucchini. Just make sure that you let them cool all the way and then wrap them individually so they don’t stick to each other in the freezer.
Set them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 15 minutes or so. They will get their crispiness back and will be as delicious as they are right when you take them out of the oil. If your fritters are frozen there is no need to thaw them. Just unwrap them, place on a baking sheet and in the oven.
I hope that you’ll give these a try! They are delicious and full of summer flavor and everyone loves them, adults and kids alike. They are crispy and filling and can make a great vegetarian meal when served with a salad or fermented vegetables.
More Vegetarian Recipes on The Blog…
- Simple, Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves
- Amazing Spinach Patties in Cilantro and Garlic Sauce
- Healthy Shakshuka Recipe (eggs cooked in tomato sauce)
- Lentil Patties Recipe
Zucchini and Corn Fritters
Delicious fried zucchini and corn fritters with goat cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 grated medium zucchinis
- Kernels from two cobs of corn
- 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup matzo meal
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Zest of one lemon
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Add zucchini, corn, goat cheese, matzo meal, eggs, salt, pepper, and lemon zest to a bowl and mix together.
** I strongly recommend that you pulse the corn kernels in the food processor a few times to break them before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. Sometimes, if they are whole, they tend to pop like popcorn in the hot frying oil. It's not mandatory but definitely recommended!
If you find that the mixture is too wet you can add a bit more matzo meal. - Add about 1/2 an inch of oil to a frying pan, place on the stovetop and turn the heat to high (oil temperature should be about 300 degrees F or you can stick a wooden toothpick in the oil. If it's hot enough and ready for frying you'll see bubbles form around the toothpick).
Lower the heat a little bit to keep the oil temperature. We don't want the oil too hot to the point that it burns the fritters from the outside without cooking them from the inside. - Use about two tablespoons of the mixture to form patties, lower them to the hot oil and fry for about 5 minutes on each side or until golden.
- Transfer to a cooling rack to cool before serving (place the rack on a sheet pan so it can catch the excess oil).
- Serve warm with a salad or a side of fermented vegetables, or serve as an appetizer or a side to any meal.
Notes
If you'd like to freeze any leftovers, let the fritters cool all the way. Then, wrap them individually and place them in the freezer.
If you'd like to reheat leftover fritters, place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet and heat in a 350 degrees F preheated oven for 10-15 minutes (if your fritters are frozen, there is no need to thaw them before reheating).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 61Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 208mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
Hi! I’m Lady Lee. I help homesteaders simplify their homesteading journey while still producing a ton of food! I am a single mother of four, I was born in Israel and raised in an agricultural commune called a Kibbutz. Now I homestead in central NC.