Zucchini Egg Almond Fritters
Crisp-edged fritters of grated zucchini bound with egg and almond flour, fried in olive oil and brightened with fresh dill.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
These are simple savory fritters built around grated zucchini, egg, and almond flour, brightened with fresh dill and fried in olive oil until the edges go crisp. They make an easy snack or light bite, and they suit anyone avoiding grains and dairy who still wants something warm, golden, and hand-held. Because the batter comes together in one bowl and cooks in minutes, they are forgiving enough for a first-time cook and quick enough for a busy afternoon.
The technique that makes or breaks them is drying the zucchini. Salting the grated squash pulls water to the surface, and squeezing it out hard afterward is what lets the fritters crisp instead of turning soggy in the pan. Almond flour and egg do the binding, so a well-wrung mixture holds its shape and browns evenly, while the dill runs through every bite with a clean, grassy freshness that keeps the fritters from tasting flat.
They satisfy because they hit crisp and tender at once: a golden, lacy exterior giving way to a soft, custardy center. The eggs and almond flour make them filling and a good source of protein, olive oil brings heart-friendly fats, and the zucchini folds in vegetables and fiber without weighing anything down. It is the kind of snack that feels light but actually holds you over.
Ingredients
- 2 small zucchini, grated
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp chopped dill
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prep and drain the zucchini: Trim the ends off the zucchini and grate them on the large holes of a box grater. Toss the grated zucchini with the salt and let it sit for 5 minutes to draw out the moisture. Gather it into a clean kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towel and squeeze hard, wringing out as much liquid as you can, since the drier the zucchini the crisper the fritters.
- Chop the dill: Finely chop the fresh dill, discarding any tough stems, since the stems stay stringy in a fritter no matter how long it fries. Do this while the zucchini is sitting in its salt, because that gives the salt the few minutes it needs to work.
- Make the batter: In a bowl, whisk the eggs until the yolks and whites are fully combined. Add the squeezed zucchini, the almond flour, and the chopped dill, and stir until everything is evenly coated and holds together in a loose, scoopable mixture.
- Heat the oil: Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers and a bit of batter dropped in sizzles gently on contact. Test it rather than guessing, because batter that goes into cool oil soaks it up instead of setting on the surface.
- Fry the fritters: Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil and flatten each one gently with the back of the spoon into a round about a half-inch thick. Leave space between them so they brown rather than steam. Cook about 3 minutes a side, flipping once, until they are deeply golden and set through the middle.
- Drain and serve: Transfer the fritters to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain briefly, then serve them warm. Give them only a moment there, since they give up their crispness quickly if they sit and steam against each other.
Variations
- Lemon and garlic: Grate in fresh lemon zest and a little minced garlic for a sharper, more aromatic fritter.
- Herb swap: Trade the dill for chopped mint, parsley, or scallion to change the herbal note while keeping everything else the same.
- Feta and dill: Crumble feta into the batter for a tangy, salty edge; this adds dairy.
- Warm spice: Stir in ground cumin and a pinch of smoked paprika for a deeper, earthier flavor.
- Extra crunch: Fold in toasted pine nuts for pockets of crunch and a richer, more savory bite; this adds nuts.
Storage & Leftovers
Store cooled fritters in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where they keep well for up to four days. Layer them between sheets of paper towel to absorb any residual moisture and keep the edges from going limp.
Reheat in a dry skillet over medium heat for a couple of minutes per side, or in a hot oven or air fryer until warmed through and crisp again. Skip the microwave, which steams them soft and dulls the crisp edge that makes them worth eating.
To get ahead, grate and salt the zucchini and squeeze it dry, then refrigerate it in a covered bowl for a day; you can also chop the dill in advance. Mix and fry just before serving so the fritters land on the plate at their crispest.
Notes & Tips
- Squeeze more than you think: The single biggest factor in crispness is how dry your zucchini is. After salting, wring it in a towel until barely any liquid comes out. Wet batter spreads and steams instead of crisping.
- Pick firm zucchini: Choose small, firm zucchini with tight skin; they have less water and more flavor than large, spongy ones, which turn watery when grated.
- Don't crowd the pan: Fry in batches with space between each fritter. Crowding drops the oil temperature and traps steam, leaving you with pale, soft fritters instead of golden ones.
- Test one first: Cook a single fritter before the rest. It tells you whether the oil is hot enough and whether the batter holds together, so you can adjust the heat or add a little more almond flour if it spreads.
- Adjust seasoning early: Because the salt is doing double duty draining the zucchini, taste a cooked test fritter and adjust. The finished batter should taste pleasantly seasoned before you fry the whole batch.
- Serve with a dip: These are excellent with a spoonful of plain yogurt or a squeeze of lemon alongside; the cool, bright contrast plays off the warm, crisp fritter (yogurt adds dairy).
Nutrition & Mindful Eating
- Zucchini, egg and almond flour are the entire structure of a fritter like this. The egg sets, the almond flour absorbs the water the zucchini gives up, and the zucchini itself keeps everything inside tender rather than dense.
- Zucchini shredded and wrung out hard is what makes these work. Squeezed dry it fries rather than steams, and it goes sweet and soft in the pan while still bringing its water, its fiber and a little vitamin C along.
- Eggs are the binder and a good part of the flavor, setting into a custardy layer around the shreds. The yolks bring choline and richness, and the protein is why a plate of these eats more solidly than their size suggests.
- Almond flour toasts as it fries, which is where that nutty background flavor comes from, and its fat and fiber give the fritters a tender crumb that holds up to being picked up in your hand.
- Olive oil hot enough to sizzle on contact is what gets you those thin, crisp, lacy edges, and the dill stirred through raw stays green and grassy right through the cooking, sharp against the soft egg.
- As you eat, start at the crisp edge and work in toward the soft center, catch the dill as it comes through, and take them from the pan slowly while they are at their best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my fritters falling apart in the pan?
Usually the batter is too wet or the fritters were flipped too soon. Squeeze the zucchini much drier, make sure the egg and almond flour are fully mixed in, and let each fritter set and turn golden on the first side before flipping. That crust is what holds them together.
Can I bake these instead of frying?
Yes. Spoon and flatten them on a lined baking sheet, brush the tops with olive oil, and bake in a hot oven, flipping once, until golden and set. They will be a little less crisp than the fried version but still good.
Can I use pre-ground almond meal instead of almond flour?
You can. Almond meal is coarser and made with the skins on, so the fritters will be a bit more rustic and speckled, but it binds and tastes fine. Blanched almond flour gives a smoother, more delicate texture.
How do I keep them warm and crisp while I fry the rest?
Hold the finished fritters on a wire rack set over a baking sheet in a low oven. The rack lets air circulate so the bottoms stay crisp, which a plate would trap into sogginess.