It is a shame that for as long as I have been blogging I haven’t shared a baked zucchini fritter recipe. Because growing up, courgette fritters (as my mom called them) were one of those dishes that my mother made very often during the summer months. At the time we had a small vegetable garden, where she grew tomatoes, peppers, zucchinis, and eggplants.

Every Sunday morning, she would pick up some zucchinis from her garden, bake zucchini fritters and serve them with fried eggs and a small portion of salad. It was a favorite in our house.
The truth is that I completely forgot about this recipe until I saw freshly picked zucchinis in our farmer’s market the other day. It had been years since I had eggs with zucchini patties. So I picked a couple of zucchinis, found my mother’s recipe in her hand-written cookbook, and made her famous zucchini feta fritters recipe. As one can imagine, it was one of those moments that felt like traveling back in time.
Can you bake zucchini fritters?
If you are used to eating the fried version of zucchini bites you might be surprised to hear that you can totally cook them in the oven with a few minor changes.
I personally think that they baked version of this recipe is not only healthier but also doesn’t taste much different than its fried version.
This recipe makes a great healthy zucchini appetizer
As I mentioned earlier, these make a great appetizer to serve along with vegetable and meat dishes, especially during the summer season when zucchini is in season.
And if you are confused with the terminology, baked zucchini patties, baked zucchini latkes, baked zucchini cakes, baked zucchini puffs, or baked zucchini pancakes are all the same recipe.
Ingredients for Baked Zucchini Pancakes:
In her recipe, my mother made more of Turkish / Greek zucchini fritters recipe by mixing grated zucchini with eggs, feta, scallions, dill, and flour and fry the fritters in vegetable oil.
However, to make my version here a bit healthier, in addition to baking them in the oven, I made a few minor ingredient changes to her recipe.
For one thing, my version here uses no flour. I can almost hear you say, “Zucchini Fritters without flour?” Yup, that is true.
Instead, I used Panko (aka Japanese breadcrumbs). I also added some rolled oats to give it a little bit more of a body.
Also, as in every recipe with feta cheese, make sure to taste the cheese before adding salt to the recipe. In this dish, I used only a ½ teaspoon salt to help extract the juices from the zucchini. My feta cheese was quite salty so I didn’t add any more salt. But if yours is less salty, adjust the amount of salt accordingly.
I served my fritters with a quick homemade yogurt sauce, but you can serve them by themselves too.
How to Make Oven Baked Zucchini Fritters:
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the zucchini: Shred the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater. Place the shredded zucchini in the middle of a clean kitchen towel, collect it from the sides and squeeze as much liquid as possible. You should have about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of zucchini. Set it in a bowl.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients: Add in garlic, olive oil, baking powder, black pepper, eggs, feta cheese, Panko bread crumbs, scallions, and dill in the bowl with zucchini.
- Scoop on to a baking sheet: Using a spoon or medium-sized ice cream scoop, scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the batter and drop onto the baking sheet. Continue until you run out of the batter.
PRO TIP: An ice cream scoop is a really helpful tool to use here as it will help getting equal sized zucchini balls, which in turn will help them bake at the same time and evenly. So if you have one, I would highly recommend using it.
- Bake in the oven: Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden. Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes before serving.
- Make the yogurt sauce: If using, make the yogurt sauce by mixing all ingredients in a bowl.
- Serve: Place a few of the freshly baked zucchini bites on a plate and top them off with the sauce. Serve.
FAQs for this Easy Baked Zucchini Fritters recipe:
Do I need to peel the zucchini to make fritters?
If I am making it in the summer time during the zucchini season I do not peel the skin. I make sure to give it a through wash though. However, this is a personal preference. You can make this recipe both ways, with or without the skin on.
Can I make Baked Zucchini Fritters in advance?
I would not recommend making this batter in advance. The reason is because of the zucchini. As the batter sits in the fridge, the shredded zucchini releases more of its juices and turns to batter into a very soggy mixture. I have tried this twice and in both cases thought that the end product was not ideal.
Can I freeze these Baked Zucchini Pancakes?
Yes, you can. However, I recommend baking them first. You also want to make sure that they are at room temperature before freezing. When ready to serve, simply place them in a 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes. No need to thaw beforehand. I also recommend keeping a close eye on them as they bake because they warm-up (and burn) pretty quickly.
Variations:
- Gluten-free: If you want to make them gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free breadcrumbs (instead of panko) and oats.
- Use different kinds of cheese: You can change it up by using shredded cheddar or parmesan instead of feta cheese. I promise parmesan zucchini bites are just as good as its version with feta cheese.
- Zucchini Bites made low carb: I haven’t tried this but I have seen some recipes that uses almond flour instead of breadcrumbs. I’ll be sure to give it a try next time.
- Use different herbs: The classic Greek zucchini fritters recipe uses dill, but you can swap dill with fresh parsley as well. And if you are not a fan or have no herbs on hand, feel free to omit using them.
Other Recipe Ideas for Shredded Zucchini:
Think about what else you can make with grated zucchini? I’ve got you covered. Here are a few more ideas to put that leftover shredded zucchini to good use:
Other Zucchini Recipes You Might Like
- 5-Ingredient Zucchini Noodles
- Zucchini Lasagna
- Zucchini Fettuccine with Kale
- Skinny Shrimp Scampi (with Zucchini Noodles)
Oven-Baked Zucchini Fritters with Feta and Dill
Ingredients
For the Zucchini Fritters
- 2 medium-sized zucchini 2 to 2 1/2 cups after shredded, peeled and grated
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tablespoon rolled oats
- 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 2 scallions chopped thinly
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped – plus more as garnish
For the Yogurt Sauce: (optional)
- 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
To make the zucchini fritters:
- Shred the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater. Place the shredded zucchini in the middle of a clean kitchen towel, collect it from the sides and squeeze as much liquid as possible. You should have about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of zucchini. Set it in a bowl.
- Mix together the grated zucchini, garlic, olive oil, baking powder, black pepper, eggs, feta cheese, Panko bread crumbs, scallions, and dill in a bowl. Using a spoon or medium-sized ice cream scoop, scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the batter and drop onto the baking sheet. Continue until you run out of the batter.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden. Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes before serving.
For the yogurt sauce:
- Whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Serve zucchini fritters with the yogurt sauce and more dill on the side.
Video
Notes
- If you watch the how-to video above, you will see that I placed the shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkled it with salt to get its juices out. You can use both the cloth method or the colander method. The reason why I changed it is that I want to make sure I am not adding too much salt into the recipe, especially because I am using feta cheese.
While you can use both methods to get the juices out, I highly recommend giving a taste to your feta cheese and adjusting the amount of salt you put in the recipe accordingly. - Please refer to the blog post for make-ahead and freezing instructions.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @foolproofliving on Instagram and hashtag it #foolproofeatsThis post was originally published in 2016. It is updated with the additional helpful information in Jun 2020. No changes to the originally published recipe were made.
Amanda @ Cookie Named Desire
I never tried zucchini fritters before, but hearing about your memories with your mother making it for you really makes me want to try it. The flavors sound wonderful and it is making me feel very hungry!
Aysegul Sanford
Thank you Amanda!
Marisa Bergamasco
Done! I gave you a vote! Deserved!
Good luck!
Hugs from Argentina!
Marisa
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Marisa,
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your kind words.
Hugs from Atlanta. <3
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
I completely adore fritters of any kind, but I am quite partial to zucchini fritters. What a sweet ritual your mom had, preparing fritters from home grown veggies – the best kind. I love your inclusion of feta in this recipe, along with the panko… so much texture and flavor happing here. And that sauce? A perfect pairing! Gorgeous work, Aysegul. I’m always inspired when I visit your space. xo
Aysegul Sanford
Aww I feel the same way Traci. It was so SO hard to photograph this post. To be honest, while I was photographing this post I learned that fritters are not the most photogenic food. At first I wasn’t going to post it, but then I found a couple of photos and made it work. It was such a good recipe, I could not NOT share it. I am sure you know what I mean. :))
Carol R
I made this recipe over the weekend and it was great. I was able to get it ready in 10 minutes and put it on the table much quicker than its fried version. The clean up was a breeze and my family loved it too.
I don’t think that I will ever go back to the fried version. Thanks for the recipe.
Aysegul Sanford
I am so glad to hear that you liked it Carol. I am like you, I don’t fry them anymore. This is so much easier and healthier.
Thanks for letting me know.
Zerrin
I make zucchini fritters quite often, but have never tried baking them. Your video makes it look way easier than the frying method. Will definitely try it this summer.
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
Mouthwatering update Aysegul! And the video – Bravo! xo
Liz
I am a big fan of zucchini fritters but used to fry mine! I love this healthier version—just as yummy!!
Aysegul Sanford
I used to fry them too, but this is a great alternative. So happy to hear that you liked it Liz. Thanks for stopping by.
Toni
This was so good! A huge hit with my kids!
Aysegul Sanford
So happy to hear that they liked it. Thanks Toni.
Judy
If I decide to use flour, would I use the same amount as the Panko and the oats? Or just the panko? In other words, how much flour should I use?
Thanks,
Judy
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Judy,
I have never made this recipe using flour before so it is hard to give you an exact measurement without actually testing it out. However, if I was testing I would start from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour in place of panko and oats. What I’d be looking for is for the fritter dough to come together (and not be runny) without falling apart. It should have a consistency that fills the scoop but also comes out easily.
I hope this helps.