Zucchini Feta Fritters with Lime Recipe
Easy zucchini feta fritters sprinkled with lime juice are crisp and so good even zucchini haters will love these – just be prepared to hand out the recipe! This quick recipe makes a great lunch, light dinner, and terrific side dish. It also freezes well so is a great way to use up excess zucchini.
When zucchini is abundant from the garden, I’m always looking for ways to use it up. If you grow zucchini, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, right? I’ve always made our favorite zucchini bread, this amazing cake, and try to have a couple batches of these muffins in the freezer.
But since I don’t like smushy cooked zucchini, finding ways to use it that wasn’t sweet has been a goal of mine. While cooking zucchini briefly in stir fries or on grilled kabobs are ways that I enjoy it, I like to find ways to hide it in savory foods, kind of like it “hides” in the baked goods so the rest of my family might enjoy it, too.
So when I found a recipe years ago for zucchini feta fritters that are sprinkled with lime right before eating, I knew I had to try it. After adapting it slightly, I took my first bite and, oh my gosh, was I in love with these little pancake-fritters!
And it wasn’t just me, either, almost everyone who tries them loves them. In fact, shortly after discovering this recipe I brought a platter of them to a potluck in my in-laws neighborhood and they disappeared quickly with people asking me for the recipe. My mother-in-law even had to learn how to make them for the following potlucks, too, since they were requested!
And I’ve had many people who don’t like zucchini tell me they like these, they’re that good.
Except for my kids. Typical.
But I like them, as in, really like them, so we have them a lot a few times during the zucchini season. And then I put the recipe away for the rest of the year while my family breathes a sigh of relief.
I have the last laugh, though – zucchini is now available year around at reasonable prices so I can make fritters whenever I want!
Wherever you fall in the zucchini camp (love or hate), I urge you to try these – zucchini and feta make such a great combination and when lightly pan-fried, these little fritters (pancakes, really, since they are not deep fried like traditional fritters) are deliciously crispy and flavorful.
Zucchini Feta Fritters with Lime Ingredients
To make zucchini feta fritters you’ll need:
- zucchini
- onion
- feta cheese
- fresh mint and parsley (Do I ever make it without these? Yes – see below.)
- flour
- paprika
- minced garlic
- dried red pepper flakes (optional)
- black pepper
- fresh lime
This recipe was adapted from Nigella Lawson’s Forever Summer cookbook years ago now. I cut down on the feta and mint as well as added a few other spices. Feta has a lot of flavor and since it’s more expensive I used less and think it’s just as good.
What if I don’t have fresh mint or parsley?
While I’m not saying the mint is optional in the recipe, I will say I’ve left it out many times when I haven’t had it, since it’s seasonal, and they’re still great. The parsley doesn’t really add much flavor so I add it when I have some and don’t when I don’t have fresh. I’ve added both dried mint and parsley and am not sure if it made any difference.
Really, it’s the feta, lime, and seasonings that you taste, so these are the most important parts of the recipe I think. Well, besides the zucchini, ha!
Do I have to use fresh lime?
Yes! Please make sure you have a lime for serving – you do not want to make these if you don’t have the lime. Sprinkling the lime juice on the fritters is one of the things that makes the recipe, I think.
In a pinch, you may be able to use bottled lime juice if you’re okay with it – I haven’t tried it, though.
Make Zucchini Feta Fritters
A key step in the recipe is to shred the zucchini onto a dishtowel and let it drain for about 20 minutes to help make crispier fritters.
It’s easy enough to mix up the rest of the fritter ingredients while waiting.
TIP: The mixture will seem clumpy in the bowl after adding the drained zucchini and you’ll think that it won’t mix together. Just keep mixing and it will, trust me – you’ll see how much liquid is still in the zucchini even after draining!
Use about a 1/8 to 1/4 cup for each fritter (I like them smaller and thinner, so usually aim closer to 1/8 cup now). I use either a measuring cup or muffin scoop to pour the fritter onto the griddle or skillet and then use the back of the utensil to spread the mixture into a thin pancake.
TIP: Make sure to press the middles flat, because they take longer to cook. Press with a spatula as they’re cooking to make sure all the areas are cooking evenly.
Cook until well done – sometimes they will seem done, but a peek at the middle of one will show if there is anything still uncooked.
Do I have to fry these? Can they be baked in an oven?
Yes, I’ve experimented with baking them in a hot oven and while they aren’t as crisp, they are easier to cook all at once and are still somewhat crisp if cooked until browned nicely (the photo above is the baked version).
To bake these:
- Heat oven to 425 degrees with a rack in the lowest setting, close to the bottom element.
- Spray a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet with oil, spoon 2-3 tablespoon patties onto it and then spray the tops with more oil.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until bottoms are browned, flip patties and bake for another 10 minutes until browned both sides and cooked through.
- Remove patties right away to a cooling rack to keep the crispness.
How to Reheat Fritters
While these are best served right away, I have found a few of ways to make them ahead of time and warm them back to crispness:
- To make 30 minutes before serving, simply place the fritters directly on the rack in a 200 degree oven until serving time. They stay warm and crisp.
- Make earlier in the day, refrigerate, and then reheat on a grill along with other grilled items (probably my favorite way!)
- For leftovers, refrigerate and heat the next day by setting directly on the rack of a toaster oven. Cook for a couple minutes until warm and sizzling.
Can I freeze these fritters?
Yes! It’s actually a great way to “preserve” garden zucchini for a few months in a useable form. After cooking, let the patties cool completely on a cooling rack and then lay flat on a cookie sheet. Set sheet into the freezer for 1-2 hours until fritters are frozen and then package them into airtight freezer containers. Label with date and contents.
The day you want to serve them, take them out of the freezer and let them thaw in the refrigerator for the day. The proceed with one of the reheating options from above.
I think I like these for lunch leftovers the most – reheated until crisp again and sprinkled with lime they are just about perfect.
Unsurprisingly, my kids never fought me for these – their loss, right?
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Zucchini Feta Fritters with Lime
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini, about 1 1/2 pounds
- 4 to 5 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped mint
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
- 1 cup flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)
- 3 eggs, beaten
- oil for frying (I use expeller pressed sunflower oil, olive oil, or peanut oil)
- 1-2 limes for serving
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini onto a kitchen tea towel and leave to sit about 20 minutes to get rid of excess moisture.
- Crumble the feta into a bowl and add the onion, mint, parsley, paprika, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using. Add the flour and the beaten eggs and mix well.
- Stir in the zucchini. It will be lumpy, just keep stirring until all is combined. The liquid from the zucchini will soon make a smoother batter.
To Pan Fry:
- Heat a few tablespoons of oil on a griddle or in a skillet and using an 1/8 to 1/4 cup scoop (or a large spoon for appetizer-size), drop onto the hot surface, using the back of the utensil to flatten into a pancake.
- Cook 4-6 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and repeat until all the batter is used. (See warming options in notes.)
To Bake:
- Heat oven to 425 degrees and set the oven rack at the lowest level.
- Spray oil onto a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet, spoon batter into rounds onto sheet, and spray batter tops with oil.
- Bake for 10 minutes until bottoms are browned, flip patties and bake for 10 minutes more until browned and cooked through.
- Remove immediately to a cooling rack.
- To ServeCut the limes into eighths and serve on a platter with the fritters for each person to squeeze onto their serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Zucchini Recipes To Try:
- Garlic Cheese Zucchini Bread Recipe (100% Whole Wheat)
- Glazed Zucchini Lemon Bread Recipe (Whole Grain, Dairy Free)
- Zucchini, Corn, and Tomato Sauté with Feta
- Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread {Sweetened with Honey}
- The Ultimate Zucchini Guide: Grow, Harvest, Cook & Preserve with 46 Recipes!
This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in August of 2012.
These are so delicious. I freeze them and eat them through the winter. The mint adds a nice flavor. When I don’t have fresh mint I’ve used some from a mint teabag and it worked great. They are also good topped with Cafe Yumm sauce. A specialty here in Oregon.
What a great idea about the tea bags, Becky – I’ve never thought of that!
My husband is a great fan of Yumm sauce – I’ll have to tell him to use it on these when I make them. 🙂
Just did not taste good to us. Very hard to cook the middle also. Had to almost burn them to get the middle cooked (raw zucchini batter does not taste good!)
I’ve made these so many times, and sometimes that has happened with the middles – I find they do well heated in a toaster oven the next day!
I maybe missed it, but approximately how many fritters do you consider a serving? This recipe makes a lot, so I’m either going to down-size it a bit or freeze the leftovers. Looks delicious!
I had to go look, too! It said serving: 1, which wasn’t all too clear, so I added 1 fritter for the nutrition information.
As far as how many we eat, I eat 2-3 depending on if it’s for lunch or as a dinner side dish. They are great on the go and really crisp up again when heated in a toaster oven.
Also, they freeze beautifully, so I portion them out into 6 fritters in a freezer baggie to pull out when we need them. It’s kind of a way for me to preserve the summer harvest in a way I’ll use it. 🙂
These were fabulous! I made them tonight for dinner! Thank you!