Short answer
Zucchini fritters are pan-fried patties of grated zucchini bound with egg and flour. They stay crisp when the zucchini is salted, left to drain and squeezed very dry, then fried in a hot, shallow layer of oil for about three minutes a side.
Zucchini fritters are golden patties made from grated zucchini, egg, flour and seasoning, fried in a shallow layer of oil. The secret to crisp zucchini fritters is removing the water first: salt the zucchini, let it drain, then squeeze it very dry before you mix the batter and cook over medium-high heat.
What are zucchini fritters?
Zucchini fritters are small, flat cakes of shredded zucchini held together with beaten egg and a little flour, then shallow-fried until golden. In Australia the vegetable is sold as zucchini, while British cooks call it courgette. The same fritter appears across the Mediterranean and the Middle East, where versions with feta and dill are common, and in Greek cooking the dish is known as kolokithokeftedes.
A zucchini fritter is not the same as a corn fritter or a vegetable patty. Corn fritters use whole kernels in a thicker batter, and rosti is shredded potato fried with no batter at all. Zucchini fritters sit in between, with a light batter that only coats the shreds.
What do you need to make zucchini fritters?
A basic batch for four people needs only pantry staples and two or three zucchini. The flavourings are flexible, so the list below separates the core ingredients from the optional ones.
- 3 medium zucchini (about 600 g), coarsely grated
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, for drawing out water
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup (about 75 g) plain flour, or self-raising flour for a puffier fritter
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar, parmesan or crumbled feta (optional)
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint, dill or parsley
- Pepper, and a pinch of chilli flakes if you like heat
- Neutral oil, such as canola or sunflower, for frying
Fresh corn kernels can be stirred in too. That mix is the idea behind zucchini and corn fritters, which appear again in the section on the cafe dish below.
How do you stop zucchini fritters from going soggy?
Salt and squeeze. Toss the grated zucchini with the salt in a colander and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes, then pile it into a clean tea towel and twist hard over the sink until it stops dripping. A good squeeze often removes a surprising amount of liquid, and what remains is what lets the batter coat the shreds instead of drowning them.
Three other habits help:
- Mix the batter at the last moment. Salt keeps drawing liquid out, so fold the flour and egg through just before the pan.
- Keep the flour amount low. More flour gives a doughy fritter, and the egg is the main binder.
- Do not press the fritters flat in the pan more than once. Pressing them again and again squeezes out oil and breaks the crust.
How do you cook zucchini fritters step by step?
Fry spoonfuls of the mixture in 5 millimetres of hot oil, about three minutes a side, until deep golden. The oil should shimmer but not smoke, so medium-high heat is right for most stovetops.
- Salt the grated zucchini and rest it, then squeeze it dry as described above.
- In a bowl, mix the zucchini with eggs, spring onion, herbs, cheese and seasoning.
- Stir in the flour until just combined. The mixture should be thick enough to hold a spoon upright.
- Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Drop in heaped tablespoons, flatten gently to about 1.5 centimetres thick and leave a finger of space between them.
- Cook for about 3 minutes, turn once and cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Drain on paper towel, or on a rack so the underside stays crisp.
Cook one test fritter first. If it falls apart, stir in a spoonful more flour. If it tastes too salty, the cheese or the salting was heavy, so go lighter next time.
What makes a fritter crisp outside and soft inside?
A fritter turns crisp outside and tender inside when the surface is dry, the oil is hot and the pan is not crowded. Moisture on the surface steams instead of browning, which is why the squeeze matters, and a crowded pan drops the oil temperature so the batter absorbs fat.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pale and limp | Oil too cool or pan crowded | Heat the oil longer, cook in batches of three or four |
| Falls apart | Too much zucchini water or too little binder | Squeeze again, add a spoonful of flour or another egg |
| Greasy | Oil not hot enough | Fry at medium-high and drain on a rack |
| Burnt outside, raw inside | Heat too high or fritters too thick | Lower the heat, flatten to 1.5 cm |
| Bitter taste | Overgrown zucchini | Choose small to medium zucchini |
Keeping cooked fritters warm on a rack in a 120 degree Celsius oven works well while later batches finish.
What do you serve with zucchini fritters?
Zucchini fritters pair with something creamy, something fresh and something acidic. The classic brunch plate is two fritters topped with a poached egg, sliced avocado, rocket and a spoonful of sauce.
- Poached egg and hollandaise, for a full brunch
- Yoghurt mixed with lemon zest and mint, for a light lunch
- Smashed avocado and cherry tomatoes
- Tomato relish or sweet chilli sauce
- Smoked salmon and capers
- A rocket salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil
For the egg, a gentle simmer in water with a splash of white vinegar gives a tidy poach. Serve the fritters straight from the pan, because they soften as they sit.
How do you reheat or freeze zucchini fritters?
Reheat fritters in an oven or air fryer rather than a microwave. A 200 degree Celsius oven for 8 to 10 minutes revives the crust, and the microwave makes them soft and rubbery.
Cooked fritters keep for up to three days in the fridge in a covered container with baking paper between layers. To freeze, cool them completely, freeze them flat on a tray, then move them to a bag. They keep well for a couple of months and can be reheated from frozen without thawing.
What are Miss Fritters at Miss Carter Cafe?
Miss Fritters is the name of a breakfast dish on the Miss Carter Cafe menu, and it is made with zucchini and corn fritters. The recorded description is zucchini and corn fritters with rocket, avocado, cherry tomato, poached egg and hollandaise. On Uber Eats, read 14 November 2026, the dish is listed at A$23. Prices in the cafe can differ from the app.
This website is an independent guide and is not the cafe’s own site. The cafe is at 267-277 Castlereagh Street in the Sydney CBD and is listed on Google Maps as open Monday to Friday, 6:30 AM to 3:30 PM, although other listings differ, so check the hours and location page and call ahead. The full recorded menu lists the other breakfast dishes, and Miss Fritters is marked there as a highlight.
Compared with the home method above, the cafe plate adds the poached egg and hollandaise, so a home cook can copy the layout: fritters at the base, avocado and rocket, an egg on top, then sauce.
Common questions
Why are my zucchini fritters soggy?
Zucchini is mostly water, and any left in the shreds turns to steam and makes the batter loose. Salt the grated zucchini, rest it, then wring it in a clean tea towel until almost no liquid comes out.
Can you make zucchini fritters without flour?
Yes, but they are more fragile. Swap the flour for chickpea flour, rice flour or fine breadcrumbs, and keep the squeezed zucchini very dry. A beaten egg and a little grated cheese help the mixture hold together in the pan.
How many fritters does one zucchini make?
One medium zucchini of about 200 grams makes roughly three small fritters once squeezed. A common brunch serve is two or three fritters per person, so plan on two to three medium zucchini for four people.
Can zucchini fritters be frozen?
Yes. Cool them fully, lay them flat on a tray to freeze, then bag them. Reheat from frozen on a tray in a 200 degree Celsius oven for about ten minutes so the outside crisps again.
Should you peel zucchini for fritters?
No. The green skin adds colour and a little texture, and it softens as it fries. Just wash the zucchini, trim the ends and grate it coarsely on the large holes of a box grater.
This page is part of the independent guide to Miss Carter Cafe, which has the address, hours and menu.
This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Miss Carter Cafe itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.