Zucchini fritters – Kolokithokeftedes (Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες)

Kolokithokeftedes or zucchini fritters are a quintessential Greek meze or appetizer. They are made with fresh ingredients including grated zucchini, lots of fresh herbs and feta. A bit of flour and egg binds everything together and then the fritters are fried before being baked.

Zucchini fritters (Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες)

Ever wonder what summer tastes like?  You might think it’s cool like ice cream, or bursting with citrus zing, but we’re pretty sure that if you could sample the essence of summer on your tongue it would taste like zucchini. Seriously!

Why this recipe works

I love this recipe because you get the best of both worlds! At first the fritters are fried so you get a lovely crispy exterior. Then, the fritters finish cooking in the oven. This way you cook them through without a worry that you will burn them.

My clear instructions on how to drain all the excess water ouf the zucchini is key! This is how you are going to get the crispy edges when frying.

Zucchini fritters or kolokithokeftedes are a family favourite all the time. During the summer months especially, when zucchini is so abundant, I make these several times a week. Young and old, everyone loves them. When little children enjoy this recipe I am especially happy, because I know they are getting some vegetables in their diet. I also love to make other zucchini recipes like greek zucchini pita with filo (Kolokithopita me filo) and a simple salad called zucchini salad (Κολοκυθοσαλάτα).

Every summer, for as long as we can remember, in our parents’ garden there is a special section devoted for zucchini and other squash.  In their current home, where they have been for several years, they actually have what we refer to as an annex to their garden.  The back fence bordering their tomatoes and peppers and spinach has been jimmied so that it opens up just wide enough for someone (our dad) to squeeze through.  On the other side, at a width of several feet, our parents plant their squash.  Here they grow pumpkins, butternut squash, zucchini and all sorts of other colourful and bizarre looking gourds, free and uninhibited; the only other things you will find here are some grape leaf vines and wild flowers.  Talk about a secret garden!

Zucchini fritters (Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες)

So much squash requires many squash recipes.  Although we love baked pumpkin fritters, stuffed zucchini and baked vegetable dishes which incorporate this bounty, one of our favourite recipes are these zucchini fritters.  Small, fried or baked and made of not much more than zucchini, fresh herbs and feta, these fritters are as addictive as they are easy.

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garden zucchini edited-1

Key ingredients

Making these simple vegetarian zucchini fritters is really easy, and all you need are a few simple ingredients.

Zucchini – I use green zucchini for this recipe. I wash it well but do not peel it. It is best to find medium sized zucchini as opposed to one that is very large as it will have smaller, almost non-existant seeds.

Salt – Here the salt is used to help draw the water out of the zucchini. This is really important to avoid having soggy zucchini fritters.

Egg – Acts as a binder for the zucchini fritters so that they retain their shape, even while cooking.

Flour – A little bit of flour is all you need to keep your fritters from falling apart as they cook.

Feta – Adds a great flavour to these zucchini fritters. Use only Greek feta if possible as it is made with sheep milk or a combination of sheep and goat milk. This is far superior to feta made from cow milk (which is not Greek feta).

Fresh herbs – These fritters are loaded with fresh herbs like mint, parsley, chives and basil.

Oil for frying – For this recipe I actually like to use a combination of vegetable and olive oil. The olive oil gives a great flavour. The vegetable oil, which its higher smoke point, allows the fritters to cook thoroughly without burning.

fried zucchini fritters edited-1

How to make

Making zucchini fritters or kolokithokeftedes is really simple. Once you learn how to make them you will find yourself making them again and again.

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Preparation

  • Place your shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle the salt over it, tossing well to evenly distribute the salt.  Allow the zucchini to drain for at least 30 minutes, and longer if possible.
  • After it has drained, place your zucchini in a cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel and squeeze out all excess water.  Alternatively, you can squeeze the water out using your hands, but it is much more difficult to remove all the water this way.
  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
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Instructions

Step 1
In a large bowl, stir together all of the ingredients, except the vegetable and olive oils meant for frying.

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Step 2
When the zucchini fritter mixture is well combined, place the cooking oils into a frying pan set over medium high heat.

Step 3
When the oil is hot, use a tablespoon to drop the zucchini fritter mixture into the pan, being careful not to over crowd the pan.  Cook for 3 – 4 minutes, until golden brown and then carefully flip each fritter over and cook for another 3 – 4 minutes.  Transfer the fritters to a parchment lined baking sheet.  When your baking sheet is filled, bake in the middle rack of your oven for 25 – 30 minutes.

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Step 4
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Helpful cooking tips

Drain your zucchini
Zucchini are very watery vegetables! For this reason, you need to let them drain for at least 30 minutes after you shred them.  However, draining is not enough.  To remove as much water as possible you have to squeeze it out.  The easiest way to do this is to use a cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel.  At the very least you need to squeeze the zucchini with your hands.  If you do not remove enough of the water from your zucchini you will need to use too much flour when preparing your fritters, just to have them hold together.

Use an ice cream scoop to shape your fritters
Not necessary, but if you want each fritter to be the same size use a trigger-release ice cream scoop to portion out the mixture and make your kolokithokeftedes.

Recipe variations

Skip the frying
You can choose not to fry your zucchini fritters at all. Simply place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the middle rack of your oven for about 40 – 45 minutes. You can flip them over midway through the cooking time, although this is not necessary.

Use yellow squash
In most recipes yellow squash is interchangeable with zucchini, and that is the case here too. You can even consider using a combination of the two.

Bake your kokokithokeftedes
Skip the frying and cook the fritters entirely in the oven (if you do, increase the cooking time by about 5 – 10 minutes).

Frequently asked questions

What are zucchini fritters?

Zucchini fritters are a combination of shredded zucchini, egg, flour and fresh herbs that are mixed together to make small and crispy little pancakes. If you want to make Greek zucchini fritters, add in the feta!

Can kolokithokeftedes be made gluten-free?

Sure, just use gluten-free flour in the recipe instead of regular flour.

Should I fry or bake my zucchini fritters?

This recipe asks that you first fry and then bake your fritters.  The first step provides a nice crispy exterior, and finishing them off in the oven keeps them from getting greasy.  If you prefer, you could cook them entirely in the oven (if you do, increase the cooking time by about 5 – 10 minutes) but life is short, so we think you should fry a little.

How to serve

Zucchini fritters are great served with tzatziki, but they are also lovely with eggplant dip, or served alongside a fresh salad.

Zucchini fritters (Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες)
Zucchini fritters (Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες)

Zucchini fritters are part of a group of Greek foods called pseftokeftedes (or fake meatballs, meaning they are made without meat). Check out these other vegetarian fritters:

Tomato fritters (Ντοματοκεφτέδες) A classic recipe from the beautiful island of Santorini.

Chickpea fritters with a lemon tahini sauce (Ρεβυθοκεφτέδες με σάλτσα ταχίνι) Hearty and filling – love these chickpea fritters!

Baked squash fritters (Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες) Made with winter squash or pumpkin, these fritters are baked for a healthy option.

Tomato fritters
Chickpea fritters with a lemon tahini sauce
Baked squash fritters without cheese (Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες χωρίς τυρί)

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Zucchini fritters (Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες)

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Zucchini fritters (Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες)

Zucchini fritters

Zucchini fritters full of herb and feta!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, meze, Snack
Cuisine: Greek
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 14 pieces
Calories: 45kcal
Author: miakouppa

Ingredients

  • 3 cups shredded zucchini, unpeeled
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup crumbled Greek feta
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
  • 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, for frying

Instructions

  • Place your shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle the salt over it, tossing well to evenly distribute the salt.  Allow the zucchini to drain for at least 30 minutes, and longer if possible.
    3 cups shredded zucchini, unpeeled, 1 teaspoon salt
  • After it has drained, place your zucchini in a cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel and squeeze out all excess water.  Alternatively, you can squeeze the water out using your hands, but it is much more difficult to remove all the water this way.
  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
  • In a large bowl, stir together all of the ingredients, except the vegetable and olive oils meant for frying.
    1 egg, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup crumbled Greek feta, 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint, 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley, 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives, 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • When the zucchini fritter mixture is well combined, place the cooking oils into a frying pan set over medium high heat.
    1 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying, 1 tbsp olive oil, for frying
  • When the oil is hot, use a tablespoon to drop the zucchini fritter mixture into the pan, being careful not to over crowd the pan.  Cook for 3 – 4 minutes, until golden brown and then carefully flip each fritter over and cook for another 3 – 4 minutes.  Transfer the fritters to a parchment lined baking sheet.  When your baking sheet is filled, bake in the middle rack of your oven for 25 – 30 minutes.
  • Alternatively, you can choose not to fry your zucchini fritters at all. Simply place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the middle rack of your oven for about 40 – 45 minutes. You can flip them over midway through the cooking time, although this is not necessary.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 204mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Thanks for sharing!

14 Comments

  1. PlantsandBeyond says:

    Phenomenal. My mom makes wonderful zucchini pancakes. Your garden is beautiful

    1. miakouppa says:

      Thank you so much! Our parents’ garden really is their pride and joy. A lot of work, but a lot of reward! Zucchini pancakes sound pretty phenomenal!

  2. ajeanneinthekitchen says:

    I just made some. 😉

    1. miakouppa says:

      Yeah! And….we hope you loved them 🙂

      1. ajeanneinthekitchen says:

        Yep. They are really good.

      2. miakouppa says:

        🙂 🙂 🙂

  3. celestezervos says:

    I really don’t care for zucchini and am always looking for recipes to make them edible. This one is the best! The fritters were crisp and tasty. Frying for only a few minutes then baking them is the way to go~

    1. miakouppa says:

      Thanks so much for taking the time to tell us that you enjoyed our recipe for the zucchini fritters!! We are so happy that you have now found a way to enjoy these sometimes bland veggies. If you’re interested, type in “zucchini” in the search bar of our website….we’ve got many zucchini recipes posted. Maybe you’ll find more to love 🙂 xoxo Helen & Billie

  4. Hello! I’ll be making these for a dinner party tomorrow night. Do you think I can fry them in the afternoon and bake to reheat later?

    1. miakouppa says:

      Hi Maria. So happy you’ll be using our recipe. As our recipe states, you can either fry the fritters to get the crispy and then finish in the oven, or alternatively bake them completely (with no frying). Whichever method you choose, we suggest you cook them completely in the afternoon. To reheat them for your guests you can either pop them into the oven for a bit until they get heated through, or heat them on a non-stick frying pan (with no oil added). The oven is definitely an easier option. We hope that you and your guests enjoy them! Let us know!! xoxo Helen & Billie

  5. greekofile says:

    I make these with added chopped flowers. Much as I love stuffed zucchini/courgette flowers, they are a lot of effort, so (as they are available daily, plentiful, even from just a few plants) chopping them up and adding to the fritter mix makes the fritters more colourful and adds a new dimension to the taste.

    1. miakouppa says:

      That’s a great idea! Love not letting the delicate and delicious zucchini flowers go to waste. Thanks for commenting 🙂 xoxo Helen & Billie

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