Vegan Zucchini Fritters with Chickpea Flour make an easy appetizer, a quick kid-friendly snack, or a delicious savory breakfast with a bowl of fresh salad.
These golden zucchini and carrot fritters are packed with flavor, plant protein, and a perfect blend of spices. They are crispy on the outside while soft and moist on the inside.
Bonus? These healthy veggie patties are completely plant-based, gluten-free, grain-free, and egg-free.
Serve them with Dairy-Free Sour Cream for dipping.
Seasonal vegetables are my go-to inspiration for creating the best budget-friendly recipes that are full of nutrition and taste.
And now, that we have zucchini in abundance, I thought why not turn them out into scrumptious fritters that are a perfect fit for brunch or lunch box filler?
I highly recommend my oven-baked potato zucchini fritter recipe if you love baked fritters instead of fried ones. For more ideas, check out these protein-packed Quinoa Patties or my Eggless Potato Latkes.
I know you'll love this wholesome fritter recipe. Let's make these hearty snacks together!
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Ingredients
You'll need a few inexpensive pantry staples to prepare these fried zucchini besan fritters:
- Zucchini (also known as courgette or summer squash)
- Carrots
- Onion
- Fresh parsley
- Chickpea flour (also known as garbanzo bean flour)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Spices (salt, ground black pepper, cumin powder, dry garlic)
- Dill, fresh or dry, for garnishing (optional)
As always, you can find the full recipe with a list of ingredients with measurements in a printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Instructions
Prepare zucchini. First, trim the ends of the zucchini but don't peel it. Grate it on the coarse side of the grater. Over a strainer, with clean hands, squeeze out the excess liquid as much as can. Pour out the liquid out of the bowl.
Make the batter. Next, grate carrots and onion. Finely chop up fresh parsley. Add grated carrots, onion, parsley, chickpea flour, and spices to the bowl with grated zucchini. Stir everything together until all is well incorporated.
At this point, you can check the saltiness level and add more salt to taste, if needed.
If the batter is too soggy, add more chickpea flour, a spoonful at a time.
Form the fritters. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, scoop about ¼ cup of the batter and place it into the pan, gently pressing and flattening them into rounds.
Cook the fritters. Fry your veggie patties for 2-3 minutes, flip, and cook for 2-3 minutes more, or until the patties are golden brown on both sides. After frying, place cooked vegetable fritters on a plate lined with a paper towel.
Serve and enjoy. Serve immediately while still hot or cold with a mustard sauce, creamy avocado dip, vegan queso dip, or homemade hummus.
Variations and Additions
You can make easy customizations to these egg-free fritters. Here are some options:
- Chickpea Flour - instead of chickpea flour you can use all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour.
- Onion - swap it with fresh chives or scallions (spring onions).
- Carrots - substitute them with red bell pepper, corn, or beets.
- Parsley - replace it with cilantro, fresh basil leaves, spinach, or arugula.
- Olive oil - for frying, you can use any neutral oil like sunflower or grapeseed oil.
- Cheesy - add nutritional yeast flakes for a lovely cheese-like umami flavor.
- Spicy/Herby - feel free to mix in your favorite spices or herbs to enhance the flavor, aroma, and color of your fritters.
Storage
Although these fritters are best when eaten right away they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Top Tips
- Squeeze out as much liquid as you can. The more liquid you squeeze out of the grated zucchini, the thicker the batter will be and you'll get crispier zucchini. The wetter the batter, you'll get the more soft and tender zucchini.
- Don't overcrowd the pan. Oil will cool down quickly and fritters become soft instead of crispy.
- Don't use too much oil. You need oil just to coat the pan. We won't do deep-frying here.
- Place fritters on a kitchen paper towel immediately after frying to absorb the excess oil.
Yes, you can. Once completely cooled, you can freeze any leftovers in a freezer-friendly container for up to 2 months.
Sure, you can bake them in the oven but they won't be as crispy.
To reheat, place them in the microwave or in a lightly greased skillet and fry them until heated through.
Of course, you can make the batter and in advance, store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Cooked fritters can be refrigerated and reheated when you need them for serving. See the storing instructions from above.
Not only are these crunchy GF fritters packed with flavor but they also are highly nutritious. They are rich in various vitamins, minerals, powerful antioxidants, and fiber. At the same time, chickpea flour abounds with plant protein and folate thus making these fritters a great choice for a healthy weight-loss diet.
Since chickpea flour is naturally gluten-free, it is a suitable alternative for people with celiac disease, wheat allergy, or gluten intolerance. Moreover, these vegetarian fritters are easy to digest and help you feel full for longer. The vegetables are rich in water yet low in calories which makes them particularly beneficial for weight loss dieting.
The reason for soggy fritters is that your batter contains too much liquid. Simply add more flour gradually to make the mixture thicker.
What To Serve With Zucchini Fritters
You can enjoy these meatless patties as a great lunch or dinner on the go while at work or home. Also, you can easily double or triple the ingredients to feed a large crowd. They are a super cheap meal prep idea suitable for large family gatherings or picnics. Truly, they are so versatile, there are so many ways you can serve them:
More Chickpea Flour Recipes
Here are my favorite recipes using gram flour:
📖 Recipe
Vegan Zucchini Fritters with Chickpea Flour (Gluten-Free)
Equipment
- Grater
- Mixing bowl
- Strainer
- Non-stick frying pan
Ingredients
- 3 + ½ cups zucchini, coarsely grated measured before squeezing out the excess water
- 1 cup carrots, coarsely grated approx. 2 medium-sized carrots
- ½ cup onion, grated 1 small onion
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 + ⅓ cups chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour) + more if the batter is too wet
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for frying
- 1 teaspoon salt add more to adjust it to your taste
- Spices ground black pepper, cumin powder, dry garlic to taste
- Dill fresh or dry for garnishing
Instructions
- First, trim the ends of the zucchini but don't peel it. Grate it on the coarse side of the grater. Over a strainer, with clean hands, squeeze out the excess liquid as much as can. Pour out the liquid out of the bowl.
- Next, grate carrots and onion. Finely chop up fresh parsley. Add grated carrots, onion, parsley, chickpea flour, and spices to the bowl with grated zucchini. Stir everything together until all is well incorporated. At this point, you can check the saltiness level and add more salt to taste, if needed. If the batter is too soggy, add more chickpea flour, a spoonful at a time.
- Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, scoop about ¼ cup of the batter and place it into the pan, gently pressing and flattening them into rounds.
- Fry your veggie patties for 2-3 minutes, flip and cook for 2-3 minutes more, or until the patties are golden brown on both sides. After frying, place cooked vegetable fritters on a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Serve immediately while still hot or cold with a mustard sauce, creamy avocado dip, vegan queso dip, or homemade hummus.
Notes
- Squeeze out as much liquid as you can. The more liquid you squeeze out of the grated zucchini, the thicker the batter will be and you'll get crispier zucchini. The wetter the batter, you'll get the more soft and tender zucchini.
- Don't overcrowd the pan. Oil will cool down quickly and fritters become soft instead of crispy.
- Don't use too much oil. You need oil just to coat the pan. We won't do deep-frying here.
- Place fritters on a kitchen paper towel immediately after frying to absorb the excess oil.
- Storage. Although these fritters are best when eaten right away they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Made these vegan squash fritters?
I would also greatly appreciate it if you have a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below.
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Shilpa
These look so delicious and easy to make. I can’t wait to try them.
Marinela
Thank you, Shilpa, let me know how they went if you give them a try!
Kayla DiMaggio
Loving these zucchini fritters! So delicious and easy to make and the best easy dinner!
Marinela
Thank you, Kayla! I'm glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Natalie
Veggie packed and looks delicious. I'm making them for lunch tomorrow. Can't wait.
Sam
Thank you for a delicious vegan recipe! This looks fantastic and healthy too. Perfect!
Meryl
Yum! These are the best way to add in some extra veggies, even the kids loved them!
Allergy Spot
I've been looking for a great zucchini fritter recipe without egg - thanks so much for sharing!
Natalia
I have never made zucchini fritters but I would love to. My family loves zucchini so this will be a treat! Will definitely try this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Choclette
You're absolutely right, I love these fritters. I make something very similar, so I know. Yours look beautiful. Great idea for dips too. Gram flour is such a useful ingredient.