These vegan zucchini fritters use minimal oil and no batter at all. If you're looking for an easy and quick appetizer or snack, you'll love these vegan zucchini fritters and spinach avocado dip. You won't be disappointed!
This blog post was created in partnership with Best Foods and FeedFeed. As always, all opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.
I cannot believe November is already here -- where has the year gone? I do love this time of the year so I don't particularly mind. The weather is cooler (but not too cold), the air is clean and crisp, and we're deep into sweater season here in Seattle. The holidays swiftly approach us and it's the best time of the year to get back into the kitchen. To kick off one of my favorite months of the year, I made these delicious vegan zucchini fritters in celebration of World Vegan Day.
These zucchini fritters were one of the first appetizers I ever learned how to make when I started making most of my meals at home. They are reminiscent of the Indian pakoras I grew up eating. While pakoras consisted of deep frying veggies coated in a thick batter, these crispy fritters use minimal oil and no batter at all.
Over the last couple of years, I've tweaked the recipe so many times to get these fritters to the point where I love them the most. It's simple, easy, and made from delicious whole ingredients. The spinach avocado dip is a new addition to the recipe and one I've been enjoying a lot lately. It's creamy, whipped, and goes perfectly well with the zucchini fritters.
Making the Vegan Zucchini Fritters
Before starting any cooking adventure in the kitchen, I usually lay out all the ingredients before I turn on the stove (the only exception to this rule is preheating the oven). This is called mise en place which literally means "everything in its place" in French. You would think this method would slow down the cooking process, but it doesn't. In fact, it makes cooking a lot more enjoyable. Combine that with your favorite music and beverage of choice and cooking turns into a truly enjoyable experience after a long day.
The most important step in making these vegan zucchini fritters is to properly prep the zucchinis and onion. You can either grate the zucchinis and onion using a box grater, or if you have a food processor, just use the grater disc.
Once you grate the vegetables, it's very important to drain out as much water as you can. Sprinkle with sea salt and let it sit for 10 minutes to draw out the water. Then use a cheesecloth to squeeze out as much water as possible. If you don't have a cheesecloth, simply add the zucchini to a strainer and press down with a spoon to remove the excess water. I can't emphasize how important this step is -- if you forget to do this, you'll end up with soggy fritters instead of delicious crispy ones.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. The chia egg (1 tablespoon ground chia mixed with 3 tablespoons of water) is an excellent substitute for an egg. It helps hold the fritters together when you cook them. You can either use regular flour or almond flour, depending on whether you're trying to avoid gluten in your diet. Once you mix all of the ingredients, form into small patties with you hands, and cook each fritter in the avocado oil. You should end up with around 8 zucchini fritters.
Making the Spinach Avocado Dip
I tossed all of the ingredients in the food processor and ended up with this tasty dip, the perfect partner to the zucchini fritters. I could have probably consumed it straight out of the food processor (and may have).
If you're looking for an easy and quick appetizer or snack I highly recommend these vegan zucchini fritters and spinach avocado dip. You won't be disappointed! If you try out this recipe, let me know what you think. I love seeing your photos tagged #realandvibrant on Instagram
This blog post was created in partnership with Best Foods and FeedFeed. As always, all opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.
Ingredients
Zucchini Fritters
- 2 large zucchinis, grated
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 cup cilantro, optional, chopped
- 1/2 lime
- 1 chia egg, see instructions
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup almond flour
Spinach Avocado Dip
- 1/4 cup fresh spinach
- 1 avocado
- 1 tablespoon chives, minced
- 1 tablespoon Best Foods Carefully Crafted Vegan dressing
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Grate the zucchinis and onion (either use a box grater or a food processor). Sprinkle with a teaspoon of sea salt and let it sit for 10-12 minutes to draw out the excess water. Using a cheese cloth or strainer, squeeze out as much water as you can.
- Make a chia egg by combining 1 tablespoon of grounded chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water. Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. You can ground chia seeds by grinding them in a high speed blender for a minute.
- In a bowl, combine the grated zucchini and onion, almond flour, chia egg, cumin, garlic cloves, cracked black pepper, and cilantro. Mix well (either using a spoon or your hand). Adjust any seasonings and form 8 patties with the mixture.
- Heat up a medium-sized pan on medium heat. Pour the avocado oil onto the pan. Place the fritters onto the pan (you should be able to fit around 4 at a time). Let them cook for 5 minutes before flipping them over. Allow the fritters to cook through. They should be brown and crispy after around 10 minutes.
- While the fritters are cooking, prepare the dip. Add spinach, avocado, Best Foods Vegan Dressing, juice from the lime, and sea salt to a food processor. Process for a couple minutes until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Spoon the creamy dip into a bowl.
- Place a dollop of spinach avocado dip on a stack of fritters. Garnish with chives and enjoy!
Caitlin says
Okay these are seriously amazing and so easy to make!
Sapana Chandra, MS, CHC says
Thanks, Caitlin!
Cassie says
I can't wait to try this out! I've always been a fan of zucchini but didn't know how to cook it, besides eating it in casseroles. Thanks, Sapana! Looking forward to trying out these fritters
Sapana Chandra says
Thanks, Cassie! If you're a fan of zucchini, I think you'll be pleased with these fritters!