Zucchini & Sweet Potato Fritters – Healthy Gluten-Free Veggie Fritters
These zucchini and sweet potato fritters are crispy, wholesome, and make a great gluten‑free meal or snack.
If you are looking for a healthy lunch idea, then you need to check out these gluten-free vegetable fritters. They make a meal when served with a green salad and they also freeze really well.
These veggie fritters also make the perfect side dish or appetizer My favourite is to serve them with a dipping sauce, like some hummus, or Greek yoghurt mixed with some fresh lemon juice, or herbed yoghurt sauce or even a fresh avocado dip.
Another easy favourite healthy recipe to make are these quinoa fritters as well as these mashed potato croquettes or even these air fryer chicken wings.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THESE FRITTERS
They’re quick, reliable, and made with everyday ingredients They are the kind of recipe you can whip up for lunch, snacks, or meal prep without any fuss.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Well apart from the obvious, using sweet potatoes and zucchini, you also need the following fritter ingredients:
- Eggs – you can substitute egg with mashed potato to make vegan.
- Almond meal or almond flour – You can substitute with gluten-free flour to make them nut-free.
- Herbs – I used parsley and coriander, but you could use chives or mint.
- Spring onions or green onions.
- Coconut oil – or you can also use olive oil.
- Sea salt
If you have pumpkin, then you can substitute the sweet potato and make these pumpkin and zucchini fritters. If you have cauliflower, then try these cauliflower fritters.
HOW TO MAKE THEM
First thing is to grate your zucchini and sweet potato. You could use a box grater or a food processor to do this.
Then remove the excess moisture from the grated zucchini and grated sweet potato. There are many ways that you can wring out the excess liquid.
Some of the ways involve using paper towel or a clean tea towel, or you can use a potato ricer. Just make sure you remove as much liquid as possible.
To make the fritter mixture, add all the ingredients to a large bowl (except the coconut oil). Then mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon and then you are ready to cook the fritters.
To cook the fritters, add two tablespoons of coconut oil to a large frying pan or large skillet on medium heat. Then scoop out the fritter batter using a soup spoon or ice cream scoop and add to the frying pan, lightly flattening with the back of a spoon, to form fritters.
Cook them for a few minutes until golden brown on the underside, then flip and cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side until both sides are golden brown.
Then transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the oven to keep warm, while you cook the remaining batter. Once all cooked they are ready for you to enjoy!!
HOW TO GET PERFECTLY CRISPY VEGGIE FRITTERS
Getting perfectly crispy veggie fritters is all about balancing moisture and heat. Start by grating your veggies and squeezing out as much liquid as you can. This one step makes the biggest difference!
Too much moisture in the mix will stop the fritters from crisping up, so don’t skip it. Once your veggies are prepped, mix everything together until the batter holds its shape without feeling wet or soggy.
When it’s time to cook, make sure your pan is hot before adding the fritters. A warm pan will soften them, but a properly heated one gives you that golden, crispy outside.
Use a little oil to help them brown evenly, and don’t overcrowd the pan, giving each fritter space helps them crisp instead of steam. Let them cook undisturbed for a few minutes on each side so they develop a firm crust before flipping.
Once they’re done, place the fritters on a wire rack instead of a plate. This stops the bottoms from going soft and keeps every fritter crisp from edge to edge. With these simple steps, you’ll get beautifully golden, crunchy veggie fritters every time.
TIPS & FAQS
If you can’t eat egg or are vegetarian or vegan, then you can replace the egg with mashed potato to make these egg-free fritters. You need approximately ¼ cup mashed potato for 1 egg. Chef In You has a handy guide for replacing egg in various meals.
You can substitute the almond meal 1-1 with gluten-free flour. I have not tested with any other flours.
These fritters are just as yummy the next day. To store them in your refrigerator, allow to cool first, before placing them in an airtight container and placing them in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
If you are going to freeze, then allow to cool first, then freeze on a baking tray before placing in a freezable container or zip lock for up to 3 months. To reheat, first thaw overnight in your refrigerator, then place on a dry frypan on low heat until warmed through.
I recommend adding 1/4 cup of grated parmesan with the other ingredients in the mixing bowl. I find it is a really delicious way to change up the flavour slightly.
This usually means there’s too much moisture in the veggies. Make sure you squeeze out as much liquid as possible before mixing the batter, and cook the fritters in a hot pan so they brown instead of steaming.
Yes, you can bake them at 200°C (fan‑forced) for around 20–25 minutes, flipping halfway. They won’t be quite as crispy as pan‑fried, but they still turn out delicious.
It’s best to cook the fritters straight away, as the veggies release more moisture the longer they sit. If you need to prep ahead, grate and squeeze the veggies, then mix everything together just before cooking.
Looking for other recipes that use zucchini? Try these:
Zucchini Pasta with Tuna and Tomato Sauce
Zucchini and Sweet Potato Slice
Looking for other sweet potato recipes? Try these:
Lastly, if you make these fritters then I would really love to hear from you. You can either leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! If you do make this recipe, please tag me on Instagram! It really makes my day when I see your creations of my recipes.
Zucchini & Sweet Potato Fritters
Ingredients
- 1.1 lb zucchini grated
- 0.55 lb sweet potato peeled and grated
- 1 Pinch of sea salt
- 3 eggs see below for egg free version
- 2/3 cup almond meal
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander chopped
- 2 spring onions thinly sliced
- 2-4 tablespoons coconut oil for cooking
Instructions
- Remove excess moisture. Add grated zucchini and grated sweet potato to a colander, add a pinch of sea salt, mixing through the zucchini and sweet potato. Let sit for at least 15 minutes, then squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible.
- Prepare mixture. Add to a large bowl with the remaining ingredients (except the coconut oil), mixing thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
- Cook fritters. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to a medium fry pan on moderate heat. Using a soup spoon or ice cream scoop, scoop out a heaped spoon of the fritter mixture and place in the pan and flatten them a little. Place as many as you want in the fry pan, making sure the edges don't touch. (I made my fritters around 6-7cm diameter). Cook for a few minutes on each side, until lightly golden and place on wire rack (to ensure crispiness) or a plate, repeating until you use up all the fritter mixture. You may need to add more coconut oil in between batches.
- If you want to keep them warm, then place the cooked fritters on baking sheet lined with baking paper in the oven until you have cooked all the fritters.
We like to use flax “egg” for regular egg replacement. Flax meal in w hot water. We tried these with spelt flour Amazing! Thank you
What’s the topping? Sour cream?
I think it was greek yoghurt or maybe dairy free sour cream.
Can I bake these instead of frying? Thanks!
I have not baked them so unable to advise.
Can I use almond flour instead of almond meal?
yes you can!
What can I use instead of almond meal? I have some corn meal, coconut flour?
You should be able to use cornflour! I have not tried it though.
Delicious thanks. We made them for brunch. Yielded 6 very big ones and 5 smaller. Added a little more salt than just a pinch.
so glad you liked them Kathleen 🙂
How much mashed potato do you think I would need to make these vegan?