Zucchini Fritters with Greek Yogurt Ranch
Savory and light, Zucchini Fritters with Greek Yogurt Ranch are a fantastic summer appetizer and a great way to use all of those zucchini!
Frying up delicious Zucchini Fritters and whipping up homemade Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing is easy and is ready in 30 minutes! Whether you make this as a side or a great appetizer to share, combining shredded zucchini with herbs, parmesan, and flour and creating an herb-filled dressing is an easy way to please the crowd!
Summer of Squash
If you grow zucchini, then you know how quickly your supply can get out of hand and you go from harvesting one zucchini a day to five. This is only a bad thing if you don’t know what to make with all of that delicious zucchini, but for us, all it took was this recipe and we never had “too many” zucchini again! Zucchini Fritters with Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing are so light and crisp and the creamy dressing is perfect for dipping, so we always triple the recipe to ensure everyone has their fill.
Keep your summer meals light and incredibly flavorful with more dishes like Super Simple Grilled Summer Veggies and hearty Stuffed Zucchini Boats!
Other Recipes to Serve with Zucchini Fritter with Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing
- Fritters are a great start, so don’t forget about a delicious finish and create an Angel Food Cake Berry Trifle to end the meal with a bang!
- Watermelon Limeade is part of what makes summer unique, so mix up a large, thirst-quenching pitcher to cool the family down!
Ingredients
Produce: To make these fritters, you will need a few small zucchini, garlic, green onion, parsley, and dill. This recipe makes six 3-inch fritters, so double or triple the recipe to ensure you have enough for everyone.
Dry Ingredients: For this recipe, Gather olive oil, salt, and all-purpose flour.
Wet Ingredients: An egg and parmesan cheese will also make the fritters.
To make the dressing
Herbs: When you’re shopping for all of the products you need for the fritters, pick up extra parsley, dill, chives, and garlic.
Wet Ingredients: Pick up your favorite non-fat Greek Yogurt, Mayonnaise, and any percent milk, along with white wine vinegar.
Seasoning: A little salt and pepper are also needed for the dressing.
How to Make Zucchini Fritters with Greek Yogurt Ranch
STEP ONE: Before you begin to make the fritters, start by making the ranch dip. Sprinkle salt over the garlic cloves and mash the salt into the garlic with a knife blade until you make a paste. Make up the garlic paste for both the dressing and the fritters at this time. Scrap half of the garlic into a bowl and whisk in the yogurt, mayo, milk, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper. If the dressing is too thick, add splashes of milk to the dressing until it reaches the consistency you like. Cover and refrigerate the dressing until the fritters are done.
STEP TWO: Shred the zucchini and place it in a strainer. Sprinkle salt over the zucchini and let it sit for 10 minutes to draw the water out.
STEP THREE: Scoop the zucchini onto paper towels or cheesecloth to squeeze out any remaining water, and pop the zucchini into a large bowl.
STEP FOUR: Add the rest of the garlic paste you made to the bowl of zucchini, along with the green onions, parsley, dill, a beaten egg, parmesan cheese, and all-purpose flour, and combine.
STEP FIVE: Use a large scoop or measure out about 3 tablespoons of the fritter mix, drop the zucchini into a hot pan coated with oil, and press flat. For great crispy fritters, don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
STEP SIX: Flip the fritters and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Move the cooked fritters to a paper towel-lined plate and allow the excess oil to drain.
STEP SEVEN: Arrange the zucchini fritters on a plate with the bowl of homemade ranch dressing and enjoy immediately.
Tips for Success
- The ranch dressing can be eaten as soon as it’s made, but the flavors are truly next level when it can sit for a while. This dressing can be made hours in advance, too, and whenever you make it, or if you have any leftovers, store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Letting the zucchini drain in a strainer is a big must for this recipe. There is a lot of water in this fantastic veggie, and if you don’t draw out the water and then squeeze out what’s left, the fritters will not stick together.
- The recipe makes six three-inch zucchini fritters, so double or triple the recipe as needed. The fritters can be made the day before a get-together and stored in the fridge overnight. To warm them up for the party, arrange them on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven at 350 degrees F until they are warm.
Why are the fritters falling apart?
If your zucchini fritters are not staying together, there are two reasons. The first reason might be that you skipped draining or squeezing the zucchini. There is an incredible amount of water in zucchini, and this excess moisture will easily make fritters fall apart, so be sure to drain and squeeze your zucchini. The other problem might be that the pan wasn’t oiled enough. The fritters need to cook at a higher temp; if there isn’t enough oil in the pan, then the fritters will stick and fall apart. While you are not deep frying these fritters, you still want to make sure there is a good coating of oil in the pan before you start. Remember to add more as needed when preparing larger batches of fritters.
How do you shred zucchini?
The easiest and best way to shred zucchini is to use a box grater. The same tool you use to grate cheese is the best tool for shredding not only zucchini but also carrots, which is important to know if you plan on making carrot cake. Just saying. Cut off both ends of the zucchini, hold it just like you would cheese, and move it up and down over the grater to shred it. Take care as you reach the zucchini’s end, not grate your fingers. You now have the shredded zucchini you need to make these amazing fritters!
More Zucchini Ideas for Great Summer Eats!
- Banana Zucchini Bread
- Super Easy Parmesan Crusted Zucchini
- Cheesy Zucchini Gratin
- Zucchini Texas Sheet Cake
- Zucchini Lasagna
*This post was originally posted on 02/27/2014.
Zucchini Fritters with Greek Yogurt Ranch
Equipment
Ingredients
Zucchini Fritters
- 2 small zucchini
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup green onion chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ¼ cup fresh dill chopped
- 1 egg beaten
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup olive oil
Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons milk plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- 1 tablespoon chives chopped
- ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Zucchini Fritters
- Shred the zucchini into a strainer and then sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Allow the zucchini to sit in the strainer in the sink or over a bowl for 10 minutes.
- Using layered paper towels (or some cheesecloth), squeeze all the liquid out of the zucchini that you can. Place the zucchini into a mixing bowl.
- Chop the garlic and sprinkle a tiny bit of salt on it. Continue to chop the garlic, and then mash it with a fork until it becomes a paste. You can also use the flat side of your knife blade to do this. (see note)
- Add the garlic paste to the zucchini along with the green onion, parsley, dill, beaten egg, parmesan cheese, and flour. Mix until well combined.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, use a large soup spoon to drop about 3 tablespoons of the zucchini mixture into the hot oil. Use a spatula to flatten the ball into a fritter (pancake).
- Cook the fritters for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. I can usually fit 2-3 in my pan at once. Be sure you don't overcrowd the pan, or they won't crisp up nicely.
- Remove the fritters to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining zucchini mixture. I can usually make about six 3-inch fritters.
Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing
- Sprinkle the salt over the minced garlic while it's still on the cutting board. Using the side of the knife blade, press the salt into the minced garlic and scrape. Continue to do this until the garlic and salt become a paste.
- Add the garlic paste to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add in remaining ingredients to the bowl and whisk until smooth. You can add extra milk, a little at a time, to thin out the dressing to your liking.
- Chill the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours to let the flavors develop. (You can use this dressing right away, but it'll taste so much better if you wait!)
- Serve the fritters while still warm on a platter with a bowl of Greek yogurt ranch for dipping alongside.
Notes
- Nutritional information is for 1 fritter and 2 tablespoons of dip.
- The ranch recipe makes about 1 cup of dip, so there will most likely be some extra.
- You can chop up all the garlic at once so you don’t have to make the garlic past for the fritters and then again for the dressing.
I am making this recipe tonight. Have used another one similar to this only with bean sprouts, mushrooms, and onions. Very tasty also. Thanks. Susan