Zucchini Quinoa Fritters

quinoa zucchini fritters stacked on a baking shet

5 from 38 votes

Zucchini quinoa fritters are protein-packed fritters made with shredded zucchini and cooked quinoa. Serve as an appetizer, snack, or entree with your favorite dipping sauce.

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Total Time45

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: fritters

Calories: 61kcal

Author: Traci

Equipment

Food processor with grater blade or box grater
flour sack towel or nut milk bag
colander to strain excess liquid
large mixing bowl to mix the patties
2 ounce portion scoop to portion each patty
12-inch skillet to fry the patties
fish spatula used for turning and transfer

Ingredients

½ pound Zucchini 2 cups shredded
1 large Carrot 1 cup shredded
½ teaspoon Salt as needed for vegetables
1 cup Cooked Quinoa
3 Eggs
1-2 Green Onions thinly sliced
½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning or Cajun seasoning
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs or more as needed
2-3 tablespoons Oil (for frying) or more as desired

Instructions

Shred the ZUCCHINI and CARROT using a box grater or food processor. Transfer to a colander, sprinkle with SALT, and let sit 10–15 minutes to draw out moisture. Wrap in a flour sack towel or nut milk bag and squeeze out excess moisture.
In a large mixing bowl, combine QUINOA, EGGS, GREEN ONION, OLD BAY, SALT, PEPPER, and PANKO. Add the shredded veggies and stir to combine. Let rest 5 minutes.
If the mixture feels too wet, add a little more Panko or about 1 tablespoon of flour to help it firm up.
Preheat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat.
Once the skillet is hot, add just enough OIL to coat the bottom and heat until shimmering.
Scoop up to 4 portions (2 ounces or about ¼ cup each) into the skillet and gently flatten to ½-inch thickness with the back of the scoop.
Working in batches, cook in a single layer until golden, then flip with a fish spatula and cook the other side until golden and set.
Transfer to a paper towel-lined platter. Wipe out the skillet and remove any cooked bits between batches, adding fresh oil each time.
Serve warm with dipping sauce. Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days.

Notes

Cook quinoa ahead – Day-old quinoa works especially well here. It’s a little drier, which helps the fritters hold together and crisp up better.

Use room temperature ingredients – Let the eggs and quinoa sit out for 10–15 minutes before mixing. This helps everything combine more easily and cook more evenly.

Dry the veggies really well – After salting, squeeze the zucchini and carrot thoroughly. Extra moisture can make the mixture looser and harder to work with.

Panko works best – Panko gives these fritters the best texture and crisp edges. When I tested regular breadcrumbs, the mixture was wetter. Adding about 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour helped, but I still prefer panko.

Pack the scoop lightly – A lightly packed scoop helps keep the fritters close in size so they cook at the same rate.

Pan preference – Both stainless steel and cast iron work, but I prefer stainless for better heat control. In my test kitchen, I've found that cast iron can get too hot between batches.

Nutrition