When zucchini are in season, this recipe is a must. If you have never tried fried zucchini flowers, you are seriously missing out. These are a staple in my family and can be made so many different ways. They can be stuffed with cheese, or ricotta, can be made plain in a batter, can be made into fritters, topped on top of pizza, and so many other ways. Fried zucchini flowers are so delicious and delicate and I highly recommend you give this recipe a try. This recipe makes 24 fried zucchini flowers but feel free to adjust accordingly. Let me know in the comments what your favourite way is to make zucchini flowers.
Fried Zucchini Flowers
Fried zucchini flowers are so delicious and delicate and I highly recommend you give this recipe a try. This recipe makes 24 fried zucchini flowers but feel free to adjust accordingly. Let me know in the comments what your favourite way is to make zucchini flowers.
Ingredients
- 24 male zucchini flowers females are on top of a baby zucchini and males have a stem
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon soda water
- 2.5 cups oil for frying — I used avocado oil you can use any
Instructions
- If you are using zucchini flowers from the garden be sure to check for any insects and run it gently under water to rinse it out if needed. Pat them dry or set them on paper towel. The best time to pick and use the flowers from the garden is in the morning when the flower has opened. Feel free to also remove the inner stem which is called the stamen if you wish.
- Grab a bowl and add the flour, baking powder, and salt and give it a mix. Gradually add in the soda water and stir until you have the right consistency. The batter shouldn’t be too thick or too thin. It should be pancake-like and be able to coat the flowers beautifully. If it’s too thick, you can thin it out with a little bit of soda water at a time, and if it’s too thin, you can add a touch more flour.
- In a pan with higher sides add the oil and make sure it gets hot. I like to heat up my oil on high heat and then I reduce my heat to medium-high once it’s hot. You can test and see if the oil is hot by adding a little bit of batter from your fork and if it sizzles, it’s ready.
- Begin to dip each flower into the batter coating it well and gently shaking off some of the excess. Gently place the coated zucchini flower in the oil and continue to do the same with the rest. You will need to fry in small batches so don’t overcrowd the pan. I fry 6-7 flowers at a time.
- Fry each one for 30-60 seconds on each side or until it has puffed up and is nice and crispy.
- Remove them onto a plate or dish lined with paper towel and continue to fry in batches until they are all done.
- Enjoy with some extra salt on top if needed or even a creamy refreshing dip like tzatziki.
Notes
Male flowers of a zucchini plant are the ones with short stems; female flowers have longer stems and a zucchini-like fruit at the base of the flower. Feel free to use any neutral oil for frying.
Feel free to also stuff the zucchini flowers with cheese, ricotta or any way you like. If you are gluten-free, you can try a 1-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour instead. You can use beer or water instead of soda water so feel free to improvise.
If you want to add one egg to the batter you are more than welcome to but I left it out for anyone that has allergies.
Make sure the oil shimmers and it’s hot before you begin to fry the flowers. The stamen is the inside of the flower that is covered in pollen which is optional to remove. Most people remove it because it can cause digestive upset but I never remove them and we eat the flower whole.
You can fry it with or without the stem as it’s totally up to you. You can only find zucchini flowers if zucchini are in season and you are growing them, at a farm, farmers markets, or at a Italian store. Longos, Fortinos, Cataldi’s here in Ontario carries them when in season or please call around your area and ask.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
