Mom’s Zucchini Ricotta Fritters
on Aug 30, 2022, Updated Feb 01, 2023
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My mom’s zucchini ricotta fritters are wildly delicious! Cakes, fritters, patties…no matter what you call them, these are pillowy soft and so very easy to prepare. You simply combine the ingredients, form them into patties, and air fry. This dish is on rotation in my household and requires no fuss or mess at all when using the air fryer. These pair perfectly with a refreshing yogurt sauce or a nice green salad on the side. See the recipe notes below for making these in a standard oven or on the stovetop.
Table of Contents
Mom’s Ricotta Fritters
Delicious, savory patties made from plump zucchini, tangy ricotta, and fresh herbs.
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini, (100 grams)
- ¾ cup ricotta cheese, (100 grams)
- 1 large egg
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup grated parmigiano reggiano , (50 grams)
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs, (50 grams)
- few basil leaves, sliced, ripped or chopped
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini; you should have about 1 cup. Place the zucchini into a nut milk bag or use your clean hands and squeeze out as much water as you can. You can save the zucchini water for smoothies if you wish.
- In a bowl, add the ricotta, egg, salt, grated zucchini, parm, breadcrumbs, and basil. Mix well until fully combined.
- Using a 1/4 cup measure, scoop out a portion of the mixture into your hands. Roll the mixture into a ball and then flatten into a disc. Repeat this step for the rest of the mixture; you should have 6 discs in total.
- Spray the discs with cooking spray and cook in a 400F air fryer for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned all over. Be sure to preheat the air fryer first, if you have that setting, and make sure you check on the fritters around the 6 minute mark. Serve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
The customizing options are endless here: instead of parm, you can use any low moisture cheese, such as pecorino romano, grated manchego, or gruyere.
You can substitute basil with fresh dill, parsley, or any herb of your choosing.
These fritters can also be baked in a 400F standard kitchen oven. They will likely take more time to cook than in the air fryer, so watch them carefully to ensure they do not burn, checking on them every 5 minutes or so.
To make these on the stovetop, cover a skillet in a thin layer of neutral oil, such as avocado oil, and warm over medium-high heat. Cook the fritters for about 5 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned all over.
Try these topped with a poached or fried egg for a balanced savory breakfast.
This recipe can easily be doubled and cooked in batches in the air fryer.
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The flavor was very good, they took longer than expected to cook and needed to be flipped more than once. I recommend making them pretty thin.
Hi Nancy, thank you 🙂
The breadcrumbs alone add 36g carbs. Divide by 6 patties, and that’s 6g carbs in each patty from only the breadcrumbs. Plus the carbs from all the other ingredients (numbers you don’t provide). Is there something I can use as a substitute for the breadcrumbs?!
Hi Michelle, this may not be the right recipe for you if you don’t want to consume carbs. The breadcrumbs are necessary for binding and balancing moisture.
Hi! Any suggestions for a dipping sauce to serve these with?
Tzatziki would be delicious with these! https://themodernnonna.com/easiest-most-delicious-tzatziki/
Thank you, AWESOMENESS !
Do you know which is better air fryer/convection oven fry pan for most crispy and golden brown fritters? What type of air fryer do you use? Can you deep fry them too? Can you also use butternut squash? Love it!!
These would be incredible deep-fried; you just need to be super careful about slowly suspending the fritters into the oil. Maybe try making them small and bite-size so you don’t risk a piece of batter falling off and splashing in the oil. I have not tried butternut squash, but since it’s more dense than zucchini, it may not cook at the same rate.
Zucchini from my garden 6-7 inches long made 2 cups.
Sooooo Good. Drizzled a little sour cream on them. Delish!!!
Thank you! Air Fryer was quick and they were crispy just the way I like them.
Forgot to spray my basket even though I sprayed the discs…they got a little stuck!
Love it! Perfect way to use up all the fresh zucchini!
Could I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta?
Yes, absolutely!
So how many CUPS of zucchini is 1 med zucchini ? How many cups is 100 g ?
One medium zucchini should produce about 1 cup of grated zucchini. 100 grams is 1/4 pound, so try weighing the zucchini at the market and aim for purchasing one 1/4-pound zucchini or two 1/8-pound zucchini.
I had a zucchini from my garden that was about 7in long. It made 2cups.
Delicious fritters !!! Can I prepare and then freeze for future consumption ?
Hi Susan, I don’t think these will freeze well. They are best made and enjoyed fresh the same day.
Made them as a main course. I used the air fryer at 400 for 10 minutes, flipped them after 5 min. Quick and easy to make. I doubled the recipe.
Bake in oven if don’t have an air fryer? And how long?
I would shallow fry them in a pan