Veggie fritters are one of my favourite things and I make them weekly. The obsession started with zucchini fritters, but I quickly realized that pretty much anything can go into these and they’ll still be awesome. The key thing to know about making veggie fritters is that your veggies need to be fairly dry. That means that if you’re using stuff like zucchini, you’ll have to get some of the water out of it before you use it. That’s easy, though, and no reason not proceed!
Here’s my basic veggie fritter recipe but you can spruce it up with any number of flavourings, from herbs and spices to hot sauce, soy sauce or whatever! Let your imagination run wild… I’ve never met a veggie fritter I didn’t love.
“Empty the Crisper” Veggie Fritters
Use up those crisper veggies to create the ultimate flexible side dish or vegetarian meal.
Equipment
- 1 food processor fitted with shredder disc optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups Vegetables, shredded *see recipe notes below
- 1 large Egg
- 1/8 cup All purpose flour
- 3 tbsp. Cornstarch
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Pepper
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Grate vegetables using food processor fitted with grating disc. You can also grate them by hand. For ingredients with a high water content such as zucchini or napa cabbage, place them in a colander and toss with 1/2 tsp. salt. Allow to sit 10 minutes until the water has drained. Wring the drained veggies with clean hands to squeeze out any excess water.
- Place all grated veggies in a bowl and toss to mix. Then stir in the remaining ingredients. Add any additional ingredients you choose to incorporate.
- Pour enough oil into a non-stick pan to coat the bottom. Heat over medium high. Using a large spoon scoop out about 1/8 cup of fritter mixture and place in the heated pan. Use the back of the spoon to form a disk about 1/2" thick. Add two or 3 more fritters to the pan in the same manner (do not overcrowd).
- Cook fritters for 2-3 minutes until they start to brown around the edges. Using a spatula carefully flip the fritters, then cook another 3 minutes or so on the other side.
- Remove fritters to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while the next batch of fritters is cooked.
- Serve fritters with your choice of topping. See recipe notes for suggestions.
Notes
- Suggested veggies for use in this recipe include zucchini, squash, cabbage, potato, turnip, Chinese cabbage, kohlrabi, carrots, sweet potato, radishes, or any combination.
- Be sure to remove excess water from grated veggies before making the fritters. Generally speaking veggies like cabbage, carrots, kohlrabi, turnip don’t require removal of liquid. Veggies such as potatoes, zucchini, and Chinese cabbage should be grated, tossed with salt, and allowed to sit for at least 10 minutes before use. After they sit, wring them out before adding to the fritter mixture.
- The following ingredients make excellent add-ins to your fritters and allow you to adjust the flavour to your liking:
- pesto
- piri-piri seasoning
- soy sauce
- grated ginger
- garam masala
- cayenne pepper
- barbecue rub
- fennel seed
- fresh herbs (dill, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, basil… all delicious)
- grated cheese (parmesan, crumbled feta, blue cheese, swiss)
- Top your fritters with:
- pesto
- queso
- sour cream
- garlic aioli
- salsa
- hot sauce
- hollandaise sauce
- chermoulah
- chimichurri
- tzatziki
- hummus