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These cheesy zucchini fritters are the best healthy side dish for babies and toddlers, but the rest of the family will love them too. Loaded with nutritious zucchini and a handful of simple ingredients, they’re a great way to offer the summer zucchini harvest to kids of all ages!
Cheesy Zucchini Fritters for Babies & Kids!
These cheesy zucchini fritters are so yummy! The great thing about zucchini is that it has a subtle taste and can take on a variety of flavors, making it the perfect addition to these patties.
Once you strain out the excess liquid, the shredded zucchini will be ready to absorb the delicious flavors of the cheese, green onions, and seasonings and packed into little morsels of goodness. Your kids will seriously be hooked!
“Love them.. my 11 month old son is now going through a phase where he will eat nothing but these fritters!” – Joannie
Keep reading to get lots of tips on how to make the best zucchini fritters!
healthy zucchini fritters
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Why We Love These Zucchini Fritters with Cheese
- Ready in less than 20 minutes: After straining the excess water from the zucchini, you’ll throw all the ingredients together in a bowl, form the patties, then fry them up. Easy!
- Crispy: Thanks to a quick pan fry, these zucchini fritters for BLW have nice crispy edges on the outside yet are tender and flavorful on the inside.
- Healthy: Loaded with antioxidant-packed zucchini and protein-rich egg and cheese, these crispy cheesy zucchini fritters are the perfect way to introduce your little ones to this yummy vegetable!
Ingredient Notes
- Shredded zucchini: Prepare your grated zucchini with a box grater. No need to peel the outside – it’s nutritious and tender enough even for babies.
- Egg: A little egg will help bind these little fritters together so they don’t fall apart.
- Oat flour: You can purchase oat flour or make your own by blending oats in your food processor.
- Shredded cheddar cheese: When the cheese cooks, it will add delicious flavor to every bite. It will also help get a nice golden crust.
- Green onion: Thinly slice green onions to season the batter.
- Seasonings: Add a little onion powder, salt, and freshly ground pepper for flavor. (optional)
- Olive oil: You’ll need just a bit of oil for frying.
How to Make Zucchini Fritters – Step-by-Step Instructions
- Place shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- Using your hands or cheesecloth, squeeze out as much water as possible from the zucchini.
- Mix together the zucchini, egg, oat flour, cheese, green onion, onion powder, salt (if using), and pepper in a medium-sized bowl.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Using your hands, pack the zucchini mixture (a couple of spoonfuls of the batter) into about 6-8 fritters. Place them in the hot skillet about an inch apart.
- Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side or until slightly browned and crispy.
- Serve warm or at room temperature alone or along with a dip.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
RECIPE TIPS
- Let the shredded zucchini rest in a colander and sprinkle it with salt. Let it drain for a minimum of ten minutes.
- Give the shredded zucchini a few good squeezes, or use cheesecloth or a kitchen towel to get as much water out as possible. You can even pat it down with some paper towels to further soak up the moisture. If the zucchini has too much moisture, the zucchini fritters will be soggy, not crispy.
- To thicken up your fritter batter, add extra oat flour.
- Don’t press down on the fritters while they are cooking, or they will flatten out.
- The zucchini patties taste best when they’ve sat for a few minutes to firm up.
- Skip the salt (except for straining) if you’re serving these zucchini pancakes to babies.
Recipe FAQs
Yep! Use your oven with the convection feature on or turn on your air fryer and set them to 425 degrees F. Place the fritters in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and cook them for 8-10 minutes. It can help to flip them halfway through.
Zucchini has a lot of water, and if you don’t strain it out well, your cakes will be wet and soggy from the excess moisture. For crispy zucchini fritters, be sure to squeeze the shredded zucchini out really well and add more oat flour to your drained zucchini mixture to help absorb the liquid.
The sky’s the limit for dipping sauces! We like to serve these with homemade tzatziki sauce, a creamy garlic chive yogurt sauce, avocado crema, pesto, ketchup or even this high protein hummus. You can also serve them with ranch dressing or sour cream for a nice creamy topping.
Storage Guidelines
- To refrigerate: Store leftover fritters in an airtight container in your fridge for 3-4 days.
- To freeze: Seal them in a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for several months.
- To reheat them: Let frozen fritters thaw in the fridge, then bake them in a 400 degree F oven for 4-5 minutes or until crispy and heated all the way through.
What to Serve with Zucchini Fritters
These delicious cheesy zucchini fritters for baby led weaning are the perfect side dish for any meal! They can also be served as a great snack any time of day. I usually serve them with extra protein or a side of fruits and veggies for a balanced meal.
Try them with:
- Scrambled eggs
- Mini Salmon Cakes
- Beef Pasta Hamburger Helper
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
- Mixed berries
- Greek yogurt
- Sliced turkey or ham
- Avocado slices
Recipe Variations
- Switch up the cheese: Instead of cheddar, use Parmesan to get a gorgeous golden brown crust and savory flavor. Mozzarella cheese or feta cheese would also work well in these cheesy zucchini bites.
- Substitute the flour: Instead of oat flour, you can also use almond flour or chickpea flour.
- Zucchini waffles: Skip the pan frying and add the zucchini fritter batter to a preheated waffle iron sprayed with a little oil. Such a yummy breakfast!
More Veggie-Loaded Recipes
- Healthy Corn Fritters Recipe
- Chickpea Veggie Patties
- How To Make Zucchini Fries In Air Fryer
- Veggie Tots In Air Fryer
- Carrot Pasta Sauce
- Green Pasta Sauce Recipe
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Cheesy Zucchini Fritters {Great for Baby Led Weaning!}
Ingredients
- 2 cups packed shredded zucchini (about 1 medium-sized zucchini)
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup oat flour
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onion
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Place shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- Using your hands or cheesecloth, squeeze out as much water as possible from the zucchini.
- Mix together the zucchini, egg, oat flour, cheese, green onion, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Using your hands, pack the zucchini mixture into about 6-8 fritters. Place them in the hot pan about an inch apart.
- Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side or until slightly browned and crispy.
- Serve warm or at room temperature alone or along with a dip.
Notes
- Give the shredded zucchini a few good squeezes, or use cheesecloth or a kitchen towel to get as much water out as possible. You can even pat it down with some paper towels to further soak up the moisture. If the zucchini has too much moisture, the zucchini fritters will be soggy, not crispy.
- To thicken up your fritter batter, add extra oat flour.
- Don’t press down on the fritters while they are cooking, or they will flatten out.
- The zucchini patties taste best when they’ve sat for a few minutes to firm up.
- Skip the salt (except for straining) if you’re serving these zucchini pancakes to babies.
Nutrition
Recipe inspired by these Healthy Zucchini Fritters
My baby loves these fritters! I’ve struggled getting him to eat vegetables lately so would recommend this to parents with picky eaters!
I’m so glad he loved the fritters! They’re definitely a great way to get in those veggies 🙂 I appreciate you taking the time to leave a review!
Absolutely delicious! Easy to make and great way to get my little one to eat more veggies. I used a waffle maker and they came out beautifully!
That’s amazing!! Love how you made them in a waffle maker..I’ll definitely have to try that! Thanks so much for the kind review 🙂