Easy Greek Kolokithokeftedes (Zucchini Fritters)

These easy zucchini fritters are the perfect snack, side dish, or appetizer. In a Greek household, these are called Kolokithokeftedes. “Kolokithi” means zucchini, and “Keftedes” means meatballs, so essentially when you combine the two, you get zucchini meatballs, or in this case, zucchini fritters. These are full of fresh herbs, and salty feta. They’re so good, and I promise you’re going to love them.

❤️ Why You’ll Love Kolokithokeftedes

• Easy: Kolokithokeftedes are really easy to make. You can make them with a few simple ingredients in under an hour
• Flavorful: These fritters are popping with flavor with the fresh mint and dill. They’re so flavorful and delicious, that you won’t be able to eat just one
• Versatile: I love these on their own, but they are great as a side dish, snack, appetizer, or even to throw on top of a salad for a little bit of crunch

🍲 Ingredients

Zucchini – Zucchini is really good for you, and it’s a really inexpensive veggie that can be eaten raw, or made into baking, and cooking. It is high in antioxidants and has nutrients that can support immunity, eye health, heart health, digestion, and even strong bones

Fresh Herbs – It’s very important in this Kolokithokeftedes recipe that you use fresh herbs. These pack the most flavor and will overall make the entire recipe taste and feel fresher. Fresh herbs are also loaded with their own healthy benefits too

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👩‍🍳 How to Make Kolokithokeftedes

1. Grate the zucchini on the large side of a grater and place in a colander with a big pinch of salt. Give the zucchini a little stir to incorporate the salt. Let sit for 20 minutes. This will help with getting rid of some of the moisture and water in the zucchini before we cook with it.
2. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and baking powder, set aside.
3. Once the zucchini has sat, squeeze out the juice from the zucchini and place the shredded zucchini into a medium bowl.
4. Add diced onions and minced garlic to the zucchini and stir with a spoon or spatula. Next, add in the herbs (chopped) and feta cheese and mix.
5. Beat the eggs with a fork or whisk, and once combined, add to the zucchini mixture and stir
6. Finally add the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Stir together until the mixture is combined and set in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before frying – this helps keep a more formed fritter when you fry.
7. Once the mixture has been in the fridge for 10-15 minutes remove it and give it another stir
8. When ready to cook, add olive oil to a frying pan, covering the entire bottom. Turn to medium-high heat.
9. When the pan is hot, turn the heat to medium and cook the fritters in batches. Add the zucchini fritter mixture, 3 tbsp at a time (for one fritter) into the pan and gently press down with the back of a spoon once in the pan to flatten slightly, the fritter should be about 1/2 inch thick.
10. Fry for about 1 1/2 minutes per side, and then another 1 minute per side until golden brown on each side – you’ll know the fritter is ready to flip if the spatula can slide underneath the fritter easily. Add olive oil in between each batch and wipe out any overly browned bits from the pan.
11. Fry in batches until all of the dough is used. Enjoy dipping these in tzatziki sauce (recipe below).

How to Make with an Air Fryer:

1. Once the mixture has been in the fridge for 10-15 minutes minutes remove it and give it another stir.
2. *Don’t use parchment paper in the air fryer for this recipe as the fritters will be less crispy*
3. Scoop 2 tablespoonfuls at a time, roll into balls and then gently press down to flatten slightly, the fritters should be about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Place a few at a time in the air fryer, making sure to leave space between the fritters. Spray them with cooking spray and then cook at 400F in the air fryer for 8 minutes, flip and air fry and cook for 8 more minutes. They should be slightly firm and slightly golden brown when done.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Tzatziki Sauce

1. Combine the following ingredients in a container and mix: 2 cups of Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped, 3 grated garlic cloves, salt & pepper, juice of 1 lemon, 1 cucumber grated (and squeezed to remove liquid), 3 tbsp olive oil
2. Store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• Add olive oil into the pan between batches of fritters to ensure you always have the bottom of the pan entirely coated
• Before you start frying the fritters, add the mix into the fridge for about 10 minutes, this helps the “batter” firm up so it holds its shape better when frying
• Don’t skip adding salt to your zucchini and letting it sit at the beginning of the recipe, otherwise, your batter will be too watery which will make it hard when frying

🗒 Variations

• Gluten-Free: If you want to make these zucchini fritters gluten-free, you can easily swap the all-purpose flour for your favorite gluten-free substitute

🗒 Best served with

• Tzatziki Sauce
• Greek Chicken Souvlaki
• Greek Salad

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store in a sealed container in your fridge for 3-4 days, however, these are best freshly fried. When you’re ready to reheat, you can pop them into your toaster or toaster oven so they maintain a crisp.

🤔 Common Questions

Easy Greek Kolokithokeftedes (Zucchini Fritters)

5 from 12 votes

These Greek Kolokithokeftedes are easy-to-make, and the perfect snack or appetizer. They're full of herbs which bring a flavor pop, and you won't be able to eat just one.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

resting time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Appetizers + Sides

Cuisine Greek

Servings 8 – 10 fritters

Calories 121 kcal

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Ingredients

  

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• 3 zucchini shredded/grated (about 3 cups)
• salt
• 1/2 cup red onion diced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
• 1/4 cup fresh mint chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder

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Instructions

 

• Grate the zucchini on the large side of a grate and place in a colander with a big pinch of salt. Give the zucchini a little stir to incorporate the salt. Let sit for 20 minutes.
• In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, pepper and baking powder, set aside.
• Once the zucchini has sat, squeeze out the juice from the zucchini and place the shredded zucchini into a medium bowl.
• To the zucchini add diced onions and minced garlic and stir together with a spoon or spatula. Next add in the herbs and feta cheese and mix.
• Beat the eggs with a fork or whisk and once combined, add to the zucchini mixture and stir.
• Finally add in the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Stir together until the mixture is combined and set in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before frying – this helps keep a more formed fritter when you fry.
• Once the mixture has been in the fridge for 10-15 minutes remove and give it another stir.
• When ready to cook, add olive oil to a frying pan, covering the entire bottom of the pan. Turn to medium-high heat.
• When the pan is hot, turn the heat to medium and start cooking the fritters in batches. Add the zucchini fritter mixture, 3 tbsp at a time (for one fritter) into the pan and gently press down with the back of a spoon once in the pan to flatten slightly, the fritter should be about 1/2 inch thick. Fry for about 1 1/2 minutes per side, and then another 1 minute per side until golden brown on each side – you'll know the fritter is ready to flip if the spatula can slide underneath the fritter easily.

  Add olive oil in between each batch and wipe out any overly browned bits from the pan.
• Fry in batches until all of the dough is used. Enjoy dipped the best tzatziki recipe!

Video

Notes

• If you love these fritters you’re sure to enjoy our Greek Tomato Fritters (Tomatokeftedes)

Nutrition

Calories: 121kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.4g | Protein: 5.5g | Fat: 4.4g | Saturated Fat: 273.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.1g | Cholesterol: 50.6mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 1g

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