Crispy Vegan Zucchini Fritters with Oats and Coconut
Crispy, textured, and filled with oat, chili, ginger, and coconut flavor, these vegan zucchini fritters are another great addition to your zucchini recipe repertoire. Perfect for dipping, snacking, serving on the side of curry or wrapped up in a pita. If your garden is overflowing with zucchini, make up a batch of these crispy vegan fritters- after making them once, I bet you’ll be back for more!
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The Joys and Perils of Growing Zucchini
Zucchini has a bit of a reputation for being… prolific. When reading about planting and growing zucchini, I was continually greeted with the advice to plant one, maybe two, zucchini plants. But as a lover of bounty, vegetables, and ignoring good advice, I started my first serious garden this year with four zucchini and summer squash plants. And no regrets, but… maybe a few regrets. In addition to the four zucchini plants I’m growing (to date mid-August they have produced 40 zucchini), we have a CSA share that so far has granted us roughly 20 pounds of zucchini. I believe that puts our total zucchini consumption for the summer so far at around 80 zucchini between two people. And while I absolutely refuse to say that it’s too many zucchini, I will share that many meals start with a light sigh, while I rack my brain to come up with a way to eat a zucchini or two that’s not too similar to anything else we’ve had lately.
But being forced to use the same ingredient over and over, along with a good dose of stubbornness is an excellent recipe for creativity. I made a delicious artichoke and zucchini pasta last night. I have plans to try a zucchini crisp tomorrow. And somewhere along the way I created these simple fritters, that combine the flavors of oats, green chilies, ginger, and coconut in one crispy, zucchini bite.
Looking for Vegan Zucchini Recipes? Try one of these!
- Seitan-Based Vegan Zucchini Meatballs
- Caramelized Vegan Zucchini Dip with White Beans
- Zucchini-Ganoush- An Easy Vegan Zucchini Recipe
- Garlic Yeasted Savory Zucchini Bread
- 30 Vegan Zucchini Recipes, Savory and Sweet
- Vegan Breaded Zucchini Recipe (Baked)
- Vegan Sausage Stuffed Summer Squash
- Roasted Vegan Summer Squash Side Dish
- Summer Squash, Kale, and Pasta Casserole
Feeling the Fritters? Try one of these Fritter Recipes!
- Vegan Savory Banana Fritters
- Garlic Scape Sweet Potato Pakoras or Fritters (Vegan)
- Quick & Crispy Zucchini Fritters
Coconut Oat Zucchini Fritters Tips and Tricks
- While I use the word zucchini in this post, you can of course use any summer squash you have on hand and it makes no difference. I used a mix of yellow squash and zucchini in mine.
- For crispy fritters, squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the zucchini before adding the other ingredients.
- These zucchini fritters are perfect for dipping- they pair beautifully with a vegan tzatziki, mango chutney, and hot sauce.
- These fritters freeze fairly well- make sure to freeze cooked fritters in a single layer so they’re not stuck together. They can then be reheated in the toaster oven or air fryer.
Crispy Vegan Zucchini Fritters with Oats and Coconut
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb. zucchini
- 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 medium-sized onion
- 1-2 serrano chili peppers
- 1 tsp. grated ginger
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup chickpea flour
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. mustard seed
- Oil for cooking
Instructions
- Grate your zucchini and place in a large bowl. Mix in the salt and allow to sit for a few minutes while you prep the remaining vegetables. Slice the onion into thin half-moons. Dice the chili peppers and grate your ginger. Set aside. Using a clean cheesecloth or your hands, squeeze the zucchini to remove as much excess moisture as possible. Return it to the bowl, along with all the remaining ingredients (aside from the cooking oil). Mix until it has formed a thick, uniform batter.
- Heat a thin layer of cooking oil in a skillet on medium heat. Once hot, use your hands to form about 1/3 of a cup of batter into shape- it should look a little like a hockey puck. Add to the hot oil, and repeat until your skillet is full, making sure to leave plenty of space between fritters so they cook well. After a few minutes the bottom will turn a golden-brown, and the fritters are ready to be flipped. Cook for another few minutes on the second side and remove from the heat. Repeat until all the batter is used.
- Eat right away, and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
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