Shredded zucchini bound with egg and almond flour, scooped into an air fryer and cooked until crisp. No breadcrumbs, no deep frying, no pan of oil to deal with.
About twelve fritters from three medium zucchini, at roughly 68 calories each.
Squeeze the water out, seriously
This is the step the whole recipe depends on and it is the one that gets rushed.
Grate the zucchini, stir in half a teaspoon of salt, and let it sit ten minutes. The salt draws water out through osmosis and by the end there will be visible liquid pooled in the bowl.
Then squeeze it out properly using thick paper towels or a clean tea towel. Wring it like a cloth and keep going past the point where you think it is done. Two and a half cups of shredded zucchini holds a startling amount of water.
Wet zucchini gives you a batter that will not hold a shape, fritters that steam rather than crisp, and a soggy result no amount of extra time fixes.
Almond flour instead of breadcrumbs
Half a cup of superfine blanched almond flour.
It binds and absorbs residual moisture the way breadcrumbs would, and it keeps the fritters low carb, which is a good part of why this version exists.
Superfine blanched specifically. Almond meal is coarser and ground with the skins on, which gives a grittier fritter and a speckled appearance.
The recipe gives you a useful adjustment: if the batter seems too soggy, add a little more almond flour. If it seems too dry, add a splash of water. Zucchini varies in water content and the recipe accounts for that rather than pretending it does not.
Five seasonings, and they are not decorative
Lemon pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning and the salt already in the zucchini.
Zucchini tastes of very little. It is mild to the point of blandness, and a fritter made from zucchini, egg and almond flour with no seasoning tastes like exactly that.
The smoked paprika is the one doing the most work, since an air fryer browns but does not char, and smoke flavour has to come from somewhere.
Baking powder in a fritter
Half a teaspoon, which is unusual and useful.
It lightens the texture. Without it, a dense mixture of shredded vegetable, egg and nut flour packs into something solid. The small amount of lift keeps the inside tender rather than heavy.
Parchment or oil spray in the basket
Either works and both prevent the problem, which is fritters welding themselves to the basket.
Parchment cut to size is the more reliable option, since these have almost no fat in them and there is nothing to release them from bare metal. Spray it lightly anyway.
Leave an inch between fritters. Crowding blocks the airflow that an air fryer works by, and they steam instead of crisping.
Flatten them before cooking
Scoop about a tablespoon and a half per fritter, then press flat.
Air fryers cook from the outside in with moving hot air, so thickness is what determines whether the centre sets. A rounded mound of batter stays wet in the middle while the outside browns.
Flat also gives you more surface area, which means more crisp.
Flip and spray halfway
385F for eleven to twelve minutes, turning and spraying with oil partway through.
The side facing up gets more direct airflow. Flipping evens that out. The second spray of oil is what browns the newly exposed side, since there is not enough fat in the batter to do it alone.
Serving
Warm, with sour cream, chopped green onions or dill, and lemon wedges. <p>The sour cream is not optional in practice. These are lean and the fritters want something rich against them, and the lemon does the same job from the acid side. ## Dairy free version Nutritional yeast in place of the parmesan gives a similar savoury note and keeps them paleo and Whole30 compatible. Use the same quarter cup.
Making them ahead
They reheat well in the air fryer for three or four minutes at 350F, which brings the crisp back in a way a microwave cannot. Keeps three days refrigerated. The raw batter does not hold; the zucchini keeps releasing water and it goes soggy within a couple of hours.
Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters
Description
Crispy low carb zucchini fritters made in the air fryer with almond flour and parmesan.
Ingredients:
Instructions
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Grate the zucchini with a box grater. Place in a bowl and stir in the salt. Allow to rest 10 minutes.
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Squeeze out the excess water using thick paper towels or a tea towel, wringing thoroughly.
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Add the egg, Parmesan, almond flour, green onions and all the seasonings and mix until combined. Add a little more almond flour if the batter seems soggy, or a splash of water if too dry.
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Spray the air fryer basket with oil or line with parchment paper cut to size.
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Scoop 1.5 tablespoon portions into the basket an inch apart. Press to flatten each one and lightly spray with oil.
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Cook at 385F for 11 to 12 minutes, flipping and spraying halfway through, until crisp. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
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Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream, chopped green onions or dill and lemon wedges..
Note
The source leaves the servings count blank; twelve is estimated from 2.5 cups of shredded zucchini scooped at 1.5 tablespoons each. Salt the grated zucchini and rest 10 minutes, then wring it dry thoroughly; wet zucchini will not hold a shape and steams rather than crisps. Use superfine blanched almond flour rather than almond meal. Adjust with more almond flour if the batter is soggy or a splash of water if too dry. Flatten each fritter before cooking so the centre sets. Leave an inch between them in the basket. Flip and spray with oil halfway through. Nutrition per fritter from source: 68 calories, 3g carbohydrates, 4g protein, 5g fat, 1g fiber, 1g sugar.
