Fast and easy fried Zucchini Cakes have just 5 ingredients and are ready in under 30 minutes! It's the perfect recipe to enjoy summer zucchini.
Call them zucchini patties, cakes or fritters, just be sure to call me if you make them for dinner or as an appetizer!
The unbeatable Greek-inspired flavor combination of zucchini, red onion, and feta cheese will hook you. Make Zucchini Egg Muffins next. They share the same ingredients, but bake in the oven.
A slight aroma of the tasty goodness lingers in the air when you make them! Turn them into a sandwich, slider or enjoy them with a fork.
Ingredients and Variations
Here's what you'll need:
- Zucchini (or courgettes) - Another option is to replace some of the zucchini with shredded carrot.
- Feta cheese (crumbled) - Substitute with your favorite grated cheese if desired, but the flavor just won't be the same in my humble opinion.
- Red onion (diced) - White onions or green onions can be used instead.
- Panko breadcrumbs - If you're making these low-carb then use breadcrumbs from your favorite no-carb bread.
- Eggs - Ingredient is needed to hold everything together.
How to Grate Zucchini
You'll need lots of shredded zucchini for this recipe. Below are two easy methods to prepare it.
Either way, there is no need to peel the zucchini first. The stem won't be used, but can be kept in place to hold on to during the process.
- Grater - Use a box or flat grater. For less pulp, use a grater with large holes and pass the zucchini across it one direction (rather than back and forth.)
- Food Processor with a grating attachment. This is a quick and easy way to make lots of shreds very quickly. There seems to be less pulp too. This is my preferred method!
- TIP: Make extra zucchini shreds to freeze and use in baked goods like zucchini brownies.
Press Out Excess Moisture
If the shreds are very moist, then spread them out on a towel and press out the excess moisture with another towel. Unlike, baked goods, a little moisture won't negatively impact the final result so you don't need to go crazy squeezing out the wetness.
Here's what the zucchini shreds will look like when you're done:
Directions with Pictures
Here's how to pan-fry zucchini cakes on the stovetop.
- Combine zucchini shreds, crumbled feta cheese, diced red onion, panko breadcrumbs, and eggs in a bowl.
- Scoop about ¼ cup of the mixture and compress it tightly with your hands into small, slightly rounded balls. (When you drop them in the pan, they will flatten.) Small cakes are easier to work with.
- Coat the bottom of the frying pan with a very thin layer of olive oil. If you use too much, the patty will absorb the oil and become excessively soft and difficult to work with.
- Cook the zucchini patties for about 2 minutes on each side. Try not to flip them too much. (Did I mention you should handle them with care because they're delicate?!) They should be lightly browned on the outside. If they seem to be spreading too much, push the sides back in with the spatula.
- Remove cakes to a plate lined with paper towels (to absorb any excess oil.) They will firm up more as they cool if you wait for about 5 minutes!
You really don't need to top these crispy zucchini cakes with anything. But, a little yogurt dill sauce is nice.
To make it: Mix together ½ cup Greek yogurt, ½ Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 pressed garlic clove, pinch of salt, pepper, dried dill.
More Zucchini Recipes
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars! ★★★★★
📋 Recipe
Fried Zucchini Cakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded zucchini packed
- ¼ cup red onion finely diced
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs whole wheat
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Spread zucchini shreds out on a towel. Place another towel over the top of the shreds and press out excess water.
- Add zucchini shreds, red onion, feta cheese, panko breadcrumbs, and eggs to a bowl and stir to combine.
- Compress about ¼ cup of the zucchini mixture in your hands to form a small patty. It does not need to be flat at this point.
- Spread a thin layer of olive oil in the bottom of a frying pan over medium heat.
- Add zucchini patties to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes on each side. The patties are very delicate. Try to turn only once.
- Remove to a paper plate lined with paper towels and cool for about 5 minutes. Cakes will firm-up more as they cool.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published 6/3/2014. It was updated to improve the reader experience.
foodwanderings
OMgoodnness these zucchini feta 'latkes' as we call them look fabulous! Just mouthwatering!
Priscilla - She's Cookin'
It is officially summer now and these zucchini fritters are perfect! The feta and red onion really amp up the flavors :))
Connie Trujillo
Recipe states"Move to paper plate lines with paper towels and continue cooking additional 5-15 min. Cook on paper plate???Huh?
Connie Trujillo
Oh read again. . . .you meant COOL 5-7 min.
Marjory
Hi! Thanks for your comment! Should be "cool" for 5 minutes!
Pamela
MY GRANGMOTHER WOULD MAKE WHAT SHE CALLED ZUCCHIN PAN CAKE AND THAT WAS OUT 55 YEARS A GO AND WAS THEY EVER GOOD
Susan O
The Zucchini cake looks pretty good and delicious, will try it. I hope it comes out good and taste good as it looks.
Marjory
I hope you enjoy them!
Melissa
I don't understand the nutrional info! How many patties are a serving? I'm trying to log my food and these were delicious but I don't know if I'm correctly logging these patties. Is it 179cal for one patty?
Again, these were fabulous and delicious!
Marjory
Hi! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!!! We did not calculate it per cake because everyone seems to make them a different size. Take the total amount of cakes that you made and divide the total by 4. If the yield was 8 cakes, then 2 would be a serving. I hope that makes sense and sorry for any confusion!!!
BR
These are delicious! I didn't have red onion and so I substituted yellow onion. Still excellent. The flavor of the feta cheese really shines through.
Marjory
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! They are great with green onion too!
Danie
Hi could these be done with chickpea flour or coconut or ground flaxseeds flour instead of panko bread crumbs?
Marjory
Absolutely! I haven't tried those, but have been experimenting with different fillers (so far, some low-carb crackers.) I'd love to know how they turn out.
Anagonzalez
I have made it today for our dinner, my husband and I really like it, the taste of the feta cheese with the Zucchini made a so delicious Cakes. Also the recipe is so easy to follow, and the cooking time is so fast...Thank you for sharing it Marjory!
Marjory
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for commenting...made my day!
Elaine Tsai
Absolutely wonderful. I made these little goodies for lunch today! They were easy to put together and cook. I had all the ingredients on hand too. I’m always looking for quick and easy zucchini recipes and this fits the bill perfectly. Thank you for the recipe. This is a keeper.
Marjory
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment!
libby
These are delicious! Sub'd Vadalhia onions for red onion and added a little shredded red bell pepper. Will be making again soon!
Marjory
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Jo Ann Thompson
Such a great recipe. Thank you for sharing. I let them cook 4 min. per side on med. heat to get a nice brown crust. They taste very good. I bet you could substitute parmesan cheese and white onion too if you didn't have the other ingredients.
Marjory
Thanks for your comment! And, yes...Parmesan cheese and white onion would be delicious too...especially for Parm fans like me!
Kathleen
Thank you for this awesome recipe, I am grain/gluten free so will replace Panko with Chickpea Bread Crumbs, cannot wait to make them??
Marjory
That should work perfectly!!! I hope you enjoy them!
Michelle
I eat a cheese free diet. Would there be any substitution for the cheese that you can think of?
Marjory
Hi! I haven't tried a substitution in this recipe. There are some vegan cheese substitutes that should work. Or, you might consider trying corn kernels and adding a pinch of garlic powder to replace the zing that feta often provides. Let us know how it works out if you make it!
Rosa R
They look great but when you gave the ingredients for the dill sauce you wrote “1/2 Tablespoons” of what? Love your website I get so many ideas for dinners from you. Thanks for all the hard work.
Marjory Pilley
Thanks for letting me know and the nice comment! Lemon juice!!! I updated it now!