Introduce your little one to the goodness of zucchini with our simple 4-ingredient zucchini fritters! Perfect for those following the BLW method, these fritters are a breeze to make and can be conveniently frozen. Whether you're planning a picnic, a day at the playground, or packing lunchboxes, these versatile fritters are a fantastic choice. Prepare them with ease and enjoy a healthy and convenient meal option for your child.
I love all types of fritters, not just zucchini fritters, and for many reasons! The kids like them and you can put many vegetables in them that sometimes they fight to eat. They are very easy to make and healthy if you decide to bake them or shallow fry them. They are not messy and you can easily put a couple in a lunch box or in a bag and take them with you when you are out and about. Do you need more reasons?!
I came up with these blw zucchini fritters at the start of our solid journey. Alex had already tried zucchini before but I wanted something that he can have in the afternoon or when we are out and he sees us all nibbling on some treats. So I came up with this very easy and simple recipe and he absolutely loved them.
Despite my preschooler Artemis being a vegetable lover, she hasn't shown much enthusiasm for zucchini. However, when I served her the freshly baked zucchini fritters, her curiosity sparked, and she eagerly took a bite. To my delight, it turned out to be a huge success! She devoured the fritter quickly, resulting in a double victory— both my kids loved them!
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👩🏻🍳 Why you should try my recipe
- Easy to prep, not requiring many cooking skills.
- Simple ingredients that are easy to find.
- Perfect for babies and toddlers to hold with their little hands.
- Instructions for baking in the oven or shallow frying in a pan.
- Freezable for batch prepping or a quick meal on a rainy day.
- Great for lunchboxes, picnics and playground snacks.
🥘 Ingredients
To make these blw friendly zucchini fritters, we will need some zucchini, onion, plain flour, egg and optionally some oregano or mixed herbs seasoning.
You could use any type of long zucchini you like and are easy to find where you live, like dark green, light green or Italian zucchini. Instead of an onion, you could use 2-3 green onions that you finely chop.
See the recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
So get your ingredients ready and let's get started!
01. To start, I'm grating the zucchini using a hand grater or a food processor. You don't want it very fine, we want to have some texture and not get too mushy when cooked. Also, there is no need to peel the zucchinis as the outside is perfectly edible and is actually what will give the fritters their nice green color.
02. Since the zucchini flesh has lots of moisture, we need to squeeze out all the extra water that is going to make the zucchini fritters fall apart and be difficult to shape. I like to use a hand towel to squeeze out all the extra water but you could also use a sieve and press down the grated zucchini until most of the water is out.
03. Next, I'm chopping the onion into cubes. If you prefer to use green onions, then just finely chop 2-3 including the green bit. The onion is what is going to give the zucchini fritters that extra flavor and sweetness, so it's an ingredient you shouldn't leave out.
04. Now it's time to mix everything together. In a bowl, I'm adding the grated zucchini, onion, egg and flour. For seasoning, you could add some oregano or a dried herb mix and some ground pepper. Since this recipe is for babies from 6 months old, I'm not using any salt. If you are making them for toddlers and older kids though, then you could add a pinch of salt.
05. Using a spatula or simply my hands, I'm bringing everything together. If you find it difficult to shape the zucchini fritters then you could add a handful of flour to the mixture.
06. I'm taking a little bit of the mixture and shaping it into a ball, about the size of a golf ball. Then I pat it gently to flatten it and place it on a tray lined with parchment paper. Don't worry if the fritter is not perfectly round!
07. When all the zucchini fritters are placed on the tray, I like to brush them with a little bit of olive oil to get nice and crispy. Then I put them in the oven for 15-20 minutes until they get a nice brown color.
If you don't want to use the oven or you are in a hurry, then you could also shallow-fry them. Begin by heating a small amount of oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Place 4-5 fritters each time, depending on the size of your pan, and cook them for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until they get a nice golden-brown color.
📖 Variations
- Gluten-free - for a gluten-free version of these blw zucchini fritters, you could use some ground oats.
- Instead of an onion, you could use 2-3 green onions that you finely chop.
- Kid friendly - for kids over 12 months, you could add a pinch of salt to enhance the flavor.
🍽 Serving suggestions
Babies (6-12 months): These zucchini fritters are great for babies that follow the Baby Led Weaning (BLW) method as they are easy to hold with their little hands and don't contain any salt. I like to serve them with some protein on the side like yogurt or meat strips and some fruit. Blw zucchini fritters can be served for breakfast, main meal or afternoon snack, they are really versatile!
Toddlers & Preschoolers: For toddlers and preschoolers, you could add a little bit of salt to enhance the flavor. My preschooler loves these zucchini fritters as a snack, right when they come out of the oven. They are also great for picnics and as a little snack for the playground or for lunch boxes.
Teenagers & Adults: For older kids and adults, you could serve them with a marinara sauce or sweet chili sauce or some tzatziki dip on the side. You could also add them in wraps and sandwiches with some shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and a drizzle of your favorite sauce or dressing.
🧰 Storage
This blw zucchini fritters recipe yields around 9 fritters, depending on how big you'll make them. If you have any leftovers, you could store them in the fridge for 4-5 days in an airtight container.
You could also store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply add some to a tray and reheat in the oven for 10-15 minutes until piping hot.
💭 Tips
- Squeeze the grated zucchini to get rid of the extra water.
- Brush the zucchini fritters with some olive oil before placing them in the oven to get extra crispy.
- If it's difficult to shape and they are falling apart, add a handful of flour to the mixture.
❓ FAQ
If your zucchini fritters fall apart whilst baking or frying then there is too much moisture in the mixture. Try adding a handful of flour to the batter to bind everything together. Next time, you should try squeezing out all the water from the shredded zucchini to avoid getting into the same situation.
Zucchini is a great vegetable to introduce to your baby at the start of his solids journey around 6 months of age.
You could serve the zucchini fritters with a yogurt based dip on the side or for a protein-rich meal, you could add some chicken strips or meatballs. They also go well with some tomatoes, cucumber sticks or avocado slices.
You don't need to remove the skin from the zucchini when making fritters. It's perfectly edible and since we are grating the zucchini, it's going to get soft when baked.
📋 Recipe
Easy Zucchini Fritters (BLW Friendly)
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini
- 1 onion
- ½ cup plain flour
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon oregano (optional)
Instructions
- Wash the zucchini and cut the hard end bits. Grate the zucchini coarsely.
- Squeeze the water out of the shredded zucchini using a hand towel or a sieve.
- Chop finely an onion.
- In a bowl, add the shredded zucchini, onion, flour, egg and oregano (optional). Mix all the ingredients well with your hands or a spatula.
- Form little balls about a golf size and pat them lightly to flatten them out.
- Place all the fritters on a lined tray. Brush with some olive oil.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes in a preheated oven to 200°C / 400°F
Notes
- Instead of oregano, you could use a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs.
- Instead of an onion, you could use 2-3 green onions finely chopped.
🥣 Related
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