Sweet potato & zucchini fritters that are pan fried and filled with fresh veggies. Perfect as a snack, side or with a salad.
Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase via those links. Thank you for supporting Plant Based Folk! To learn more about affiliate links on Plant Based Folk, please read the Privacy Policy & Terms of Use.
Jump to:
Forget the deep fried variety of fritters, those things clog up your arteries. Here's a healthier pan fried option of Sweet Potato & Zucchini Fritters.
I like pairing these up with a fresh salad and a creamy vegan fry sauce, however the boys in my family put these in a sandwich. Whichever way you eat these, prepare a big batch to enjoy the left overs for either dinner or lunch or whenever you like.
I get a deep satisfaction when pan frying fritters, kinda like the way pancakes can do this too; placing the wet batter into a pan and a few minutes later the result is something so tasty.
These sweet potato and zucchini fritters remind me of Ejjeh, which is Lebanese egg omelettes/fritters made with parsley, but some people make it with zucchini flesh also. I have made a vegan version here. This is something we have for brekky.
What are Fritters?
Fritters can be found across the globe in many cultures, they are comprised of batter that has been stuffed or mixed with savoury or sweet fillings.
Why you will love these eggless fritters
- Quick to make
- They are vegan!
- The taste is amazing and the texture is fabulous - crispy on the outside and moist on the inside
- Relatively inexpensive
How to make Sweet Potato & Zucchini Fritters
🥘Ingredients
- 90 g Cannellini beans - make sure these are completely drained. Save the juice, this is called aquafaba and has many uses such as vegan meringue with rose water.
- 170g Sweet potato, grated and drained. Use your hands or a muslin cloth to squeeze out as much excess water
- 230g Zucchini grated, and drained. Just like the sweet potato, use your hands or a muslin cloth to squeeze out as much excess water
- 65g Shallots finely chopped (generally 2 sprigs - these are also known as scallion or green onion (shallot is what we call them in Australia))
- 150g Plain flour
- 1 tsp Chilli flakes (paprika powder is a great alternative, I love both variations)
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Pink salt, or sea salt
- ¼ cup Cooking oil select your preference, you may need to add extra
🔪Cooking Instruction
- In a mixing bowl, roughly mash cannellini beans
- Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well
- In a fry pan, heat up desired cooking oil on hot setting.
- Once oil is hot enough, scoop out a golf ball amount of mixture and shape into a patty, place into the pan
- Pan fry each patty for a minute or two on the first side and then turn over to seal contents, gently flattening a little more with the back of a spatula once turned
- Fry until golden brown which will roughly about 5 min turning over occasionally.
- Once golden brown, place fritter onto a paper towel lined plate to help soak excess oil
- Serve warm
💭Recipe Tips
- Zucchini and sweet potato are naturally filled lots of water. Squeeze out as much of it as possible to help the fritters not be soggy
- Zucchini and sweet potato weights are before squeezing out the water
- Make sure the oil is hot - cook on high heat. If the oil runs low, add a spoonful at a time. Try not let the pan run dry as this will burn the fritters
- Hot oil makes a crispier fritter, so don’t be afraid of using it
- Pan frying times may differ between stove tops (gas vs electric)
- Once pan-fried, place fritters on a plate that has been lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil
- Store fritters in a well seal container once completely cooled, otherwise they will turn soggy quickly
- Make each fritter not to thick, this will ensure it cooks through completely
Other Zucchini Recipes
- The most decadent chocolate zucchini cake it's so so good!!
- A tangy Lebanese zucchini flesh recipe called lib el kousa
- Lebanese stuffed zucchini called Kousa Mahshi
Or if you're looking for vegan sweet potato recipes, try my sweet potato chips or instant pot sweet potato.
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato & Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 90 g Cannellini beans
- 170 g Sweet potato grated and squeezed
- 230 g Zucchini grated and squeezed
- 65 g Shallots
Scallions - approx. 2 sprigs) - 150 g Plain flour
- 1 tsp Chilli flakes
paprika is a good substitute - 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Pink salt or to taste
- ½ tsp Cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup Cooking oil select your preference, extra may be needed
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, roughly mash cannellini beans
- Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well
- In a fry pan, heat up desired cooking oil on hot setting
- Once oil is hot enough, scoop out a golf ball amount of mixture and shape into a patty, place into the pan
- Pan fry each patty for a minute or two on the first side and then turn over to seal contents, gently flattening a little more with the back of a spatula once turned.
- Fry until golden brown which will roughly about 5 min turning over occasionally. Place cooked fritter onto a paper towel lined plate to help soak excess oil
- Serve warm
Notes
- Zucchini and sweet potato are naturally filled lots of water. Squeeze out as much of it as possible to help the fritters not be soggy
- Zucchini and sweet potato weights are before squeezing out the water
- Make sure the oil is hot - cook on high heat. If the oil runs low, add a spoonful at a time. Try not let the pan run dry as this will burn the fritters
- Hot oil makes a crispier fritter, so don’t be afraid of using oil
- Pan frying times may differ between stove tops (gas vs electric)
- Once pan-fried, place fritters on a plate that has been lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil
- Store fritters in a well seal container once completely cooled, otherwise they will turn soggy quickly
- Make each fritter not to thick, this will ensure it cooks through completely
Equipment
Nutrition
Another favourite vegan stack
For another stackable sensation, here is healthy baked vegan hash browns. Made with sweet potato and potato. Or try these yummy potato patties called tortas de papa
Other Vegan Salad Recipes
- Fresh and light Lebanese Potato Salad
- Juicy and fresh Orange and fennel salad
- Super healthy Quinoa Tabouli
People Who Made This Recipe
Walter
I had to pan fry mine a little longer than stated, but worth it.
Helen
very tasty but impossible to fry! I wish the fries were stay together and not become so sloppy 🙁
plantbasedfolk
Hi Helen,
I am sorry to read this happened to you, two things come to mind;
1 - perhaps the oil wasnt hot enough
2 - The amounts per fritter poured into the oil was too big.
I am glad however the flavour was good.
Hope the above helps.
J
Mindy
Made these tonight! Very tasty. I kept adding little bits of oil and they came out great. The tip about letting the patty fry on one side before turning and flattening is good. I use onion instead of scallion as had none, I chopped them small.
We dipped them into aoli and salad and we had no left over.
Lauren shannon
Absolutely gorgeous! Turned out perfectly! Thank you for the recipe
plantbasedfolk
My pleasure - I am so pleased they turned out great for you!
Anita Pendk
What a fab recipe! Easy to follow and delicious too. This one’s a keeper! Very honoured to have my Instagram post mentioned here.
plantbasedfolk
I love your image and the dipping sauce you paired these sweet potato and zucchini fritters. They look amazing! Thank you for your kind words Anita 🙂