Zucchini Fritters With Red Lentils

These vegan zucchini fritters are made with red lentils and sweetcorn. Healthy and super versatile, they’re delicious as a starter or side dish, in sandwiches, and in salads. Gluten-free and oil-free. 

It’s no secret that I love getting creative in the kitchen. Sometimes that’s cooking something new all together, sometimes I switch up an old favourite dish. The great thing about fritters is the fact that the possibilities are so broad.

You can make them with different vegetables, sprinkle in new spices, add beans and legumes, etc. Just like sandwiches, pasta and oatmeal, fritters are something I could never get bored of.

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I shared a chickpea fritter recipe on the blog a while back, but since then, I’ve been making new varieties quite a lot. This one was inspired by the fact that I had a lot of leftover zucchini in my fridge, and needed to use it up somehow. Hence, I came up with these vegan zucchini fritters.

Vegan zucchini fritters

I love these fritters for many different reasons. First and foremost, they’re a great way to eat more vegetables, even if you’re not a fan of zucchini. It adds a lot of texture and structure, but the other ingredients mask the flavour nicely. You can also replace it with carrot if that’s what you prefer.

I know you may worry about egg-free fritters falling apart or tasting dry. But do not fear! The addition of buckwheat flour works really well to bind them together, combined with just a splash of water. And these fritters are definitely the furthest thing from dry. The outside is perfectly crispy, while the inside retains just the right amount of softness. Which means, no soggy centre either!

The final product is whole food plant based, gluten-free and oil-free (as long as you use a good non-stick frying pan). They’re made from whole food ingredients that don’t break the bank, and are much easier than it seems.

Reasons to love these zucchini corn fritters

They are:

• Healthy and made from wholesome ingredients.
• Super easy.
• Flavourful and savoury.
• A great option for meal prep.
• An ideal way to eat more vegetables.
• Easy to store.
• Gluten-free.
• Oil-free.

How to serve vegan fritters

Another great thing about these fritters is just how versatile they are. You can:

• Eat them by themselves with a dipping sauce of your choice. How about some vegan edamame hummus?
• … or maybe pea avocado pesto!
• add them to sandwiches or wraps.
• Serve them with a salad, such as a winter black bean salad with rice and kale.
• Crumble them into vegetable and mushroom pasta.
• Serve them on a snack platter together with homemade veggie chips.
• Bring them as a side for chickpea and quinoa salad with pumpkin.

and so much more! Whenever I make vegan zucchini fritters, I always make a couple extra to store in the fridge for meal prep because once they’re ready, you can construct such a huge variety of healthy and easy meals with them. They’re great for either breakfast, lunch or dinner, and for bringing along to party tables as a starter or side dish.

How to make vegan zucchini fritters

Start by grating the zucchini and squeezing as much water out of it as possible. This step is very important because it ensures your fritters turn out crispy, not soggy. Now, some people like to mix it together with some salt and let it sit for 10 minutes, but this step is not essential if you don’t want the fritters to be too high in sodium.

Add the zucchini to a large mixing bowl with the other ingredients. Stir until thoroughly combined, and then it’s time to cook the fritters.

To keep this recipe oil-free, use a good non-stick frying pan. I usually do this and don’t have a problem with them sticking. Form the fritter shapes using your hands and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, until sufficiently crispy. Alternatively, you can bake them at 200 degrees C/392 F for around 20 minutes and achieve a similar result.

When they’re done, transfer to a plate and serve straight away, or save in the fridge for later.

Let me know in the comments: what’s your favourite way to use zucchini? If you give these vegan zucchini fritters a go, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@earthofmariaa) so I can see your creations, and leave your feedback in the comments below.