On a recent family trip to Greece, we dined at a traditional Greek tavern and ordered savory zucchini fritters, known as kolokithokeftedes. Channeling those vacation vibes, I was inspired to make a version at home, which was easy to do, as they have similar ingredients to a fluffy American-style pancake batter. Full of tender zucchini, feta cheese, and plenty of herbs, these zucchini pancakes were delicious and only needed a squeeze of lemon to brighten their flavor.
Zucchini pancakes are a great summer side dish, or even a main dish, as my vegetarian-leaning daughter can attest to. And in case you need to make a dent in that bumper crop of zucchini or summer squash, it helps to keep this recipe in your back pocket.
How to Make Zucchini Pancakes
- Prep the zucchini. Grate zucchini, then toss with salt and let drain while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Prep the other components. Grate lemon zest, crumble feta cheese, chop herbs (parsley and dill are great, as is a little bit of mint) and scallions. Add these to some beaten eggs.
- Squeeze the zucchini. Squeeze the moisture out of the zucchini and mix into the batter.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add some flour and baking powder to the batter and stir just until combined.
- Cook the pancakes. Pan-fry in a nonstick pan or cast iron skillet until golden-brown.
The One Thing You Need to Do for Zucchini Pancakes
Salting the grated zucchini is essential to making great zucchini pancakes. Doing this helps draw out some of the excess moisture in zucchini, as too much moisture makes for soggy pancakes. Plus, the salt also seasons the zucchini right from the start, so don’t be tempted to skip this step. If you do this step first, you can prep the remaining ingredients as it sits.
