These Vegan Oil-free Zucchini Fritters are not only oil-free, but baked, not fried and also gluten-free and just 8 easy ingredients and topped with a Creamy Lemon Pepper Sauce!
VEGAN OIL-FREE ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
Finally! You can eat a vegan corn zucchini fritter without oil or frying them. There are a bazillion zucchini cake or fritter recipes online, but they all have oil in them or are fried in oil. Guess what? You don’t need oil to make a delicious recipe!
I debated on calling these zucchini burgers, because they bake up and form a really similar burger texture. I would totally slap 2 of these beauties in between 2 buns and call my life complete.
In fact, this is one of my favorite recipes I’ve ever created. Maybe it’s because zucchini is my favorite veggie or maybe it’s the wonderful combo of sweet corn combined with zucchini. Maybe it’s the amazing spices of garlic and onion and smoky paprika that enhance these little cakes. OR, maybe it’s the out-of-this-world creamy lemon pepper sauce. Ok. It’s all of the above! Did I sell you on these yet?
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
To make these amazing vegan oil-free zucchini fritters, you need just 7 easy basic ingredients.
- zucchini
- corn
- almond butter
- oat flour
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- smoked paprika
Only veggie you have to fool with is shredding the zucchini, which takes all of 5 minutes. Then mix everything up in a bowl as pictured below, form patties, chill them and then bake. SO easy.
I love easy recipes, don’t you?
These are not only oil-free, but also gluten-free with a wonderful crispy exterior. Baking them long enough on each side helps them crisp to perfection and also allows the veggies to really soften and cook through. This provides so much flavor. Frying them cooks them too fast and doesn’t really allow the zucchini to cook through.
Almond butter is another secret to these delicious cakes. The almond butter deepens the flavor of these, helps bind the patties and also helps them to crisp up.
Just because I’m so good to you guys, I’m sharing 2 recipes with you today. While these zucchini cakes are incredibly delicious on their own, if you are a person who loves to put sauce on everything, then you will love this Creamy Lemon Pepper Sauce.
The combo of lemon and pepper is a classic and adding it to a creamy base and a touch of onion powder made this sauce a new favorite. It would honestly be delicious on most anything.
I hope you love these Vegan Oil-free Zucchini Fritters as much as I did!
Vegan Oil-Free Corn Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
- 2 small zucchinis, shredded (274g is the weight BEFORE ringing out excess water, you will need 2 1/2 cups loosely filled of the shredded zucchini)
- 2/3 cup (90g) corn
- 3 tablespoons (48g) creamy almond butter
- 1/2 cup (64g) gluten-free oat flour
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
CREAMY LEMON PEPPER SAUCE
- 1/2 heaping cup (80g) raw cashews (cooked in boiling water for 10 minutes or soak overnight if you don't have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix. Drain, rinse and proceed.)
- 2 tablespoons (30g) fresh lemon juice
- 6-8 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- First you will need to shred your zucchini and weigh 274 grams. Make sure you are using the larger wholes on your grater and not the tiny holes. Refer to photo above, but basically use the 1/4 inch size holes on your grater. You want them in the shredded strips, not the super fine grated. After shredding, loosely fill 2 1/2 cups to accurately measure.
- Place your shredded zucchini into a strainer and place a couple of paper towels on top and press down really hard squeezing out all the excess water beneath the strainer. Then wrap the zucchini in a papertowel and squeeze out any more. You don't need to obsess over every drop, just get most of the water out so the cakes cook up and aren't too watery. Place the dried zucchini into a large bowl.
- Add the corn and almond butter.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the oat flour (make sure it is finely ground into a powder if making your own), garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and smoked paprika and stir until well mixed.
- Add the dry mixture to the zucchini mixture and stir for a good couple of minutes until it all comes together. It will seem too dry at first, but keep stirring and pressing the batter with the back of the spoon and it will start to stick. It should be moist and somewhat sticky. It will seem like they won't hold, but trust me, they bake up and become much more firm.
- Divide into 4 sections and form balls and then flatten out into little patties about 1/2 inch thick. Place onto parchment paper and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up some.
- Once the time is almost up, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Bake the patties for 25 minutes, carefully flip them over with a spatula (they will be tender but should flip easily) and bake for another 10-15 minutes depending on how crispy you want them. They should be a very golden brown color. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.
- While they are baking, prepare the creamy lemon pepper sauce!
FOR THE SAUCE
- If you do not have a high powered blender like a Vitamix, then you will need to soak the cashews overnight in a bowl of water to really soften them, otherwise the sauce will be gritty. I repeat, your sauce will be gritty if you do not have a Vitamix or soak them. Drain and rinse and add them to a blender. I believe a food processor will work better than a standard blender if you don't have a Vitamix.
- Add the cashews, lemon juice, water, onion powder, pepper and salt. Blend until completely smooth. You will need to scrape the sides a couple of times during blending. Taste and adjust spices if necessary. I thought it was perfect as is. It has a nice balance of lemon and black pepper flavor. Feel free to make it extra spicy if you like. This sauce also makes a great salad dressing!
- The sauce will thicken the longer it sits and especially after being stored in the fridge. Just thin out with a tiny amount of water if desired.
I made this tonight and they were awesome. I was looking for something new to make that was summery and these were perfect. Even my carnivore college student liked them – will def be a regular this summer. BTW – first time I used one of your recipes and can’t wait to try the pizza this weekend. Love no oil!
Yay, really thrilled to hear that!
I’m addicted to these! I swap white bean puree for the almond butter to make them fat free. I like to make them thin and bake in the air fryer, no flipping needed.
SO happy you love these Jean, thank you for the feedback!
I made these today. It was easier than I first thought. Delish!
I did not make the sauce. Instead, I made my fav vegan avocado ranch sauce and served with sliced fresh tomatoes over a bed of lettuce. Yum! I will definitely make this again.
So awesome to hear, thank you Susan!
Hi Brandi, You are a flavor genius! I made these 3 nights ago and we’re having them again tonight. (Our garden has given us an abundance of zucchini.) My zucchini was a little wetter so added extra oat flour, otherwise exactly as you wrote it. Today, I graded the zucchini ahead of time and will make the sauce in advance too so I’m not scrambling around and dinner time. Today we will take the first ear of corn from the garden so these may or may not have fresh corn. Thank you for your creativity and deliciousness!
Aww so very kind Pat, I’m so happy to hear how much you loved these!! Thank you for your kind words!
Hi Brandi,
Thanks for your fabulous recipes. I haven’t tried these yet but will soon. Do you see any issues with using all purpose flour instead of oat flour?
All the best.
These get so crunchy and are a big hit!! Thanks again for the recipes!!
So thrilled you loved these Quizeen!
I came to your web site because I saw the delicious recipe for the zucchini fritters I have just started a veggie diet with no oil and I can’t wait to try your recipe. Thank you for your wonderful ideas!
Thank you Miriam!!
HOLY. CRAP. This was SO DELICIOUS! I used a combination of cashew butter and tahini since that’s what I had on hand, and I made 5 instead of 4. I made up the sauce but didn’t even use it – they didn’t need it! My zucchini plant is producing SO many zucchini’s this summer so I’ll definitely be making this again! Thank you for the awesome recipe!!!
Yay, really happy to hear that Suzanne!!
I made these for my family tonight and they were perfect!! I also made the lemon pepper sauce and it was delicious as well. Thank you for a great recipe!!!
Amazing! Made this twice the first day just because it was delicious and couldn’t get enough. My kids loved it too. Two days later making a double batch. Your recipes are incredible.
Yay, awesome to hear Nena!
Well Brandi, I finally did it, my neighbor gave me a very large zucchini from their garden and I made a double batch of your fritters. All I can say is OH MY GOSH they were unbelievable. I would not change a thing. The fritters held together so well and came out crispy on the outside and perfect(not mushy) on the inside. Thank you so much for your hard work and expertise, my daughter and now have awesome leftovers for lunch tomorrow!😀
I loved this! Such a unique flavor! My kids didn’t care for it, I’ll totally make it again for myself!
Could I make these into patties and freeze, Then bake them another day?
Hi Linda, I have never tried this so I’m not sure but I would think it would be better to bake them first and then freeze them.
I have made these and frozen with success!
I have been making many versions of the zucchini fritters all summer and have come up with a great work around! I smear the whole thing onto parchment lined pan, keeping it rather thin, and then bake at 400 for 20 mins. Take out of oven cut into squares with pizza cutter, flip them and put back in the oven for another 10 to 15 mins. Results are very crispy! I like them with applesauce.
Oh, MY! These fritters with the creamy, delectable, tasty, and perfectly-accented lemon pepper sauce are soooooooooo delicious!! However did you come with such a complementary recipe? This recipe will become a family favorite. Thank you so very much for sharing your culinary talent. I really appreciate it.
Made these last night. Followed recipe almost exactly except only had slightly crunchy almond butter (worked perfect) and used Italian seasoning instead of smoked paprika (worked well). Made the sauce too. We loved it—perfect and will make again and again. Thank you!
TIP: Purchase a nut milk bag to squeeze the excess liquid from the zucchini.
We love this recipe but I hated the juicing of the zucchini. Hubby purchased a nut milk bag and it works like a charm! Even better, he “squeezes” the grated zuke, making this recipe so easy to make. We purchased a large one because I typically triple this recipe and freeze the extra baked fritters.
very helpful!
My new fav, these are so delicious! I’m already planning a second batch this weekend, although I did find the garlic and onion powder a little much so I will start with 1tsp of each. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you loved them! Sure, feel free to reduce if your prefer a milder flavor!
Hi Brandi, firstly thank you for all your great work and your sharing.
Is there a possible substitute for the corn?
Hi Tracey! Yes you could do tiny pieces of carrots, that would probably be yummy!
Can I make with spelt flout instead of oat?
Hi! Sorry I missed this! You can try it certainly! I think they should still be good!
LOVE these! I’ve made them three times and made the sauce/dressing at least 5 times. Tomorrow I’m going to quadruple the recipe and freeze most. I take what I need out of the freezer the night before and heat in my toaster oven for about 7 minutes on 375ish. I’ve also taken out enough for a few days. They taste perfect heated up in the toaster oven. The sauce is sooooo good. I sometimes add a bit more lemon juice because I really like the taste of lemon. I use the sauce for a wonderful salad dressing and on top of my vegan pizzas and power bowls. Sooo good.
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!!!
This is wonderful to hear Karin!! Thank you!
This was absolutely delicious. I doubled based on so many good reviews and because it felt like just one serving – so glad I did. The sauce is also amazing, but I am looking forward to using it in baked greens. I want to do these fritters with your pizza sauce next time!
Yay, so happy to hear this Sara!!
Love this recipe. The almond butter gave it a full flavor and did not overwhelm the zucchini and corn. No leftovers from this first batch!