Description
These vegetable fritters are crispy, delicious, and packed with fresh veggies like zucchini, carrot, bell pepper, and corn. Perfect as a snack, appetizer, or light meal, they are easy to make and cooked to golden perfection in a skillet with vegetable oil. Serve them warm with your favorite dipping sauce for a flavorful and satisfying treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Wet Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup milk (or more, as needed)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Vegetables
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1 zucchini, grated
- 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Optional Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Your favorite dipping sauce (e.g., ranch, sweet chili sauce, tzatziki)
For Cooking
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- Prepare the Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk, and olive oil together to create the wet mixture.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking gently until just combined. Avoid overmixing; the batter should be smooth but slightly thick. Adjust thickness by adding more milk a tablespoon at a time if needed.
- Add Optional Flavors: If using, stir in the minced garlic and red pepper flakes into the batter for extra flavor.
- Prepare Vegetables: Finely chop the onion, grate the carrot and zucchini, and finely dice the red bell pepper.
- Handle Corn: If using frozen corn, thaw it slightly to ensure even cooking.
- Chop Herbs: Chop the fresh parsley finely for freshness and color.
- Incorporate Vegetables: Gently fold the chopped onion, grated carrot, zucchini, diced bell pepper, corn kernels, and parsley into the batter until evenly distributed.
- Heat the Oil: Heat about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking.
- Form Fritters: Using a spoon, drop spoonfuls (about 2-3 tablespoons each) of the vegetable batter into the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.
- Cook First Side: Fry the fritters for 3-4 minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown and crispy.
- Flip and Cook Other Side: Carefully flip each fritter with a spatula and cook for another 3-4 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
- Drain Excess Oil: Remove the cooked fritters from the skillet and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- Repeat Cooking: Continue frying the remaining batter in batches, adding more oil if needed between batches.
- Serve: Serve the vegetable fritters immediately while warm and crispy alongside your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Be careful not to overmix the batter to keep fritters tender and light.
- If the batter is too thick, add milk gradually to reach a scoopable consistency.
- Keep an eye on the oil temperature to avoid burning the fritters before they cook through.
- Fritters are best eaten fresh but can be kept warm in a low oven.
- Try different vegetables based on seasonality or preference, such as corn, spinach, or peas.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove fritters for easier draining.
