Vegan vegetable fritters, light, crispy and loaded with fresh vegetables, are a perfect afternoon, finger-food snack for the kids or light main dish for the whole family. Made with no egg and also gluten-free (if you use gluten-free flour), this vegan vegetable fritter recipe takes less than 15 minutes to prepare.
Jump to:
These eggless vegetable fritters are the perfect way to get your veggies on and use up vegetables left in your fridge. Don’t know what to pair them with? How ’bout my smoky homemade chipotle sauce, tofu sour cream, cilantro lime avocado sauce, or my mango corn salsa?
TIP: If you’re looking for another crispy vegan snack to pair with this one, try my Vegan Cauliflower Bites, a big-time reader favorite.
🥘 INGREDIENTS
🌽 INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS
To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free flour.
As you can see in the image above, the ingredients I use for my vegan vegetable fritters are simple and basic. But don’t let an ingredient list stop you, hungry friends, as you can substitute vegetables with whatever you have on hand.
And frying doesn’t need to involve a ton of heavy oil or an egg-based, messy batter to make this vegan fritter recipe turn our perfect. I use Bob’s Red Mill Spelt Flour when making vegetable fritters, which is a nutritious alternative to other flours.
Spelt is an ancient, whole grain and a fantastic source of dietary fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. It’s also more water-soluble than wheat flour, which makes it easier for your body to digest. If you don’t have access to spelt flour, you can use whatever you have in your pantry, just know that the texture of these vegan fritters may turn out differently than the ones I make using spelt flour.
🔪 HOW TO MAKE VEGAN VEGETABLE FRITTERS
This vegan vegetable fritter recipe is super-duper easy to make. Just follow these steps to perfect vegan fritters every time:
1. Place grated zucchini in a bowl with a few sprinkles of sea salt. Mix with hands and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove zucchini from bowl with hands and squeeze out excess liquid over sink. If you skip this step the fritters will have too much moisture and not get very crispy.
2. Spray a thin layer of cooking spray into a non-stick pan. Begin to heat vegan vegetable fritters over medium-high flame.
3. Add all grated veggies and dry ingredients to a bowl. Pour in a teaspoon (or two) of olive oil and with your hands, mix until well-incorporated (see the image above).
4. Using an ice-cream scoop or your fingers, scoop out batter in mounds, roll into balls, then pat gently, flattening with your hands. Place 4 at a time in skillet keeping them 1-2 inches apart and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
5. Line a plate with paper towels. When fritters are crispy, remove with spatula and place on lined plate and blot excess oil from top. Fritters will harden as they cool.
6. Top with parsley or scallions and your favorite sauce or tofu sour cream.
💭 FAQ
Although this recipe doesn’t require an egg substitute, there are many available, The one you use will depend upon the recipe. For example, if you wanted to replace egg in this recipe, you could use flax eggs. Flax eggs are made by mixing 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed with 6 tablespoons of water. The mixture thickens when you refrigerate it for 30 minutes (or 10 minutes in the freezer) acting like a binder.
Fritters fall apart for several reasons as a result of ingredients used, poor preparation or during the cooking process. Be sure to measure ingredients exactly and adjust if the batter appears soggy or wet. If too soggy, simply add a bit more flour. If too dry, add a bit more water or olive oil. Additionally, use a non-stick pan and make sure you use an adequate amount of cooking oil/spray when frying to prevent them from sticking to the pan. Lastly, make sure you use a hot skillet to sear the ingredients together and avoid flipping them over too early. Each side should be golden brown before turning.
In traditional fritter recipes, egg acts as a binder that holds fritters together. In savory vegan recipes like this one, flax eggs, flour, and/or breadcrumbs can be added as a replacement for egg.
♨️ Alternative Cooking Methods
If you’re not into frying, I completely understand. The good news, you can also cook in the air fryer (360 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes), conventional oven, (375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes) or dehydrator (130 degrees for 10-12 hours).
👩🏻🍳 EXPERT TIPS
Besides making a huge mess when I cook, I also sometimes run into unforeseen problems. This recipe was no different and here’s what I learned along the way:
- Take care not to make fritter patties too thin. Doing so will cause them to fall apart.
- If you’re looking for fritters that are crispy throughout like a potato chip, this is not the recipe for you. My vegan vegetable fritters are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- For best results, don’t skip squeezing the moisture out of zucchini.
- Store in an air-tight container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.
🍲 WHAT GOES WITH VEGETABLE FRITTERS
Have you tried this? Why not leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, and sign up for my newsletter!
📖 Recipe
Easy Vegan Vegetable Fritters (No Egg, GF Option)
Ingredients
- 1 cup 94 g grated carrot
- 1 cup 129.5 g grated zucchini
- ½ rounded cup 77 g fresh or frozen sweet corn
- 1 cup 193.5 g grated baked potato (pressed firmly into cup)
- 2 tablespoon 20.5 g spelt flour or gluten-free flour to make fritters gluten-free
- 1 heaping tsp 8 g minced garlic
- 1-2 teaspoon olive oil up to 8 g
- ¼ teaspoon 0.5 g smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon 1 g ground cumin
- 2 generous pinches of dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon 7.5 g nutritional yeast
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place grated zucchini in a bowl with a few sprinkles of sea salt. Mix with hands and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove zucchini from bowl with hands and squeeze out excess liquid over sink. If you skip this step the fritters will have too much moisture and not get very crispy.
- Spray a thin layer of cooking spray into a non-stick pan. Begin to heat over medium-high flame.
- Add all grated veggies and dry ingredients to a bowl. Pour in a teaspoon (or two) of olive oil and with your hands, mix until well-incorporated.
- Using an ice-cream scoop or your fingers, scoop out batter in mounds, roll into balls, then pat gently, flattening with your hands. Place 4 at a time in skillet keeping them 1-2 inches apart and fry for 2 To 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
- Line a plate with paper towels. When fritters are crispy, remove with spatula and place on plate and blot excess oil from top. Fritters will harden as they cool.
- Top with parsley or scallions and your favorite dressing or vegan sour cream.
Notes
- Take care not to make fritter patties too thin. Doing so will cause them to fall apart.
- If you’re looking for fritters that are crispy throughout like a potato chip, this is not the recipe for you. My vegan vegetable fritters are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- For best results, don’t skip squeezing the moisture out of zucchini.
- Store in an air-tight container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Melissa
Can these be frozen after cooking?
Deborah
Hi Melissa! I have not tried freezing them but I think they would be ok to freeze. Thank you for your comment.