Indian Vegetarian Recipes
Zucchini Fritters | Easy & Crispy Zucchini Fritters (Vegan)
https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/zucchini-fritters/
Zucchini Fritters made crispy, wholesome and so tasty. I make these zucchini fritters for brunch or snacking and they vanish too soon.
Since I have been making these for some time, I thought of sharing the recipe. These fritters have a nice crispy texture from outside with a soft texture from inside. The recipe is vegan but I have given a gluten-free option in the post below.
About This Zucchini Fritters Recipe
- Eggless & Vegan: This is one easy recipe and made without eggs. So yes it is an eggless and vegan recipe of zucchini fritters.
- Made with Whole Wheat Flour & Chickpea flour: Usually zucchini fritters are made with all-purpose flour. But this is a wholesome version made with whole wheat flour and yet the texture is light and soft from inside. Adding chickpea flour and baking powder helps in giving a soft texture to the fritters and also makes them crispy from outside. Chickpea flour also helps in binding and is used in place of eggs in the recipe. You can even add gram flour (besan) in place of chickpea flour.
- Ease one bowl recipe: Yes, this is an incredibly easy one bowl recipe where you just need to keep on adding ingredients and mixing it. There is absolutely no need to squeeze the grated zucchini of all their juices. Since eggs are not used, we will use the zucchini juices to get the right batter consistency. By the way black salt is also added which mimics the eggy aroma due to the presence of sulphur. Though black salt is not an essential ingredient and you can easily skip it.
Tips & Substitutes for Zucchini Fritters
- Type of Zucchini: To make these you can use any colored zucchini – green or yellow. In the recipe I have used green zucchini.
- Batter Consistency: The batter consistency is a thick batter. If the batter becomes too thin or runny, the fritter will become soggy and wet from inside. In this scenario, adding some wheat flour helps to get the right consistency. If the batter looks very thick, floury and dry, then sprinkle some water.
- Cheesy Flavors: For a vegan cheesy flavor add 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes. To get a vegetarian cheesy flavor, add some vegetarian parmesan cheese or cheddar cheese in the batter. When adding the cheese, reduce the salt in the recipe.
- Flour: You can make these zucchini fritters with all-purpose flour too. You may need to add more all-purpose flour in the recipe if using it.
- Binding Ingredient: Substitute corn starch, rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch for chickpea flour or gram flour.
- Frying: While shallow frying, you can add less oil. Though frying in less oil will reduce the crispiness. To quicken up the frying process, use two skillets side by side. Use a heavy seasoned pan to avoid fritters sticking to the pan.
- More Veggies: You can even add additional vegetables like grated carrots, finely chopped bell pepper (capsicum) and grated cabbage.
- Gluten-Free Option: For a gluten free recipe, use chickpea flour entirely for the batter. Thus add ¾ to 1 cup chickpea flour to the batter.
- Baking: Make baked zucchini fritters by adding 1 tablespoon oil in the batter. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 to 20 minutes till golden. Halfway through remove the fritters and brush them with oil. Then continue to bake till done. Line the baking tray with parchment paper before baking.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve Zucchini Fritters with any dip or sauce you like. You can even serve with sour cream, yogurt or creme fraiche.
How to make Zucchini Fritters
Preparation
1. Finely chop 1 medium sized onion, 2 to 3 inches small celery stalk, 2 to 3 medium garlic cloves and a few parsley leaves. You will need ⅓ cup finely chopped onions, ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic, 2 teaspoons finely chopped celery and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves.
2. Rinse 2 medium sized zucchinis (300 grams) first and then pat dry with a kitchen towel. Grate them using a hand held grater or box grater or food processor. Do not grate them finely. So use a thicker grater or grate in the food processor. You can peel the zucchini if you want to.
Making batter
3. Take the grated zucchini in a mixing bowl. I directly grate the zucchini in a mixing bowl.
4. Add the chopped onions, garlic and celery.
5. Add ½ heaped cup whole wheat flour and ¼ cup chickpea flour or gram flour.
6. Season with ½ teaspoon black pepper (crushed), ⅛ teaspoon black salt (optional), ½ teaspoon salt or add as required. Also add ½ teaspoon baking powder. For black pepper you can even add ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper powder.
7. Mix very well. Depending on the water content in the zucchini which will vary with with the variety and farming methods used, the batter can become too thick or thin. If the batter is very thick and floury, then sprinkle some water. If the batter becomes thin and runny, then add some wheat flour.
Frying
8. In a seasoned and heavy 10 to 10.5 inches cast-iron skillet or pan add 2 tablespoons olive oil. For frying each batch of 3 fritters add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil. Let the oil become hot. Using a serving spoon or ¼ cup measuring cup begin to pour the batter on the pan.
9. Gently place the batter on the pan.
10. Then with the back of the spoon or cup, spread lightly. Do not spread thin as then the fritters break.
11. Begin to fry medium low to medium flame. I usually fry on a medium low flame so that the insides are cooked well. The cast iron skillet retains heat and this helps in crisping the fritters.
12. Depending on the size of the skillet, you can fry three to four or even more zucchini fritters at a time.
13. When one side is crisp and golden, gently remove and flip. Fry the second side.
14. Fry the second side till golden and crisp. For even frying you can flip once or twice.
15. Remove and place them on kitchen paper towels for a brief period just for the extra oil to be soaked up. Do not keep for long as then they can stick to the paper towel. You can even use a strainer with a bowl underneath to drain the oil. Make all zucchini fritters this way.
16. Serve zucchini fritters hot with a dipping sauce of your choice.
Zucchini Fritters (Wholesome & Vegan)
Zucchini Fritters made crispy, tasty and wholesome with wholewheat flour, chickpea flour, herbs and spices.
(1 CUP = 250 ML)
Preparation:
- Finely chop 1 medium sized onion, 3 inches celery stalk, 2 to 3 medium garlic cloves and a few parsley leaves.
- Rinse the zucchinis first and then pat dry with a kitchen towel. Grate them thickly using a hand-held grater or box grater or a food processor. Do not grate them finely. So use a thicker grater or grate in the food processor. You can peel the zucchini if you want to.
- Zucchini: Both green or yellow zucchini can be used.
- Consistency of batter: Zucchini fritters batter has a thick consistency. If the batter becomes too thin or runny, the fritter will end up becoming soggy. In this scenario, add some wheat flour. If the batter looks very thick, then sprinkle some water.
- Cheesy Flavors: To get a vegan cheesy flavor add 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes to the batter. For a vegetarian cheesy flavor, add some vegetarian parmesan cheese or cheddar cheese to the batter. When adding cheese, reduce the salt in the recipe.
- Flour: You can make these zucchini fritters with all-purpose flour also. You may need to add more all-purpose flour in the recipe though.
- Binding Ingredient: You can use corn starch, rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch in place of chickpea flour or gram flour.
- Frying: You can fry the fritters with less oil. But frying in less oil will reduce the crispiness. Use two skillets side by side to quicken up the frying. Use a heavy seasoned pan to avoid fritters sticking to the pan.
- Gluten-Free Option: For a gluten free recipe, use chickpea flour entirely for the batter. Thus add ¾ to 1 cup chickpea flour to the batter.
- Baking: You can make baked zucchini fritters by adding 1 tablespoon oil in the batter. Line the baking tray with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 to 20 minutes till golden. Halfway through remove the fritters and brush them with oil. Then continue to bake till done.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve Zucchini Fritters with any dip you like. You can even serve with sour cream, yogurt or creme fraiche.
Nutrition Facts
Zucchini Fritters (Wholesome & Vegan)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 301 Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 1mg0%
Sodium 508mg22%
Potassium 680mg19%
Carbohydrates 27g9%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 558IU11%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 2mg10%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin C 35mg42%
Vitamin E 3mg20%
Vitamin K 64µg61%
Calcium 70mg7%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 56µg14%
Iron 4mg22%
Magnesium 59mg15%
Phosphorus 186mg19%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Indian Vegetarian Recipes
Paneer Tikka Masala
Paneer Tikka Masala is a popular Indian curry where cubes of paneer (Indian cottage cheese), onions and peppers are marinated with yogurt and spices, grilled and then tossed in a creamy tomato based curry. This dish goes extremely well with butter naan or paratha or basmati rice.
About This Recipe
You know the most famous Indian food in the world? It is Chicken Tikka Masala, at least that’s what I think. You talk to anyone in the UK or USA and even if they don’t know much about Indian food they definitely know about chicken tikka masala. I think the dish is synonyms with Indian food in the west. The vegetarian version of it is of course Paneer Tikka Masala which is also quite popular and you would find it on the menu of most Indian restaurants.
Growing up in India, I had never heard of paneer tikka masala. Sure, we had paneer tikka but adding it to a curry was unknown, at least to me. I remember watching a MasterChef India episode some 10 years back which had chef Vikas Khanna and chef Kunal Kapoor talking about the origin of this dish. They also shared a recipe and so this recipe is inspired from their version.
They of course shared the recipe for chicken tikka masala but I changed it to paneer tikka masala and also made few changes depending on my preferences and availability. This recipe uses curry powder which is a common spice mix in the west (again this spice mix doesn’t even exist in India) and it makes sense since this dish originated in the UK. There are stories of how a chef added cream sauce to chicken tikka to please the taste buds of British people and that’s where it originated from.
There are 2 parts to this recipe- the tikka part where paneer, onions and peppers are marinated with yogurt and spices and then grilled. You can cook the tikka in tandoor, oven or in your pan. The other part of the recipe is the curry which is a smooth curry made with onions, tomatoes, cream and butter. The grilled tikka is added to the curry and then served as a main course with side of bread.
This Paneer Tikka Masala
- is super creamy, smooth.
- goes well with naan, paratha.
- makes a comforting meal.
- leftovers are great as well!
Ingredients
There are 2 parts to this recipe- the paneer tikka and the curry.
Paneer Tikka
Paneer: you can use either homemade or store bought paneer but whatever paneer you use, it should be firm and be able to hold it’s shape. You can find paneer at Indian grocery stores or make it at home.
Yogurt: for the marinade, it is best to use thick yogurt. Either use Greek yogurt or if using regular yogurt, use store bought yogurt which tends to be thicker than homemade yogurt. If using homemade yogurt, strain it using a muslin cloth for at least 3 to 4 hours to get rid of all the excess water.
Spices: the marinade uses coriander powder, garam masala, two types of chili powder, ginger-garlic and lime juice. You can also use fresh herbs like cilantro, mint.
The Masala/Curry
Curry base: the base is made with onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic which is quite a staple for most creamy Indian curries. I like using white onion for that sweet, subtle flavor.
Spices: this paneer tikka masala recipe uses curry powder which is a mix of spices and is popular in the western world. It’s not so much popular in India actually, in fact I didn’t even know it existed until I moved out of India. If you don’t have it, you can use a blend of coriander, cumin, turmeric and ginger.
Flavor enhancers: to make the curry creamy, we finish the recipe with butter, cream and cilantro!
Step by Step Instructions
1- We will start by making the paneer tikka. To a large bowl, add yogurt (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon), make sure the yogurt is thick (if using regular homemade yogurt, drain the yogurt for 3 to 4 hours before using in the recipe). To that add the following:
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- juice of 1/2 lime
2- Using a spatula or whisk, mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
3- Now add 225 grams paneer (cubed into big cubes), 1 medium red onion (quartered and separated into petals) and 1 medium green pepper (cut into 1 inch cubes).
4- Mix until the paneer, onion and peppers are well coated with the marinade. You can use your hands here. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes at the least.
5- Meanwhile, let’s work the curry part of this recipe. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1-inch cinnamon stick.
6- Let the seeds sizzle and then add 1 large white onion (roughly chopped), 3 to 4 large garlic cloves, chopped and 1-inch chopped ginger.
7- Stir and cook for around 5 to 6 minutes until onions turn light golden brown in color, stir often in between.
8- Then add 3 large tomatoes (chopped) along with the following:
- 1& 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
9- Stir and cook the tomatoes for 7 to 8 minutes until soft and completely cooked. This step is important so do not rush this step.
10- Once the tomatoes are completely cooked, remove the pan from heat. Let it cool down a bit and then remove the cinnamon stick and transfer everything to a blender and blend to a fine paste. Set this aside.
11- Back to the tikka now, take the marinated paneer out of the refrigerator. Now, you can cook this in a pan or grill or in your oven. I have used a grill pan that I had. Spray the pan with oil and then add the marinated paneer, onions and bell peppers on the pan.
12- Cook until the paneer turns light golden brown in color and onions and peppers are slightly cooked, turning them few times in between for even cooking. Now it’s time to bring the curry together.
Oven instruction: arrange tikka on skewers and bake at 450 F degrees for 10 minutes and then broil for 2 to 3 minutes to get it browned (optional).
13- Now put the pan back on medium heat and add the pureed paste to it that we had prepared earlier. You can also add remaining 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder at this point if you prefer a brighter color of the curry.
14- Add 1 cup water (or more depending on how much gravy you want), and stir well. Then add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons cream and 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Mix and let it cook for 2 minutes.
15- Add the roasted paneer, onions and peppers into the curry.
16- Mix well and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with more cilantro and serve paneer tikka masala with naan or paratha.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve paneer tikka masala with the following:
- Butter Naan: nothing like fluffy, soft homemade naan to dip into the curry.
- Jeera rice: rice seasoned with cumin seeds makes the perfect pairing.
- Roti: you can never go wrong with the classic Indian everyday bread.
- Tandoori roti: another great bread to serve the curry with.
Vegan Variation
For a vegan version of this recipe you can do the following substitutions:
- use extra-firm tofu in place of paneer.
- marinate the tofu with thick coconut milk (use the top part from the can) or vegan yogurt (plain almond milk works well).
- replace butter with vegan butter.
- replace heavy cream with coconut milk.
Tips & Notes
- I don’t add cashews or any nuts to this recipe but you can definitely add some cashews along with the onions and tomatoes to make it more creamy.
- Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) can definitely be added toward the end for that nice aroma.
- If using store bought paneer, remember to soak it in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes before using in the recipe.
- You can also strain the onion-tomato mixture after blending it, that will make the curry totally smooth. I didn’t do it to save time.
Frequently Asked Questions
No they are different. Paneer Tikka is served as an appetizer and has cubes of grilled paneer where for paneer tikka masala the grilled paneer is added to a creamy curry and served as a main dish.
Go for a mix of coriander powder, turmeric, cumin and ginger. For replacing 1 u0026 1/2 teaspoon curry powder in this recipe, I would probably use 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric and 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger.
They are both popular paneer recipes but the way you make them is different. For the tikka masala, we first marinate the paneer, grill it and then add to the curry. For the paneer makhani, the sauce is made with nuts, onions, tomatoes and then paneer pieces are added to it directly.
This post has been updated from the recipe archives, first published in April 2014. I have updated the recipe with better photos, videos and made slight modifications to make it better. The curry part of the recipe is same but I have added onions and peppers to the tikka part. If you wish to make it like the old recipe, just skip on the onions and peppers.
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Paneer Tikka Masala
Ingredients
Paneer Tikka
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp yogurt use thick plain whole milk yogurt which has been strained or Greek yogurt
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder for color
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
- 1/2 lime juice of
- 225 grams paneer cut into cubes
- 1 medium red onion quartered and separated into petals
- 1 medium green pepper cut into 1-inch cubes
Curry
- 1 tablespoon oil I used avocado oil, use oil of choice
- 2 tablespoons butter divided, unsalted or salted either works
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 large white onion roughly chopped, around 150 grams
- 3-4 large garlic cloves chopped
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 3 large tomatoes roughly chopped, around 400 grams
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder divided (for color, not hot)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon sugar I used granulated white sugar
- 1 cup water or more as needed
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream 30-45 ml
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
-
We will start by making the paneer tikka. To a large bowl, add thick yogurt, make sure the yogurt is thick (if using regular homemade yogurt, drain the yogurt for 3 to 4 hours before using in the recipe or use Greek yogurt).
-
To that add ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, garam masala, Kashmiri red chili powder, red chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and juice of 1/2 lime.
Using a spatula or whisk, mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
-
Now add cubed paneer, onion (quartered and separated into petals) and green pepper
Mix until the paneer, onion and peppers are well coated with the marinade. You can use your hands here. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes at the least.
-
Meanwhile, let’s work the curry part of this recipe. Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add cumin seeds and cinnamon stick.
-
Let the seeds sizzle and then add white onion (roughly chopped), chopped garlic cloves and chopped ginger. Stir and cook for around 5 to 6 minutes until onions turn light golden brown in color, stir often in between.
-
Then add the roughly chopped tomatoes along with curry powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste) and sugar. Stir and cook the tomatoes for 7 to 8 minutes until soft and completely cooked. This step is important so do not rush this step.
-
Once the tomatoes are completely cooked, remove the pan from heat. Let it cool down a bit and then remove the cinnamon stick and transfer everything to a blender and blend to a fine paste. Set this aside.
-
Back to the tikka now, take the marinated paneer out of the refrigerator. Now, you can cook this in a pan or grill or in your oven. I have used a grill pan that I had. Spray the pan with oil and then add the marinated paneer, onions and bell peppers on the pan.
Cook until the paneer turns light golden brown in color and onions and peppers are slightly cooked, turning them few times in between for even cooking. Now it’s time to bring the curry together.
Oven instruction: arrange tikka on skewers and bake at 450 F degrees for 10 minutes and then broil for 2 to 3 minutes to get it browned (optional).
-
Now put the pan back on medium heat and add the pureed paste to it that we had prepared earlier. You can also add remaining 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder at this point if you prefer a brighter color of the curry.
-
Add 1 cup water (or more depending on how much gravy you want), and stir well. Then add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, cream and chopped cilantro. Mix and let it cook for 2 minutes.
-
Add the roasted paneer, onions and peppers into the curry. Mix well and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with more cilantro and serve paneer tikka masala with naan or paratha.
Video
Notes
- I don’t add cashews or any nuts to this recipe but you can definitely add some cashews along with the onions and tomatoes to make it more creamy.
- Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) can definitely be added towards the end for that nice aroma.
- If using store bought paneer, remember to soak it in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes before using in the recipe.
- You can also strain the onion-tomato mixture after blending it, that will make the curry totally smooth. I didn’t do it to save time.
- Older recipe: I have updated the recipe to make it better. The older recipe didn’t have onions and pepper added to the marinade and had a tablespoon of less butter in the curry. You can definitely use the old recipe, it’s almost same except these minor changes.
Nutrition
-
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