Enjoy hot, crisp, and golden brown zucchini sweet potato fritters in about 35 minutes! These savory stovetop cakes combine zucchini, sweet potato, onion, garlic, and plenty of fresh herbs to bring you a flavorful vegetarian meal or side dish. Creamy and refreshing herbed Greek yogurt sauce is a must-make accompaniment!
Have you ever had zucchini fritters before? Before I published that zucchini-only recipe, I made fritters with a combination of zucchini and sweet potato. Today’s version has a slightly sweet flavor, and a very satisfying dense-but-still tender texture from the sweet potato. The combination of potato and lighter zucchini makes a delicious savory cake you can enjoy any time of day.
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Zucchini Sweet Potato Fritters
- Golden brown & crisp right off the stove
- Recipe uses real, fresh ingredients
- Excellent main or side dish, or with breakfast instead of hash browns
- Vegetarian & naturally gluten free
- Tasty on their own, but even better with creamy & refreshing Greek yogurt sauce
- Freeze & reheat easily
You need a lot of the same ingredients as my regular zucchini fritters. Grab a sweet potato, peel, then shred it exactly like you shred zucchini. I use a box grater.
Get Out All the Moisture
The most important step in this recipe is to take the time to squeeze as much moisture out of your vegetables as possible. If your zucchini and sweet potato are mushy and wet when you add them to the other fritter ingredients, your cooked fritters will be… you guessed it… also mushy and wet.
Zucchini is a very wet vegetable, which makes it excellent for sneaking into baked goods like zucchini bread, chocolate zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, and zucchini cake! But that liquid is not so great for fritters (and zucchini casserole). Why? Moisture strips the fritters of their crisp texture. Sweet potatoes aren’t *as wet* but you’ll be surprised how much liquid you can wring out!
Mix the shredded vegetables with the chopped onion and 1 teaspoon of salt. The salt helps to draw the water out. Wrap it all up in a paper towel-lined bowl (or use a clean kitchen towel, or cheesecloth), lift it out, and begin squeezing over the sink. You will be amazed how much moisture you draw out. Use additional paper towels if needed. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
Mix your wringed-out vegetable mixture with the rest of the fritter ingredients including beaten eggs and herbs, salt, pepper, cornmeal and cornstarch. The cornmeal adds a wonderful, almost unexpected, crunch. The cornstarch helps to thicken the mixture up while also soaking up some liquid. The two also keep these zucchini sweet potato fritters gluten free.
Cooking the Zucchini Sweet Potato Fritters
Similar to coconut shrimp, the fritters cook in oil on the stove. I use olive oil, an ingredient you’ll also use in the yogurt sauce. Measure about 2 Tablespoons of the mixture, and place each in the hot oil. Flatten each with a spatula, and then cook for about 3 minutes on each side:
I usually cook these in a large cast iron skillet.
Success Tip: Liquid will pool in the bottom of the bowl as you scoop out the zucchini and sweet potato mixture. Make sure you use a fork when scooping up small piles to form the fritters. You don’t want that liquid in the skillet.
Cool & Creamy Yogurt Sauce
You’ll want to use this herbed yogurt sauce on just about everything. Hinted with lemon, barely sweetened with honey, and filled with fresh parsley and mint, the cold sauce tastes incredible with the hot fritters. It’s also fantastic with baked chicken meatballs, bacon wrapped cheesy stuffed jalapeños, and sausage stuffed peppers. You can make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 3 days before using.
You could also try the lime-hinted jalapeño yogurt dip served with these corn fritters. Never underestimate a good sauce!
You’re going to love these, especially the extra substance and flavor that the sweet potato brings. I like to serve with a green salad, cornbread, and/or grilled chicken.
And if you find yourself with even more zucchini to use after making these fritters, here is a full roundup of all my favorite zucchini recipes. I’m sure you’ll find several more to love!
More Favorite Savory Recipes
- Black Bean Burgers
- Crab Cakes
- Bruschetta Chicken with Zucchini Noodles
- Pesto Shrimp
- Corn Fritters
For even more inspiration here are 15+ summer dinner ideas!
PrintZucchini & Sweet Potato Fritters
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 fritters
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Enjoy warm and crisp zucchini sweet potato fritters with creamy herbed yogurt sauce. This recipe makes for a wonderful vegetarian meal or side dish. Squeezing liquid out of the vegetables in step 2 is the most important. Use a box grater to shred the zucchini and sweet potato.
Ingredients
Garlic Herb Yogurt Sauce
- 1/2 cup (120g) plain Greek or regular yogurt (or sour cream)
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fritters
- 2 cups (about 240g) shredded zucchini (1-2 medium zucchini, about 1/2 lb.)
- 1 cup (100g) shredded sweet potato (1 small, peeled or unpeeled)
- 1/3 cup (45g) finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 2 large eggs
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup (40g) fine cornmeal
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
- 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
Instructions
- Make the yogurt sauce by whisking all of the yogurt sauce ingredients together except for the salt and pepper. Taste, then add salt/pepper to your taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, or up to 3 days.
- Make the fritters: Line a large bowl with paper towels. Place the shredded zucchini, sweet potato, and onion inside. Add 1 teaspoon salt, and gently mix together. Top with another paper towel and press down so the paper towels begin absorbing some liquid. Lift everything up using the bottom paper towel and, over the sink, wring/squeeze out as much liquid as you can. The goal is to remove as much moisture as possible. You will be amazed how much liquid you wring out! Note: you can also simply wring out the vegetables in a thin, clean dish towel or use a cheesecloth.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, garlic, parsley, mint, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper together until combined. Fold in the vegetables, and then mix in the cornmeal and cornstarch until everything is combined.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, scoop up around 2 Tablespoons of the zucchini mixture. There may be liquid pooling in the bottom of the bowl, so make sure you use a fork so the excess liquid isn’t in your fritter. Place the mixture onto the hot skillet and flatten with a spatula. Repeat with a few more, making sure not to overcrowd the skillet. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate until finished.
- Serve warm fritters with yogurt sauce.
- Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat in the microwave, or use an air fryer at 375°F (191°C) for 3-4 minutes. You can also place them on a lined baking sheet and bake at 375°F (191°C) for 8-10 minutes.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cool fritters completely, then place in a freezer-friendly container and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating. See step 6 for reheating instructions.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Box Grater | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk
- Yogurt: You can use plain nonfat, low fat, or full fat Greek or regular yogurt. You could also use sour cream.
- Can I Use a Regular Potato? Yes, you can use other potatoes such as Russet or Yukon Gold instead of sweet potato.
- Can I Make These Without Cornmeal & Cornstarch? Yes. Skip both and use 1/2 cup (62g) all-purpose or whole wheat flour instead. For a GF option, you can try using 6 Tablespoons (about 45g) of ground flaxseed.
- Adapted from Bon Appétit magazine.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 fritters (with sauce)
- Calories: 173
- Sugar: 2.9 g
- Sodium: 239.2 mg
- Fat: 11.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.3 g
- Protein: 4.9 g
- Cholesterol: 62.7 mg
This was amazing, and immediately a new favourite in the house! I did have to use dried herbs, but the flavours were still great and after the first bite knew it was a winner. This website is always my first stop when looking for recipe ideas, and I have never had a failed attempt when following Sally. Thank you!
I am definitely going to try the zucchini fritters..I love zucchini and this is something different to make.
Delicious. Made these for dinner with short ribs. We both agree the sweet potato gives this nice flavor. I also added green onions. Will make this again.
These were delicious! I didn’t have any mint or parsley, but they were still wonderful.
Can I make this without the mint? I have everything else and really don’t use mint often. It would save a run to the grocery store. thanks
Hi Karen! You can leave the mint out if desired.
My first time making zucchini fritters and they were delicious! I waited 45 minutes before pressing the grated vegetables in a potato ricer, a handful at a time. It worked perfectly!
The sauce was amazing as an accompaniment.
Hi! I made these a few years ago and they came out delicious! I’m curious now if I could make them in the air fryer instead? Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Hi Kari, we haven’t personally tried it but we can’t see why not! Let us know if you give it a try.
I loved the fried fritter recipe, but I made so many, I decided to add some of them as the first layer of the lasagna I was making for dinner. I used my regular mix in the lasagna , meat cheese red sauce, and laid it all out on top of my fried fritters, then baked it all as usual. Well what a great treat to have that wonderful fried fritter surprises on the bottom of my lasagna It was delicious. . I’m sureI I will have to be making it like this again, with those fried fritters added to my lasagna.
Yum! I just finished eating these for dinner and I’m hooked! So easy and so delicious, this is definitely one of my go to meals!
I’m just now preparing this recipe, and found I didn’t have any sweet potatoes left, so I grated a small peeled red potato ( an extra one after making potato salad ), added a tsp of sugar to mimic the sweet potato. I’m using the chia, and cheesecloth methods and I’m getting a ton of liquid. I’m waiting the 45 minutes and I’ll be set to go. From your reviews I’m suretbjs will be very delicious.
Tasty easy to make
They sound delicious! I will have to break out my grater tomm. and try to make them myself. Wish me luck!
Just made these this morning! I used frozen zucchini which took a lot longer to get rid of the moisture. Definitely worth the time and energy. You must also make the sauce….an amazing recipe!!
OMG! Made these tonight, they are so good!
To speed up removing excess moisture from shredded veggies salt, let stand in colander for a few minutes then press with a towel. Get out your salad spinner and spin away till contents are dry.
Thanks for the tip, Vivian!
Yum! These were excellent. And yes there is a ton of moisture so do the wringing thing. All that takes time so I’d recommend starting early on the vegetable prep part. I made 1.5 recipe for 6 people and they would have eaten more if there had been a couple more.
Made these tonight and they were amazing!! I prepped the zucchini, sweet potato and onion mixture per the recipe and then let it sit overnight to get all the juices out. Turned out perfect.
Delicious zucchini fritters! Will be making again to use up the zucchini from the garden.
I have an abundance of zucchini right now, and since Sally’s Baking addiction is one of my favorite sites, I came here looking for recipes. We have loved all of them. This one, however, is a favorite. I did have to change out the sweet potato to a russet, simply because it was what I had. I also left the mint out of the fritter but added it to the yogurt. It was fantastic. My husband even ate the liquid left at the bottom of the bowl as a sort of scramble. I can’t imagine a sweet potato being better, but will try it before the season is finished.
Did not work well for me. Little flavor, and not enough binding. Came out very dry. Followed recipe exactly.
Can you substitute shredded carrots for sweet potato?
Hi Cassie, definitely! For best results, use freshly shredded carrots, not the pre-shredded mix sold in grocery stores. Enjoy!
Thank you for the carrot suggestion! My son and I don’t like sweet potatoes so I was going to skip this recipe. If I can use a carrot instead this becomes a perfect recipe for us! I’ll be making them this week and I’ll let you know how it turns out!
A great way to squeeze out the moisture in zucchini is to use a cheese bag. If you don’t have a cheese bag you could make one, all it is is unbleached muslin; which is .99 a yard. Just sew two rectangles together invert and you have a bag no draw string needed, if your feeling adventurous you can add a drawstring and therefore have a proper cheese bag too. Then just pop zucchini into the bag twist the open end until it puts pressure on your zucchini And voila, strained zucchini without the mess and breakage of paper towels and using up all of your kitchen towels.
Can you omit the potato or do I need to change ratios?
Hi Andrea, Simply use 1 extra cup shredded zucchini instead of the sweet potato. Enjoy!
Going to try this recipe tonight! I have tons of fresh zucchini from our garden. Has anyone tried these in an air fryer?
I’m wondering if I could bake these instead of frying them. Has anyone tried this? Would I need to alter the ingredients in order to bake them?
Hi Debbie, you could certainly give it a try. We haven’t tested baking these instead of frying, but my thought is to keep all of the ingredients the same and bake at 375 degrees until crispy. If you try it this way, let us know how it goes!
I made this recepie with carrots instead of zuccini and it turn out amazing! Love it! For sure one to keep on my favorites. Regards from Brasil.
These fritters were incredible! I’ve been following your recipes for a long time now and I have yet to find one I don’t like. I made a garlic dipping sauce to go along with it and they came out perfect!
These are probably my favorite fritters ever! I’ve been making zucchini cakes (as my kids like to call them) for years, but most recipes use breadcrumbs and cheese, which tend to obscure the flavor of the veggies. I love the freshness the sweet potato and cornmeal bring to your version. I rarely have mint in the house and they’re still delicious without it. I usually have to double the recipe so there are leftovers for lunch!
For the sauce, can I substitute sour cream for the yogurt?
Definitely!
I threw in a tablespoon of chia seeds and it sucked that wetness right out! Good source of protein and fiber too. Nice and crunchy, even when reheated. Plus it picks up the flavor nicely, as I subbed a shallot for the onion
Can you use frozen shredded zucchini? I have some in the freezer?
I recommend thawing and blotting it first.