Yellow squash, sliced okra and fresh green onions make the perfect Summer dish! Try these crispy Veggie Fritters for a fun dinner!
Remember how I told you I spent some time at my parent’s farm a few weekends ago? Well when I came back they sent me with an insane amount of produce. If you follow me on Instagram, then you might have caught a glimpse of it.
Part of my haul included two bags of okra, two bags of yellow squash and five bags of tomatoes. I did something really special with the tomatoes that I can’t wait to show you, but I was a little stumped on what to do with the copious amounts of extra okra and squash.
We had oven roasted okra (okra, olive oil, salt and pepper at 400 until lightly charred) grilled squash, and stuffed squash but what else do you do?
Chop them up and make veggie fritters? Of course!
I have been craving my favorite sweet corn and green chili fritters for weeks so I decided to make a different version using simple seasonal ingredients. Now I’ve got to tell you, these babies are delicious!
I used a nice hearty cornmeal base with finely chopped yellow squash, thinly sliced okra, green onions spices and, of course, cheddar cheese. These have the perfect balance of flavor. You get a little smokiness from the paprika, then a kick from the green onions. Last, a bit of crunch from the okra tops it all off. It is everything you want in an easy Summer dish!
Gluten-Free Veggie Fritter Ingredients:
- Yellow squash (shredded or chopped small)
- Okra (thinly sliced)
- Sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
- Cornmeal
- Green onions (chopped)
- Baking powder
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- Buttermilk (regular milk or dairy-free substitutes may also be used)
- Egg
How do I make Veggie Fritters?
This recipe is so easy that children could definitely help prepare this dish (just keep them away from that hot oil!).
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until completely combined. Mixture will be thick.
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat, then pour just enough canola or coconut oil in the skillet to cover the bottom.
- Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the fritter mixture into the skillet. While it’s cooking, lightly pat the batter flat with the back of your scoop to flatten the mixture just a bit.
- Cook fritters 2-3 minutes until golden on each side (and then transfer to a warm oven if possible).
- Serve immediately with ranch or your preferred dipping sauce.
You’ll likely need to fry these in batches. To keep the cooked fritters warm, I heat up the oven to 200 degrees F and place a wire rack on a baking sheet inside. When some fritters are finished, I move them to the wire rack to stay warm while I fry up the rest of the batter.
What if I don’t have buttermilk?
No worries! You could make this recipe with normal milk or a milk substitute, but this will make the batter thinner and runnier. If you’d like to make a buttermilk substitute, that’s super easy to do as well!
- Milk + Lemon Juice: Combine 3/4 cup milk with 3/4 Tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Stir and then let sit for 5 minutes before pouring into this recipe.
- Milk + Cream of Tarter: Combine 3/4 cup milk with 1 rounded Tablespoon of cream of tarter. Stir, then let sit for 5 minutes before pouring.
- Yogurt: You can use an equal amount of yogurt instead of buttermilk (if this causes the batter to be too thick, you can then thin it with 1-2 teaspoons of milk or water).
More Vegetarian Sides:
- Cheddar Corn Muffins
- Lima Bean Salsa
- Air Fryer Carrot Fries
- Asparagus and Tomato Panzanella Salad
- Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Looking for low-carb sides? Here are some of my favorite keto side dishes:
- Cheesy Zucchini Breadsticks (keto)
- Garlic Butter Mashed Cauliflower
- Grilled Zucchini Mozzarella Wraps
- Crispy Green Bean Fries
- Cheesy Broccoli Cheddar Bites
Veggie Fritters
Yellow squash, sliced okra and fresh green onions make the perfect Summer dish! Try these crispy Veggie Fritters for a fun dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 cups yellow squash, shredded or chopped very finely
- 1 cup okra, thinly sliced
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 cup buttermilk*
- 1 egg
- canola or coconut oil for frying**
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until completely combined. Mixture will be thick.
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat pour just enough canola or coconut oil in the skillet to cover the bottom.
- Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the fritter mixture into the skillet. Lightly pat the batter flat with the back of your scoop to flatten the mixture just a bit.
- Cook fritters 2-3 minutes until golden on each side.
- Serve immediately with ranch or your preferred dipping sauce.
- *If you sub regular milk start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed since it is thiner than buttermilk you will get a runny batter if you substitute it equally.
Notes
*If you do not have buttermilk, you can use regular milk. However, because it is thinner than buttermilk, you will get a runny batter if you substitute equally. Instead, start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed to prevent your batter from being too runny.
**Nutrition information does not include the frying oil. The amount of oil your fritters will soak up during the frying process depends on the temperature of your oil, the temperature of your fritter batter, the oil you choose, etc. Because of the amount of variables, I felt it was best to not include it.
***Cooking Tip: I turn my oven on 200 degrees while frying the fritters. As I remove the fritters from the oil, I set them on a baking sheet lined with a wire rack in the oven to keep warm while I finish cooking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 fritterAmount Per Serving: Calories: 106Total Fat: 3.7gCholesterol: 26.1mgSodium: 174mgCarbohydrates: 13.4gNet Carbohydrates: 12.1gFiber: 1.3gSugar: 1.8gProtein: 4.8g
Medha@+Whisk+&+Shout says
These are so lovely! Pinning 🙂
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext says
These fritters look divine, Annie! Love the flavours! 😀
Danielle says
How fun that they sent you home with so much produce! I love fritters so these sound fantastic, especially because they have some of my favorite veggies in them too! Gorgeous pictures too, Annie.
Alyssa @ My Sequined Life says
What a haul! I love the looks of these fritters Annie. My kind of summer dinner!
Maebells says
I know!! It was crazy how much we brought back!
Madeline Hatim says
Love the fritters recipie will fit it soon
Maebells says
Thank you Madeline!! 🙂 I think you will love these!
Michelle @ My California Kitchen says
Love these fritters!! I have been all about fritters this summer. Totally making these ASAP!
Maebells says
Me too Michelle!! I just love mixing all sorts of produce together and seeing what happens. I think you will love this!
Arpita@ The Gastronomic Bong says
These fritters look amazingly flavourful.. I have never tried okra in fritters.. gonna make these fritters soon..:)
Maebells says
Oh you will love it Arpita!! The okra is so good in them!
Smash Guava says
Maebells Рthese look scrumptious with two of my favourite vegetables, okra and squash! Would it be possible to freeze these after cooked & then thaw in frig and reheat in oven? How about brushing with canola & baking instead of saut̩ing? . Thanks very much.
Maebells says
Hi! Okra and squash are my favorites too! You can definitely cook, freeze and then reheat in the oven! I do that often with my corn and green chili fritters. And I don’t think you would be able to skip the sautéing step all together because I thin the batter would spread really thin in the oven. If you wanted to skip sautéing I think you might have better luck to put them in muffin tins and bake that way so they stay uniform in shape, I hope that helps!! 🙂
Laura says
I get tons of yellow squash and okra in my CSA box. This sounds like a tasty new way to use them up. Can’t wait to try it!
Maebells says
Thanks Laura!! I bet you will love this! So many good things packed into one fritter!
Patsy Martin says
What could I use instead of Okra. Never have been able to eat it
Annie Holmes says
Hi Patsy, I’ve only made the recipe as written so I cannot say for certain but you could sub another vegetable you like in its place and give it a try.
Gidget says
I’m making these for supper tonight and noticed that you didn’t put the green onions in the recipe. I’m good with winging it, but having them in the official ingredient list would be helpful. 😉
Annie Holmes says
Thanks Gidget, the recipe has been updated.