Today, I’m bringing you a recipe for high protein, low fat baked courgette (or zucchini, if you’re American) fritters. Filled with veggies, rich in protein, and low in fat, and great for the volume eaters out there who like to eat healthy. Paired with basic garlic dip, these air-fried fritters are a satiating meal that will keep you full for a long time. Made with basic ingredients, they’re worth a try!

Ingredients for courgette and carrot fritters

For 6 large pieces you’ll need:

• 2 small courgettes (450g total)
• 1 carrot
• 2 eggs
• 50g flour (I used 20g wholemeal flour and 30g plain flour)
• 1/2 onion (60 g)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 50g low fat grated cheese (or reduced fat or full fat)
• salt, pepper

Garlic dip:

• 100g thick fat-free yoghurt like Skyr
• 1 garlic clove
• salt, pepper, garlic powder

How to make courgette air fryer fritters

Preparing the courgette

This step is essential, so make sure to follow all the steps, and don’t try to speed it up.

Wash and scrub the courgette, don’t peel it. Grate it.

Place the courgette shreds in a sieve and place the sieve over a bowl so that the bottom of the sieve is suspended in the air. Lightly salt the grated courgette in the sieve and massage it with your hands to release the juices. Set aside for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, mix the contents of the sieve and set aside for another 10 minutes.

The goal is to remove moisture from the courgette. Without it, the fritters will be soggy and they’ll fall apart when cooked. There were a good few tablespoons of courgette juice in the bowl when I lifted the sieve!

Once drained, move the grated courgette onto a paper towel and press with another towel, to remove even more liquid.

Preparing grated cheese

If you buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself, you can skip to the next section.

If you buy bagged grated cheese in a supermarket, there’s a quick way to improve it.

Bagged grated cheese is often covered in starch to prevent it from sticking and turning into a big ball of cheese. You may not see the starch with a naked eye – it’s a small amount – but it will affect the cheese in the oven.

I learnt about it a few years ago and tested it myself, and it’s true – bagged grated cheese doesn’t melt well. It ends up dry and doesn’t have the traditional cheese pull.

You can easily fix it by rinsing off the starch! Place the cheese in a fine sieve and wash it under running water for a few seconds, then let it dry on a paper tower.

Preparing the fritters

Grate the carrot and transfer it to a large bowl.

Dice the onion and add it to the bowl.

Press the garlic cloves into the bowl.

Add flour, eggs, courgette and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Mix everything well.

Line the air fryer with baking paper or a silicone liner. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to bake the courgette and carrot fritters in batches.

Bake in 180°C (355°F) for 25 minutes, then gently flip the fritters over and bake for another 5 minutes.

You can also bake these fritters in a traditional oven. You may need to slightly increase baking time.

Preparing garlic dip

Making basic garlic dip is quick and easy.

Mix yoghurt with pressed garlic cloves and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Optionally, you can add a teaspoon of mustard. Set everything aside for 15 minutes for the flavours to cut through. Taste it and season more if desired.

Nutritional value of courgette and carrot air-fried fritters

The whole recipe (including the garlic dip) has approximately 620 kcal, 14 grams of fat, 72 grams of carbs, 11 grams of fibre and 56 grams of protein.

Keep in mind that I used 90% reduced fat cheese (eatlean brand available in the UK). Using full fat cheese will significantly change the nutritional value.

How to store protein courgette fritters

I recommend eating these fresh. I haven’t tried storing leftovers.

Bon Appetit!

So that’s my tested recipe for courgette fritters. Honestly, these keep me full for ages, and make a huge portion at a relatively low calorie content. Good for the volume eaters out there, like myself!

Also see:

• Food
• Savoury