You will not miss meat one bit with this recipe! The fritters and packed full of flavourful dill and feta. Crispy on the outside they are melt in the mouth soft on the inside. I’d pick kolokithokeftedes over meatball anytime.
Recipe
Makes: ~12 | Time: 1h
Ingredients
- 2 zucchinis/ courgettes (~700g | 25oz), grated
- 1 small red onion, grated
- 1.5 tbsp fresh dill (~10g), chopped
- 1/2 tbsp fresh mint, minced (optional)
- 1 spring onion, finely diced
- 100g feta cheese (~3.5oz), crumbled
- 1 egg
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil, to fry
Method
- Grate zucchini, place in a colander, generously sprinkle with salt and mix well. Rest for 30min in a sink or place the colander over a bowl (picture 1).
- Whilst the zucchini is resting, proceed with the next steps:
- Grate the red onion
- Chop the dill
- Finely dice the spring onion
- Crumble the feta
- After 30min, place the zucchini in a clean tea towel, or cheese cloth, and twist over a sink or bowl to remove as much liquid as possible (pictures 2 and 3).
- In a large bowl add: drained zucchini, red onion, dill, spring onion, feta, egg, breadcrumbs with a small pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper (picture 4).
- Mix until you form a large ball (picture 5).
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Use enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Form the zucchini balls: with a spoon or clean hands, grad 1 heaping tbsp of the zucchini mixture and form into a disc (picture 6).
- Pan fry balls for about 2-3 min per side until nicely coloured (picture 6). Make sure not to overcrowd the pan and work in batches as needed. Add more oil if needed.
- Serve with tzatziki and enjoy!
Serving suggestions
- On its own with a squeeze of lemon
- With tzatziki
- In a pita or tortilla wrap with tzatziki and a vinegar based coleslaw (picture)
Substitutions
I highlight here some possible substitutions to adapt the kolokithokeftedes to your preferences, diet and ingredients available to you.
| Recipe components | Possible substitutions* |
| Breadcrumbs | • 3/4 cup flour (will make for a denser fritter) |
| Dill | • Parsley • Mint |
| Add | • Nutmeg • Finely grated carrots for more colour |
Country
Greece
Greece
The Global Homecook 
2 responses to “Greek Zucchini and Feta Fritters (Kolokithokeftedes)”
This recipe looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it out. Have you ever tried replacing the zucchini with another vegetable, like carrots or eggplant? How do you think that would affect the flavor?
Eva Davis
I have not tried other vegetables, though I have had it places where they add carrots in addition to the zucchini! Curious to see how it would work with other vegetables, let me know if you try!