Have you ever used your waffle maker to make something other than, well, waffles? Other than the wonuts I’ve made in the past (where the batter is very similar to waffle batter anyway) I’d never ventured out into unchartered waffle maker territory.
But I’d heard great things. I constantly see recipes on Pinterest and listicles on Buzzfeed on how to use your waffle maker for other items.
So after coming across this recipe on Food52, I figured I should bust out the waffle iron and take the plunge! I was even able to use my brand new spiralizer (I totally jumped on the spiralizer bandwagon but I absolutely love it) to cut the zucchini into long, thin strands. That makes TWO kitchen appliances I was able to use.
Usually when making fritters, they are crumbly when baked (not ideal), and are dripping with oil when fried (again, not ideal). Using the waffle maker surprisingly solved these issues. Not much nonstick spray is needed to coat the waffle maker, and the waffle pattern keeps everything intact.
Really, using a waffle maker to make fritters is a win-win situation.
You can seriously use any type of sauce on these babies–ketchup, sriracha, mayo, ranch dressing, etc. The list goes on and on! I decided to use ranch.
And yeah, you guessed it, it was amazing.
If I’ve sold you on these Waffled Zucchini-Mozzarella Fritters, check out the recipe below! And keep in mind that every waffle iron is different and you may have to adjust the recipe/cook time to what works best for you!
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Shred the zucchini if you haven't already. I used my spiralizer to do so.
- Set the zucchini in a colander and salt. Let the zucchini sit for 30 minutes. This will help remove some of the moisture from the zucchini. After 30 minutes, rinse under cold water and pat dry.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the egg, milk, and cheese and whisk.
- Add in the flour, salt, and pepper and whisk again. Add the zucchini and then toss until well combined.
- Preheat the waffle iron and coat the plates with nonstick spray.
- Place 1.5" balls of zucchini into the center of the waffle iron and press.
- Cooking time and temperature varies depending on your waffle iron. I set mine to the highest temperature and cooked each fritter for 6 minutes. (I also flipped the fritter and pressed again for another minute, noticing my waffle iron was hotter on the top plate than the bottom. )
- Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up any moisture or oil.
- Serve immediately.
