Recipe For Zucchini Flower Batter

This zucchini flower recipe is a traditional cucina povera recipe from Italy. Minimal ingredients with fresh squash blossoms are fried, and the result is nothing short of marvelous!

When my brother was a little boy, he would wake up on a summer morning and run out to the garden and pick all the male zucchini flowers he could find. He’d run back to the house and present them to my mother.

No, he wasn’t trying to earn points by being the most thoughtful child, he wanted them for lunch! He loved them so much that it was the first thing on his mind upon awakening.

Zucchini Flower Blossom Fritters (frittelle Di Fiori Di Zucca)

In case you aren’t familiar with zucchini flowers or squash flowers or courgette blossoms, or whatever you want to call the flowers from this plant, let me answer a few questions. Those of you who already love fried zucchini flowers can scroll down to the recipe.

Fried squash or zucchini flowers are the blooms on zucchini and squash plants. In order not to disturb the fruit that grows, we only eat the male blossoms (which don’t produce a zucchini/courgette). More details are provided below. When made using this recipe, they are cleaned, dipped in batter and pan fried for a tasty appetizer!

As you can deduce from what I wrote above, the answer is YES! Not only are they edible, but they are incredibly delicious!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Fried Zucchini Blossoms

Honestly, they taste like nothing else I’ve ever had. They do not have a floral taste to them as some other edible flowers do. If you want to know, there’s only one way to find out!

That all depends on where you live. As you can see from the photo above, zucchini flowers are plentiful at the markets in Italy when they’re in season. However, if you’re like me and live in the US, sometimes you can find them. I’ve seen them at farmer’s markets here in LA, and even saw them in a grocery store once! I was so excited, but I will warn you, this is rare.

Your best bet, if you live somewhere where these glorious blossoms aren’t sold, is to grow them (if you have a garden spot), or ask a friend who grows zucchini to share! Many people aren’t even aware that zucchini flowers are not only edible, but delicious when battered, and/or stuffed and fried (either pan fried or deep fried).

Battered Zucchini Flowers

This is actually an important question if you are growing zucchini for the vegetable, and the answer is yes and no. When picking squash blossoms to cook, look for the blooms without a baby zucchini at the end of it. These are what I referred to as the male flowers. They will bloom, wilt and die; no fruit will come of them, but they help fertilize the zucchini flowers so the plant will bear fruit. The female flowers are also edible, but stick to the males so you don’t disturb the fruit production.

I’m glad you asked! Let’s get to the recipe from my Nonna Chiarina. This is a traditional and authentic way to prepare the fried zucchini flowers. They can also be stuffed with cheese and anchovies, battered then fried, which is a traditional Roman way of preparing them.

My Zia Iolanda made fried zucchini blossoms when I was visiting her in Italy this past June. She deep fried them, which you can also do, but I just pan fry them. They’re like zucchini flower fritters, for lack of a better name.

Fried Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Yes, the stems are edible, so no worries about eating the stem and the stamen and pistil, too. I remove them, but you don’t have to.

Not much, except it’s just a matter of distinguishing the two. Squash as a term of vegetables includes zucchini, however, we usually refer to the yellow ones as squash (often “yellow squash”). The blossoms from both plants work perfectly fine. I’ve even cooked pumpkin flowers.

For best results, pick the flowers in the morning when they are wide open and perky, and try to cook them as soon as possible. Zucchini blossoms are extremely delicate and will start to close and shrivel quickly. Technically, you can refrigerate them, but I don’t advise it. It will be more trouble than necessary. You can also stick the cut flowers in a glass of water (like flowers in a vase).

Baked Zucchini Flowers With Ricotta And Mint

Note: the amount of batter is more than you will need. Also, my Nonna never added anything to the flour and water mixture, but if you’d like to use sparkling water or a pinch of baking soda, go ahead).

Remove the pistil and stem of the zucchini flowers, then rinse gently and dry on paper towel. It’s okay if they tear a little or you open them completely. It’s easier to make sure there’s no dirt or bugs inside this way.

Put the flour and salt in a bowl which you can dip the flowers into. Add the milk, and then the water a little at a time and beat with a whisk or fork. Keep adding the water until a thick consistency is reached. Beat well for another minute or two. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes or longer.

Fried Zucchini Flowers (beignets De Fleurs De Courgette) Recipe

Preheat the oil in the frying pan. It should be hot when adding the flowers. You can test it with a drop of batter if you’re unsure.

Heat oil in the pan. Add the battered flowers to the hot oil in the pan (if you’re tired of buying non-stick pans, Scanpan CS+ is for you. I LOVE these pans). Again, you don’t have to deep fry these. Pan frying in a little olive oil is just as good.

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Mozzarella And Anchovy Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Christina’s Cucinais a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking toAmazon.com.Fried Zucchini Flowers are squash blossoms covered in batter and deep fried. It is a typical Mediterranean dish in Italy called Fiori di Zucca Fritti and Beignets de Fleurs de Courgette in France. This recipe has many versions: mild or elaborate batter, with or without fillings. I use a simple batter with saffron to make a crispy crust and fill the zucchini flowers with mozzarella and ham for a gooey, stringy center.

There are two types of flowers, the male blossoms, the flowers that pollinate, and the female blossoms, which are the flowers that yield the zucchini.

During this time of year, you can find them in most grocery stores or local farmer's markets, but they can be expensive, and you must use them the same day.

Fried Zucchini Flowers Recipe: How To Make Rome's Favorite Appetizer

I have a deep fryer, as when I serve fried appetizers at a dinner party, it is more practical to fry a large quantity of food.

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Fried Zucchini Flowers are squash blossoms covered in a batter and deep fried. It is a typical Mediterranean dish, in Italy called Fiori di Zucca Fritti and in France called Beignets de Fleurs de Courgette. There are many versions of this recipe: mild or elaborate batter, with or without fillings. I use a simple batter flavored with saffron to make a crispy crust and fill the zucchini flowers with mozzarella and ham for a gooey stringy center.

Fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed With Ricotta Cheese

Calories: 169 kcal | Carbohydrates: 33 g | Protein: 7 g | Fat: 1 g | Sodium: 34 mg | Potassium: 1049 mg | Fiber: 4 g | Sugar: 9 g | Vitamin A: 785 IU | Vitamin C: 70.5 mg | Calcium: 66 mg | Iron: 2.8 mg