*This post may contain affiliate links. Read more »
Every August, zucchini season hits and suddenly there's just… so damn much of it. Mücver has been the raddest way Turkey has come up with for turning it into a killer vegetarian meal forever, and this completely vegan mücver recipe helps you pull it off easily with a TON of extra flavor.
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cinnamon Snail.
Here is the trade secret about zucchini nobody in the squash industry tells you: it is basically Aquaman + Peter Pan loads of water wearing a green disguise. Grate it up and it looks like a lot, but underneath that bulk is moisture just waiting to turn your fritters into a sad, soggy pancake the second they hit the pan. Oh Noes.
That's why the entire success of mücver comes down to one unglamorous step: salting the zucchini and having your face turn red and the veins of your forehead bulge as you squeeze the absolute living daylights out of the shredded squash before it goes anywhere near the hot oil. It's the difference between amazing mücver and a pile of greasy greenish suckiness.
If you love my zucchini latkes, just think of this as a distinctly less Jewish vibe of the same sort of thingy. Instead of Sephardic flavors, get ready for fritters with genuinely crispy, lacy, golden brown edges and a soft, herby, cheesy centers. Dill, parsley, and mint go in on the heavy side, scallions and crumbled vegan feta melt through the batter and add little salty umami pockets throughout. It's kinda heavenly. Unless all you eat is chili out of a hat. Then, this might be more like hell to you, I guess.
These are not delicate, fussy little hors d'oeuvres. They are a stand-over-the-stove, eat-'em-hot-off-the-pan, burn-your-tongue-a-little kind of bangers. A wee little squeeze of lemon and some vegan garlic yogurt to glob on, and you are about to devour the whole dang batch solo.
I adore this recipe -- so herby and fresh. Squeezing the zucchini a lot, as Adam instructs, in a clean kitchen towel, made a big difference from other veggie fritters I've made in the past. Because of what I had on hand, I used extra parsley and fresh coriander instead of fresh mint and scallions, also adding some dried mint. Also had the dill in there. Will definitely make this again and try with the herbs as given in the recipe, but it seems quite adaptable and is a great way to use any herbs you have.
This made 8 fritters for me, but it's possible mine were larger, I fit two in a pan while frying.
Served with the recommended dipping sauce, bazlama, and moroccan loubia, both on the site here.
Jump to:
🥰 Why you'll adore this Vegan Kabak Mücveri recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Every single animal ingredient from egg to cheese has been kicked to the curb and replaced with plant ingredients that cause no harm to any cute critters. Nobody at the table clocks the bait-and-switch in any of my vegan Turkish recipes.
🥒 Solves Your Zucchini Overload: If your garden or your farmers market has handed you more zucchini than you know what to do with, this is where it all goes. Quite happily.
⏱️ From Garden to Plate in About an Hour: Most of that time is passive salting and draining. The actual hands-on cooking goes crazy-fast once the batter comes together.
Tested and Approved Worldwide: Over 1,000 testers across dozens of countries make my vegan recipes before I upload them, and the feedback for this one landed somewhere between "devoured immediately" and "making these weekly now."
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
🧅 Vegan Turkish Zucchini Fritter Ingredients
The Squash
Transforming your insane overabundance of zucchini into hyper yummy din din is the whole point of the exercise. Grate it on the large holes of a box grater (or using the grating disc of a food processor) rather than dicing it, since grated zucchini releases moisture more easily and gives you a fluffier, more all-around-lovely texture that way. Salting and squeezing it thoroughly is non-negotiable, so do not rush/skip this part no matter how hungry you are.
Of course, other summer squash, like yellow squash, can be used in this recipe too. If you STILL have more zucchini on hand than you know how to deal with, you can put it to work in my calabacitas recipe, vegan minestrone, or vegan zucchini muffins.
Flax Meal
Normally, I think flax eggs suck in baking. I mean, if you took my vegan egg class, you already know my feelings about that. But this isn't baking, and mixed with water and lemon juice, yellow flax meal creates a gel that acts as the binder in these zucchini fritters.
Brown flax meal also works, but discolors the fritters a tiny, not-really-THAT-noticable bit.
Vegan Feta
Crumbled through the batter, it melts slightly as the fritters fry and leaves little salty, tangy pockets throughout. I like the vegan feta from Violife, and that's what I used in recipe development.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Spicy Mücver
Add a teaspoon of Aleppo pepper flakes, a spoonful of shatta, and a sprinkle of baharat for a little nuanced fire.
Zucchini Latkes
Vegan potato latkes are my soulmate forever. But I have a bangin' zucchini latke recipe that happens to be gluten-free and keto and all that jazz.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
📖 How to make Vegan Mücver
These need a little patience more than they need skill, since most of the work here is just waiting on the zucchini to sweat itself out. Follow the steps and tips below, or skip to the recipe card if you have already got this one down.
Step One
Salt Baebraham Lincoln:
Grate the zucchini into a large bowl and toss with the salt. Let it sit for 15 minutes so the salt pulls the moisture out.
Step Two
Funk Master Flax:
While the zucchini sits, stir together the flax meal, water, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it thickens into a gel.
Step Three
Carpe Diem - Squeeze the Day:
Move the salted zucchini to a fine-mesh strainer and press firmly with your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as you can. The drier it ends up, the better your fritters will hold together.
Step Four
Batter Call Saul:
Return the squeezed zucchini to the large bowl and add the flax mixture, flour, baking powder, scallions, garlic, dill, parsley, mint, vegan feta, and black pepper. Stir until just combined into a thick, messy batter. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.
Step Five
Fritt Romney:
Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, about 90 seconds, drop portions of batter that are 2-3 tablespoons in size into the oil, working in batches and flattening each one slightly with the back of a spoon. Do not crowd the pan.
Fry for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown and crisp at the edges, lowering the heat if they are browning too fast.
Step Six
Wire Rack Ack Ack Ack Ack, You Oughta Know By Now:
Move the fritters to a wire rack set over a baking pan to drain and cool slightly. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil to the pan as needed.
Step Seven
Ernie and Gurt:
For the optional yogurt dipping sauce, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, dried mint, salt, and olive oil in a small bowl using the tines of a fork.
Step Eight
Somewhere, Mukver the Rainbow:
Serve the mücver warm with garlic yogurt on the side, optionally with a squeeze of lemon juice or chopped fresh parsley.
💡Serving Ideas
Mücver loves a cool, creamy counterpart, so a bowl of Turkish yogurt soup is an easy pair to recommend. Pile these next to piyaz, bulgar pilavi, and kisir. It makes a pretty great veggie-packed alternative to traditional çiğ köfte.
Stuff a couple into warm bazlama with some greens and a smear of şakşuka. That's lunch now.
👉Top tips
- Do Not Rush the Salting: The zucchini needs the full 15 minutes with the salt. Shorter than that and you'll find water still hiding in there, waiting to betray you at the exact moment you need crispy edges. Zucchini is 90% water and 10% magical unicorn dust from the far reaches of the galaxy.
- Squeeze Harder Than Feels Necessary: Don't try to trick me. Damp isn't dry. Twist it up in a clean kitchen towel and keep going way past the point where you think you're finished. My arms kinda feel it every single time I make a triple batch, and I have made peace with it.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Almost always too much moisture left in the zucchini. Go back and squeeze harder, or let the salted zucchini sit a little longer before draining. If the batter still feels loose, a spoonful more flour can help bind things together.
You can, though the texture will be softer and less crispy than fried either way. To bake, spread them on a parchment-lined sheet and bake at 425°F (220°C) for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, and expect a gentler golden color rather than deep, lacy crispiness.
To air fry, brush both sides lightly with oil and cook at 400°F (205°C) for 12 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway throu
Keep them on a wire rack suspended over a baking pan in a warm oven, around 200°F (95°C), rather than stacking them or covering them, which traps steam and softens the crust.
🧊 In the Fridge
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They will soften somewhat in the fridge, which is expected.
🔥 Reheating
Reheat in a dry skillet over medium heat for a couple minutes per side, or in a 400°F (205°C) oven for about 8 minutes, to bring back some of the crispy edges.
✌️You'll probably love these Fritters too:
Master the art of plant-based Turkish cooking in a super-fun recorded cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Vegan Mücver Recipe
Equipment
- Box grater
- Dutch oven (optional)
Ingredients
For the Mukver:
- 4 cups zucchini grated
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons yellow flax meal
- 3 tablespoons water
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- 5 teaspoons garlic minced
- ¼ cup dill chopped
- ½ cup parsley chopped
- ¼ cup mint chopped
- 1 cup vegan feta crumbled
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup canola oil or sunflower oil (for frying)
For The Optional Garlic Yogurt:
- ½ cup unsweetened vegan yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini into a large bowl and toss with the 1 teaspoon salt. Let it sit for 15 minutes so the salt draws out the moisture.
- Meanwhile, stir together the ground flaxseed, water, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes, until thickened and gel-like.
- Transfer the salted zucchini to a fine-mesh strainer and press firmly with your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. The drier it is, the better your fritters will hold together.
- Return the zucchini to the large bowl and add the flax mixture, all-purpose flour, baking powder, scallions, garlic, dill, mint, vegan feta, and black pepper. Stir until just combined into a thick, messy batter. Taste and adjust salt as you like.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. After 90 seconds when the oil is hot, working in batches, drop 2-3 tablespoon dollops of the batter into the skillet, flattening each slightly with the back of a spoon. Don't overcrowd the pan. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown and crisp at the edges. Adjust the heat down if they're browning too fast before cooking through.
- Transfer the fritters to a wire rack suspended over a baking pan to drain and cool slightly. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil to the skillet as needed.
- For the optional yogurt dipping sauce, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, dried mint, salt and olive oil in a small bowl using the tines of a fork.
- Serve the mukver warm with garlic yogurt on the side, optionally with a squeeze of lemon juice or chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cinnamon Snail.
Lee says
Was easy to make. Everyone can make this.
The yogurt mixture makes the dish heavenly. Make a lot more of the yogurt stuff, you're gonna luv it.
I switched the lemon juice to fresh squeezed lime juice.
A suggestion is to increase the amount of mint in the fritters.
(Can I give this a 10?)
Adam Sobel says
Glad you loved it Lee. Always nice to catch up with you at the food cart on Sundays, my dude. ✌️
Hillary H. says
I adore this recipe -- so herby and fresh. Squeezing the zucchini a lot, as Adam instructs, in a clean kitchen towel, made a big difference from other veggie fritters I've made in the past. Because of what I had on hand, I used extra parsley and fresh coriander instead of fresh mint and scallions, also adding some dried mint. Also had the dill in there. Will definitely make this again and try with the herbs as given in the recipe, but it seems quite adaptable and is a great way to use any herbs you have.
This made 8 fritters for me, but it's possible mine were larger, I fit two in a pan while frying.
Served with the recommended dipping sauce, bazlama, and moroccan loubia, both on the site here.