Gorgeous Zucchini Blossoms stuffed with cheese, lightly battered, and pan-fried. Delicious! The delicate flavor of Stuffed Zucchini Flowers is hard to describe or compare to anything else. They really must be tried to be truly appreciated. If you have an abundance of Zucchini, try my Low-Carb Zucchini Lasagna too!
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🍴Why This Recipe Works
This recipe is simple, delicious, and a great way to make use of those gorgeous Zucchini flowers that might be taking over your garden at the moment. Instead of letting the zucchini flowers die on the plant, make a unique and delicious appetizer with them instead!
📝 What Goes Into This Recipe
🥘 Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
- Zucchini Blossoms — Sometimes zucchini blossoms or flowers can be purchased in ethnic markets. Farmer's markets are also great places to check. However, if possible, grow your own zucchinis and you'll have an endless supply of blossoms!
- Cheese — There are many cheese options that you can choose from. Ricotta is a popular choice, as is Mozzarella. I like to include a few kinds of cheese to enhance the flavor and texture. Think about including goat cheese, Feta, or Halloumi cheese.
- Batter — The batter can be as simple as flour and water, or as fancy as a beer batter. I decided to include an egg and water in my batter. If you prefer, you can use milk instead of water.
- Mix-Ins — The cheese mixture is delicious as is. I couldn't leave it alone, however. 😬I added a clove of garlic and I'm so glad I did! At the last minute, I decided to add some chives from my garden. You can also add your favorite fresh herbs including basil or mint.
- Seasoning — I lightly seasoned the batter with salt and black pepper since Asiago cheese (in the filling) is already salty. I was very close to adding some freshly grated nutmeg, but didn't. I'm sure it would be amazing if added!
🔪 How to Make Cheese-Stuffed Zucchini Flowers
Step 1 | Clean the Blossoms
Remove the Stigma or Stamen from the blossoms, then gently wash and pat them dry.
Remove the male Stamen (on the left) or female Stigma (on the right). Wash and dry zucchini blossoms
Step 2 | Prepare the Batter
Whisk batter ingredients into a bowl until combined. The batter should have a pancake-like consistency. Allow to rest while you work on the filling.
Step 3 | Prepare Filling / Stuff Flowers
Mix filling ingredients until smooth. Carefully divide the filling between the flowers, being careful not to over-fill them. Twist the flower petals to keep the filling from seeping out.
Step 4 | Batter and Fry
Heat oil into a shallow pan. Hold flowers by the stem and quickly dip into the batter, allowing the excess to drain back into the batter bowl. Fry blossoms until golden on both sides. This should take approximately 2 minutes of frying time per side.
Tip: Once you flip the flower to the other side, the second side may require less time to fry.
Step 5 | Drain on Paper Towels
Drain the fried stuffed zucchini flowers on paper towels and serve while warm!
💭 Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
Yes, the flowers of most squash are edible. Although zucchini flowers can be eaten raw, they taste much better when battered and fried.
Do you have to wash zucchini flowers?
Zucchini flowers may contain pests from the garden, including bees and ants. Not to mention, dirt and debris. Before consuming, give the open flowers a quick rinse under cool running water. Gently pat dry before using in your recipe.
It is easy to identify whether a zucchini flower is male or female. For one thing, female flowers are usually much bigger than male flowers.
Although male and female flowers look alike, the male flowers have a stem attached to the end of them, while the female flowers have a growing zucchini attached to them.
In the photo below, the flower on the left is a male flower, while the flower on the right is a female flower and has a zucchini growing behind the flower.
- Some people leave the Stigma or Stamen intact while others choose to remove them. It's really a matter of preference, but they are easier to stuff if they are removed.
- There is nothing that says you can't pick female flowers, especially if the zucchini is already growing behind the flower. When I am short of flowers, I've been known to pick both.
- If you don't have enough zucchini blossoms to stuff, go out to your garden every morning and pick the ones that are open. Store them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag until you have enough to make this recipe.
Tip: Collect Zucchini Blossoms daily until you have enough to stuff.
🍲 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Cheese-Stuffed Zucchini Flowers
Equipment
- skillet
Ingredients
- 14 zucchini flowers (approximate number)
Egg Batter
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- pinch sea salt
- pinch black pepper
Cheese Filling
- 3 ounces softened cream cheese
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoon shredded Asiago cheese
- 1 clove garlic (pressed)
- 1 tablespoon minced chives (optional)
Misc
- ⅓ cup peanut oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Remove the Stigma or Stamen from the blossoms, then gently wash and pat them dry.
- Whisk batter ingredients into a bowl until combined. The batter should have a pancake-like consistency. Allow to rest while you work on the filling.
- Mix filling ingredients until smooth. Carefully divide the filling between the flowers, being careful not to over-fill them. Twist the flower petals to keep the filling from seeping out.
- Heat oil into a shallow pan. Hold flowers by the stem and quickly dip into the batter, allowing the excess to drain back into the batter bowl. Fry blossoms until golden on both sides. This should take approximately 2 minutes of frying time per side.
- Drain the fried stuffed zucchini flowers on paper towels and serve while warm!
Notes
- Some people leave the Stigma or Stamen intact while others choose to remove them. It's really a matter of preference, but they are easier to stuff if they are removed.
- There is nothing that says you can't pick female flowers, especially if the zucchini is already growing behind the flower. When I am short of flowers, I've been known to pick both.
- If you don't have enough zucchini blossoms to stuff, go out to your garden every morning and pick the ones that are open. Store them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag until you have enough to make this recipe.
Kim says
The cheese stuffed zucchini flowers were fantastic. My husband and I were lucky enough to have Hilda make these for us. What a treat. I'm sure anyone who tries them will love them.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Kim! I really appreciate you taking the time to do a review and glad you enjoyed them! 😘