These gorgeous Zucchini Blossoms are stuffed with cheese, lightly battered, and pan-fried to perfection. 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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You don't have to travel to Italy to enjoy cheese-stuffed zucchini flowers. 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!
You won't find zucchini flowers at your local grocery store so if you don't garden, find a friend who does and ask them to harvest the flowers for you!
🧐 Why This Recipe Works
- Zucchini flowers are delicious and nutritious.
- Stuffing them with cheese only makes them better!
- Stuffed zucchini flowers can be prepared ahead of time and fried just before serving them.
📝 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 cheese is a popular choice, as is Mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano. I like to include a few kinds of cheese to enhance the flavor and texture. Think about including goat cheese, Feta, pecorino cheese, 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, mint, or fresh lemon zest.
- 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: Remove the Stigma or Stamen from the blossoms, then gently wash and pat them dry.
Step 2: 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: Mix stuffing ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Carefully stuff the flowers using a small spoon, do not to over-fill them. Twist the flower petals to keep the filling from seeping out.
Step 4: Heat oil into a shallow pan. Hold flowers by the stem and quickly dip them into the batter, allowing the excess to drain back into the batter bowl. Fry blossoms in batches until golden brown on both sides. This should take approximately 2 minutes of frying time per side.
Pro Tip: Once you flip the flower to the other side, the second side may require less time to fry.
Step 5: Drain the fried stuffed zucchini flowers on a paper towel-covered dish and serve while warm!
If you find yourself with extra zucchini, especially if you grow them in your garden, try this delicious air fryer squash and zucchini recipe and this tasty and gluten free zucchini slice recipe.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
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.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- 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.
- If serving as an appetizer, sprinkle the fried zucchini flowers with shaved parmessean cheese and chopped chives before serving.
- Rehead leftovers in a toaster oven or an air fryer until heated through.
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- 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!
Nutrition
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.
- If serving as an appetizer, sprinkle the fried zucchini flowers with shaved parmessean cheese and chopped chives before serving.
- Rehead leftovers in a toaster oven or an air fryer until heated through.
MjL says
This is a great, easy recipe. Didn't have peanut oil, subbing with olive oil. The stuffing can be played with in combos or singles. I liked the no milk batter. Thank you for keeping it simple and flavorful.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi, Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review. I was just looking at the zucchini flowers in my garden today and thinking to myself, I need to make some stuffed zucchini flowers. I need to get busy!
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! 😘