Recipe: Summer squash fritters with blueberry aioli

Last Updated on July 28, 2023 by Aaron von Frank

Elevate your summer squash recipe portfolio with summer squash fritters and blueberry aioli! Simple to make and delicious, this is a garden-to-table treat you’ll look forward to each summer. 

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Too much summer squash? Don’t panic. 

Is your garden producing more summer squash than you know how to eat? Not to worry, we’ve got you covered! 

In addition to this simple and delicious summer squash fritter recipe, be sure to check out these other summer squash recipes as well: 

• Summer breakfast bread with whole wheat flour, zucchini/squash, and seasonal berries
• Salt & vinegar summer squash chips (like potato chips, but healthy)
• 5 minute summer squash pancakes

Next level summer squash fritters

We’ve been making summer squash fritters for years. Fritters are an awesome way to use up a bunch of summer squash as a side dish at brunch, lunch, or dinner.

However, this year we decided to go full gourmet with our squash fritters by adding homemade blueberry aioli made with garden-fresh blueberries and duck eggs from our backyard flock.        

If you just want to make plain squash fritters and skip the aioli, that’s perfectly fine. The fritters easily stand on their own without any toppings. 

However, if you have fresh eggs and blueberries, you might want to go all-in. We promise you the flavor results are worth it!

Safety warning with raw eggs   

Do note that there is a risk in eating raw eggs. If you’re going to make our blueberry aioli recipe with raw eggs, we recommend using fresh, high-quality eggs that have been properly cleaned, handled, and stored.

For instance, when making aioli, we use our own duck eggs that are laid the same day. And before using the eggs, we thoroughly clean them in hot, soapy water. (Related: Check out our garlic aioli recipe)

If you don’t have access to quality fresh eggs or you don’t want to take the risk, use store-bought pasteurized eggs or yolks instead. 

What do you need to make this recipe?

Materials & supplies for fritters:

• cheese grater
• large strainer or colander 
• large skillet or well-seasoned cast iron pan

Materials & supplies for aioli: 

• immersion blender (ideally use whisk blade attachment if you have one)
• wide-mouth glass jar with opening large enough for immersion blender

Ingredients for fritters:

• 1 pound summer squash (about 3 cups measured after grating) 
• 1 small onion, diced (3 ounces)
• 1 large egg (preferably duck egg), whisked
• 1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) grated organic sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt (we use pink Himalayan)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• unsalted organic grass-fed butter for cooking as-needed

Ingredients for blueberry aioli:

• 1 duck egg or large chicken egg (egg should be as fresh as possible and cracked only after the shell has been thoroughly cleaned in hot soapy water) / Alternative: use store-bought pasteurized eggs or yolks
• 1/2 cup organic extra virgin olive oil (1 tbsp will be used when cooking blueberries)
• 1/2 cup whole fresh blueberries (these will be cooked and cooled before using to reduce water content and concentrate flavors)
• salt to taste (we use about 1/8 tsp)
• optional but good: add a bit of sweet by slowly drizzling in maple syrup or honey while blending

Recipe tips and process photos

Now, let’s go step-by-step to help you get this recipe right! You can skip right to the fritter tips if you’re not planning to make the aioli part of this recipe. 

Step 1: Make blueberry reduction for aioli. 

Measure out your blueberries then put them in a small saucepan. Smash the berries with a muddler or fork.

Next, measure out 1/2 cup of quality extra virgin olive oil. From this, remove 1 tablespoon of the oil and add to your blueberries in the saucepan to help keep them from sticking as they cook. The rest of the 1/2 cup of oil will be used later.

Turn stove to medium heat and let the blueberries cook and reduce for about 5 minutes, stirring with a spoon or spatula to make sure the sauce doesn’t stick or burn. Here’s what the blueberries should look like when they’re done: 

Remove the blueberry reduction from heat, let cool, then place in fridge to chill. Or, if you want to speed things up, you can chill the blueberry reduction using an ice water bath: 

Step 2: Make blueberry aioli

Once your blueberry reduction is cool, crack a fresh, clean egg (preferably duck egg since it has a larger, richer yolk than chicken eggs) into a glass wide-mouth jar whose opening is large enough to get an immersion blender into.

Blend egg for about 30-60 seconds until creamy smooth.

Now, slowly begin pouring/drizzling the olive oil into the jar while the immersion blender is on. Add about 1/3 of the oil, then blend for about 30 seconds, repeating until all the oil is done. The final consistency should be similar to mayonnaise.

Next add chilled blueberry reduction, then blend. Add salt to taste and blend.

If desired, you can also blend in a bit of sugar, maple syrup, or honey to sweeten your aioli. This helps bring out the blueberry flavor, but you don’t have to add any sweetener.  

Cover your aioli and stick it in the fridge until it’s time to serve your squash fritters. 

Step 3: Remove excess water content from squash and onions

Now it’s time to prep your squash fritters. Start by grating your summer squash using a cheese grater: 

Next, finely dice your onions – the smaller the pieces, the better. 

Now, combine squash, onions, and salt in a bowl and mix to combine. Pour the mix into a strainer/colander and place the strainer above a bowl or in your sink for about 20-30 minutes to allow water to drain out without making a mess. 

The salt will draw out the excess water from the veggies. Before using the squash/onion mixture, you’ll want to give it a final squeeze/ringing out with your hands to remove as much remaining water as possible.

Removing water helps make a nice crispy fritter rather than a soggy mess! This step is very important to make a good squash fritter, so don’t rush it.  

Step 4: Combine other fritter ingredients, mix, then cook in hot skillet

In mixing bowl, combine drained and salted squash/onion mixture with other ingredients. Stir until fully combined. 

Heat skillet/cast iron pan over medium heat, then add butter or cooking oil of your choice.

The size of the squash fritter you make is up to you, but we like smaller, more manageable fritters about the size of a small pancake. Sound good? If so: scoop out 1/4 cup of squash fritter mix at a time into a hot, buttered pan.

Use a spatula to smush each fritter flat as soon as it goes in the pan so that the centers can cook through. Cook until browned on one side, about 3-5 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side until browned. 

Put finished squash fritters on a raised cooling rack so they’re not sitting in oil and getting soggy while you finish making the other ones. Ideally, you can put them in your oven on a “keep warm” setting. 

When ready to serve, add a generous dollop of blueberry aioli to the top of each fritter and eat them immediately. Squash fritters are best eaten immediately while hot. However, your blueberry aioli can be stored covered in your fridge for 2-3 days.  

Enjoy! 

Summary recipe cards for both recipes below: 

Base recipe: Squash fritters

Topping recipe: Blueberry aioli 

Other summer & winter squash recipes you’ll love:

• Summer breakfast bread w/ whole wheat flour, zucchini/squash, and berries
• Salt & vinegar summer squash chips
• 5 minute summer squash pancakes
• Disappearing whole wheat spiced pumpkin pancakes