These Tempura Zucchini Blossoms are crunchy, salty and delicious with a creamy herbed “cheese” filling. They’re AIP, paleo, vegan and the perfect appetizer.

Zucchini Flowers are such a treat! So beautiful and delicious and stuffing them really takes them up a notch. In this recipe, the zucchini flowers are stuffed with a creamy “cheese” made with fresh thyme, lemon, garlic and AIP unsweetened coconut yogurt.
They’re pan fried in avocado or olive oil and seriously addictive – the crunch is to die for. Don’t sleep on these, I promise!
Here’s what you need for these Tempura Zucchini Blossoms:
- cassava flour – this forms the base of the batter, I haven’t tested this recipe with any other flours and don’t recommend substituting it
- carbonated water – the carbonation is key to the texture of the batter!
- sea salt and garlic powder – to give the batter some flavor!
- olive oil or avocado oil – I like to mix them, personally
- AIP unsweetened coconut yogurt – ensure there are no added ingredients and that it’s full fat and thick. You don’t want it too runny as it won’t hold up well in the flowers when they’re fried. In Canada I like to use Simpla Foods brand. In the US, I’ve heard Culina and Cocojune are both good AIP options.
- fresh thyme, lemon zest and garlic – these are used to flavor the yogurt to form the “cheese” that is stuffed inside the blossoms

Here’s how you make these Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms:
- Begin by washing and drying the blossoms and gently removing the stamen from between the petals of each flower.
- Combine the coconut yogurt with thyme, lemon zest, fresh garlic and sea salt.
- Gently open each of the flowers and fill with 1 tsp of the “cheese” mixture, folding the petals together to seal it in.
- In a large bowl combine cassava flour, salt, garlic powder and carbonated water. You want the mixture to be pourable and easily coat the flowers, so add more a little more bubbly water to achieve this consistency if necessary.
- Dredge the stuffed zucchini blossoms into the batter.
- Place in a large skillet with olive oil on medium heat.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Remove from oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Serve warm.
FAQs
Can I make these in the air fryer?
I’ve tried making these in my air fryer at 400F for 12-15 minutes. The batter doesn’t get a nice golden brown because of the absence of oil and so isn’t as crispy. If you want to avoid the oil any reason, it can work, but it’s not nearly as good as pan frying them!
How do I store these?
These are best eaten fresh and I wouldn’t recommend storing as the batter will get soggy. Don’t worry, you won’t have leftovers! If you want to prep in advance, I’d prepare the “cheese” filling and wash the flowers and assemble and fry shortly before serving.
Is there a substitute for the coconut yogurt?
I haven’t tried myself, but you can try another AIP cheese like this AIP mozzarella, but you won’t get the garlic, thyme and lemon flavor.
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If you try these Tempura Zucchini Blossoms, I would appreciate it if you would give them a rating and short review. Also, be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious.
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Tempura Zucchini Blossoms (AIP, paleo, vegan)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 appetizer servings 1x
Description
These Tempura Zucchini Blossoms are crunchy, salty and delicious with a creamy herbed “cheese” filling. They’re AIP, paleo, vegan and the perfect appetizer.
Ingredients
“Cheese” Filling
- 1 pint (10-12) zucchini blossoms
- 1/2 cup full fat, unsweetened coconut yogurt (ensure ingredients are AIP compliant)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp sea salt
Tempura
- 1/2 cup cassava flour
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 cup carbonated water
- 1/2 cup olive oil or avocado oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Wash and dry zucchini blossoms, and gently remove the stamen from within each flower, being careful not to tear the flowers.
- In a small bowl combine coconut yogurt, thyme, lemon zest, crushed garlic and sea salt. Adjust salt as necessary.
- Carefully open each flower and scoop 1 tsp of “cheese” filling inside, folding the flower petals together to seal it in.
- In a large bowl, combine cassava flour, salt, garlic powder and carbonated water.*
- Dredge the stuffed zucchini blossoms into the batter.
- Heat a large skillet with olive or avocado oil on medium heat.
- Once hot, add battered zucchini blossoms to pan and cook for 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Remove blossoms and place on a wire rack over a paper towel-lined pan.
- Sprinkle with sea salt or flaky Maldon salt and serve warm.
Notes
* You want the mixture to be pourable and easily coat the flowers, so add more a little more bubbly water to achieve this consistency if necessary.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizers
Keywords: aip, paleo, whole30, vegan, zucchini, zucchini blossoms, thyme, fried zucchini flowers, aip cheese, tempura
Mine weren’t as round and plump as yours. What do you think went wrong? I wonder if that has to do with me not cooking them on the day of the purchase (the next day I did enjoy them)
𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗟𝗢 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺! 🥰 𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶 𝗱𝗶 𝘇𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗔𝗜𝗣 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰!
𝗣𝗦. 𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹!
★★★★★