Keto Zucchini Fritters

Keto zucchini fritters are easy cheesy, crispy patties made of cheese, eggs, and grated zucchini. They are a delicious light keto dinner or side dish.

Bonus, these zucchini fritters that are very similar to pancakes are also gluten-free and ready in 20 minutes so keep reading to learn more!

Are Zucchini Fritters Keto?

Yes! In fact, not only are zucchini fritters low-carb, but they are perfectly keto-friendly with as low as 2.7 grams of net carbs per serving!

How To Make Keto Zucchini Fritters

This easy zucchini fritters recipe is crispy, delicious, and ready in 20 minutes using only a few wholesome ingredients.

Ingredients

Let me explain what you need and how you can adapt this recipe, just in case there are a few ingredients you are missing to make these low carb zucchini fritters:

• Grated zucchini – the key to making crispy zucchini fritters is to use drained, pat-dried grated zucchini to extract all their juice. The less zucchini water you leave, the crispier these keto zucchini fritters will be. You can also use this recipe with other keto vegetables like spaghetti squash.
• Eggs – the recipe doesn’t work without eggs, you need large eggs to make crispy zucchini fritters.
• Grated cheese – I tested a lot of different cheeses. The best is a combo of hard shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese. Mozzarella adds the best chewy texture to those zucchini fritters, but it is not very flavorsome. That is why I recommend using half mozzarella and half strong flavor cheese like Parmesan, old cheddar, or french Emmental.
• Almond flour – or the same amount of sunflower seed flour for a nut-free fritter recipe. Learn how to choose the best keto flour.
• Whole/ground psyllium husk – you can use either whole or ground psyllium husk in this recipe. This is the magic ingredient to make the best crispy fritters. In fact, the husk is mostly made of fiber, and it absorbs all the water that the zucchini will release after being in contact with salt.
• Parsley – fresh parsley adds a delicious Italian flavor to these fritters. It is optional but highly recommended.
• Salt
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Italian herbs
• Avocado oil or coconut oil to fry these keto fritters. The key is to use an oil with a high smoke point to avoid burning the oil.

This keto zucchini fritters recipe is not only gluten-free, low carb, and keto, it is also vegetarian!

Preparing the zucchini

Zucchini is a wonderful keto vegetable to make so many keto casseroles like my alfredo zucchini casserole or pizza casserole.

However, zucchini is 95% made of water, and therefore, they can release a lot of liquid into your dish if you don’t prepare them well. This would ruin your keto fritters!

Let me explain the 4 simple steps to follow to make crispy zucchini fritters that are not watery.

Grating the zucchini

First, choose firm, fresh zucchini, green or yellow squash are perfect. For this recipe, you need about 2 small zucchinis or 1 large one.

Then, grate the zucchini as finely as you can. You can use a food processor with the thinnest grater attachment or a hand grater.

Drain the zucchini in a towel

That is the most important step to creating crispy fritters. There are many techniques to drain a zucchini. Some people like to press the grated zucchinis in a sieve or simply squeeze them with their hands.

But let me tell you something, this is not enough to extract all of the 95% of water in the zucchinis.

The best method, the one that results in crispy fritters, is the towel method. Place the zucchini in the center of a clean towel. Then, gather the four corners of the towel with one hand and hold the zucchinis with the other hand.

Turn and squeeze as hard as you can, placing a bowl under the towel to gather all the liquid. You can discard the liquid or reuse it as vegetable broth.

Measure the zucchini

Always measure the zucchini after squeezing all the water out. You can pack the grated zucchini into a measuring cup or weigh it with a scale.

Shape and fry the patties

On a keto diet, we like to know exactly how many carbs each keto zucchini pancake contains. The best way to make even patties is to scoop the batter using a measuring cup.

One zucchini fritter uses 1/4 cup of fritter batter and contains 2.7g net carb.

First, scoop the batter with the measuring cup. Then, transfer the batter into your hands and shape a lovely round patty. It would not be thin at this point. That is fine.

Drop the patty into the hot oil. After 1 minute, start to gently flatten the fritter with a spatula.

Finally, when the sides of the fritters are dry and set, flip the fritter with a spatula.

Keep pressing the fritter with the spatula to flatten them into a thin disc of 0.5 mm (0.02 inches).

Serving The Fritters

Keto zucchini fritters can be served as a side dish to grilled meat, fried eggs, or as a light dinner with some delicious toppings like:

• A dollop of sour cream or coconut yogurt for a dairy-free option.
• Mashed avocado
• Hot sauce
• Homemade Ketchup

Storage Instructions

Any fritters leftover can be frozen in an airtight container or stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

You can rewarm the zucchini fritters in a sandwich press, hot non-stick frying pan, or oven at 350°F (180°C) on a baking tray covered with parchment paper.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Bake Fritters?

Yes, you can bake fritters on a baking tray covered with lightly greased parchment paper.

But be aware that this recipe would not be crispy if baked, and I do not recommend baking them for a crispy fritter.

If you really want to try this option, bake your fritters at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes. Flip them and bake them for 15 more minutes.

Can I Make Zucchini Fritters In The Air Fryer?

Yes, you can bake your zucchini fritters in your air fryer. Place them in your air fryer basket and cook them for 25 minutes at 400°F (200°C).

More Keto Recipes With Zucchini

If you need more low carb recipes to use your summer zucchini, I have plenty of keto zucchini recipes for you to try:

Keto Zucchini Casserole

Air Fryer Zucchini

Ratatouille Recipe

Zucchini Pizza Casserole

Zucchini Balls

Have you made these zucchini fritters yet? Share a picture with me on Instagram! 

Keto Zucchini Fritters

2.7gNet Carbs

Easy cheesy, crispy zucchini fritters made with almond flour for a light keto dinner.

Author: Carine Claudepierre

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 6 mins

Total: 16 mins

Yield: 6 fritters (1/4 cup each)

Serving Size: 1 fritter

Nutrition Snapshot

Net Carbs 2.7g

Fat 13.6g

Protein 4.2g

Calories 154.1kcal

4.97 from 457 votes

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Kitchen Knife

Vitamix 12-Cup Food Processor or hand grater

Measuring Cups Set

Mixing Bowls

Frying Pan

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 1 ¼ cup Grated Zucchini unpeeled, drained from their water, measure after the water has been removed: 1 cup + 1/4 cup or weigh 210 g/7oz)
• ▢ ¼ cup Almond Flour
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoon Psyllium husk
• ▢ 2 large Beaten Eggs
• ▢ ¼ cup Grated Mozzarella
• ▢ ¼ cup Shredded Parmesan
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Fresh Parsley finely chopped
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Onion powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Italian herbs
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder

To fry the fritters

• ▢ ¼ cup Avocado Oil or high smoke point oil like coconut oil

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Instructions

• For this recipe, you need about 2 small zucchinis or 1 medium zucchini. Wash the zucchini, keep the skin on, and trim ends.
• Place the zucchini into a food processor with the grater attachment and grate finely.
• Wrap the grated zucchini into a clean towel, gather the corner of the towel, and squeeze hard to extract all the water from the zucchinis. This is really important to make crispy zucchini fritters.
• Now measure the amount of grated zucchini required by the recipe which is 1 cup + 1/4 cup or weigh 210 g/7 oz.
• Place the grated zucchini onto a large mixing bowl with grated cheese, almond flour, psyllium husk, beaten eggs, chopped parsley, salt, Italian herbs, garlic powder, and onion powder.
• Stir the mixture with a spoon at first, then squeeze with your hands to bring all the ingredients together and form a sticky wet batter. It shouldn't be runny, if so add up to 1 tablespoon extra psyllium husk, adding 1/2 tablespoon at a time. Squeeze the batter with your hands after each addition and wait for 5 minutes for the husk fiber to absorb the water. The batter should be wet but not runny.
• Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil under medium/ high heat.
• Scoop 1/4 cup of batter, shape a patty with your hands, it's wet but not liquid. Place the patty into the warm oil and fry for 2 minutes on one side, pressing gently the patty with the back of a spatula after 1 minute to flatten into a thinner disc. Don't press too hard at first to prevent the patty from breaking!
• When the borders are set, slice a large spatula under the fritter and flip on the other side. Fry for 2 extra minutes until crispy and golden. Keep pressing the fritter to flatten and expand. The flatter, the crispier, the best thickness is 0.5 mm (0.02 inches). Add more oil if needed as the fritters will absorb some, and the more oil the crispier it gets.
• Place each cooked fritter onto a plate covered with absorbent paper to absorb the extra cooking oil while you fry the following fritters.
• Repeat these steps until the 6 fritters are cooked.
• Serve hot with a green salad on the side and a dollop of sour cream on top.

Storage

• Store in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight box. Rewarm in a warm oven or in a frying pan.
• Freeze up to 3 months in an airtight box.

Notes

Cheese: any hard grated cheese can be used like cheddar, Edam, Colby, Emmental

Nut-free option: replace almond flour by the same amount of sunflower seed flour or sesame seed flour

Psyllium husk replacement – not recommended but if you can’t eat husk,  you can swap psyllium husk with coconut flour but the zucchini will be fragile and can fall into pieces easily. Adding 1/4 teaspoon of Xanthan gum can help with the coconut flour option.

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Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 fritter

Yield: 6 fritters (1/4 cup each)

Serving: 1fritterCalories: 154.1kcal (8%)Carbohydrates: 5.2g (2%)Fiber: 2.5g (10%)Net Carbs: 2.7gProtein: 4.2g (8%)Fat: 13.6g (21%)Saturated Fat: 2.5g (16%)Cholesterol: 5.2mg (2%)Sodium: 170mg (7%)Potassium: 177.9mg (5%)Sugar: 1.9g (2%)Vitamin A: 279IU (6%)Vitamin C: 13.5mg (16%)Calcium: 90.8mg (9%)Iron: 0.7mg (4%)