Cauliflower fritters are a fabulous keto side dish for any meal. Add a little cheddar and some finely diced ham for a punch of flavor, or leave them plain. It’s a great recipe to customize and make your own!
How would I describe these gluten-free cauliflower fritters? Crispy, golden, and full of flavor, that’s how. And a whole sight healthier than hashbrowns. Heck they’re even healthier than most other cauliflower fritter recipes!
My family loves all kinds of fritters, especially my chicken fritters and my keto zucchini fritters. They also adore my keto tuna patties, which are arguably fritters as well. All of which makes this mama very happy, since it’s tough to get three kids to agree on anything these days.
We served these with a dollop of ranch dressing on top. But you can easily do sour cream or another dressing of choice. Or serve them for breakfast with a fried egg on top. Oh, the delicious possibilities!
Updated Cauliflower Fritters Recipe
Made with simple, clean ingredients, these fritters are a fabulous way to use up some leftover ham. Let’s face it, hams are huge, and unless you have a serious crowd to feed, they can seem virtually endless.
I first created this recipe back in 2014 for that very purpose. So I decided to revisit it and see if I could improve upon it a little bit.
Keto cauliflower fritters don’t hold together as well as the conventional variety because they lack flour, and thus have no gluten to bind them. They are a touch fragile but I found a few tricks to help keep them together better. Read my How-To section for more details!
Ingredients
Nothing crazy or outrageous in these cauliflower fritters! Just basic ingredients you can find at any grocery store. You will need:
- Cauliflower – You can chop up a whole head or use pre-cut florets. You can even use cauliflower rice!
- Eggs
- Almond flour – See Frequently Asked Questions for nut-free alternatives.
- Garlic
- Minced herbs – I used chopped sage, as I had it on hand. But parsley, thyme, or rosemary would also be delicious.
- Grated cheese – I used sharp white cheddar, but again, so many possibilities here.
- Ham – Optional. Feel free to leave it out or replace it with some cooked, chopped bacon.
- Salt and pepper
- Oil for the pan
How to make Cauliflower Fritters
Because these fritters contain no flour or starches, they require a bit of care when making them. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- Process the cauliflower until finely chopped: In the original recipe, I steamed small florets and mashed them, but it made them more fragile. Processing the cauliflower until it resembles rice makes it a lot easier to squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Steam the cauliflower until very soft: You can do this in a microwave or in a pan on the stove.
- Squeeze out the moisture: Wrap the cooked cauliflower in a tea towel and really squeeze out as much moisture as you can.
- Stir in the other ingredients: Make sure that the ham and herbs are finely chopped as well, to make the patties more cohesive.
- Form into patties: Keep them on the small side so that they aren’t as hard to flip. 2 tablespoons of the cauliflower mixture is about right for small patties.
- Refrigerate 1 hour: Another trick that helps them stay together a little better!
- Use a non-stick skillet: I really don’t recommend cast iron here, as I found that it browned them too quickly and they wanted to stick too much.
- Use plenty of oil: Make sure that the skillet has a full coating of oil across the bottom and add more as needed.
- Don’t crowd the pan! You need room to get the spatula underneath and flip them, so give each fritter a few inches of space.
- Let cool a few minutes: They are hot coming off that pan so give them 5 to 10 minutes to cool before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, and either fresh or frozen is fine. You will need 16 ounces to make this cauliflower fritter recipe. Just make sure to cook until very soft.
My original recipe took 3 tablespoons of coconut flour, so you can do that here as well. It’s no better or worse than almond flour in terms of consistency.
Possibly, but the cheese does help give the fritters some cohesiveness so they may be a little more fragile. I am not sure if any dairy-free grated cheese would help but it might! At the very least, it would be a delicious experiment.
Possibly but I haven’t tried. They may stick and be somewhat tough to flip over. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
This is a great make-ahead recipe! The fritters actually hold together better the longer they sit, so you can make them in advance by a day or two and simply rewarm them in the oven.
Store the fritters in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
What to serve with cauliflower fritters
This tasty cauliflower recipe goes with just about anything! Here are some suggestions:
- Easy Pork Medallions
- Spinach Artichoke Chicken
- Keto Pork Chops
- Air Fryer Steak Bites
- Creamy Feta Dressing
- Keto Parmesan Crusted Fish
Cauliflower Fritters Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower (about 1 pound)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- ½ cups finely diced ham
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Oil for the pan (avocado or olive oil)
Instructions
- Chop the cauliflower into 1 inch florets. Add to a food processor or high-powered blender (if using a blender, add a cup or two of water). Process until finely chopped (drain if using a blender with water).
- Place in a microwave safe bowl and cover with a large plate. Microwave on high for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can cook in a pan over medium heat until very tender.
- Set a tea towel into a sieve and drain the cauliflower through the tea towel. Let sit until cool enough to handle and then gather the ends of the tea towel together and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl and add the eggs, cheese, ham, almond flour, garlic, sage, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Line a platter with parchment or waxed paper. Using 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time, form into small patties about 3 inches in diameter and ½ inch thick. You should get 16 patties. Refrigerate 1 hour to firm up.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add some of the cauliflower patties, taking care not to crowd the pan.
- Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until nicely browned on the browned on the bottom. Then wiggle a thin-bladed spatula underneath and carefully flip. Press down firmly with the spatula and cook another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with the remaining patties. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Eva Berling says
I had such a problem with this recipe. I followed it exactly, omitting the ham. When spooned them into the heated oil in the pan, they absolutely sputtered and fell apart. I then added a little coconut flour, but had the same results. I then added an extra egg. Nada! I finally threw the rest of the batter out. Sorely disappointed. Any suggestions?
Carolyn says
How finely chopped was your cauliflower? Sounds like it may have been too coarse.
Ann Perry says
OMGoodness! This is wonderful! I made it tonight, and my husband loved it. Will definitely make again.
Dee Williams says
Looks wonderful!! I can’t wait to try it!! I have found if you microwave it partially covered it will produce lots of liquid. You then stir it and finish it with the lid off and the liquid evaporates. If you have let it get too dry put the lid back on and it produces more liquid.
Mariam says
Have you tried making these in a mini waffle maker? Just wondering how that would turn out, and if it would make them less fragile. Maybe they would need more cheese to hold together?
Carolyn says
I’ve done something like that for my first cookbook, but the proportions were a bit different. Feel free to try!
Wendy says
Can you frozen cauliflower rice this recipe.
Carolyn says
I would think so, yes. Drain it well!