Keto Zucchini Fritters are an easy and delicious low carb side dish. They are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. And I provide two two mouthwatering flavor variations!
I’ve been making these Keto Zucchini Fritters for over a decade now and I look forward to them every summer. Our zucchini plants tend to go wild toward the end of July and I scramble to keep up.
I make several and freeze batches of Zucchini Lasagna and Keto Zucchini Bread. And I never say no to some Keto Chocolate Zucchini Cake. But these easy fritters are a family favorite.
We also like to play with the flavors and add-ins. We always add some sort of cheese and some herbs and spices. So I am giving you two delicious flavor options. Feel a little more Mediterranean? Try the Feta & Green Onion. Prefer a Southwestern flair? Then the Cheddar Jalapeno Fritters are for you!
Why you will love this recipe
Not only is this recipe a great way to use up zucchini, but it’s versatile too! They make an excellent keto side dish, but they can also be serves as appetizers. And they are fabulous for breakfast or brunch with a fried egg on top.
They really aren’t hard to make, but you do need to take some care when flipping them. They also store nicely in the fridge and can even be frozen.
And these keto zucchini fritters have only 3g net carbs per serving. So you can dig in and enjoy!
Reader Reviews
“Absolutely delicious! I am making the jalapeño ones next and will be making these again and again. Thanks so much for the recipe” — Beth
“Those jalapeño fritters rocked my world! Such a great flavor and didn’t last long at our house. I will definitely be making these again.” — Julie
“These were fantastic! My kids ate them and had no idea they were eating zucchini!” — Stephanie
Ingredients you need
- Zucchini: Make sure you salt and drain the zucchini, then squeeze it to remove most of the moisture.
- Crushed pork rinds: You could also use almond flour.
- Coconut flour: This helps bind the fritters and soak up any excess moisture.
- Eggs: Eggs help hold the fritters together better. Oil for pan frying: Both coconut oil and avocado oil are good choices. Keep in mind that coconut oil has a stronger flavor while avocado oil is more neutral.
- Fritter recipe option 1: Crumbled feta, green onions, ground marjoram, pepper and salt.
- Fritter recipe option 2: Shredded cheddar cheese, jalapeños, garlic powder, cumin and salt.
Step by Step Directions
1. Prep the zucchini: Place the zucchini in a fine-mesh sieve and sprinkle with the salt. Toss a few times and let drain 1 hour, then tranfer to a tea towel and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
2. Prep the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the pork rinds, coconut flour, marjoram, and pepper. Stir in the crumbled feta and green onions (Option 1) or the cheddar and jalapeños (Option 2).
3. Add the zucchini: Mix in the zucchini and eggs until the batter comes together. Using your hands, form the mixture into 6 even patties.
4. Fry up the fritters: In a large skillet over medium heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once hot, add the fritters and let cook until golden brown on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip over and cook on the second side until golden brown.
5. Drain the fritters: Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain a few minutes before serving. Delicious with sour cream or yogurt.
Tips for Success
Drain well and squeeze: One of the keys to any successful zucchini fritter recipe is to reduce as much moisture as possible. So you want to salt that shredded zucchini and let it drain for at least an hour. Then wrap it all up in a tea towel and make like a boa constrictor, squeezing it to death.
Keto fillers: Using crushed pork rinds really made a huge difference. Because they naturally contain collagen, they swell with added liquid and they get thick, creating a thicker batter and better consistency. The fritters held together much better in the pan, especially when trying to flip them over.
Interestingly, I found that the Cheddar Zucchini Fritters were easier to flip than the Feta Zucchini Fritters. I think the melting cheddar also helps bind them together.
If you prefer, you can still use almond flour and coconut flour. Just understand that they may not hold together quite as well.
Don’t use butter for frying: I tried a couple of different fats for frying the zucchini fritters. Since they take a bit to cook through, both butter and ghee went brown too quickly. It leaves the outside too dark while the center is still a bit mushy. You want an oil that can withstand the high heat for 10 minutes without browning or burning.
The fritters will soak up a lot of the oil so if you are doing them in batches, you will need to add more oil to the pan. You should be able to do all 6 fritters in one 12-inch pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! These keto zucchini fritters freeze very well. Transfer cooked and cooled fritters in a freezer safe airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. To reheat, you can warm in the microwave. You can also reheat in an oven, toaster or quickly pan fry on the stove with a little oil.
These keto zucchini fritters use crushed pork rinds instead of flour. You can also use almond flour. Either way, I like to add a little coconut flour because helps soak up excess moisture.
This keto zucchini fritters recipe has 4.8g of carbs and 1.8g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3g net carbs per fritter.
More savory keto zucchini recipes
Keto Zucchini Fritters Recipe
Ingredients
Zucchini Fritters with Feta and Green Onion
- 2 cups (248 g) finely shredded zucchini
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (28 g) crushed pork rinds
- 3 tbsp (21.3 g) coconut flour
- 1 tsp ground marjoram
- 3/4 tsp pepper
- 1 cup (150 g) crumbled feta
- 2 medium green onions, chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 2 to 3 tbsp Coconut oil or avocado oil for the pan
Cheddar Jalapeno Zucchini Fritters
- 2 cups (248 g) finely shredded zucchini
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup crushed pork rinds
- 3 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded cheddar cheese, (4 ounces)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 to 2 medium jalapenos, (finely minced)
- 2 to 3 tbsp Coconut or avocado oil for the pan
Instructions
Zucchini Fritters with Feta and Green Onion
- Place the zucchini in a fine-mesh sieve and sprinkle with the salt. Toss a few times and let drain 1 hour, then tranfer to a tea towel and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pork rinds, coconut flour, marjoram, and pepper. Stir in the crumbled feta and green onions.
- Add the zucchini and the eggs and mix until the batter comes together. Using your hands, form the mixture into 6 even patties.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once hot, add the fritters and let cook until golden brown on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip over and cook on the second side until golden brown.
- Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain a few minutes before serving. Delicious with sour cream or yogurt.
Cheddar Jalapeno Zucchini Fritters
- Proceed as above, replacing the marjoram with the garlic powder and cumin, and the feta and green onion with the cheddar and jalapeno.
Notes
Total fat: 14.1g
Carbohydrate: 4.1g
Total dietary fiber: 1.8g
Protein: 16.4g
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Happy Friday! Just letting you know I featured this recipe for my weekly Low-Carb Recipe Love on Fridays post. I hope a lot of my readers will click over and try your recipe; looks great!
Thanks, Kalyn!
I found the oregano over powered everything else. Couldn’t even taste the feta. Next time I will leave that out.
Excellent-made these just now and they are so delicious. I shredded the zucchini yesterday then got sidetracked and just made them now. Overnighting zucchini in fridge was no problem. I didn’t have marjoram on hand so I subbed thyme. Thanks for this yummy side dish that’s using up the summer zucchini.
We liked these so much I featured them on my blog promoting vegetarian and Krishna conscious recipes! Check it out here: http://discoveryourselfinyoga.blogspot.com/p/vegetarian-recipes.html
Thanks!
If you’re not vegetarian, add a can of drained wild salmon to make these into a main dish. Mix some crumbled feta with herbs (especially dill) and plain Greek yogurt for a quick and tasty sauce.
Oh yum, nice idea! I adore salmon. Did you see my salmon giveaway going on right now? Well, it’s not for the salmon itself, but for some cedar planks to grill it.
Hope you don’t mind answering a question from an older post. Do you remove the zucchini skin before grating?
Thanks.
No, I never do. I like it.
Thanks, Carolyn. Excited to make your fritters.
Served these with dinner tonight – they were delicious and filling, and prep was so quick and easy! We devoured ours with tzatziki sauce, but I think next time we’ll go with your suggestion, as the tzatziki was a little overwhelming.
Prepared these for dinner late last week and they were a huge hit. I even ate one of the leftovers cold, straight from the fridge. Yum! I thought I was making them small enough, but I only ended up with 8.
I will definitely be making these again soon.
8 big ones sounds good to me anyway!
I really, really don’t want to go to the store…I normally don’t like messing with a recipe the first time around but I don’t have coconut flour on hand. Do you have any suggestions for a substitution? I just bought some feta with Mediterranean herbs yesterday and I think it would be amazing in these!
How about 1/4 cup almond flour? I think that would work.
I ended of just making them with no binding agents other than eggs (the cheese helped too as it melted) they were great! I will be picking up some coconut flour to keep on hand the next time I go shopping though. Then I’ll make them again the proper way 🙂
The coconut flour is more for making them a bit drier, not as “eggy”…but so glad it worked your way too.
Nice. I may have to change a thing or two to make this Paleo.
I just made these for breakfast. YUM! What a fantastic idea to add the feta; that takes it over the top.
I’m a feta lover too, these fritter sounds right up my alley!
I made these last night – they came out great! Total hit – will make again. I only got 10 small fritters out of it though… Might add more zucchini next time.
That definitely doesn’t sound like enough fritters! 🙂
I am so hungry looking at these! I am loving your version of zucchini fritters, they look perfect!
Oh yes… these look so perfect and crispy. The feta is a lovely addition!
Do you have to us coconut flour for this recipe?
No, but I think the texture may change some without it.
I can’t get coconut flour. The texture may change but what about I use plain flour. I don’t need gluten free.
Sure, that would work!