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 finely shredded zucchini
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup crushed pork rinds
- 3 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon ground marjoram
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- 2 medium green onions chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 2 to 3 tablespoon Coconut oil or avocado oil for the pan
Cheddar Jalapeno Zucchini Fritters
- 2 cups finely shredded zucchini
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup crushed pork rinds
- 3 tablespoon coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 to 2 medium jalapenos (finely minced)
- 2 to 3 tablespoon 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
Cheryl Alvino says
These look sooo good!! Like potato pancakes, but much healthier..can’t wait to try another of your wonderful recipes!! The Zucchini bread is awesome, I used nuts instead of chocolate chips Yummy!!
Carrie Dack says
Is the 2 cup measurement of shredded zucchini before or after removing the water?
Carolyn says
Before. It’s always before, since the instructions have you taking those two cups, salting them, and draining them.
Carrie says
Thank you. Making them tonight ????
Keri says
Would this work with frozen zucchini? I’ve been shredding and freezing since I have so much zucchini.
Carolyn says
As long as it’s properly drained, I can’t see why not.
Debra Henderson says
made the feta green onion fritters today. super YUM!
Michele says
Yum. While reading this I thought – how about replacing the zucchini with spinach, a deconstructed spanakopita? Hmmm
Cass says
I going to try making these Lebanese/Turkish style: no cheese, plenty dill and deep fried. Served with dill Greek yoghurt. Fingers crossed they don’t break up????
Claire B says
We wanted to have something fun for our New Year’s Taco Soup, so I made these! They are a hit! So easy to put together and quick to cook. We’ll have these again!
Thank you!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear that!
Kathy Cooke says
I made the feta and onion version, which were excellent, especially with a little creme fraiche on top. I substituted the marjoram for 2/3 of the amount of dried oregano, and subbed minced red onion for the green onion. I made a double batch to get 13 cakes of 1/3 cup each. Very good! Will reheat in the toaster oven nicely. Came out to 200 calories each and 3g net carbs. Hooray!
Sally says
Would these freeze well?
Carolyn says
Probably!
Katie says
These look incredible! Can’t wait to try!
Melissa says
So good! We will make these again soon!
Cheryl S says
you had me at feta!!
Sara Welch says
What a fun and delicious recipe! These will be great to serve with dinner tonight! My kids will love these!
Jennifer says
SO yummy! Will be making these over and over!
Stephanie says
These were fantastic! My kids ate them and had no idea they were eating zucchini!
Beth Brooks says
Zucchini Time
The moisture can be greatly reduced by scraping out the seeks before shredding..
Rachael Yerkes says
These are so good!
Julie says
Those jalapeno fritters rocked my world! Such a great flavor and didn’t last long at our house. I will definitely be making these again.
Billy says
These fritters are incredible! We served them up as appetizers and they were a huge hit! Thanks.
Krissy Allori says
These sound amazing! I’m looking forward to trying them. I love pork rinds!