These bacon zucchini fritters are sponsored by Jones Dairy Farm and all opinions are my own as always.
These savory bacon zucchini fritters are easy to make, packed with veggies and downright addicting! They’re delicious served as a side dish or appetizer with homemade ranch dip. These healthy fritters are also paleo, Whole30 friendly, gluten free and dairy free.
Is it any secret I’ve been zucchini obsessed lately?! Not if you happen to follow me on Instagram, where I’ve been digging out all my old favorite zucchini recipes and experimenting with new ones!
Today? We’re going savory all the way with these bacon zucchini fritters. Super simple to make, totally satisfying, and even kid approved – if you can believe it.
Hey, when we add bacon to green things, it sure helps with the kid-friendly factor, at least in my experience. It’s amazing what a little bacon can get kids (and husbands) to eat!
To make my bacon zucchini fritters Whole30, I used sugar-free Whole30 compliant bacon from Jones Dairy Farm. As you all know, I have lots of love for bacon, and when I find a new sugar-free Whole30 compliant bacon, it’s time to celebrate!
For all of you Whole30’ers out there, I know you’re right there with me. Finding Whole30 friendly bacon and sausage just makes meals a whole lot more fun, tasty, and exciting to sit down to!
Jones Dairy Farm makes crispy, delicious uncured, sugar-free bacon that’s perfect for so many Whole30 recipes. I also love their sugar-free pork sausage (used in my sausage leek & spinach quiche) and fully-cooked chicken, pork and turkey sausage to throw into quick meals.
Since Jones Dairy Farm has new line of Antibiotic Free, Paleo Certified products contain NO sugar or preservatives, they’re perfect for paleo and Whole30 recipes.
In addition to bacon, they also make several sugar-free sausage varieties, ham, and more. Definitely check out their website to browse their amazing products and find out where you can purchase!
For the ingredients, we also have zucchini (of course), an egg, a mix of coconut and tapioca flour (so they’re nut-free too!) and seasonings.
If you haven’t “sweat” zucchini before, no worries. It’s easy and only requires time to allow the zucchini to sit, and a will to squeeze out every last bit of water.
Seriously though, “sweating: the zucchini is super simple: you place shredded zucchini in a collander over a bowl, salt it, then walk away and do something else for at least 20 minutes.
When you return, you’ll squeeze ALL the water out using paper towels, a nut milk bag, cheesecloth, or just a clean dish towel. Squeeze squeeze squeeze – there’s no such thing as getting TOO much water out of the zucchini!
This “sweating” step is essential to make fritters that stick together, fry up perfectly and that aren’t a soggy mess. Don’t worry (and no need to take notes), I’ll explain the sweating process once again in the recipe box 🙂
I made my fritters small, since a.) they’re great bite size (or 2-bite size!) and b.) they’re easy to flip that way. I used a medium cookie scoop when frying them, and flattened them a bit once they were in the pan.
For dips, I highly recommend that you try my homemade ranch! Even my homemade mayo alone is a delicious dip for these fritters. You can also try out my avocado ranch or chipotle ranch. As you can see I have quite the soft spot for anything ranch!
I hope you’re ready for these crazy addicting bacon zucchini fritters! You’re going to love them – let’s shred up our zucchini and get started!
Bacon Zucchini Fritters {Paleo, Whole30}
Bacon Zucchini Fritters {Paleo, Whole30}
These savory bacon zucchini fritters are easy to make, packed with veggies and downright addicting! They're delicious served as a side dish or appetizer with homemade ranch dip. These tasty fritters are also paleo, Whole30 friendly, gluten free and dairy free.
Ingredients
- 4 cups grated/shredded zucchini about 2-3 medium
- 3/4 tsp salt to “sweat” the zucchini
- 6 Slices Sugar Free Bacon from Jones Dairy Farm
- 2 Tbsp coconut flour
- 2 Tbsp arrowroot flour
- 1 large egg whisked
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2-3 Tbsp cooking fat - rendered bacon fat ghee, or coconut oil
Instructions
Sweat the Zucchini (most important step!):
-
To “sweat” the shredded zucchini, place it in a collander, then place the collander over a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and allow it to sit that way for at least 20 minutes - the longer it sits, the more water is drawn out.
-
After the 20 mins or longer, gently rinse zucchini to remove excess salt (not mandatory, but recommended if you’re salt-sensitive)
-
Then, squeeze/wring out remaining water using paper towels, a clean dish towel cheesecloth, or even a nut milk bag. This step is very important to avoid soggy fritters! Squeeze out as much water as possible, then squeeze one more time for good luck 😉
Make the Bacon:
-
While the zucchini sweats, cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp, then drain and crumble, set aside. Reserve 2 Tbsp of the fat if desired for frying the fritters.
Prep & Fry the Fritters:
-
In a large bowl, mix together the prepared zucchini, crumbled bacon, coconut flour, arrowroot, egg, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. If you rinsed the zucchini, you may want to season with a bit more salt to suit your taste (although the bacon adds saltiness too!)
-
Heat a large skillet over medium heat (non-stick is helpful), then add 1 Tbsp cooking fat (you’ll use 1 Tbsp per batch)
-
Scoop the mixture in heaping Tbsps (you can use a medium cookie scoop) into the hot skillet and gently press down to about 1/2” thickness. The smaller size makes these delicate fritters easier to flip.
-
Once the first side is golden brown, which should take about 2-3 mins, carefully flip using a wide spatula - this one is my favorite. Fry on the second side another 2-3 minutes until golden grown, lowering heat a bit if necessary. Carefully remove to a wire rack while you make additional batches.
-
Make sure to adjust heat between batches if necessary to avoid burning the fritters, and add an additional Tbsp cooking fat before each new batch.
-
Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce - such as my homemade ranch, mayo, or chipotle ranch. Enjoy!
Nutrition
VISIT JONES DAIRY FARMS WEBSITE TO CHECK OUT THEIR ALL NATURAL, SUGAR FREE SAUSAGE, BACON, HAM AND MORE!
Want More Paleo and Whole30 side dish recipe? Try one of these!
Garlic Parsnip Fries with Bacon Aioli
Bacon Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Crispy Sweet Potato Fries with BBQ Ranch Dip
Tostones (Twice Fried Plantains) with Avocado Ranch Dip
Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Paleo Running Momma!
Do you think these would freeze & reheat well? They look divine!
Omg I’m in love with these!! I’m concerned that my numbers don’t match yours. I’ve scanned the labels of the ingredients and my carbs are way higher than yours. Can you share the carb content of each ingredient that you’ve used? Maybe I need to switch to a different brand of something.
These are sooooo good! I added some shredded carrots to them. Next time I will double… or triple the recipe!!
Anything you can replace coconut flour with? Have a friend with coconut allergy
Delicious! I skipped the bacon, but added some minced onion and carrot. Salted the zucchini and let it rest for close to an hour. Rinsed and squeezed dry in a nut milk bag. Served with a homemade cashew/hemp sour cream and apple sauce. Tasted just like potato pancakes!!! This is a keeper!! Thanks for a great recipe.
I just made these for the first time, and they may be my favorite Whole 30 recipe of all time! Don’t know if my family likes them, because I’m not sharing!
Hi! Can I substitute all almond flour for the other two?
How many sugars and fibers are in this recipe per serving. I need this to calculate my net carbs, because I am following KETO.
Has anyone baked these? If so go did they turn out and at what temp/ how long?
Made these a long time ago and brought them back for my non vegetable eating 2 year old. SHE ATE IT!!!! While the process of making zucchini into a fritter is tedious and more labor some than other veggies, I’m happy to do that to get some green in my kiddo. thank you!