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!):
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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.
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After the 20 mins or longer, gently rinse zucchini to remove excess salt (not mandatory, but recommended if you’re salt-sensitive)
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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:
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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:
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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!)
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat (non-stick is helpful), then add 1 Tbsp cooking fat (you’ll use 1 Tbsp per batch)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
Love, Loved these and will be making them a lot!! thank you for sharing
My family loves these! I am planning on making them for company coming up and wondering if it works to make them ahead of time and then warm them in the oven or do they get mushy then?
This was amazing!! I didn’t have any arrow root flour, so just doubled up
On the coconut, still turned out wonderful. Even my more picky eater husband went for seconds. Thanks for inspiring me to cook more healthy!
Amazing !!! I didn’t have arrowroot or coconut flour. Used almond flour. Amazing, my husband nailed these after coming in from shoveling.
Nobody in my family liked these 🙁 I make similar with no bacon but add corn, kids would eat them this way. In this recipe, bacon looses its crispiness, and the fritters are soft even if you squeeze most of the liquid.
Could not print to tryout
What would you do/use to replace the egg? We are Top 8 free.
Another easy and delicious recipe that our entire family loved! You are helping us use all the zucchini from our garden in a yummy way. We love how you have your website organized and are excited to try lots of your other recipes. Thanks again!
These were really good but glad I aided cayenne pepper otherwise I think they would have been a little under seasoned.
You need to smash them down so they get crispy and cook inside
What if I don’t have access to arrow root?