These delicious spaghetti squash fritters taste almost exactly like potato pancakes. This easy 30-minute recipe takes advantage of leftover spaghetti squash, but if needed, you can quickly microwave the squash.
Spaghetti squash is a great alternative to starchy side dishes. The way you can rake its flesh to create pasta-like strands is magical. A fun way to use up leftover spaghetti squash is to make these fritters. I love making them for my family because everyone greatly enjoys them. Their flavor is remarkably similar to potato latkes!
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
- To season: Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried thyme. If you prefer fresh minced garlic, that's fine - you can use one or two cloves, depending on how garlicky you want the fritters to be.
- Cooked spaghetti squash: Microwave spaghetti squash is the easiest, but you can also bake spaghetti squash in the oven.
- Almond flour and grated Parmesan: These ingredients are thickening agents that make the fritters sturdier. The Parmesan also adds flavor and savoriness.
- Olive oil: Used for cooking the fritters. Sometimes, I cook the fritters in ghee.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Mix eggs and spices in a bowl. Add the spaghetti squash, almond flour, and Parmesan. The mixture should be fairly thick - look at the photo below to get an idea. Add more almond flour or Parmesan if it seems more watery (perhaps your squash wasn't as thoroughly drained as mine).
Place mounds of the mixture in hot olive oil.
Cook them until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side, over medium heat. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve.
These were so delicious! I had old cooked squash, so it was really dry. I think the dryness helped them stay together, because I had no trouble. Bang bang sauce was an excellent addition!
Emily
Read more comments
These were so delicious! I had old cooked squash, so it was really dry. I think the dryness helped them stay together, because I had no trouble. Bang bang sauce was an excellent addition!Recipe Tips
Drain the Squash Thoroughly
Measure or weigh the spaghetti squash after thoroughly draining it. Draining it ensures the fritters are crispy and do not fall apart. I cook it in the microwave, remove it to a colander to drain, and then place it between layers of paper towels and press on it to remove even more water, as shown in the photo below. The drier the strands are, the better the fritters will be.
Generally speaking, since we remove so much water from the strands, you will use almost an entire 2-pound spaghetti squash for this recipe. This size of squash should yield about 20 ounces of cooked strands. After thoroughly draining them, you’ll have about 12 ounces, and use 8 of them in this recipe. I keep the remaining strands and cook them in butter the next day to make spaghetti squash pasta.
Flip them Carefully
Despite adding almond flour and Parmesan cheese, these fritters are on the delicate side. So be gentle, especially when flipping them. I flip them with two wide spatulas, as shown in the photo below.
Recipe FAQs
I don't recommend that. The almond flour acts as a thickener and binder. It helps prevent the fritters from falling apart as you cook them, especially when you flip them. However, if you don't mind the carbs/gluten, you can use ¼ cup of all-purpose flour.
That's not recommended. Grated Parmesan is another ingredient that acts as a binder in this recipe, making the fritters sturdier.
Yes. Scoop the mounds onto a greased, parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Gently flatten them and coat them liberally with an olive oil spray. Bake them for 10-15 minutes in a preheated 400°F oven, until the bottom is set. Carefully flip, spray with more oil, and bake for 10-15 more minutes or until golden brown on both sides.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them in the microwave or in a 350°F oven. You can also freeze the completely cooled fritters in freezer bags for up to three months. If layering, separate the layers with wax paper to prevent sticking. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and reheat them in the microwave or in a 350°F oven.
Serving Suggestions
These fritters are delicious when topped with sour cream, as shown in the photo below:
You can serve them as a side dish, but they are hearty enough to serve as a main dish with an easy veggie side, such as microwave broccoli, sautéed spinach, or the simple tomato salad shown in the photo below.
Recipe Card
Spaghetti Squash Fritters
Video
Ingredients
- 3 eggs - large, lightly beaten
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 8 ounces spaghetti squash - cooked, thoroughly drained; 1 heaping cup; see notes below
- ½ cup almond flour - superfine; 2 ounces
- ½ cup Parmesan - grated; 1 ½ ounces
- ½ cup olive oil - for frying; see notes below
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, use a fork to mix the eggs, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried thyme.
- Mix the squash strands into the egg mixture.
- Add the almond flour and Parmesan. Mix well with a fork or rubber spatula to combine (see notes).
- Heat the oil in a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Spoon four mounds of the spaghetti squash mixture onto the skillet, measuring ¼ cup per fritter (I use a 4-tablespoon scoop). Lightly flatten the mounds with a spatula.
- Cook until golden brown, 3-4 minutes per side, flipping them carefully with two wide spatulas.
- Transfer the cooked fritters to a paper towel-lined plate, remix the batter, and cook the remaining fritters.
- Serve immediately, topped (if desired) with sour cream.
Notes
- About half the oil will remain in the skillet, and this is reflected in the nutrition info, but you need all of it to properly cook the fritters.
- The mixture should be fairly thick - look at the photo in step 3 above to get an idea of what it should look like. Add more almond flour or Parmesan if it seems more watery (perhaps your squash wasn't as thoroughly drained as mine).
- Measure or weigh the spaghetti squash after thoroughly draining it. Draining it ensures the fritters are crispy and do not fall apart. I cook it in the microwave, remove it to a colander to drain, and then place it between layers of paper towels and press on it to remove even more water. The drier the strands are, the better the fritters will be. Since we remove so much water from the strands, you will use almost an entire 2-pound spaghetti squash for this recipe. This size of squash should yield about 20 ounces of cooked strands. After thoroughly draining them, you’ll have about 12 ounces, and use 8 of them in this recipe. I keep the remaining strands and cook them in butter the next day to make spaghetti squash pasta.
- Despite adding almond flour and Parmesan cheese, these fritters are on the delicate side. So be gentle, especially when flipping them. I flip them with two wide spatulas.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them in the microwave or in a 350°F oven. You can also freeze the cooled leftovers in freezer bags for up to three months. If layering, separate the layers with wax paper to prevent sticking.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
K says
Could these be made in an air fryer?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi! I don't own an air fryer so I'm not sure. See the oven-baking instructions below - I believe the rule of thumb for converting to an air fryer is to reduce the temperature by 25°F and reduce the cooking time by about 25%. Check midway through and adjust. Use perforated high-heat parchment paper for air fryers. However, this would be an experiment, as I haven't tested it.
Baking instructions:
Scoop the mounds onto a greased, parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Gently flatten them and spray them liberally with olive oil. Bake them for 10-15 minutes in a preheated 400°F oven, until the bottom is set. Carefully flip, spray with more oil, and bake for 10-15 more minutes or until golden brown on both sides.
Emily says
These were so delicious! I had old cooked squash, so it was really dry. I think the dryness helped them stay together, because I had no trouble. Bang bang sauce was an excellent addition!
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Emily! Adding bang bang sauce sounds amazing.
chelsea says
I ended up using AP flour, petal parmesan, and only used 2 eggs instead of 3.. the little bits of cheesiness were delish they held up very well in the pan, basically melted in my mouth though which I'm not complaining about!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked these fritters, Chelsea!
Cookie says
No almond flour at my store. Regular ok?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Yes! The nutrition info will obviously change, and the fritters won't be gluten-free, but all-purpose flour works in this recipe as do breadcrumbs.
nana says
easy and tasty. I think next time I will make smaller fritters, they are very delicate and difficult to turn. But the flavor is well worth it.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm glad you liked them! It's true that making them smaller will make them easier to flip. Thank you for the comment!
Kelly says
Hi there, I was just wondering if you freeze these fritters? And, if so, how would you reheat them? Thanks! Kely
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Kelly,
Once fully cooled, you can freeze them in freezer bags for up to three months. If layering, separate the layers with wax paper to prevent sticking. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and reheat them in the microwave or in a 350°F oven.
Thank you for this question - I'll go ahead and add the info to the recipe.
Nomi says
By 'dry-grated' parmesan, do you mean the powdery kind that comes pre-grated in the green can or a plastic bag? If I have a chunk of parmesan and grate it by hand, will that still work in this recipe?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Nomi,
Grating by hand will make shredded parmesan, not finely grated. It's best to use pre-grated parmesan like this one.
Jaycee says
Can regular flour (i.e. wheat flour) be substituted for almond flour without negatively affecting the result?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Jaycee,
Yes! The nutrition info will obviously change, and the fritters won't be gluten-free, but all-purpose flour works in this recipe as do breadcrumbs.