Crispy on the outside, cheesy on the inside. These cauliflower cheddar fritters are packed full of vitamins and are delicious.
Ever since I began making cauliflower tots and cauliflower pizza my family has been in love with cauliflower. I’ve added it to our dinner routine in so many different ways but we just can’t seem to get enough!
I don’t mind the obsession at all, considering cauliflower is a super healthy vegetable and contains antioxidants and phytonutrients that can protect against cancer. It’s also high in fiber so it helps with satiety and weight loss. Hurry to healthy yummy food! So who’s complaining, right?! ????
To begin, boil the cauliflower for 8-10 minutes then process it in the food processor. This step can also be done by hand, to do this mince the cauliflower finely with a knife.
Next, combine the cauliflower with shredded cheddar, parmesan, eggs, breadcrumbs, and seasoning. Shape into patties and pan fry for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve with a side of sour cream, ketchup, chipotle sauce, avocado sauce, or your favorite dipping sauce! They work well for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Cauliflower Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, or a 16 oz bag of frozen cauliflower
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup bread crumbs, panko or italian, I used panko
- 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning, optional
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, more of less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic or onion powder
- olive or canola oil
Instructions
- Cut cauliflower into florets and cook in boiling water until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain, then process the cauliflower in the food processor until it become the texture of rice. This can also be done using a knife.
- Combine the minced cauliflower, cheeses, eggs, breadcrumbs, and seasoning.
- Heat skillet to medium/high heat. Coat with oil (about 1/2 inch) Form cauliflower mixture into patties about 3 inches across.
- Cook until golden brown & set, about 3-4 minutes per side. Enjoy with sour cream or your favorite dipping sauce!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The flavor is good but the technique needs to be changed in order to have a more predictable outcome. They are way too delicate and fall apart when trying to fry. The answer to this problem is to put them in an air fryer. Once I had them patted out as firmly as I could get them onto a piece of parchment paper, and no larger than 3 inches across, I gently used the parchment to flip one onto a spatula and transferred it to my Ninja Foodi. (There is only enough room to do 3 at a time so it takes awhile to get through the whole batch). Cook them on 400 degrees for 10 minutes flipping them over after 7minutes and continuing for the 3 more. This eliminates all the oil as well. I thought they tasted extra good with some Texas Pete sauce. I did not wring the water out of my cauliflower but I did let it cool down so there wasn’t any extra water with the steam.
Panko or breadcrumbs not on a low carb diet can use pork rind crumbs
Can also use almond flour. Also quite a few zucchini fritter recipes with almond flour and about 2 net grams of carbs. Let the mixture sit for a few so the almond flour can soak up some moisture.
This recipe was delicious. I did make some changes…
*used a head of cauliflower washed and ground up fine in a food processor
*used some left over hoagie buns also ground fine in food processor
*used pepper jack cheese
* I also added some steak seasoning (I it that on everything)
I did fry them in olive oil and let the oil get hot it they were perfect. It only took about 10 minutes to cook since my cauliflower was so fine
so I just made these used half the califlower same amount of cheese 2 eggs and about 2 tablespoon flour. Came out beautifully, didn’t fall apart, cooled the califlower down a little before mixing it with the crumbs and eggs and cheese . then made 7 patties.
Good to hear!
I made this a few hours ahead of time,I let it sit in the fridge, until I was ready to cooked it, was not wet at all…they were great tasting, Will make them again
I followed the recipe, and they turned out very good , delicious recipe, but from what I am reading from the reviews that some are having trouble when frying , the patties falls apart, well what I did, after dicing the Cauliflower, I squeezed the liquid out of the cauliflower by pressing with my hands , than I added all the ingredients, and they did not fall apart at all when frying. Thank you for this great recipe
Thanks for the feedback, Helen. Happy you enjoyed the fritters <3
Could rice flower be used instead of Panko?
I haven’t tried that but please do update us if you try it out!
I am wondering if pork rind panko instead of bread crumbs will work in keeping with keto?
I followed the recipe but I substituted the Pablo for almond flour and added an extra egg. I did air fry it for 30 min. Came out great they just stuck only a little to the pan next time I’ll make sure to spray it w non stick .
But it’s def a better choice than frying . Thank you
Thank you so much! I was wondering what to substitute bread crumbs with, low carb version. Will make it in the air fry. Thanks!
A couple helpful thoughts on this recipe:
– 25 minutes is not nearly how long it takes. Definitely at least an hour, so don’t let that fool you. But I think the work is worth it!
– Yes, these are likely to fall apart. Frustrating. But by my third batch, I felt I had it down OK. So…
– I recommend cooking 3 MAX at a time. The nature with frying anything is the more you put in the pan on the stove, the harder it is to cook. With this recipe, I get my best fritters when I only cook 2 at a time. Gotta be patient.
– Make sure you heat up your oil pretty hot. The first batch of anything fried usually is a test run. But waiting for the oil to heat up really helps.
– Next time I might try making the centers just a bit thinner and the edges a bit thicker. The outsides are always really quick to cook.
Hope that helps!
I read all the posts about the ways of dealing with the patties falling apart. I had no problems. I made sure the oil was heated before placing a small flat patty in the pan. I did not touch them until I saw browning edges. I used 2 spatulas to turn over. Fried for
only a couple more minutes. Used 2 spatulas to remove from pan onto paper towel to soak up oil..
worked great
Thanks for the tips and detailed feedback!
I just finished my 1st ever batch and WOW! SO good. I followed the recipes ingredients for the most part but tweaked it a little. I added 1/3 cup more cheddar cheese,about 10- 15 mashed thawed tater tots, added an extra egg and some chopped onions.
To avoid burning, cook on medium to medium high. To totally prevent crumbling, do NOT touch the patties until they’re brown around the edges and then be extra careful when flipping them. I followed this advice in another members txt and it worked perfect. They turned out looking just like the pictures and taste SO yummy! Woo hoo!
I made these and they were a mess! They fell apart at the slightest touch. They basically turned into cauliflower cheese scramble.
Next time I would squeeze the liquid out of the cauliflower using a cheese cloth which is what I do for my cauliflower crust.
These cauliflower fritters have a delicious taste, however mine crumbled and fell apart while frying even after adding additional eggs and bread crumbs. I think the problem was too much moisture in the boiled cauliflower. Next time I will rice the raw cauliflower and quick fry it till slightly browned then add it to the other ingredients. This should eliminate the excess moisture and hopefully they will hold together.
PS: I added them crumbled to a lettuce wrap with an Ahi tuna patty recipe also on Pinterest. Delicious!!!
Absolutely delicious! Made 2 dozen for Thanksgiving and there were no leftovers. Working on a vegan version for a friend 🙂
I haven’t tried these yet but am anxious to do so. I noticed the nutrition information says “52kcal”. Surely, that is not meant to be interpreted as 52,000 calories!?!
Oh, no – “”kilocalorie” is the same thing as what we usually just call a “calorie” – it’s the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celcius. (Originally, the “small calorie” is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water, by one degree Celcius. It’s almost never used anymore outside of chemistry or physics labs.) So these are 52 “dietician’s calories” each.
Cannot get it print???
There is a print button on the top of the page and under the recipe box. What browser are you using?
lOve these. To combat crumbling i added 1 more egg, made thick, rolled in panko, and baked on oiled foil lined pan at 400degrees for 45 minutes. No problEm turning but only made 9 patties. They are delicious.
Would frozen riced cauliflower work in this recipe if it was thawed FIRSt? This looks like a great recipe & i love to cook, but sometimes I get lazy or am rushed & dont want to take the time for the “extra” steps. Cant wait to try these.
Yes, it should work as long as it’s thawed through.
Delicious. Quite rich. Crucial to squeeze moisture from cauliflower rice. Added green onions and only used 1.5 eggs. Corn flake panko was perfect. Served with avocado/cilantro/lime dressing. Yum!
these look delicious. Can’t wait to try them.
ThEse are so good. I Did bake them on 375 15 min on each side tather than frying them.
Can you bake instead of frYing ?
Very yummy! I am not much of a vegetable eater but i did enjoy these. Making the patties and frying them was a little labor intensive especially since i made a double batch. I dont know what i was thinking when i made that decision.
Haha, yes lots of work!
These look amazing! Thank you. Do you have fiber/net carb info? Newly diagnosed diabetic, trying to figure it out.
There are about 4 carbs per fritter and 1 fiber making them 3 net carbs per fritter. I hope that helps!
I made these, they were great !!! I substituted one cup of almond flour for the panko ahd boy they were really good….will cook often. thank you
Hi
Pls tell me macro for cauliflower Cheddar Fritters
Carb
Calorie
Fat
Protein
Yes, I updated the post to reflect the macros. The nutritional info box should be found right under the recipe instructions.
I’ve been waiting FOR A FRIED CAULIFLOWER RECIPE WITH CHEDDAR IN IT! i’VE HAD A BAG OF RICED CAULIFLOWER IN THE FREEZER FOR MONTHS JUST WAITING FOR THIS. tHANKS!
We added sauteed onions and red and green peppers, with a clove of garlic. They were delicious.
Couldn’t get The fritters to work at all so I threw it all in a pan, added more cheese, ate it like rice.
It was tasty, just sad I couldn’t Get it to work as a fritter.
Am new at the keyo life change
And loving it. My sugar went from
Hig 250 to 110
Admittedly, I have not tried this yet, However, Try letting the eggs get to room temp. Then whisk well. When all ingredients are rm. Temp, the blend together better. .(a general rule used in baking breads and cakes) Also, Maybe(?) Try chopping the caulflour finer(?) …just a thought.
These fritters are wonderful. I added a little green onion and some garlic powder. So so very good!
My first me to recipe to try. I added hidden valley ranch dry dressing, parmesan cheese, Mexican shredded cheese, chives, parsley a and salt and pepper…I left out the cayenne, garlic and onion powders and I used corn starch instead of bread crumbs. They were a huge hit! Thank you
I tried the recipe it went pretty well I don’t have the best skillet so I had a little stickiness going on but overall pretty good and tasty. I did use cauliflower rice a 12 oz bag. My friends all Rave about their air fryers and wonder if this would work in one of those. It would be nice to have less oil
What is the serving size for these??
The nutritional info is per patty. 2-3 is a good serving size.
Just tried these this morning. First batch was pretty good. I found smaller cakes were easier to flip and didn’t break apart as did the larger one I made. I let sit a bit longer for the mixture to set up and added onions. Second batch was even better. I’ll make these again soon.
Made these tonite,they were very tasty.
What could you use instead of breadcrumbs to make this keto friendly?
I would sub in almond/coconut flour
Crushed pork rinds work well too.
Oats ground up kinda fine? Not sure.
I made these tonight and they were delicious and addicting ! I did add an add’t 1/4 c of bread crumbs-used the Italian bread crumbs. And cooked them in coconut oil. They browned nicely and did not fall apart. Easy ! We dipped some in chili sauce and some in sour cream as we couldn’t decide! Would be good with green onion or bacon crumbled really small too!
Thanks for sharing!
Can you use frozen cauliflower?
Never mind I reread the ingredients. 🙂
They tasted good but completely fell apart in the pan. Its possible that draining with a cheesecloth and an extra egg would help.
Yes, one more egg (3 total) Fry each side for 10 mins medium heat, and definitely 2 spatulas to help turn
Made these tonight. The mixture was pretty quick to throw together but they took a very long time to cook properly. It was a real challenge getting the heat just right and not being able to turn them over to check them or they fall apart. I spent a good 1 1/2 hours slowly cooking them. (Although if not hot enough they don’t brown up) However the kids ate them and they tasted great so it was worth the 2 hours.
I am new to cooking. I added three eggs and they turned out perfect. I used two spatulas to turn them over in my cast iron skillet.
Maybe try crushed pork rinds? 🙂
To everyone whose fritters are falling apart, here’s a little tip; maybe try cooking your cauliflower a little bit longer to make it soft and stick with your other ingredients. Hope that helps. 🙂
The pictures look wonderful. Please tell methe portion size, I didn’t see it listed. Thanks
I made these tonight for the first time and they were sooooooooo good! Even my husband who is skeptical of cauliflower and my three year old who is skeptical of everything gobbled them up. I am doing THM so used an almond flour “bread crumb” recipe but otherwise made directly as written. Definitely will be a staple for us! Oh, and my grocery store has bags of already riced cauliflower which made this recipe even easier. Thanks!
May I ask, Did you cook your bag of fresh cauliflower rice before adding other ingredients??? Thank You…
I didn’t use bread crumbs or flour and they worked fine. They seemed a little sticky so I added more cauliflower and they were perfect. I haven’t tried them with flour, breadcrumbs or panko so I bet they are super crispy that way, but you can make them totally without any breading if you are avoiding white flour.
Try crushed pork rinds in place of bread crumbs.
One more egg makes a big difference and so does the level of heat on your stove and how long you fry it for! If yours are breaking apart, leave them in the pan longer- I found this to be the key and my fritters turned out looking just like the picture. This receipt is delicious!
Thanks for the tips, Anna!
Really simple recipe, very tasty. I added an extra egg as advised by others. Cooked beautifully in my sandwich maker (AKA George Foreman grill) with almost no oil at all.
Trish… how long did you cook them for in your GF??
trying to stay away from fried items. do you think this would work baked? and how long do you think you would need to cook them for?
I haven’t tried baking them but they should be good backed too. Be sure to grease the baking sheet well or use parchment paper so they don’t stick.
I was shocked when my cauliflower averse daughter sent me this recipe and said “I’d eat this” – so I made them immediately – they were absolutely fantastic!!! I followed the recipe exactly with one substitution – my daughter also has an allergy to eggs – so I substituted 2 Vegan Eggs (brand name) – it’s about the equivalent of 1 cup of liquid and the texture, consistency and taste were perfect! Thanks for getting cauliflower back on the menu in our house!
Yum, glad your daughter enjoyed them and thanks for the tips!
To make these lower carb, I substituted the panko bread crumbs with 3/4 cup almond flour plus 2 tablespoons coconut flour, and added an additional egg. They held together a little delicately, but fried up nice and brown and held together nicely. No problem eating with your fingers and dipping them, no falling apart at all. They were absolutely delicious!
Great idea! thanks for letting us know 🙂
I knew as soon as I mixed everything together that I was going to have trouble with the patties falling apart. So I added am extra egg and some plain nonfat Greek yogurt and it helped everything stick together pretty well. Mine didn’t look as perfect as the ones pictured but for the most part they stayed together. The flavor was great!
I just made these, and will make again! Taste like potato pancakes but easier to make! I added just a little bit of diced onion for flavor, and I added an extra egg to help them stay together since others said they had trouble. My only issue was mine came out a little dark, maybe too much heat? Hopefully can get more golden next time around 🙂 Anyway, great recipe, thanks very much!
These were so disappointing. They taste really good, but they completely blew apart in the frying pan I think next time I’l put the mixture into a casserole dish and put it in the oven.
Sorry about the confusing, you can use less panko if needed.
These fritters are delicious, although I had a really hard time keeping them together so mine turned out really small and still are fragile. Any tips?
I just made these, but keto-ified. I substituted the 1 cup breadcrumbs with a mixture of 1/4 cup flaxseed meal, 1/4 cup coconut flour, and 1 tbs. ground parmesan. They turned out so yummy, thank you for the recipe!
The carb count seems way off to me if you’re using bread crumbs. 1 cup of breadcrumbs has 78 carbs. I love this recipe but want to be able to make it keto-friendly.
Instead of bread crumbs I used pork rinds which you can grind up.
78/24 servings is 3.25, so the carb count isn’t really off!
I followed the recipe….and as good as it sounded….I could not get it to come out nearly as perfect.
These are so stinking good!!!! I could have ate the entire batch by myself 🙂 Thanks for sharing this recipe.
These fritters are SO genius, Layla! I can think of so many awesome things to top these gorgeous little babies with! 🙂