Spaghetti Squash Fritters

I am a gal who loves a good fritter! I am not terribly particular about what I’m “frittering” up, but some things are just begging to be made into a patty and fried. Spaghetti Squash Fritters were created after I had figured out that I could quickly make Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash. Where cooking spaghetti squash used to take 45 minutes to roast in the oven, I can now make in 7 minutes, and this opened up a world of last minute ideas for side dishes.

Spaghetti Squash Fritters are tender squash, mixed with spices, parmesan cheese and a couple of eggs. Oh so flavorful!

These delicious Spaghetti Squash Fritters were taken to a whole new level when I decided to fry them in bacon fat. I have fried in various oils in the past and they were very good. However, I was recently introduced to a new product called Bacon Up, which is a triple filtered bacon grease. Bacon Up sent me a sample to try and I was blown away with the amazing flavor. These were nothing short of exceptional! Neither my husband nor I could stop eating them!

To make these awesome Spaghetti Squash Fritters you are going to need to precook the spaghetti squash. I cut a medium squash in half, removed the seeds and placed it in the Instant Pot. See my Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash for quick instructions on how to cook your squash in the Instant Pot. Once the timer went off, I let it release pressure and then removed the squash with a large spoon. You will know it is done because the squash flesh is easily punctured and if you scratch the fork along the squash it begins to separate into strands that look like spaghetti. You will want to scrape the entire squash out and into a bowl.

Spaghetti Squash Fritters are crunchy on the outside and tender in the middle. They are low carb and can easily replace potato fritters on your low carb menu!

Once you have placed the squash strands into a bowl, you can add your remaining ingredients. I like to add granulated onion (you can use finely chopped onion if you prefer), granulated garlic, salt and pepper. I also add eggs for a binder and a little Otto’s Cassava flour so my family members with gluten intolerance can enjoy these as well. Parmesan cheese is a given and I like to add half ground parmesan and half shredded. This time I also added 2 tablespoons of melted Bacon Up to the mixture for an added smoky, bacon flavor.

Once your ingredients are well combined, you will want to heat a skillet and make sure it is nice and hot. I prefer to use an iron skillet because it conducts heat evenly. As my skillet is heating up, I added several heaping tablespoons of Bacon Up grease and let it melt and get up to temperature. You will then scoop a heaping tablespoon of the squash mixture, form it into a patty in your hand and carefully lay it into the hot grease and repeat with several more patties. Don’t overcrowd your pan or it is difficult to flip the Spaghetti Squash Fritters over without breaking them.

Let the the fritters cook until the edges are getting crispy and the patty is becoming golden brown. Once cooked, drain on a paper towel for a few minutes, being sure to salt as soon as they come out of the grease. Then place on a rack and put in the oven on warm while you cook the other fritters. If you do not eat all of the fritters, they’ll store well in an airtight container and you can then reheat them for a minute in the microwave later for another meal or quick snack.

I like to serve these Spaghetti Squash Fritters as a side dish, but we also eat them in place of potato pancakes for breakfast with a side of eggs or covered in pan gravy. These store well and are a delicious afternoon snack or eaten as a speedy lunch. Just heat in the microwave for 1 minute and enjoy! If you love fritters as much as I do, please feel free to check out my Ranch Zucchini Fritters. They are delicious!!

We love Spaghetti Squash Fritters, what is your favorite fritter?