This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These Cauliflower Fritters are a healthy-ish makeover of the bar-and-grill fritters staple, lightly fried with olive oil, instead of deep fried. They work well as an appetizer for a gathering or even for lunch or dinner on top of a large salad!
This recipe is from the Two Peas and Their Pod cookbook by Maria Lichty. She has been blogging with her husband for 10 years, so there has been much anticipation for this cookbook. It’s all about real recipes with real ingredients that really work! And I’m all about that!
Cauliflower is one of those super versatile veggies that is popping up and being swapped in so many recipes. I’ve used it to make Cauliflower Rice, Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, and Cauliflower Alfredo. And Maria uses it as a base instead of potatoes in these cauliflower fritters. When all the other ingredients are added, it’s really hard to distinguish between grated cauliflower and grated potatoes!
How to make cauliflower fritters
Place the cauliflower into a food processor and process until finely grated. You can also use a box grater. It will look like couscous. Then cook the quinoa or measure out quinoa if you have some leftover and prepare the remaining ingredients. You’ll need scallions, eggs, breadcrumbs, feta cheese, garlic and lemon zest.
Place all the ingredients together in a large bowl (excluding the olive oil that you’ll use for frying) and mix everything well. You should have a solid paste-like mixture. If you notice that the mixture looks a little too moist, you can add some flour, but I didn’t find it necessary.
Now you’ll want to form the cauliflower fritters using your hands. The size will come down to preference, but you can use an ice cream scoop to measure so they are all uniform and consistent. Try not to make them too thick so that they cook on the inside before burning on the outside.
Then just fry the cauliflower fritters over medium heat for 5 minutes per side. This frying time will also depend on the size and thickness of the fritters. So keep an eye on the first batch, and you can adjust the timing accordingly.
Tips for making cauliflower fritters
- Make sure all the ingredients are chopped finely or grated. This is especially important for the cauliflower and the scallions or onions. If they are too large or chunky, they will not allow the mixture to hold well together to form a patty.
- Add flour to the mixture if you notice it is too moist. The mixture should form a paste like structure but not be mushy. If they are too moist, it will take longer for fry them and they will likely crumble when they touch the hot oil.
- Heat the olive oil thoroughly before adding the cauliflower fritters to the pan. You can test a tiny crumb to see if it sizzles when it hits the oil. That’s your cue it’s fry time.
- Customize the fritters to your liking. That’s the great thing about recipes like these. You can actually switch around many of the items like the feta cheese and the scallions (see substitutes in notes below). But you can also add other ingredients like grated zucchini, grated carrots, mushrooms, olives, etc.
Golden and crispy on the outside, tender and delicious on the inside, these cauliflower fritters make the perfect appetizer for a crowd or meal prep vegetarian option for lunches throughout the week to serve with a salad. Enjoy them with a marinara dipping sauce, sour cream, mashed avocados or any other dip you’d like.
Thank you Maria for letting me share these tasty cauliflower fritters from the new Two Peas and Their Pod cookbook!
For more appetizers, check out:
- Quinoa Patties
- Spinach Pie
- Roasted Chickpeas
- Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
- Pizza Quinoa Bites
- Baked Zucchini Fries
- Crostini with Roasted Tomatoes
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Cauliflower Fritters recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Cauliflower Quinoa Fritters
Video
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower cored and cut into large pieces
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 3 scallions white and green parts, sliced
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil for more if needed for shallow frying
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse the cauliflower until it’s the size of couscous
- In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, quinoa, bread crumbs, feta, eggs, scallions, lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir until the mixture is well combined and moistened.
- Form the mixture into ½ -inch thick patties, about 2 inches wide. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fritters in batches and fry, turning once, until crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer the fritters to a large paper towel-lined plate and cover while you finish cooking all the fritters.
- Serve the fritters warm with your favorite dipping sauce
Notes
- To freeze them prior to cooking, lay them on a flat baking dish in the freezer for at least 4 hours. When frozen, place them in an airtight bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight and cook per instructions.
- To freeze them after cooking, simply store them in an airtight bag after they’ve cooled. To re-heat, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in a 350°F oven until heated through.
- Instead of eggs, you can use a flax eggs. For each regular egg, use 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water.
- Instead of scallions, you can use onions.
- Any type of shredded cheese can be used in place of feta.
- If you prefer not to use breadcrumbs, you can use a gluten-free flour like almond flour or oat flour, or you can also use panko breadcrumbs.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Hi! These look delicious. Can they be baked?
Thanks
They are so good, I hope you try them soon! This recipe is from the Two Peas and Their Pod cookbook by Maria Lichty. While I have not tried baking them myself, Maria gives advice for baking a similar fritter in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425˚F, then place a baking rack on top of a rimmed sheet pan. Spray with nonstick spray, then place the fritters on top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
I looked for something different to do with my cauliflower and stumbled upon this recipe.
I really liked it, even the sometimes picky kids gobbled it up 😁
The lemon came nicely through.
I only had issues with them being a bit crumbly, but I managed to flip the second batch without a catastrophe…
I served tomato sauce and tzatziki with it.
Leftovers will be my a lunch, with a salad 👍
So glad you enjoyed them, PJ!
I love love all your recipes!! You explain in detail each one. Pictures too. Thank you. You make the recipes so easy to follow!!
Suzanne
Aww, thank you so much! I’m glad you’re finding these recipes easy to follow and make.
Golden and crispy on the outside, tender and delicious on the inside. Love these fritters.