These gluten-free squash fritters are crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and packed with savory flavor. Made with simple ingredients like shredded squash, melty cheddar, and Parmesan, they are perfect as an appetizer, a snack, or even a breakfast topped with a fried egg. Whether you’re using fresh delicata or another winter squash, this recipe is a great way to highlight seasonal produce while sneaking in some extra veggies!
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Have you tried fritters? They are crispy on the outside, and they melt in your mouth. They are incredibly easy to make gluten-free. You can make fritters with many vegetables, but I love to use winter squash. Winter squash is sweet and full of flavor.
Have you tried this sweet, mild winter squash? Delicata squash is a long yellow squash with green stripes. You can buy delicata squash at most grocery stores and even at your local farmer’s market.
I love using squash in recipes because it is so easy to conceal. My kids don’t know something healthy is hidden in these fritters! If you don’t believe me, try these Gluten Free Delicata Squash Brownies.
What kind of squash is best for making fritters?
My gluten-free fritters recipe can be made with any winter squash. If you love appetizers, don’t forget to check out my best gluten-free appetizer recipes.
You can make fritters out of any squash! I used delicata squash in this recipe, but you can also use:
- Butternut squash – butternut squash fritters are so full of sweet flavor!
- Acorn squash
- Zucchini (if you use zucchini to make fritters, you must use paper towels to dry the shredded zucchini. Otherwise, they will be soggy!)
- Riced cauliflower also makes delicious fritter-like pancakes!
A Note From My Kitchen
I tested these fritters with delicata squash, but you can absolutely use other types of winter squash, like butternut and acorn squash. Each squash has a slightly different flavor and moisture level, so be sure to blot the shredded squash with a towel if it feels too wet. My favorite version includes a blend of cheddar and Parmesan for extra cheesiness, but they’re also great with dairy-free cheese (I’ve tested VioLife with good results).
The key to crispiness is using the right oil and making sure your pan is hot before adding the batter. I prefer using avocado or canola oil for even browning.
Ingredient Notes:
- Delicata Squash – A sweet winter squash with edible skin and a soft texture. I do recommend shredding it for this recipe. Shred it raw using a box grater or food processor. Blot with a paper towel if very moist.
- Cheddar Cheese – Shredded cheddar adds flavor and acts as a binder. Sharp or medium both work well.
- Parmesan Cheese – Adds saltiness and umami. You can skip it for dairy-free or swap with nutritional yeast.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – Any blend will work in this recipe.
- Milk – Any kind of milk works here. I used almond milk, but oat, soy, or dairy milk are also fine.
- Eggs – Large eggs help bind the fritters so they don’t fall apart in the pan.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Step 1: Grate the winter squash with a large box grater or food processor. Put the shreds into a large bowl.
Step 2: Add the shredded cheese, Parmesan cheese, flour, baking powder, seasonings, milk, eggs, and seasonings to a large mixing bowl and whisk.
Step 3: Add the shredded squash and mix until well combined.
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Step 3: Heat oil with a high smoke point in a large cast-iron skillet. I prefer to use avocado and canola oil. Drop spoonfuls of the squash mixture and press them flat with a metal spatula.
Step 4: Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Before flipping them over, you want the squash to be crispy, as shown above.
Step 5: When the fritters are done cooking, use a metal spatula to move them from the hot oil to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb extra oil.
Serve hot, accompanied by sour cream and chives as a garnish. To spice things up, add a few drops of Sriracha!
How to Store Gluten Free Fritters:
- These fritters will keep up to 3 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
- Bake them at 350ºF for 10-15 minutes to reheat them. You can also reheat them in your air fryer at 365º F for 5-7 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions:
When frying foods, it is important to use an oil that can tolerate high heat. I use mostly avocado oil, but coconut oil can also work well, depending on the dish’s flavor.
Heat avocado or another high-heat oil in a pan and drop the dough into the hot oil. (I don’t recommend olive oil for this because it can not withstand the high heat needed to get the outsides of these cheese fritters nice and crispy.)
Add a drop of water to the pan to test whether it is hot enough to add the fritter batter. If the water sizzles immediately, it is ready for you to add the fritter mixture. The oil should be 375º F.
You can make these fritters using dairy-free cheddar cheese. I prefer VioLife brand dairy-free cheeses for this recipe. Use a plant-based milk.
More Winter Squash Recipes:
I love to cook and bake with winter squash. I have a lot of Gluten-Free Winter Squash Recipes to try. Here are some of my favorites:
- Creamy Roasted Acorn Squash Soup
- Roasted Red Kuri Squash
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Stuffed Kabocha Squash (Vegan option!)
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this gluten-free squash fritter recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Crispy Delicata Squash Fritters (Gluten-Free!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups shredded delicata squash * see note
- ¼ cup milk full or low fat
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup gluten free flour blend * see note
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
For frying
- ¼ cup canola oil or other high heat oil
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Instructions
- Peel the rind off a delicata squash.
- Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds.
- Use a large box grater or food processor to shred the squash. Add the shreds to a large mixing bowl. Blot with a paper towel if overly wet.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, salt, flour, baking powder, pepper, garlic powder, and cheeses. Add the wet ingredients to the shredded squash. Mix well until fully combined.
- Mix the ingredients well.
- Heat 1/4 cup of high-heat oil (like avocado or canola) in a skillet over medium heat. Scoop spoonfuls of the fritter mixture into the hot oil and flatten with a spatula.
- Heat the oil over high heat in a pan.
- When the oil is hot (drop a drip of water in, if it sizzles, it is hot enough) Target 375º F for the oil temperature.
- Drop the batter into the hot oil.
- Cook each side for 3–4 minutes or until golden and crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.
- Remove the fritters from the oil and set onto the paper towels.
- Top with sour cream and scallions.
Notes
- You can use any winter squash in this recipe! I recommend also trying butternut and acorn squash.
- To make this dairy-free, you can use vegan cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese. So far VioLife is one of my favorites.
- You can use any gluten free flour blend for this recipe.
- These fritters will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
- To reheat, bake the fritters in the oven at 350º F for 10 to 15 minutes or air fry them at 375º F for 5 minutes. This will help the fritters stay crunchy when reheating them.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
(*This post was updated from a 12/21/15 post.)
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
These were so good.
I am so glad you had a chance to make this recipe. I love the crispiness and flavors too!
Could you bake the fritters in the oven rather than frying?
Hi Janet, I have not tested this recipe baking it in the oven.
We love these fritters and have made several times. Is it necessary to peel the delicate squash? I have a different recipe that bakes rings of delicate and they are not peeled.
Hi Lindsay, I am so glad you love this recipe. I know delicata peel is pretty soft. You can eat it but I am not sure how it would affect the texture of the fritters. If you try it, please do let me know how it turned out.
Any recommendations for how to up the protein content of these? Could I add peas or black beans?
Hi Ellie, You could try black beans…flavor-wise that would be a great combination.
Great Recipe! I did use regular all-purpose flour and added a handful of chopped scallions (green part) into the mix…the cayenne pepper gave it a nice kick. I used a very well-seasoned cast iron skillet on high temp (gas stove) so I only coated my pan with oil (I used regular canola oil) so the fritters were not too oily and had a nice crisp coat on the outside. I liked the earthy taste of the raw squash. The other ingredients blended well together so the squash was still the central taste. My family loved these and look forward to me making them again. Thanks!
I am so glad you liked my recipe…it is one of our favorites too!
Cons : The recipe asks for too much oil. My fritters came out so so oily. You only need a little oil to fry.
Pros : Other than the fact that it was too oily, they were perfect and so simple and super duper yummy. It was so easy and quick to make and a very cheap snack indeed. Loved it.
Overall I totally recommend trying this out.
Thanks for the feedback Nika. You are right, you don’t have to use as much oil. It depends on how hot the oil is. I used the burner on our grill outside to make these and had the oil very hot so it didn’t absorb as much.
This recipe calls for flour. How do you make this gluten-free???
Hi Chip, I use a gluten free flour blend by Bob’s Red Mill. It is their 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend. I changed this flour to a clickable link so people can see the exact flour I used. I appreciate your writing with this feedback. Have a nice holiday :-).