Chock-full of goodness, these butternut squash fritters are incredibly easy and tasty! With pops of sweetness and texture from fresh corn and plenty of herbs, these homemade fritters are sure to be a favourite in your home as it is ours.
If you’re a fan of butternut squash, then these butternut squash fritters (or butternut squash cakes) need to happen!
They’re super squash forward with pops of fresh corn for sweetness and texture.
I especially love these in late summer/fall. When I’m not enjoying butternut squash soup, these are regularly on the menu.
You don’t have to pre-cook the squash or anything — just shred, combine with the other fritter ingredients and cook.
They’re delicious on their own for any meal of the day, especially for breakfast with a poached egg on top. Talk about a yummy treat!
Why We Love Butternut Squash Fritters
- Made with wholesome ingredients
- Vegetarian
- Great way to use seasonal produce
- Easy to prepare
- The recipe yields quite a bit, but can easily be halved
- Of course, they taste delicious!
How to Make Them
Full details on how to make these butternut squash fritters are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Add fritter ingredients (except flour and frying oil) to a large bowl and mix to combine.
- Gradually stir in your flour.
- Everything is good to fry when it binds together.
- Heat some oil in a non-stick pan and scoop the fritters into the pan.
- Use a spatula to flatten the fritters. There’s nothing fancy here; these fritters are rustic and not perfectly round and that’s completely okay!
- Cook on both sides until golden brown on the outside and cooked throughout.
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Can I Use a Food Processor?
Absolutely!
I shredded the butternut squash with a box grater and got quite the workout. It wasn’t hard work, just tedious, and took me about 15 minutes or so.
If you want to shave off time, definitely use a food processor fitted with the shredded attachment here.
More Tips and Variations
This fritter recipe yields quite a bit (about 22 butternut squash cakes, give or take). You can easily half the recipe if you like.
Speaking of halving the recipe, rather than mess around with trying to use half an egg, just use two and add enough flour until everything sticks together.
The quantity of flour you use may vary slightly depending on how much squash you have and the moisture level. You just want the butternut squash fritters to bind/stick together.
If you don’t have fresh corn, use well-drained canned corn instead.
Green onion is a great substitute for chives if that’s what you have on hand.
Mix up the spices! Go a slightly different route and try a little smoked paprika or chipotle powder and cumin instead of sage and thyme.
Make It A Meal!
Serve these butternut squash fritters with any of these:
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Aioli
- Mixed green salad
- Pasta salad
- Potato wedges
More Easy Squash Recipes
Hope you love this easy butternut squash recipe as much as we do!
If you make these butternut squash fritters, please leave a comment below. Love to hear how you enjoyed it!
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Butternut Squash Fritters
Ingredients
- 10 cups butternut squash (a squash about 3 pounds, 6 ounces before peeling or 3 pounds after peeling and seeds removed)
- 2 cups corn kernels (2 ears of corn)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup minced fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried sage)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder (less if you aren't a fan of spice)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour , approximately (you'll need enough so that everything binds/sticks together. Also, equates to about 20 tablespoons).
- ⅓ cup olive oil (approximately. For frying (about 1 tablespoon per batch))
- Sour cream or yogurt (for serving with, optional)
Instructions
- Clean your squash. Peel, carefully cut in half, remove and discard seeds (and any shreds inside). Also, at this point, preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit (to keep fritters warm while you are completing your batches). Note: If you want to reserve the seeds for another use (like roasting for a snack), you can.Note: This recipe yields about 22 fritters, but can easily be halved. See 'Notes' below. You can adjust the serving size in the recipe card.
- Cut squash into chunks and shred with a box grater or food processor fitted with a shredder attachment (the food processor will save time. The box grater will take about 15 minutes or so to shred the squash). Place shredded squash into a large bowl after shredded.
- To bowl with squash, add corn kernels, eggs, salt, pepper, chives, sage, thyme, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Mix until well combined.
- Sprinkle over flour, stirring in, about ¼ cup or so at a time until everything sticks together. I used 1 and ¼ cups. The amount of flour used may vary, depending on how much squash you have and/or how much moisture it has. Note: You don't want a super tight bind here, but use enough flour that you can scoop up the mixture with an ice cream scoop or ¼ cup measuring cup from the bowl and place into the oiled pan.
- To cook fritters, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick pan over medium-low to medium heat.Note: You'll want to cook fritters in batches (about 4 to 5 fritters in the pan at a time), adding more oil to the pan between batches.
- Place 4 to 5 fritters into the pan (I used a round ice cream scoop, about ¼ cup or so for each fritter). Gently press down with a spatula to flatten slightly.
- Cook fritters for 2 to 3 minutes on one side.
- Flip fritters to the other side and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown on the outside and cooked through.
- Once done, you can then transfer cooked fritters to a sheet pan and place into your preheated oven to keep warm, if you like, while you are cooking your batches.
- Repeat the process to cook remaining fritters.Note: As you are cooking your batches, your pan may get hotter. Just watch your fritters so they don't burn and adjust your heat accordingly.
- Once all fritters are cooked, garnish with more fresh herbs (optional). Enjoy as is or serve with sour cream or yogurt. Note: Enjoy immediately or properly store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 days. Leftovers can be reheated in a non-stick pan.
Notes
- This fritter recipe yields quite a bit (about 22 butternut squash cakes, give or take). You can easily half the recipe if you like.
- Speaking of halving the recipe, rather than mess around with trying to use half an egg, just use two and add enough flour until everything sticks together.
- The quantity of flour you use may vary slightly depending on how much squash you have and the moisture level. You just want them to be able to bind/stick together.
- If you don’t have fresh corn, use well-drained canned corn instead.
Nutrition (ESTIMATE ONLY)
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
Karen (Back Road Journal)
I’ve pinned your fritters and can’t wait to give them a try. Thanks for letting us know how many the recipe makes, I’ll half it for just my husband and I.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks Karen! My pleasure! Enjoy!
[email protected]
I’ve made corn fritters and I’ve made squash fritters – but never together. Brilliant! And I love that color!! XO
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Annie! XO
Valentina
These are totally getting me in the mood for fall flavors. Dawn, these are brilliant. I love all of your serving suggestions, and I also think I’d love them for breakfast with a fried egg on top. Move over potato pancakes! 😉 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Happy to hear that! Thanks so much, Valentina.
Marissa
With fall just around the corner, I already have butternut squash on my mind. These fritters look absolutely divine, Dawn!! These fritters will 100% happen in our house!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay! Thanks Marissa! Enjoy!
Rahul @samosastreet
These look incredible Dawn !! Definitely a great summer meal, packed with seasonal produce.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Rahul!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
These look super yummy Dawn. I love the added corn, which I’ve got alot of right now. Pinned!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay! Thanks Mary Ann! Enjoy!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
I love this time of year when the garden is in full harvest mode! This is a perfect way to use up some of that delicious produce. I love the combination of squash and corn!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Right?! Thanks Kathy!
David @ Spiced
Yum! I love a good fritter, but I don’t think I’ve ever made ’em with butternut squash. Totally on board for these though! And I really like the idea of fresh sage and thyme in there, too. Sounds delicious, my friend!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks David!! Happy you enjoy!