I don’t know about you, but in my pre-keto life, I loved boxty. A crispy, savory pancake, boxty practically begs to be topped with sour cream. Sadly, a pancake made out of potatoes does not qualify as a low carb food. So . . . obviously I needed to ketofy it. In this Keto Irish Boxty recipe, I swapped out the potatoes for a combination of zucchini and mashed cauliflower. While I will never be one to tell you that zucchini or cauliflower taste like potatoes, these crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside pancakes scratched my itch for boxty.
While I most recently made this for my Shamrock Dinner Party, the structure and texture also inspired the Poblano Keto Fiesta Patties from my Cinco de Mayo Dinner Party.
Even though these Keto Irish Boxty are perfect as a side dish, they could easily be an appetizer or a savory breakfast pattycake.
What You Need to Make Keto Irish Boxty
Equipment
- Cutting Board – For slicing the green onions.
- Chef’s Knife – For slicing the green onions.
- Grater – For grating the zucchini as well as the cheese if you are planning to grate your own.
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Whisk or Hand Mixer
- Spatula – For flipping the patties.
- Large Skillet or Griddle
Ingredients
- Scallions – You’ll use both white and green parts. However, since we’re going to sauté the white and light green parts, keep them separate from the dark green parts when you’re doing your slicing.
- Zucchini – Because we’ll be cooking it down and drying it out, it takes a lot to make a little. I hate it when I can’t easily convert whatever a recipe calls for to what I’m looking at in the store, so in the recipe, I’ve included multiple versions of measurement on this one.
- Mashed Cauliflower – I buy the frozen 12-ounce packages from the grocery store and heat them according to the package directions. You can make your own mashed cauliflower if you prefer. I usually just buy it already mashed.
- Parmesan Cheese – You can use grated or shredded.
- Shredded Cheddar
- Almond Flour
- Eggs – I almost always use jumbo size eggs. You can use other sizes. Just be aware that you may need to add an egg if the batter isn’t sticking together well enough.
- Salt – I use Kosher Salt.
- Ground Black Pepper
- Dried Chives
- Avocado Oil or Olive Oil – This is just for sauteing the white and light green parts of the scallions.
Getting Started with Making Keto Irish Boxty
I start this process off by prepping all of the vegetables–shredding the zucchini and slicing the scallions / green onions. Then use a cheese cloth to squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the zucchini. Set it aside.
Then sauté the white and light green parts of the scallions. Set them aside.
Heat the mashed cauliflower according to the package instructions. I use the microwave.
In a large mixing bowl, beat 8 eggs and then stir in the salt, pepper, dried chives, and almond flour. Once combined, let it sit for a few minutes. Then add in the shredded zucchini, sauteed scallions, mashed cauliflower, grated Parmesan, and shredded cheddar. Thoroughly combine the mixture until all components are evenly distributed.
Heat 1 – 1.5 tablespoons of oil on a hot griddle or in a skillet over medium high heat. Spoon the mixture in approximately 1/4 cup increments onto the hot surface. Cook the patties until the bottoms are crispy, then flip and cook them on the other side. This takes me about 4 minutes per side. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding your surface. Remove the finished Keto Irish Boxty to a paper towel lined rimmed baking sheet or plate.
Serve warm, topped with with the dark green parts of the scallions and a dallop of sour cream.
Keto Irish Boxty
Ingredients
- 7 Zucchini Medium Size. Approximately 200-250g/8-9oz each. Grated and drained.
- 1 bunch Scallions Divided: Saute white and light green parts; Garnish with dark green parts. Approximately 6 – 8 scallions.
- 2 packages Mashed Cauliflower 12 ounces each (Heated according to package directions. See Notes.)
- 8 Eggs I used jumbo size eggs.
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Dried Chives
- 12 ounces Almond Flour About 1.5 cups
- 5.5 ounces Cheddar Shredded
- 5 ounces Parmesan Cheese Shredded
- 8 tablespoons Avocado Oil Or Regular Olive Oil
Instructions
- Shred the zucchini and drain. See Notes.7 Zucchini
- Sauté white and light green parts of scallions.1 bunch Scallions
- Cook the mashed cauliflower per package instructions.2 packages Mashed Cauliflower
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add in the salt, pepper, chives, and almond flour. Let it sit for a few minutes to let the almond flour soak up some liquid and prevent graininess.8 Eggs, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper, 2 tablespoons Dried Chives, 12 ounces Almond Flour
- Add in the zucchini, scallions, mashed cauliflower, Parmesan, and cheddar.7 Zucchini, 1 bunch Scallions, 2 packages Mashed Cauliflower, 5 ounces Parmesan Cheese, 5.5 ounces Cheddar
- Heat the oil in a large pan / skillet.8 tablespoons Avocado Oil
- Spoon ~ ¼ cup mounds of the mixture into the oil. Flatten them a bit. Cook until the bottom is crispy. Flip and cook until the other side is also crispy. About 4 minutes per side. Remove to a paper towel lined rack or plate to soak up excess oil. You’ll need to work in batches.
Equipment
- Grater
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Whisk or Hand Mixer
- Spatula for flipping the patties
- Large Skillet or Griddle
Notes
You can make your own instead of using store bought if preferred. Just get a head of cauliflower, cut it into florets, steam it for 4 – 5 minutes, cool, and puree in a food processor or mash with a potato masher.
Shredded Zucchini
I used cheesecloth to squeeze out as much as I could and then spread the shredded zucchini on a rimmed baking sheet and put it in the oven at 250 degrees F for an hour while I did other things to help get rid of even more
