These Whole30 Tuna Taco Fritters are an exception to a rule of mine: I don’t like canned tuna. I mean, canned tuna can be hard to love. I wouldn’t touch the stuff until I was at least 20 years old. And even then it was only because we were poor college students and that was what we could afford.
Why we love these Whole30 Taco Tuna Fritters:
This dish makes tuna tasty again with taco seasoning and the crispiness of a fritter. The first time I made these, my pickiest eater devoured them and asked for more?! He had no clue he had just eaten tuna, a food he had never tried before.
The only take 5 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to cook. That makes them a perfect 30-mintue weeknight meal! They are Whole30, which means they are also gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free. These also happen to be nut-free, wahoo!
Also, using canned tuna means they are budget friendly. These Whole30 Taco Tuna Fritters cost only $1.37 per serving to make*. *Prices based on current prices from my local NorCal Walmart. Plus they are freezer-friendly!
Make it a Meal
Ok, but what do you serve them with? I get that a lot so in my cookbook I started sharing “Make it a Meal” icons to help provide pairing suggestions. These Whole30 Taco Tuna Fritters I love paired with my Cilantro Salsa Slaw, a fruit salad, and drizzled with my Cilantro Lime Ranch. A great quick meal for a busy day!
NOTE: This recipe only serves 2. Yes, I do at least triple if not quadruple it to feed my large family! Make a bunch and freeze the extras!
Ingredients for these Whole30 Taco Tuna Fritters:
- Shredded Sweet Potato – I shred mine in my large Kitchen-aid Food processor for quick prep!
- Canned light tuna, packed in water – If you are on a Whole30, just make sure the ingredients don’t say below it “Contains soy.” No soy allowed on Whole30. But I am usually able to find at least one brand that works. You can find the most affordable brand I’ve found at Walmart here!
- Eggs – Just a loving reminder that though organic, pasture-raised eggs might be ideal, we can’t always afford them. Do your best and be proud of it!
- Tapioca or Arrowroot flour – Both work equally well in this recipe.
- Taco Seasoning Mix – I use a batch of my budget-friendly homemade Taco Seasoning here!
- Coconut or avocado oil – Just needs to be an oil that does well at high heat. We usually use coconut oil due to cost.
This recipe is a sample from my cookbook Whole Food for Your Family, which has 100+ budget- and family-friendly recipes. You can learn more or grab a copy of my cookbook HERE!
Taco Tuna Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 large orange-fleshed sweet potato shredded, then measured (about 3 cups)
- 2 5-ounce can tuna packed in water, drained
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup arrowroot or potato starch can also use tapioca flour
- 2 packages taco seasoning I use my homemade recipe, or use 5 tablespoons store-bought
- 1/2 cup coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 cup Cilantro Lime Ranch optional, to dip, see notes for homemade
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the sweet potato, tuna, eggs, flour, and Taco Seasoning. Mix well.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons of the tuna mixture to the oil, flattening the middle of the fritter to help it cook evenly. Repeat with 2-3 more fritters, depending on pan size. Cook 3-4 minutes each side, until crispy. Repeat with all of the tuna mixture
- Serve hot with Cilantro Lime Ranch, if desired. See blog above the recipe for what I pair these with to make it a meal!
Notes
Nutrition
can cornstarch be used in place of potato starch or arrow root.
Yes, cornstarch works similarly to potato starch or arrowroot and can be used as a swap if you can tolerate corn. Corn isn’t Whole30 or Paleo, which is why I used those instead for this recipe, but cornstarch will work great.
are these good to freeze?
They are great frozen! You can freeze them on parchment in a single layer, flattened, prior to cooking and then cook them straight from the freezer to pan. OR, you can cook them all, freeze in a single layer, then in a sealed container once frozen for up to 3 months. I reheat them in the air fryer, but you can also reheat on the stove in a small amount of oil.
Love the flavor and ease of this recipe. Perfect for a busy night when you don’t have anything defrosted and also reheat well if you’re meal prepping
YAY that this was a fast easy win on busy nights and that you love the tasty of these. Thank you for the review!
These are quick and easy with very few ingredients, win, win, win! Also, only one kid likes tuna OR sweet potatoes and they will BOTH eat these! Thank you!
YESSS that they were a win with the kiddos – those are the best kind of win! Glad you found them quick and easy as well. WAHOO! Thank you!
I do NOT like tuna and neither does one of my boys. The other half of our family does, so after seeing you post once that you don’t like tuna either I decided to give these a try. I didn’t tell anyone what was in them the first time I made them and everyone loved them, including me. We have had them multiple times now and I love them with the cilantro slaw. Such a quick and easy dinner to throw together and I love having leftovers for lunch. Thanks for another great recipe!
I’m so happy these were a family win, even for those who DON’T like tuna. YES! How great they can be an easy dinner that everyone enjoys. Thanks for the review!
100% changed my lunch and easy dinner game. I had never eaten tuna before. These taste amazing and are so easy to make, the tuna is not a predominant flavor at all. I always double the recipe. I have these ingredients on hand, so I turn to this recipe many times a month. Usually serve with a pre bagged salad and some avocado.
I agree – I don’t love tuna (or fish generally, sadly) but these fooled my whole family into loving tuna in this recipe! I love that it was a meal game-changer for you and one you turn to often. YAAY! Thanks for the review!
We can’t do egg whites. Would you recommend omitted the egg altogether or just adding in the yokes would be ok? Thanks!
Good question. The egg acts as a binder, so if you can do egg yolks, I would still use those to help them hold together. A whole egg is 1/4 cup. So for a single batch of this recipe, just make sure you use enough egg yolks to equal 1/2 cup (the same amount as two whole eggs). Enjoy!
These are sooooo good! The whole family devoured them!
I’m so glad these easy and budget-friendly fritters were a family hit. Thanks for the review!
So easy- had all the ingredients in the pantry already and more importantly, delicious! Used the Idaho Spuds hashbrown carton from Costco instead of the sweet potatoes- worked great.
So glad you enjoyed these! Great to hear – I love knowing what swaps are working for people. Thanks for sharing!
These were soooo good! The whole family devoured them!
These are quick and easy with very few ingredients, win, win, win! Also, only one kid likes tuna OR sweet potatoes and they will BOTH eat these! Thank you!