Chickpea Fritters
These crispy Chickpea Fritters are quick and easy to make, and have a puffy, light texture. You can eat them as is with yogurt, or stuff them into a pita for a faux falafel sandwich!
There’s no need to get out the fryer for this recipe, as these fritters are pan fried in a skillet with olive oil. It’s still crispy goodness, but much healthier than the usual treat.
These chickpea fritters have a really interesting texture, and remind me of a biscuit made with chickpea flour.
As in, my husband was splitting them just like a biscuit and sticking some yogurt sauce in the middle!
They’re crispy and golden on the edges, but have a fluffy interior.
We also add an assortment of spices to the chickpea flour, like cumin, coriander, and yellow curry, to give it a really delicious flavor.
I like to eat these fritters on their own, but these are also great if you stick them in a pita with some lettuce, tomato, and tzatziki sauce.
How to Make Chickpea Fritters:
Add chickpea flour to a bowl, and add salt, baking soda, cumin, coriander, yellow curry powder, garlic powder, and onion powder:
Stir that together to combine, then add lemon juice and water to hydrate it.
It will look like a thick cookie dough:
Use a cookie scoop to portion out little mounds, and put them directly in a skillet with some olive oil (here’s the size I like to make the little mounds):
Fry them for 2 minutes on each side, and watch as they puff up!
FYI, you’ll get prettier browning on the second side with these chickpea patties. I’m sure you can get a more even, robust crunch if you deep fry them, but I love pan frying in just a little bit of olive oil. It really adds a lovely flavor to the chickpeas.
Drain the fritters on a paper towel and either eat them by themselves or dip in a little bit of yogurt sauce.
I also recommend these Zucchini Fritters which are pan-fried in olive oil. They’re wonderful with yogurt sauce too. Enjoy!
Chickpea Fritter Puffs
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp yellow curry powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup hot water
- about 1/4 cup olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Whisk to combine the chickpea flour, salt, baking soda, cumin, coriander, curry powder, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Add the lemon juice and water, and stir to combine (it will be a thick, lumpy mixture). Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to give the chickpea flour a chance to hydrate and get even thicker.
- Heat up a nonstick skillet over medium high heat, and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion out small mounds of the chickpea mixture into the hot oil, then coat a spatula with oil and lightly press the tops to smush the mounds down into patties.
- Let the patties cook for about 2 minutes on each side until they’re golden brown, and you’ll see them puff up considerably.
- Drain them briefly on paper towels after frying and enjoy them while they’re hot!
- You can serve them with a sprinkle of good quality salt or some tzatziki sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Post updated with photos, writing, and more tips in August 2018. Originally published April 2013. This post contains an amazon affiliate link.
Hi Joanne,
It’s me again!
I just made them and they are delicious; with or without the accompaniment that I used – I made a mint-coriander- fresh coconut chutney. One got burnt (slightly on the outside, by answering a t’phone call) but I ate that too. Thank you.
Hi Marise, that’s really great to hear. The chutney sounds amazing!!
Hi. I have developed my own version of these. I use Garum Masala instead of Curry Powder as I can’t have hot spices. Also I add finely chopped red onion, which tastes really good in them & finely grated carrot which gives a moister texture. I find some finely chopped fresh rosemary & a little black pepper is good too. The great thing with this sort of recipe is that everyone can make their own version. Theres plenty of scope for creativity.
Really love these! Easy, tasty, healthy.
So glad to hear this!!
This recipe was delicious and soooooooooooo easy to prepare. 🙂
Really glad to hear this!
Newbie at vegan cooking. They didn’t look so good but sure tasted wonderful! Will definitely try again. Thanks for posting.
Cam the chickpea fritter puffs be reheated? If so what is the best way to reheat
I used turmeric as I didn’t have yellow curry powder. They’re good plain but even better with a dollop of sour cream and chives. Easy to adapt, I will try adding some other ingredients next time. Thanks for the great recipe!
Can these be made in an air fryer? If so, at what temperature and for how long should they be cooked?
Can i bake these? If so at what temperature and and for how long. Thanks
Mine did not puff up and were denser than pound cake. I used Extra Virgin olive Oil – any suggestions?
How fresh is your leavening? Also did you let the mixture sit?
Mine came out the same as yours – tasty but not puffy.
I made them slightly sweet, with a bit of vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. I sifted the flour. The dough was more runny and I layed it onto the pan in small shapes through a sleeve. Came out great!