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.

Chickpea Fritters - Piled on a Plate with Yogurt Dip on Side

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.

Hand Holding Up a Chickpea Fritter to Show Fluffy Texture

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:

Chickpea Flour, Spices, and seasoning in a Bowl

Stir that together to combine, then add lemon juice and water to hydrate it.

It will look like a thick cookie dough:

Garbanzo Flour Fritter Batter in Mixing Bowl

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):

a scoop of chickpea fritter batter in a hand

Fry them for 2 minutes on each side, and watch as they puff up!

Chickpea Fritters Frying in Olive Oil in a Skillet

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.

Dipping a Chickpea Fritter Into Yogurt Dip on a Plate

I also recommend these Zucchini Fritters which are pan-fried in olive oil. They’re wonderful with yogurt sauce too. Enjoy!

Chickpea Fritters Piled on a Plate with Yogurt Dip on Side

Chickpea Fritter Puffs

Servings: 2 easily doubles, triples, etc
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
These quick and easy chickpea fritters are flavored with spices and pan fried in olive oil until puffed and crispy!
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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

 Recipe adapted from the back of the Bob's Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour bag.

Nutrition

Calories: 238kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 4g, Sodium: 778mg, Potassium: 507mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin C: 2.4mg, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 3.1mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Snack
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Author: Joanne Ozug

Post updated with photos, writing, and more tips in August 2018. Originally published April 2013. This post contains an amazon affiliate link.