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
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
Post updated with photos, writing, and more tips in August 2018. Originally published April 2013. This post contains an amazon affiliate link.
93 Comments on “Chickpea Fritters”
Hello Joanne
Tks for the response. I am just about to make them as it is lunch time in Holland and I was a little nervous in adding the real onions/garlic chopped, so I followed your recipe. By the way ENO FRUIT SALT is used by us Indians, mostly as a substitute for Baking soda. Shall revert how the final product emerged!
Have a lovely day! Cheers!
Hello,
I am of Indian origin and I came across this recipe today, it looks like scones! I have not tried it yet but sure will; just one question, instead of onion powder, garlic powder, could I add minced or finely chopped garlic and onions and also some coriander leaves. Then could I substitute baking soda with Eno fruit salt….?
Sorry for bombarding you with all these questions, just like to know. Thank you.
Marise
Hi Marise, yes feel free to add those flavorings, that shouldn’t affect anything. However, I wouldn’t suggest substituting the baking soda. That’s important for the rise.
Absolute perfection!! The first batch didn’t last long in our house, so I had to make a triple batch. Everyone loves them!
Hi Leigh, that’s wonderful. Enjoy!
I’ve made banana bread and waffles, both were so good! I can’t get overboard the fluffiness of the waffles and that the banana bread had the same texture as reg! That amazes me!
Can i make these in a muffin tin with oil on the bottom
ran accross this recipe, i was wanting a snack, but not realy spicy, i used cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar. was a little bitter, but i think i can improve a little. by the way i also replaced the water with milk. possiabilities of a quick snack or dessert. if any ideas let me know.
ronda
While mine didn’t turn out as yours at all, they were still delicious! The seasoning is excellent. I’ve made the recipe two times, and will do again. It’s supereasy. They taste as best when fresh and warm.
I made these tonight – scrumptious! I adapted it by removing most of the savory seasonings, and adding in cinnamon instead with a sprinkle of sugar. I served them with fruit on top – strawberries and peaches, and it was heavenly. Thank you for sharing!
I just made these today and oh my goodness I love them! They’re so delicious- thanks for the recipe!!
I have used chickpea flour before but not like this. Will be using this, thanks.
thats funny, its called ‘phulki’ in urdu (pakistan) and we serve these dunked in a yoghurt sauce.
HI! Definitely going to try this! I discovered a similar recipe but flatter. It’s called Basan Roti and is an Indian flatbread made with chickpea flour. I buy mine at Bulk Barn. To mkaae the flat bread is pretty much a 1:1 mix of 1 cup flour to 1 cup water with about a tsp of ground cumin.Cook them like pancakes and unless your cast iron pan is very well seasoned I’d play it safe using a Teflon pan. Cut them into wedges and serve while still warm along with Ironically hummous to dip into with lol! Funny how you can get this ‘bread like’ substance and creamy dip from the same ingredient! My gluten free friends love it too!
Hi Rolande, that sounds great, thanks for sharing!
Joanne, I’m so, so glad I found your website, truly professional and fun.
Chicpea flour is amazing, called BESAM sometimes.
Can this recipe be tweaked to make “burger, hot dog buns”???
Can we use spray instead of oil?
Gracias!
Hi Gerard, I have tried lessening the oil and the fritters don’t turn out as well, so I would recommend using the oil. These don’t have gluten development so I’m not sure how well it would work for buns, but I would recommend making them and seeing what you think! Hope you enjoy.
Tks. Maybe Vital Gluten Flour?
I’ve baked just a little with garbanzo bean flour and now I’m intrigued by these fluffy biscuits.
I’ve been enjoying chick pea flour in this recipe:
http://triumphwellness.com/chickpea-flour-omelette/
I triple the recipe, keep them in fridge and heat them up in toaster oven for quick, yummy bfast. They’re good alone or with green chutney.
Thanks for this recipe!
Wow, that’s a really cool recipe! Thanks for sharing Beverly.