Zucchini Chickpea Fritters with Red Onion Marmalade
These Zucchini Chickpea Fritters are made with shredded zucchini and chickpeas for a filling and nutritious side or snack. They’re also allergen-free!
Despite an allergy to raw pineapple that I developed a couple years ago, I’ve never had any allergy restrictions when it comes to food. When I’d go out to eat and servers would ask me if I had any allergies, I always answered no, never thinking twice about it.
Life in the past couple months has been different, as we’ve come to the bottom of a vomiting problem that James has been having, and the majority of the problem seems to be some food intolerances of his own (and I say “intolerances” because it’s not clear if they’re allergies or not at this age).
Since I’m nursing James, this has led me to do some elimination tests in my own diet. As I went through the testing period, I discovered what it’s like to not be able to eat certain foods. I always imagined how challenging it is for people with food allergies, and I’ve gotten a new level of empathy for the effort it takes.
If you have any food allergies of your own, I want to introduce you to my friend Heather Christo. Today’s recipe is from her book Pure Delicious, which has over 150 allergen-free recipes without gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, or cane sugar.
A couple years ago, Heather discovered that she and her daughters have a ton of food allergies that were causing them health problems, and they all had to change their diets completely. She writes in the book about what it was like to immediately give up so many of their favorite foods, and how she had to put her skills as a chef and recipe developer to work, to make delicious and creative recipes that met their new needs.
I think the biggest hurdles to having food allergies are not feeling like you’re missing out on anything, and keeping out of cooking ruts where you’re eating the same thing all the time. I know this is where Heather is appreciated by the food allergy community and beyond, by sharing recipes that aren’t subpar substitutes for allergen foods, but rather delicious dishes in their own right.
From the book, I’ve made her Greek Lemon, Chicken, and Rice Soup, the Beet Hummus (SO GOOD!), Lemon Artichoke Hummus, Shredded Beef Tostadas, Crunchy Taco Salad with Spiced Ground Turkey, and these Zucchini Chickpea Fritters. I can honestly say that I loved each one, and I say that as someone who has no food allergies (well, aside from raw pineapple, but it’s easy to avoid that one).
Let me show you how to make the Zucchini Chickpea Fritters!
To get started, shred up some zucchini. If you’ve got a food processor, it’s perfect for the job:
Remove the shredded zucchini to a bowl, then puree canned chickpeas until it forms a (mostly) smooth paste:
In a large bowl, combine the shredded zucchini, the pureed chickpeas, and chopped yellow onion:
Mix this all together with clean hands until it’s combined. It may seem at first like it won’t come together, but I was amazed by how cohesive it is once mixed:
Form the zucchini chickpea mixture into 10 cakes, then dip into seasoned chickpea flour:
Fry the fritters in hot oil for 2-3 minutes on each side:
The fritters should be golden brown:
Once you’ve fried all the zucchini chickpea cakes, place them on a sheet pan and finish baking them in the oven:
Heather serves the fritters with a side of red onion marmalade, which I have to say is a *must* when you’re making these. It’s really easy to make. Basically just cook down some red onion in a skillet with oil, vinegar, sugar, and water:
Serve on a platter and enjoy while hot!
Also check out my Ultimate Guide to Zucchini! It covers how to store zucchini, how to pick a good one at the grocery, and 60+ recipe ideas using zucchini.
Zucchini Chickpea Fritters with Red Onion Marmalade
Ingredients
Red Onion Marmalade:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red onion thinly sliced
- kosher salt
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp granulated beet sugar (I used regular sugar)
Zucchini Chickpea Fritters
- 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 yellow onion finely diced
- 3 cups shredded zucchini
- 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- To make the red onion marmalade: In a nonstick pan or heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sprinkle with salt. Stir and cook until tender and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1 cup water and cook for 10 minutes more, until the onion is very soft and the water has cooked off. Add the vinegar and sprinkle the onions with the sugar. Stir well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the vinegar has cooked off completely. Season with salt and set aside.
- To make the zucchini chickpea fritters: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- To a food processor, add the chickpeas and pulse until they are a thick paste. Transfer the beans to a large bowl and add the onion and zucchini. Use clean hands to mix well, then form the mixture into 10 cakes. Set aside.
- On a plate, combine the garbanzo bean flour and the salt. Gently dredge each cake in the flour, patting it onto all sides of the cake.
- In a heavy pan or skillet, over medium-high heat add enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add 3 or 4 cakes at a time and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until the cakes are golden. Transfer the cakes to a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until hot and a deeper golden color.
- Serve hot, with the red onion marmalade.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
33 Comments on “Zucchini Chickpea Fritters with Red Onion Marmalade”
This was a very disappointing recipe for all the work involved. The fritters were wet and fell apart. They also tasted like chickpea flour and raw onion. I would suggest – food processing the onion, draining the onion and zucchini, adding a binder to the batter (chickpea flour in the fritter rather than coating?), and adding some seasoning beyond a 1/2 tsp of salt. Overall frustrated this didn’t pan out.
I love this recipe and make it exactly as it is in the cookbook, and it never fails to turn out delicious!! This is my most used cookbook..all the recipes have always turned out just so nicely, I have never had a problem with it, everything has always turned out great. My family & Ilove it
Agreed, it’s a fantastic book!
These fritters were delicious but oh, that marmalade! Don’t skip it.
Can you use regular flour?
I haven’t tried it so not sure how it would turn out. I would recommend trying my regular zucchini fritters here: https://www.fifteenspatulas.com/zucchini-fritters/
Amazing All m’y collective garden just loves it !
Thank you
These look so good! Do you have to squeeze the water out of the zucchini before combining the ingredients?
Heather’s recipe doesn’t call for it, but I think if you are used to squeezing the moisture out, it’d have a texture you’d like better.
spaghetti squash or beets 🙂 or cucumbers, or broccoli…really, i love them all!
OOooo great info! I adore spinach. I took the liberty of sharing this post with a friend who has significant allergies of all sorts. Thanks!!!
this look great, baby and I love parsnips
I love sweet potatoes!
My favorite vegetable is corn. I even love to eat it cold right out of the can. It grows and becomes so many stages, like on the cob, or smashed in a burrito, or prepared corn-nuts, or good old popcorn!
Always enjoy finding vegetarian friendly recipies!
I would have to say that my favorite veggie to cook with is zucchini.
Swiss Chard has been my favorite since I was a child. Such a sweet, delicate flavor. Especially love it sautéed with a touch of fresh tomatoes sauce and a sprinkling of Parmiggiano cheese.