Quick And Easy Chickpea Fritters Recipe

Made with canned chickpeas, fresh herbs, spices, and a few other simple ingredients, you can prepare them in a few minutes with a potato masher, fork, or food processor and cook them in an oven, air-fryer, or skillet. Dietary Note: this recipe is suitable for a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diet. It’s low in cholesterol and saturated fats.Don’t have time to read the full blog post? JUMP TO RECIPE HERE!

What are Chickpea Fritters?

Chickpea fritters video

Ingredients and Substitutions for Chickpea Fritters

How to Make Chickpea Fritters

Serving Suggestions

Variations

Questions

Storage & Make Ahead

More Chickpea Recipes

More High-Protein Meals

While inspired by falafel, chickpea fritters are easier to make and to cook. They are shaped into small flat patties and then cooked in the oven, air fryer, or skillet until crisp outside and tender inside. Like our readers’ favorite zucchini fritters, this recipe is developed for everyday meals, and it’s fast and easy to prepare with minimal effort. And just like our other Mediterranean-inspired recipes – think of our whole roasted cauliflower, hummus, mujadara, and lentil tabbouleh – chickpea fritters are delicious drizzled or dipped in tahini sauce, tzatziki, or yogurt tahini sauce. Beyond their wonderful mouthwatering taste, chickpea fritters boast an excellent nutrition profile, packed with plant protein and gut-healthy fiber. Have them for lunch in a Mediterranean bowl or for dinner next to a creamy tahini salad, fatteh, or fattoush. You can serve them as part of a mezze (appetizer) platter with other small dishes from the Eastern Mediterranean region like smokey baba ganoush, herby tabouli, refreshing shirazi salad, creamy muhammara, and warm pita bread. You can even serve them as a snack dipped in avocado spread, red pepper hummus, or marinara sauce.

Chickpeas

You can make chickpea fritters with drained and rinsed canned chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) or with dry chickpeas that you previously soaked and cooked in boiling water until tender. Check out our “How to Cook Chickpeas” guide to learn how to cook dry chickpeas.

Chickpea Flour or All-Purpose Flour

Use chickpea flour or all-purpose flour to bind the patties together. Chickpea flour adds a nice chickpea flavor and is gluten-free. All-purpose flour is more of a pantry staple, so you can use that if you don’t have chickpea flour. We haven’t tested this recipe with almond flour.

Fresh Parsley

Fresh flat-leaf parsley is best as that’s the variety used in the Mediterranean region, and it goes beautifully with the chickpea flavor. Substitute fresh cilantro (coriander) for parsley, or do half-half for more aromatic chickpea fritters.

Onion

You can use white, yellow, or red onion. Substitute shallots, scallions, or green onions for regular onions.

Garlic

Fresh garlic is best because it adds a zestier flavor. Substitute garlic powder for fresh garlic.

Nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese

Nutritional yeast or grated parmesan cheese are both excellent for adding flavor. Pick your favorite.

Spices

We recommend ground coriander and ground cumin for that Eastern Mediterranean spin. Feel free to add or omit the spices as you like. Other spices that work well with this recipe are paprika, cayenne pepper, and turmeric powder.

Salt and Black Pepper

We recommend sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Olive oil

You’ll also need extra virgin olive oil to cook the patties. If you cook them in the air fryer or oven, you’ll just need to brush the chickpea fritters with a bit of olive oil. If you cook them in a skillet, you’ll need a bit more oil, about 2 to 3 tablespoons, so they don’t burn. Note: this recipe does not require eggs. Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. To a large mixing bowl, add drained and rinsed chickpeas, chickpea flour or all-purpose flour, finely chopped parsley, finely chopped onion, pressed garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, nutritional yeast or grated parmesan, water, salt, and black pepper. Mash the ingredients with a potato masher or a fork until coarsely mashed. Add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of water if you think it’s necessary for the mixture to stick together into patties. Tip: Alternatively, pulse the ingredients in a food processor for a few seconds. Don’t over-mix, though, or you’ll get hummus instead. Shape the mixture into 12 small chickpea patties. Tip: They should be smaller than you think. This way, it’s easier to cook them and serve them. Arrange the chickpea patties on the prepared baking sheet and, optionally, brush them with olive oil. Bake at 400°F or 200°C for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Arrange on a serving platter and enjoy with fresh parsley on top, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and a dip or sauce of your choice.

Chickpea fritters with a dip.

They are delicious dipped in:

Tzatziki sauce Chermoula sauce Marinara sauce Tahini sauce Yogurt tahini sauce Vegan ranch dressing

Chickpea fritters added to a salad or bowl

Add them to your favorite salad to boost its protein content. Some salads you could try are:

Simple side salad drizzled with tahini sauce and quick pickled red onions. Creamy tahini salad Mediterranean Bowl Fattoush salad Tabouli or Lentil tabbouleh salad Shirazi salad Greek salad

Chickpea fritters in a wrap, sandwich, or pita bread

Served like this, they are excellent for a snack or quick lunch! Stuff them in pita bread with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and a spread and sauce of choice. They are delicious with:

Hummus Tzatziki Tahini sauce

Chickpea Fritters as Appetizer (Mezze)

Mezze is the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern way of enjoying dinner with friends and family. It’s a large platter with many small dishes. Chickpea fritters are similar to falafel, and so they go well in a mezze platter with:

Grilled eggplant and roasted eggplant Olives and diced feta Roasted red pepper hummus Quick pickled red onions or anything pickled Mutabal or baba ganoush (eggplant dips)

Chickpea Fritters in the Air-Fryer

Brush the bottom of your air fryer with oil to prevent the patties from sticking. Arrange the patties on a single layer, brush them with a lick of olive oil, and air fry them at 400°F or 200 °C for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Tip: Depending on your air fryer model, you might need to increase or decrease the cooking time by a few minutes.

Chickpea Fritters on a Skillet

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add the patties and cook them on medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side. Turn them gently with a spatula halfway through cooking.

Zucchini fritters

You can make delicious cakes with zucchini, too. They are juicy inside, crisp, caramelized outside, and excellent for an easy and tasty weeknight dinner. Check out our zucchini fritters recipe. You should get a mixture that is not too dry or too wet. You should be able to shape it easily, by hand, without it sticking too much to your hands. Moderate the salt: canned chickpeas are often stored in a salted liquid. This makes them quite salty, so you won’t need to add much salt to the fritters. We recommend about 1/2 teaspoon of salt for 2 cans of chickpeas, but you might need a little more or less depending on the brand of chickpeas you are using. Refrigerator: You can store the uncooked mixture in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Store the cooked fritters for up to 3 days. Freezer: Freeze shaped raw patties on a baking tray lined with parchment paper for 2 hours or until solid, then transfer them into a freezer-friendly bag to save space and store for 3 months. Freeze leftover cooked fritters for up to 3 months in a freezer-friendly bag. Thaw & Reheat: You can reheat or cook the fritters from frozen in a preheated oven at 400°F or 200°C for about 25 minutes if raw and 10-12 minutes if pre-cooked or in the air fryer at the same temperature for 15 minutes if raw and 5-8 minutes if pre-cooked.

Moroccan chickpea stew Chana saag or chickpea spinach curry Pasta e ceci or pasta with chickpeas Chickpea soup Chickpea curry Chickpea salad Mashed chickpea salad or vegan tuna