Chickpea Fritters
If you’ve had really good falafel, you’ll know immediately what to expect from these Chickpea Fritters. They are a simple mixture of chickpeas, fresh herbs, greens and spices. When this mixture is blended into a thick batter and fried in a bit of oil, something heavenly delicious results. Crispy on the outside, creamy inside and incredibly flavorful. They are a great snack on their own or made into a meal. I like eating them with hummus and a salad or stuffed in a gluten free pita pocket. On that note- BFree makes a wonderful gluten free Pitta Bread that I found in my local grocery store.
Funny Backstory…
I was born on a farm. Scratch that! I should have said- my parents had a farm when I was born. The point being, that as I was growing up, I saw a lot of stuff on the ground in the barn and in the fields that I was told to avoid. Don’t step in it! Don’t touch it! Unfortunately, my Chickpea Fritters remind me a lot of that stuff:-( However, the fritters taste so good that I can get over their similarity to…well… less appetizing stuff.
My kids haven’t grown up so intimately aware of “barn stuff,” so they didn’t think twice about the appearance of the fritters. They dig right in and love the crispy outside and the smooth and herby center. They are so delicious and nutritious that I am always happy to make them when they ask (which is often).
Making the Fritter Mixture
You will need a food processor to make this mixture properly. Fortunately, the machine does the majority of the work too! All of the ingredients (except the gluten free flour) go in at the same time. Set it to the highest speed and let it go for a minute. You will likely need to scrape down the sides a time or two. Once it is all consistently chopped very fine, sprinkle the flour on top of the mixture and pulse it a few times to combine it well. When the mixture sticks together to form a small patty then it is ready to go. If it feels a bit sticky, add a little more flour until you get the right consistency.
Shape the Chickpea Fritters
I use a small cookie batter scoop to keep the size of the fritters consistent, but a tablespoon will work perfectly too! Just scoop the mixture into your hands and shape them into disks. I lay them out in an even layer on a baking sheet to speed the process up when I begin to cook them.
Fry the Fritters
Begin by heating about a 1/4 inch of oil in a large frying pan. I use coconut oil because it can handle the high heat. Once the oil sizzles when you drop a bit of flour or the mixture into the pan, carefully place the fritters into the hot oil using a spatula or tongs. Work in batches, allowing a little room between each fritter in the pan. Once they have browned on one side, turn them over to brown on the other. When they are browned on both sides, remove them from the pan and place on a plate or tray lined with paper towels to absorb some of the oil. They are ready to eat at this point.
You can transfer them to a sheet pan in a 200 degree oven to keep them warm while you continue to cook the remaining fritters if you’d like. I usually have to hide them until we are ready to sit down to eat, otherwise my family comes by like a flock of birds and steals them… eating right from their hands! Ha! I prefer to serve them on plates with a fresh salad, hummus and gluten free pita.
Chickpea Fritters
Ingredients
- 15 oz canned chickpeas, drained ((garbanzo beans))
- 4 cups of spinach or kale ((tough stems removed))
- 1 cup chopped herbs ((basil, cilantro or flat leaf parsley... or a combination of them))
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- Salt and Pepper (to taste)
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 2-3 tbsp gluten free flour blend ((I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour))
- oil for frying ((I use coconut oil))
Instructions
- Put all ingredients (except the flour) in food processor and blend until combined well.
- You may need to scrape the sides down a time or two.
- Add the flour and pulse until combined.
- Form into 2 inch patties. I use a scoop to keep the size uniform.
- Heat a large frying pan with at least a 1/4" of oil. When a small amount of the chickpea mixture sizzles on contact with the oil, you know it is hot enough to fry them properly.
- Place as many patties in the pan that you can and let them fry on one side until they are browned, then flip them and let the brown on the other side. Let them rest on paper towels or on a sheet pan in a 200 degree oven until all of the patties have been cooked.
- Serve with tahini, hummus or a creamy salad dressing as an appetizer or put on a salad or in a wrap to make it a meal:-) These are so flavorful & delicious!
Nutrition
