Chickpea fritters are a great appetizer and you can also make great-tasting sandwiches using this vegan chickpea fritters recipe. We've perfected the texture and added so much flavor you will be amazed.
Add these gluten-free, vegan patties to your repertoire in the kitchen, and keep the ingredients on hand because you will want to make them often. With very little prep time and only twenty minutes in the skillet, you can have a hot, fresh meal on your plate in no time
The Ingredients
Ingredients for the Chickpea Fritters
- Uncooked Quinoa. Here's a detailed post on how to cook quinoa.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- White or Crimini Mushrooms.
- Medium Zucchini.
- Garlic Cloves.
- Salt. You can control the sodium level when you make food yourself! Add salt to taste.
- Chickpeas. Also known as garbanzo beans, they are found in cans with vegetables or other canned beans at your supermarket. Of course you can fin dry chickpeas as well in the bean aisle
- Scallions. You could also use onions instead if you want.
- Nutritional Yeast.
- Dijon Mustard.
- Unsweetened Plant-Based Milk.
- Chickpea Flour.
- Chili Powder.
- Cumin.
- Ground Black Pepper.
- Corn Meal.
Ingredients for the Homemade Horseradish Sauce
- Garlic. You will need a whole head of garlic.
- Vegan Mayo.
- Dijon Mustard.
- Prepared Jarred Horseradish.
How to Make Chickpea Fritters
Start by cooking your quinoa. Then, saute the mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic in a skillet. Wipe out your pan, mash the chickpeas with the rest of the ingredients except for the cornmeal, and mix them. Make patties, and coat the outside with the cornmeal. Pan-fry your chickpea fritters in the skillet for ten minutes on each side. If you spritz the outsides with olive oil spray, you can also use the air fryer.
How to Make Homemade Horseradish Sauce
Roast the head of garlic until the cloves are soft. Cool it. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until the garlic cloves become creamy.
Tips for Making Chickpea Fritters
- Make sure you cook the fritters on medium-low heat so they cook completely without burning on the outside.
- You can make the raw patties ahead of time and cook them right before serving to save time. You can also go ahead and cook the chickpea fritters ahead of time, and simply reheat them in the oven to serve them hot.
- Rinse your chickpeas to avoid extra salt in the recipe. Be sure to drain them well.
- Serve them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any extra oil or consider draining them on a cooling rack before serving.
- You do not need any special tools to make chickpea fritters. You can mash them with a fork or use your hands to combine the dough. If you want to use a food processor, you can, but use short pulses sparingly so that you don't end up with more of a mush.
Fun Variations
You can add fresh parsley, fresh herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, or hot sauce to the chickpea mixture to keep things fresh and new. Try small amounts of different options each time you make the recipe to see what you like.
Change up the sauce. Use tahini sauce, romesco, schug, or any of your favorites!
Check out our other chickpea recipes!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I store Chickpea Fritters?
Keep your leftover fritters in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Consider freezing the fritters if you won't use them all up in that time.
Can I make chickpea fritters without a food processor?
Yes. We recommend just lightly mashing the chickpeas with a fork for our recipe. You could also use a potato masher.
Can you freeze chickpea fritters?
Yes. Place them in your freezer in a single layer on a baking sheet, and then once they are frozen, you can move them to a container or freezer bag where they will stay separate. When ready to eat, grab just what you need when you are ready to reheat and serve. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven, air fryer, or microwave.
Can I make chickpea nuggets using this recipe instead of fritters?
Yes. Reduce the cooking time for the smaller size.
Are chickpea patties healthy?
Full of protein and fiber, our chickpea fritter recipe might be exactly the meal-time solution you are looking for. While they are not carb-free, they do contain vitamins and minerals from the quinoa, garbanzo beans, and zucchini in addition to healthy carbohydrates.
Serving Recommendations
You can serve these in rice bowls, on sandwiches, on salads, in a pita, or just on the plate with a dipping sauce and add a side of fries, asparagus salad, or anything you love to serve with burgers. Serve them with the horseradish sauce as an appetizer.
More Vegan Fritters and Patty Recipes
- Cauliflower & Cheese Fritters
- Bulgur Wheat Patties With Spicy Tahini Sauce
- Homemade Falafel Recipe
- Quinoa Mushroom Sliders
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
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Chickpea Fritters
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 fritters 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Chickpea fritters are a great appetizer and you can also make great-tasting sandwiches using this vegan chickpea fritters recipe. We've perfected the texture and added so much flavor you will be amazed.
Ingredients
For the chickpeas fritters
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa. Here's a detailed post on how to cook quinoa
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 medium white or crimini mushrooms, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 3 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 3 tbsp unsweetened plant-based milk or water
- ¾ tbsp chickpea flour
- 1 tsp Chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1/ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ or ½ cup corn meal
For the horseradish sauce
- 1 head of garlic
- 3 tbsp vegan mayo
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp prepared jarred horseradish
Instructions
To make the chickpea fritters
- Cook quinoa. Here's a detailed post on how to cook quinoa
- Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms, shredded zucchini, and garlic and mix well. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt and cook on medium-high heat until all the liquid the mushroom and zucchini release evaporates. It takes about 5-7 minutes. Simply wipe the pan, you will be using it again to cook the fritters.
- In a large bowl, lightly mash chickpeas with a fork, add 1 cup of cooked quinoa (cooled), cooked zucchini and mushrooms, scallions, nutritional yeast, mustard, plant-based milk or water, chickpea flour, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Mix well using a fork or your hands until a soft dough forms.
- Working with approximately 1 ¼ cups of chickpea fritter mixture at a time from 6 equal patties. Place the cornmeal on a small plate, place a patty on the plate, and coat both sides with cornmeal.
- Wipe the skillet where you cooked the vegetables, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive, and cook chickpea fritters on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes per side.
To make the horseradish sauce
- Cut the bottom of a head of garlic (where it was attached to the root), drizzle a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.
- Wrap it in aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 375ºF for 30 minutes or until the garlic cloves are soft. Remove from oven and let it cool. Unwrap it once it's soft
- In a medium bowl add mayo, dijon mustard, and horseradish and mix well. Squeeze roasted garlic cloves into the sauce. Wisk really well until garlic cloves become creamy and part of the sauce
Serve the chickpea fritters as an appetizer with the sauce on the side or make it a dinner and serve them in a hamburger bun with the horseradish sauce.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 fritter
- Calories: 286
- Sugar: 2.8 g
- Sodium: 714.6 mg
- Fat: 10.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36.7 g
- Fiber: 6.2 g
- Protein: 9.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sheryl
Have you tried spraying the fritters with oil and cooking in the oven or airfryer?
Vicky and Ruth
Yes, we did try it. You can cook them in the oven or air fryer.