With just a few ingredients and a quick cooking time, these Chickpea Fritters are a protein-packed meal that’s ready in under 20 minutes. (And they reheat well for the future, too!)
I love turning simple pantry staples into easy vegetarian meals for kids, especially when it involves making fritters. Much like my Broccoli Fritters, Zucchini Tots, and Quinoa Fritters, this Chickpea Fritter recipe is super easy to make and seriously delicious to eat.
These fritters are easy to adjust for allergies, can be made on the stove top or in the air fryer, and are great with a range of dipping sauces including Cucumber Yogurt Sauce, Peanut Sauce, salsa, guacamole, hummus, and ketchup.
They are also made with affordable ingredients and taste like falafel, but are much easier to make at home!
(You may also like Soft Roasted Chickpeas, Chicken Fritters, Lentil Patties and Chickpea Blondies.)
Table of Contents
Your toddler won’t eat? Help is here!
Sign up for our email updates to get tips and ideas sent your way!
Ingredients You Need
Below is a look at the ingredients you need to make these Chickpea Fritters so you know what to have on hand.
- Chickpeas (rinsed and drained): I like to use canned chickpeas, which are sometimes called garbanzo beans, to make this easy. You can also cook chickpeas from dry if you want. Cook fully, drain, and let cool before you start the recipe.
- All-purpose flour: Adding a little flour to the mixture helps it hold together. You can use a gluten-free flour blend as needed to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Parmesan cheese: Grated Parmesan cheese adds nice flavor to these plant-based patties.
- Cumin, garlic powder, and salt: A mix of these three ensures the chickpea patties are flavorful enough for kids and adults, without being overpowering.
- Olive oil: I like to pan-fry my fritters in extra-virgin olive oil. You can also use butter or avocado oil if you prefer.
- Cucumber-yogurt sauce, tzatziki, or hummus for serving as you like.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Below is a preview of how to make this Chickpea Fritters recipe so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full recipe, including the amounts and the timing.
Step 1. Drain the chickpeas (I save the liquid for an egg replacer to use in baking). Rinse with cold water (this removes some of the sodium).
Step 2. Add to a shallow dish or bowl with the rest of the ingredients except the olive oil.
Step 3. Mash with a potato masher or fork until very smooth.
Step 4. Form into round, flat patties. Add olive oil to a pan or skillet over medium heat and cook the fritters until golden brown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure the mixture isn’t too wet, mash the chickpeas well, and use enough binder (flour) to help them hold together.
They’re soft inside, easy to hold, and packed with plant-based protein and fiber. And they are a flavorful way to serve nutrient-dense beans.
Yes! To make in an air fryer, coat the tray with nonstick spray or avocado oil, place the patties on top and spray with oil. Cook at 375 degrees F for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.
How to Store
Once cooled, store leftover Chickpea Fritters in an airtight container for up to a week. Warm in the microwave, toaster oven, or air fryer briefly to serve. You can also freeze these in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for a future week.
Best Tips for Success
- Use gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour to make these gluten-free.
- Add fresh herbs such as minced fresh parsley for more fresh flavor, if desired.
- Serve with desired dipping sauces and/or pita bread if you’d like or add them to my Vegetarian Hummus Wrap.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please rate and comment below!
Easy Chickpea Fritters
Ingredients
- 14.5- ounce can chickpeas (rinsed and drained; sometimes called garbanzo beans)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast to make dairy-free)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Cucumber-yogurt sauce, tzatziki, or hummus for serving
Instructions
- Drain the chickpeas (I save the liquid to use as an egg replacer in baking). Rinse with cold water (this removes some of the sodium).
- Add to a shallow dish with the flour, Parmesan, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons water.
- Mash with a potato masher until very smooth and uniform, adding another 2-4 tablespoons of water as needed.
- Form into round, flat patties using 1 tablespoon batter in each. Patties should be about ½ inch thick.
- Add olive oil to a pan over medium heat and cook the fritters for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- Place onto a paper towel to drain, if desired, and serve warm with desired dips.
Notes
- Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to a week. Warm in the microwave, toaster oven, or air fryer briefly to serve.
- Use gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour to make these gluten-free.
- To make in an air fryer, coat the tray with nonstick spray or avocado oil, place the patties on top and spray with oil. Cook at 375 degrees F for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.
- Add minced fresh parsley for more fresh flavor, if desired.
Nutrition
This post was first published January 2024.
Soooooo good!! I want to eat them all but made them for my toddler 🤣 plus I usually don’t like chick peas but these are delicious
Thanks for the recipe. I use one of yours at least once a week. They’re all marvelous.
With this one – can I use other cheese such as cheddar?
Many thanks!
Sure, you can use other cheese!
Thank you for this! How long does the chickpea liquid stay fresh in the frigde in a Tupperware for baking?
A few weeks.
Incredible recipe! I did it exactly as written and worked perfectly. My one year old LOVED.
If instead of throwing out the aquafaba, you use it, that is a great binding agent 👍 no need for flour.
I used an immersion blender for this and it worked great!
I decided to bake mine at 375 for a total of 33 minutes. They are nice and crispy and golden on the outside but the inside is still soft and kind of a puree texture still. Is it supposed to be like that? Or should it be more cooked on the inside?
You could flatten them a little more next time to have slightly less soft centers.
Is it still safe to eat with the soft centre?
Do these need to be refrigerated or just stored in an airtight container outside of the refrigerator?
They are best in the fridge but they are likely fine for a day or two at room temperature given the ingredients.
Recipe looks fine, but I’m a little confused why you wash the sodium off the chickpeasand then add salt. Why not? Just use the chickpeas unrinsed and not add salt?
Some canned beans have very high amounts of sodium so that is the reason. If you prefer to do it the way you say, feel entirely free.
I’ve been making these for my 21 month old daughter for several months, she loves them!
These are phenomenal, even to my 18 mo selective eater. Very good dipped in chunky guac too.
Yay!
Can’t believe I haven’t reviewed these yet as I’ve made them a hundred times!!! My toddler has loved these since about 12m, they’re delicious if you end up eating them too, and a perfect way to get a variety in their protein! Thank you for this recipe!
I am so glad you both enjoy them!
These look delicious! Could they be baked and then frozen?
Sure!
Can I use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder? And if so, how much should I put?
Sure, I would mince or grate 1 clove on a microplane and stir it into the batter.
Twin mom of 15month old (very cute) hoover vacuums, and this is fantastic. Easy to make, easy to plan ahead, and can make extra for the freezer. Will definitely make again.
Fantastic recipe. I made these last night and will definitely include them in the rotation. I dipped them into fresh garlic aioli and it was perfection.
If anyone is thinking they will save time by putting the ingredients in a blender instead of mashing manually with a potato masher as the recipe suggests – don’t. It’s way too thick. Just follow the instructions lol.
I’m not a huge cumin fan so I used only a dash of cumin and subbed with spices I like such as onion powder, paprika, herbs de provence, dried mustard, chipotle powder.
Love the sound of what you did (and good note about the blender)