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These chickpea fritters are a great appetizer or can served as part of a weeknight meal. Made with just a few simple ingredients, they are quick to prep and cook and are ready to serve in less than 20 minutes. They can be made ahead of time and are great for meal prep! Easily made gluten free.
I know I’m biased, but I love this vegetarian mashed chickpea fritter recipe! I love serving them with a tahini sauce for a healthy snack or appetizer, but also serve them as part of a main alongside my Air Fried Sweet Potato Fries and a simple veggie side.
How to make chickpea fritters
In a bowl, combine the fritter ingredients and use a fork to mash everything together. It will take a little elbow grease, and you can do it faster using a mini food processor, but it definitely works fine with a fork.
Divide the mixture into six uniform thin patties. Keeping them thin will ensure that the chickpea fritters cook well on the inside without burning on the outside.
Fry the patties in a large pan for two to three minutes on each side until golden brown and firm. And then you’re ready to add these to salads, dip them in a sauce or just enjoy them on their own!
Tips for making chickpea fritters
- Make them gluten-free. You can use any other gluten free flour you’d like. Chickpea flour works really well, as does almond flour to make these fritters.
- Let the oil get hot before you fry the fritters. This will allow them to get wonderfully browned and golden and crispy on the outside. Look for a shimmer on the oil, but make sure it’s not smoking.
- Drain and rinse your canned chickpeas. The liquid that they are stored in can be quite salty, so be sure to rinse them in a sieve or colander to remove excess sodium. You’ll need to add a couple tablespoons of water to help them bind, but it’s best to use fresh water for that.
- Double the recipe easily. You can easily double all the ingredients to make 12 instead of 6 patties. If you do so, I highly recommend using a food processor because mashing double the ingredients with a fork will be much more tedious.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! Because these chickpea fritters contain cheese, they are not vegan, but you can easily swap the cheese for a vegan variety or a little nutritional yeast.
You can mix the ingredients for these patties ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge for 3 or 4 days before forming the patties. You can also make make the patties and separate them with parchment and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to cook them. Cooked patties will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can freeze the cooked or uncooked patties for up to 3 months. Freeze them on a baking sheet before transferring to a freezer bag or container. Thaw the patties in the fridge overnight before reheating in the oven if already cooked, or carry on with the recipe instructions if uncooked.
I love how easy and quick it is to make a batch of these fritters with just a can of chickpeas, flour, cheese and herbs! The kids love them and they are perfect when you need dinner in a hurry! Make a double batch for easy meal prep!
More fritters and patties
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Chickpea Fritters recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
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Chickpea Fritters
Video
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas rinsed, drained
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- tahini sauce for serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas, all purpose flour, parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add two tablespoons of water and use a fork or masher to combine the ingredients until they are well blended.
- Divide the mixture into 6 equal parts and form into thin patties.
- In a large pan, heat the oil until it's shimmering. Then add the chickpea fritters and cook until browned and fully cooked through, about 2-4 minutes per side.
- Place on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil, then serve with tahini sauce or any other sauce of choice.
Notes
- To freeze them prior to cooking, lay them on a flat baking dish in the freezer for at least 4 hours. When frozen, place them in an airtight bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight and cook per instructions.
- To freeze them after cooking, simply store them in an airtight bag after they’ve cooled. To re-heat, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in a 350°F oven until heated through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
I just made these! I was looking for an easy recipe to use chickpeas and this was great and used ingredients I already had. I airfried some (200 degrees celcius) and flipped them after a few minutes and oven grilled the rest on a oiled tray and also flipped those when they looked ready. Delicious 🙂
So happy you enjoyed them!
Hi, these sound amazing! Would i be able to make them in my air fryer though?
Thank you! I haven’t tried that yet myself, but I think it could work out well! You could try air frying at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes. You’ll want to flip them after about 7 minutes. You might have to adjust the cooking time, so I’d keep an eye on them. Let me know if you try it and how they turn out!
I absolutely LOVE these chickpea fritters! I am a bit confused by the nutrition information. Can you tell me how many patties are in one serving? I am newly diagnosed with diabetes and eat very little meat, so I am trying to navigate my way to find protein substitutes. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
The nutrition information is based on one fritter.
Can you used chickpea flour??
I haven’t tested these with chickpea flour myself, but I think it sounds like a great idea! I think it would make them super crispy. You may just need to adjust how much chickpea flour you use. I’d start with 2 tablespoons and check the consistency of the mixture, and add more 1 tablespoon at a time from there until you are able to form the mixture into patties.
Thanks for your fast reply! I’m making this tomorrow night for supper & will let you know how it turn out. Good evening.
So just finish my supper and it was great! This is definitely on list to make often! So I’m gonna say we make them with 3 Tbsp of Chickpea Flour. My said I would have that weekly…SO ITS A BIG KEEPER!!!
Thanks again for your recipe 😊
Made these tonight, they were very simple to do and tasty, definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them.
I was a chickpea skeptic before I discovered this recipe. These are in my standard rotation for meal prep now! I love how versatile this recipe is. I’ve made them exactly as written, and they’re great. I’ve made versions with caramelized onions and roasted garlic, versions with raw scallions, versions with paprika and cayenne pepper. These are so savory and I genuinely don’t miss meat when I have these for dinner. I serve these with spicy feta dip, also a recipe I got from this site! Thanks so much!
These are amazing! I make these at least once a week because they are tasty, healthy, and quick to make.
I make these with 1/4 cup of chickpea flour (instead of AP flour), omit the parsley, add in one chopped scallion, and used 2 T nutritional yeast + 2 T parmesan cheese (instead of 1/4 cup parmesan cheese). I bake these on parchment paper at 425F for 24 min. (flipping halfway).
Love that! So glad to hear it!
I was wondering if you had a version of this chickpea fruit is that can be baked instead of fried?
Hi Paula, you can bake at 400F for about 12-15 on each side until golden brown. Make sure to line your baking sheet with parchment paper and do a light spray of cooking oil to keep them from sticking. Hope you enjoy!
Very flavorful. I modified with almond flour and an egg, almost needing to double the flour. I omitted the water because of the moisture of the egg. I found that I needed to cook on lower heat, otherwise it became a burned hummus patty. I paired it with a simple garlic aioli…delicious.
Good idea to use the egg, almond flour does cook different than all-purpose so changing the heat as well was a good idea!
Oh my goodness, these are absolutely delicious! My mom had an abundance of fingerling potatoes from the garden and I wanted something quick and easy to pair with them. I was going to just roast some chickpeas but have been bored of that so I thought a chickpea fritter would be a fun new idea! I made a double batch of these and they were sooooo tasty! I subbed the Parmesan for nutritional yeast since I am dairy free and that substitute worked perfectly. I will be making these again and freezing for easy use! Also think these would be really good in a wrap with Buffalo sauce, lettuce and ranch 😋
Oo I love the idea of the buffalo wrap!
Not sure what happened – I substituted almond flour to make them gluten free, and used fresh chopped basil rather than parsley, but after I let the olive oil (not canola which is too inflammatory) heat up and put them in, they just fell apart and became an oily mush in the non-stick pan. Maybe the chickpea flour would work better than almond flour?
Hmm, I am not sure why they fell apart sounds like they might have had too much moisture, you could try an egg or a flax egg to help bind them.
My husband can’t eat cumin. What would be another spice that you would recommend to substitute?
Thanks!
Hi LB, you can try to ground coriander in place of the cumin. Hope that helps!
These are so good and so easy. They are a new go-to recipe for me and I make them about once a week. I use vegan parm or nooch and they have turned out so delicious! I have also used black beans and vegan cheddar w/ some sauteed peppers and onion thrown it. Thanks for this and all your wonderful, easy recipes!
You’re so welcome, Julie! So happy to hear that you like the fritters! I would love for you to try some of my other fritter recipes and let me know what you think. I’ve got a broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini fritter recipe. You can just use a flax egg to make it vegan.
I only had cheddar cheese, and also added a finely chopped spring onion. Absolutely delicious 😋 I will make again and again Thank you x
You’re so welcome! Love the addition of the cheese and onion!
Thank you
You’re so welcome!
Can these be air fried? How would that work and would there be any tweaks to be made?
I definitely think you could cook these in the air fryer, but I have yet to try that. You could try air frying at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes. You’ll want to flip them after about 7 minutes. You might have to adjust the cooking time, so I’d keep an eye on them. Let me know if you try it and how they turn out!
My go to chickpea recipe for sandwiches! Love them and so easy!
So glad you like the fritters. I’d love for you to try my chickpea “tuna” salad, and let me know what you think!
These were super easy to make. I substituted parsley for cilantro. I served them with other veggies and tahini sauce. Outstanding for when you don’t feel like cooking meat. Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed them, Vielka!
Unfortunately when I calculate calories for this recipe each fritter appears to be almost double your calorie count. Fritters are very good but are a little salty for my taste.
Hi Ron! The nutritional values are an estimate based on the ingredients in the list and serving size. The 77 calories are for one fritter, while the ingredients make 6 total. I can see how that may be not very clear.
I’ve made them twice, and they’re amazing! I had to substitute parmesan cheese for nutritional flakes as I can’t have dairy, and that worked great! I’ve just shared the recipe with a friend! 🙂
Thank you so much, Demetria! Geat suggestion to use nutritional yeast here! So glad you like them!
oil free would work as well they look good. Even cold for a sandwich would be good.
10/10. Would recommend! Just make sure to add enough salt.
Thank you, Anne! Glad you liked the fritters.
These were really, really good!!! A few things I did…
Parma! brand is awesome for their vegan parm. It really is the best.
Also, Bob’s Red Mill makes a great egg replacer that requires 2 tbsp water – it made these super sticky!
I don’t love cumin so I used half harissa and half chipotle.
Dipped in Dill lime mayo and a little siracha yumm
Love all these suggestions! Thank you so much for sharing, Lexi!
These look so yummy!
Can the parmesan cheese be omitted?
Thank you! It should still work!
Hi
These look great, just wondering how they would be cold in a lunchbox?
Thank you! They won’t have the same crisp outside texture, but it will still be good.
So so easy to whip up (especially if you have a food processor on hand) and really tasty. I served mine with tahini sauce, quinoah tabbouleh, and oven-warmed pita bread for a hearty lunch. They held up very well in the fridge for 5 days.
I’m glad to hear it! Yay!! The perfect meal.
Very very good, even though I didn’t use flour.I used almond flour, which didn’t bind the ingredients together. But still delicious. I made the tahini sauce as well love it. Next time I will use flour.
Thank you so much! I’m glad it worked out that way too!
I just made your chickpea fritters and let me tell you: SO GOOD! So easy but so tasty!!!!!
Thank you so much! That’s exactly what I was going for!
Thank you for the recipe! Also, just a heads up, mason jar lids are coated in BPA, so really not ideal for coming in contact with food. (Usually not an issue with canning since food isn’t in constant contact with the lid unless you fill to the rim of the jar.)
You’re so welcome! Thanks for noting that!
Love Recipes
Thank you so much!
I just made these, and they are delicious! I love how incredibly quick and easy they are to throw together. My mom came over and tried them, and left with two cans of chickpeas so she could make them for herself when she got home!
Thank you for the recipe 🙂
That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you! I hope you mo finds it easy to make too and you both continue to enjoy it!
So good and so easy! These will become a staple in our house for sure.
Thank you so much! That is great to hear!
Thank you for the recipe. But my fritters just kept falling apart. They became mushy while cooking. What am I doing wrong?
You’re so welcome! How big are you making the fritters? They can fall apart if they’re too large. Also, make sure you’re forming thin patties. Keeping them thin will ensure that the chickpea fritters cook well on the inside without burning on the outside!
I love this recipe!! I didn’t have parsley. I used less cumin, more garlic powder, dill weed, old bay seasoning, a little Dijon mustard, and diced onion. The potato masher worked great!
Thank you so much! Sounds good!
I normally do Sweetcorn Fritters and thought I’d try something different and googled Chickpea’s and this came up. Brilliant why did I not try these before super simple too.
Just blitz all the ingredients and shallow fry (no air fryer for me) a treat!
So glad you gave this a try and it was a winner! Thank you!
Can I replace oat flour or almond flour instead of all purpose flour?
Yes! You can use any other gluten free flour you’d like. Almond flour works really well to make these fritters.
I doubled the recipe to freeze them and cook them when I want to eat them because I love them so much that I want to have them available and ready when I am in the mood for them which is always.
I love that idea!
Hey! Currently cooking this recipe up… excited to try it out as it’s was super easy with ingredients I already had!!
But I was wondering… is there a way to make these in the air fryer? Or is it a oil skillet, and only once cooked can reheat in air fryer. I may just have to prep and freeze for easy air fryers! Also with that, what would you recommend air frying from frozen (pre made) ?
Sorry new to air fryer world but excited for it!
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And just tried them! Soooo good! My kids love them too!!! Thank you so much for an easy, even fun to make with the kids, yummy recipe!!
I definitely think you could cook these in the air fryer, but I have yet to try that. There are so many great things you can air fry – check out the air fryer recipes on my website using the filters! So glad you all loved the recipe!
Did you end up putting them in the air fryer? What temp and time did you do?! Thank you!!
Easy to make but more seasoning needed – rather bland.
Glad it was easy to make! Did you think a different seasoning needed to be added or just more of the seasonings the recipe already calls for?
i love these! I make them almost weekly! Thank you thank you! They are perfect for a being 95% plant based!
Thank you! I’m so glad you’re enjoying this recipe so much!
How long can you store the Tahini Sauce and can you freeze it?
Thank you.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container. The sauce will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
These are great! Very easy and quick to prepare for a busy mom of two very young kids. I did not add cheese and still felt like they were very tasty! I also love the ingredient feature which doubles or triples the recipe for you, it’s very handy!
Thank you! I love that. Yay!!
This is a great recipe! It’s easy to prepare and my family loves them.
Thank you! I love that!
Seems like a great recipe but Parmesan is NOT vegetarian.
Thank you! And thank you for pointing that out!
Technically parmesan is vegetarian but not vegan!
Nope! Parmesam has rennet in it which comes from an animals stomach, thus it needs to be killed. Thats why it’s not vegetarian either.
Where is the list of added ingredients? Seems unfair to include a “recipe” without naming the added ingredients, nor their amounts.
All the ingredients and their measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
I’ve learned from my vegetarian kids that Parmesan is not vegetarian unless you search for it that way. An animal product is used in producing this type of cheese. It was a big surprise to me!!!
I LOVE THEM!
Thank you!!!
I made your chickpeas fritters,really so good and were approved by my little ones…thank you ♥️
Yay!! That’s great to hear. Thank you!
So incredibly good!
Thank you!
These are beyond yummy! I crave them all the time now. And so does my husband. Thanks for sharing! Using a food processor saves us a lot of time.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you’re both enjoying it!!
These are delicious! I am always impatient with getting the oil to temp. Maybe you’d show the “shimmer” on IG sometime?
Thank you! I’ll try to mention it an upcoming video.
Thank you! I am looking forward to meal prepping these for my first week back to school next week. So delicious.
You’re so welcome! Best of luck with school starting up!
I am planning on doubling the recipe but cooking them on different nights. Will the mix keep well in the fridge and be used 24 hours later or does it mess up the consistency for cooking somehow?
You can mix the ingredients for these patties ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge for 3 or 4 days before forming the patties. You can also make make the patties and separate them with parchment and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to cook them. Cooked patties will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Really good recipe, thanks. I subbed finely chopped broccoli for the parsley and added a squeeze of lemon juice on top at the end. Yum!
Thank you! Love that!!
Can you cook these in an air fryer instead?
I’m sure you could!
Absolutely delicious!! I needed a quick yet quaint meal and this was absolutely perfect!! Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Thank you so much! You’re welcome!!
Will these be kind of soft / gooey inside? I cooked for longer than recommended and they are still gooey. Just wanting to make sure they are done.
It shouldn’t be gooey, but it may be slightly soft. It’s possible that the fritters were a little too thick?
That is probably the issue. I’ll make them thinner next time. I also used chickpea flour which may have continued to the texture. Thanks so much for the yummy recipe!
I made these today and they were so delicious and easy to make!! I added them to a salad but they are so versatile. Thank you for the awesome recipe 🥰
Thank you so much!! I love the sound of this with a salad!
SOOOO GOOD! I made these for my kids and ate half of them before the fritters even hit the kids’ plates. The flavor and texture were both great. So much for having leftovers! Next time I will double the recipe!
That’s amazing! Thank you! Doubling the recipe is always a good idea!!
Made them today, reallyreally good! I added my “secret ingredient” for veggie fritters: mayonnaise. Helps to bind everything together and to form a nice crust 🙂 they came out great, definitely will do again!
That’s perfect! I love the sound of that!!
Delicious and easy to make I forgot to put the flour in and it didn’t bind the batter making it fall apart while frying but I will definitely make it again! Love this recipe and a great substitute to satisfy my falafel cravings.
Let me know how it turns out when you make it again! Thank you!!
Chickpea fritters tastes amazing! Thanks for all your recipes.
Thank you!! You’re so welcome!!
Made it for dinner and it was a hit! Thank you
Amazing! Such an easy and flavorful recipe!
Thank you!
I made them and they were DELISH!🤗 and so easy!! Paired them with brown rice and sautéed garlic spinach. Will be making them again and I’ll try it in the air fryer. Thanks!!
Thank you! I love the sound of that! Yay!!
Tonight we made your chic pea fritters !! So Amazing !! All my teens loved them ! I will be making this more from now on ☺️
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! Thank you so much!!
I made these today! So quick to make and tasted delicious! So flavoursome! Going to try and air fry these soon!
Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Thank you! I love that idea! You’re so welcome!!
Tried out your chickpea fritters recipe but instead of deep frying I added a little more oil and air fried and they came out perfect. The kids and I absolutely loved it. Thank you 💕
Using the air fryer is a great idea! I love that!!
How hot and how long did you put yours in the air fryer for?
Hi. Great recipe.
Just a question about calories. It says “The information below is an automated estimate for the fritters” with fritter used in the plural – so only 77kcal for all the fritters? Is this right? Or is it 77kcal per fritter? If only per fritter, please adjust that sentence to read “The information below is an automated estimate for a single fritter”
Thanks!
Thank you, Chris! The 77kcal is for just one of the six fritters.
Delicious and my family loved them! Skipped the cheese too and they were great! I’m wondering about trying these in the air fryer. Any suggestions on temp & time? Thank you for this great recipe!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear it! I have yet to try cooking them in the air fryer!
I’m going to make tonight for an appetizer. Are they very similar to falafel? I think you explained difference in your live but I can’t remember! And would any other cheese work? Thanks! Excited to try these.
It stuck to the pan and was completely damaged, I had a scrambled chickpeas instead 🙁
Hi, Monica. Thank you for sharing that with me. Did you make sure to let the oil get hot before frying the fritters/ use enough oil on the pan?
These were so delicious and so easy. I served them with tatziki and a salad. I used fresh Italian parsley as the fresh herbs.
That sounds incredible! Thank you so much.
I know some people don’t eat eggs but has anyone added egg to this?
just what I was looking for! But that nutritional info can’t be right.
I double checked the nutritional info and it’s pulling in all the right data so it seems correct. Are you getting a different calculation?
I haven’t entered it into any program….but my can of chickpeas says it has 15 grams of fiber.(4 gms /serving; 3.5 servings per can) Divide that by 6 fritters would be a minimum of 2.5 grams of fiber. The can total for calories is 350, plus 110 for flour and about 100 for parmesan and 200 for the canola….so about 760 for 6 fritters is 126 ish.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! The fritters were so easy to make and turned out delicious.
So glad you enjoyed them. Thanks so much!
These were yummy! 🙂 I added some onion and garlic salt to the recipe. They are quick to make, filling and nutritious!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed them!
These are super easy and tasty! I put in 1 tsp dry herbs in place of the fresh – 1/4 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp parsley, 1/4 tsp cilantro. Great variety for chickpeas! Thank you.
Oh I love the spice variety you used. Thank you!!
So yummy! It is a perfect appetizer and has a delicious flavor. Thank you for posting!
Awesome! So glad you liked it. Thank you!
I made these and added some cayenne pepper, Cumin and dill and skipped the cheese
Yummy! That sounds perfect!
These look great. If I made them for meal prep, how long would they last in the fridge? Should I freeze them and thaw instead? Thanks!
Thank you so much! Store any leftovers in an airtight container, and it will last up to 5 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave, in a skillet with a little olive oil, or in a an air fryer before serving. To freeze them after cooking, simply store them in an airtight bag after they’ve cooled. To re-heat, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in a 350°F oven until heated through.