These crispy chickpea fritters are fluffy on the inside, golden outside, and packed with fresh herbs. Known in Greece as revithokeftedes, these little plant-based patties show up all over the Greek islands — and I serve mine the way I love them best, with a cool, garlicky tahini lemon yogurt sauce.
I grew up eating fritters of every kind, and chickpea fritters are among the most satisfying. They come together with pantry staples, they’re naturally vegetarian, and they walk the line between snack, meze, and full meal beautifully.
Greek cooking has a fritter for every vegetable. Try my crispy eggplant fritters (melitzanokeftedes), summery tomato fritters (tomatokeftedes), golden Greek cauliflower fritters, and comforting potato fritters with feta. Once you start, you won’t want to stop.
What are Greek chickpea fritters?
Chickpea fritters — sometimes called garbanzo bean fritters or fried chickpea patties — are made by grinding cooked chickpeas, binding them with mashed potato and fresh herbs, then shallow-frying small patties until crisp. In Greece we call them revithokeftedes (from revithia, chickpeas, and keftedes, fritters), and you’ll find versions across the Cyclades, especially on islands like Sifnos where chickpeas are a beloved staple.
What makes my version sing is the mashed potato. It keeps the inside soft and pillowy and helps everything hold together, while the cumin, mint, and chili flakes give each bite warmth and brightness.
Why you will love revithokeftedes
Ingredients for the chickpea fritters
Chickpeas. I use already-cooked chickpeas. You can use canned — rinse very well, drain, and go. Or use dry chickpeas soaked for 24 hours (soaking method is in the recipe card). I prefer pre-cooked for a faster result and easier digestion; chickpeas and other beans can be hard on some stomachs (mine included).
Potatoes. Boiled in their skins, then peeled, mashed, and mixed into the ground chickpeas. This is the binder that holds everything together.
Onion and scallions. Using both adds different layers of flavor.
Fresh mint, parsley, and sage. Each herb brings its own freshness and brightness.
Sea salt, freshly ground pepper, chili flakes, and ground cumin. The first three for flavor and a little heat. Cumin adds a warm, earthy, slightly citrusy note that I love in this recipe.
All-purpose flour. For coating the fritters and adding crunch.
Olive oil. For frying — sunflower oil works too.
Ingredients for the tahini lemon yogurt sauce
This sauce is inspired by one of my favorite chefs and cookbook authors, Yotam Ottolenghi.
- Tahini. A smooth, creamy paste made from toasted sesame seeds.
- Greek yogurt. I prefer full-fat, but 2% works just as well.
- Lemon juice.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Garlic.
- Sea salt.
How to make the fritters
STEP 1. Boil the potatoes. Wash them well and add them whole, with skins on, to a stockpot. Cover with water and boil over medium-high heat until soft. Cool slightly, then peel and mash with a fork or masher.
STEP 2. Pulse the chickpeas. Add the chickpeas to a food processor and pulse a few times to a semi-fine grain. It’s fine to have some bigger chunks among the finer bits — that’s texture.
Make the mixture. Combine the chickpeas, mashed potato, chopped mint, parsley and sage, cumin, chili flakes, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well.
STEP 3. Make the mixture. Combine the chickpeas, mashed potato, chopped mint, parsley and sage, cumin, chili flakes, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well.
STEP 4. Shape and flour. Add the flour to a plate. Take a full tablespoon of the mixture, roll it into a ball, and press to flatten. Roll each patty in the flour, shake off the excess, and set aside. Repeat with the rest.
Air fryer chickpea fritters
Want a lighter, hands-off version? The air fryer works beautifully.
Shape and flour the fritters as usual, then brush or spray both sides lightly with olive oil. Air fry at 375°F (190°C) for 12–14 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crisp. They won’t be quite as deeply browned as the fried version, but they’re wonderful — and a great trick when you’re cooking a big batch.
What to serve with chickpea fritters
These are made for a Greek table. A few of my favorite pairings:
- The tahini lemon yogurt sauce below, or a generous spoon of tzatziki dip
- Warm grilled pita bread and cut-up tomatoes and cucumbers
- A bright Greek salad or Cretan dakos
- Other meze like melitzanosalata and kalamata olive tapenade
- A caramelized red onion chutney — the sharp, savory, garlicky contrast is a combination we enjoy often
Looking for the perfect dip to go with this? I have all my favorite Greek dip recipes in one place — 8 classics worth making.
Pro tips
- Don’t stress about perfection. When I’m in a hurry, I grind the chickpeas and mash the potatoes quickly without being precise. The patties might feel a little looser, but the thicker pieces on the edges crisp up beautifully when fried. There’s really no wrong way to shape these — round, irregular, or football-shaped, all good. The point is to have fun making delicious food.
- Keep them warm. Set the wire rack on a baking sheet in a low oven (170°F / 80°C) to hold the fritters while you finish the batch.
- Remove the chickpea skins for an even smoother mixture if you have a few extra minutes.
Make ahead and storage
- Make ahead: Shape and flour the fritters up to a day in advance and refrigerate on a tray, then fry just before serving.
- Store cooked fritters in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to bring back the crisp.
- Freeze the cooked and cooled fritters for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen at 375°F (190°C) until hot and crisp.
- The sauce keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Variations
- Vegan chickpea fritters: The fritters themselves are already vegan. Just swap the yogurt sauce for a tahini-lemon dressing (tahini, lemon, garlic, water, salt) or pair with hummus.
- Gluten-free: Coat the fritters in chickpea flour or a gluten-free all-purpose blend instead of wheat flour.
- Herb swaps: No sage? Skip it. Use cilantro instead of parsley. Fresh herbs are always great to use but I use their dried versions in a pinch.
FAQ
More chickpea recipes to love
If these fritters win you over, you’re in good company — chickpeas (revithia) are a cornerstone of the Greek table, from island soups to slow-cooked stews. Here are three more of my favorite chickpea recipes to keep the inspiration going.
Pork Stew with Chickpeas
A rustic Cretan classic from the village of Anogeia. Pork shoulder slow-cooks with chickpeas, tomatoes, and wine until meltingly tender and deeply savory. It’s even better the next day.
→ Pork Stew with Chickpeas
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad (Warm or Room Temperature)
Caramelized chickpeas tossed with juicy cherry tomatoes, briny olives, a lemony olive oil dressing, and pistachios for crunch.
→ Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Greek Chickpea Soup with Lemon (Revithia)
The ultimate Greek comfort food — chickpeas simmered low and slow with olive oil, bay, and a generous squeeze of lemon until creamy and nourishing.
→ Greek Chickpea Soup with Lemon
Greek appetizers & meze
Cooked it? Rate it!
If you tried this recipe, I’d love to know how you liked it — drop a comment below or tag me on Instagram @thegreekfoodie__.
Greek Chickpea Fritters and Tahini Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Large bowl
- Stockpot
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 1½ cups canned chickpeas, Washed and drained. Or 250 grams of dry chickpeas, soaked for 24 hours.
- 2 potatoes, washed with skin, uncut.
- 1 onion, small diced
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped. You can also use fresh cilantro.
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage , finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅔ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
You will also need
- olive oil or sunflower oil, for frying
- freshly ground pepper
- all-purpose flour, for coating the fritters
For the yogurt tahini sauce
- 1 cup Greek yogurt, 240 gr
- ⅓ cup lemon juice, 80 ml
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Prepare the potatoes.
- Wash the potatoes very well and add them to a stockpot. Please don't cut them. Fill the stockpot with enough water to cover the potatoes and place on medium-high heat. Boil potatoes until soft. When done, remove potatoes from the water and set them aside to cool a little.When they are cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes, add them to a bowl, and mash with a fork or masher.
Prepare the chickpeas.
- Add the chickpeas to a food processor or blender. Pulse chickpeas a few times. Don't overprocess. It's ok if you have bigger chunks between more refined ground pieces.
Prepare the chickpea fritter mixture.
- Add the chickpeas, mashed potatoes, chopped mint, parsley and sage, cumin, chili flakes, sea salt, and pepper in a large bowl, and mix well.
- Add ½ cup of all-purpose flour to a plate.
- Take a full tablespoon of the mixture and shape it into a small ball, then press it down with your hand to flatten it.
- Roll each fritter into the flour mix. Shake it between your hands to remove the excess flour—place fritters on a separate dish. Repeat the process with the rest of the mixture.
Time to fry.
- Add ⅓ cup light olive oil or sunflower oil to a skillet—heat oil in medium-high heat.
- Fry chickpea fritters in hot oil until they turn golden brown on all sides, about 1.5 to 2 minutes per side.
- Remove fritters in a wire rack to drain extra oil.
Make the tahini lemon yogurt sauce.
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Adjust the sauce to taste if necessary. You can add more lemon juice or some of the tahini liquid to loosen up the sauce. If two cloves of garlic is too much for you start with one, taste, and see if you would like to add more.Set aside at room temperature if using soon, or refrigerate if making ahead.
Serve.
- Serve immediately with tahini yogurt sauce or tzatziki, cut up tomatoes and cucumbers, and grilled pita bread.
Dry chickpeas soaking method.
- Place the chickpeas in a bowl and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Cover and soak overnight.Transfer the chickpeas to a large bowl and wash with three or four changes of cold water. While washing, agitate the beans vigorously between your hands to release the skins, which will float easily away. The chickpeas are ready for use.
Notes
Nutrition
The flavor is great but it was very fall-aparty. Is there something I could do to help it hold together better?
Hi Ken,
So glad you liked the flavor!
The first few times I made these the same thing happened to me. I understood as I was testing the recipe that mashing the potatoes very well, and the softer the chickpeas are, both help hold the mixture together. Mix everything well and be very gentle on how you place the fritters on the hot pan. Flip carefully only once. Do a test first to see how long you need to cook one fritter until flipping.
A funny fact: a very good friend of mine who was one of my taste testers prefers these fritters when they fall apart, she loves all the crispy bits and the irregular shape. She was disappointed when she saw them all round and put together in the post!
Hope these tips help!
Thank you so much for making the fritters.
x Jenny