Greek Chickpea Fritters and Tahini Lemon Yogurt Sauce

Golden chickpea fritters flecked with herbs and scallions, cooling on a copper wire rack

Greek Chickpea Fritters and Tahini Lemon Yogurt Sauce

Crispy Greek chickpea fritters (revithokeftedes) with a creamy tahini lemon yogurt sauce. Golden outside, fluffy inside, and full of fresh herbs — an easy vegetarian meze ready in about 35 minutes.

Course Appetizer, Appetizer-snack, Dinner, Eat Like a Greek

Cuisine Greek

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Servings pieces

Calories 115kcal

Author by Jenny Skrapaliori Graves

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

Chickpeas: Canned work well — rinse and drain thoroughly. For dried, soak 24 hours before cooking.

Air fryer: Brush both sides with olive oil and air fry at 375°F (190°C) for 12–14 minutes, flipping halfway.

Sauce tip: Tahini thickens as it sits and absorbs the lemon — loosen with a splash of water if needed. Add lemon to taste; start conservatively.

Make ahead: Shape and flour up to a day ahead and fry fresh, or freeze cooked fritters up to 2 months and reheat in the air fryer.

Keep warm: Hold finished fritters on a rack in a low oven (170°F / 80°C) while you fry the rest.

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