Go Back Email Link
+ servings
Chickpea fritters on a wire rack over a cloth, a lemon wedge and a bowl with yogurt sauce.
Print

Greek Chickpea Fritters And Tahini Lemon Yogurt Sauce

These delicious chickpea fritters are fluffy, slightly spicy, and aromatic and are served here with a tahini lemon yogurt sauce.
Course Appetizer, Appetizer-snack, Dinner, Eat Like a Greek
Cuisine Greek
Diet Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 12 pieces
Calories 52kcal

Equipment

  • Food processor or blender
  • Large bowl
  • Stockpot
  • Skillet

Ingredients

  • 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
  • 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
  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

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

  • If using the dry chickpeas, I suggest you grind the chickpeas in the food processor until they are a semi-fine grain. Don't let too big, more significant pieces in the mix;  With this method, please don't make the patties too big; they won't cook through.
  • The potatoes boil in their skin without cutting them. It takes longer to cook, but they don't absorb much water. Leaving them whole allows the flesh to bind with the other ingredients in the chickpea mixture and not be watery.
  • Removing the tough skins from the chickpeas results in a smoother fritter mixture.
  • It is perfectly ok to have more significant pieces of potatoes or /and chickpeas in the mixture. When in a hurry, I grind the chickpeas and mash the potatoes as quickly as possible and am not precise. The patties might feel looser and the ingredients less binding together, but the extra thicker pieces on the sides are crispy and lovely when fried. There is no wrong method when making these. You can shape them perfectly or be creative. Flatten them, create an irregular shape or make them into a football shape. All is good. 
  • You can place the wire rack on a baking sheet and then into a warm oven (80°c / 170° F) to keep fritters warm while you finish cooking.
  • Store yogurt sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days
 
Nutritional Info – Please remember that the nutritional information provided is only an estimate and can vary based on the products used.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 fritter | Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 193mg | Potassium: 213mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 166IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg