This easy recipe for Chick Pea Fritters uses chick pea flour and lots of veggies! They’re crispy, salty, and also vegan and gluten free! A great way to get kids to eat their vegetables.
These delicious little fried nubbins are known in Italy as panelle. This is my version. Panelle are essentially fritters made from a thick batter consisting of chick pea flour and water. They originated in Sicily and are commonly sold as a snack throughout the streets of Palermo. They’re crispy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside. Traditionally they’re fried in olive oil, which gives them a deep, rich flavor.
Panelle are really simple to make. You can keep them plain, as you’ll usually find them in Italy, or you can gussy them up with different herbs, spices and flavorings. I like to add in a few veggies for a little boost of nutrition, but also for additional flavor and texture. Oh, and speaking of nutrition, did I mention these happen to be totally vegan and gluten free? Yep. They’re also naturally soy free, nut free, egg free and make a great option to serve to anyone with food allergies or dietary restrictions. Yay!!
Panelle are also great to serve to anyone without any dietary restrictions. That’s what makes these little guys so amazing. They’re loaded with protein, fiber and vitamins, but they just taste like fun, yummy treats. Are they the perfect food? They very well just may be.
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- 1/2 small red onion, minced
- 1 carrot, grated
- 2 cups fresh spinach, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 2 cups chickpea flour
- 3 cups water
- 1 tbsp kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus plenty more for frying
- Rub the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with olive oil. Combine the onion, carrot, spinach, rosemary, chickpea flour, water, salt, and olive oil in a medium saucepan and whisk until no lumps remain.
- Place the pot over medium heat and and continue to whisk until mixture starts to become thick. Swap out the whisk for a rubber spatula and continue stirring until the mixture is very thick, about 8-10 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, then spread it out into an even thickness. Work quickly, as the mixture will start to seize up and become hard to spread. Transfer the baking dish to the refrigerator until the mixture is totally cooled and solidified, about 2 hours.
- Remove from refrigerator, invert it on to a cutting board and slice into whatever shape you'd like.
- Heat abut 1/2-1 inch of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat (cast iron works best). Place several pieces in the pan, but be careful not to overcrowd it. Fry until golden brown, then flip and cook until browned on the other side. Remove the panelle and place them on paper towels to drain, then immediately sprinkle with salt while they're still hot. Repeat with the remaining panelle and serve immediately.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and then be reheated in a 400 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes.
Nicole Gaffney, aka Coley, is a professionally trained chef, recipe developer, tv host and food writer.
I just made “pasta chig soup” (ditalinis or tubettinis and garbanzo beans)this week. It is one of my favorite soups. This recipe looks like something we would really enjoy and I would treat my whole family to something new. Thanks Coley..miss you and love you lots.
YUM!! I’m ready for warmer weather but at least we can still enjoy soup. Miss and love you too!! xoxox
I’ll be making these (ahead of time) for my son’s graduation party. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe! Just wondering… would you use some kind of ‘dip’ for these also? I’m thinking something along the line of a sour cream/horseradish dip or a tzatziki dip. What do you think?
Such a great idea!! They totally don’t need a dip, but I think anything is good with a dip, so go for it!! I think tzatziki would be especially good.
As things go, I DID make these ahead of time for Alex’s grad party…. and then ran out of time to cook them! I had so much food that they weren’t missed anyway! The party was on a Saturday… I cooked these up on Monday for our usual “Monday Night Delights” in our office. They were GONE in the first hour and a half! They were SO good!!
Just a side note: I didn’t have chickpea flour on hand so I looked for it in our local ShopRite.Bob’s Red Mill has it with the label “Garbanzo Bean Flour”.. in case anyone is having a problem finding it. One bag will probably give you at least two recipes worth… maybe a third.
Thanks again for another brilliant recipe, Coley!
Hi, can these be baked instead?
You can give it a try, but they may not turn out as crispy. Be sure to give them a nice coating in olive oil first.
I´d love to do this! But I´m wondering…does it tastes a lot like chickpea flour? If it does, can I add some lemon juice to the recipe?
It doesn’t! But feel free to add some lemon juice to the recipe. Let me know how it is!
I found this recipe on Pinterest while looking for a side to have with pasta instead of bread. I followed the recipe except only fried up half of the fritters and saved the other half in the freezer. I fried up the rest a week later and they still tasted great. I have a large container of fancy flaked sea salt, so I was happy I got to garnish the fritters with it. I will be making these again. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Thanks Lindsey! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂