Carrot Zucchini Chickpea Fritters Vegan Recipe. Eggless, nut-free, yeast-free. Can be made gluten-free. Cooked Chickpeas, shredded veggies and turkish spices. Use other spices or blends of choice. Use shredded sweet potato or winter squash for variation. Jump to Recipe
The other day, hubbs read my blog posts and mentioned how short they were. I said yes, I know. I post too frequently to have stories to tell in each one of them. Is there a reason why I make some of the recipes on the blog? More often than not, they come about because I have to use up certain veggies or items. I had chickpeas waiting to be used as I had experimented with aquafaba a day before ( which hadn’t turned out well). I always have leftover baby carrots. No one eats carrots for snack in the house except chewie and even he doesnt get more than 3 per day. And then some days hubbs picks up some of the not as frequently used veggies together. He is allowed to get 2 out of the many that we know will not be used up immediately like broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, bitter gourd, okra, celery. I don’t like some of these, so it needs a bit of planning and experimentation to use them up when I have them. I used up the mushrooms in the Umbrian Tartufo sauce pasta from Miyoko’s book and had to make something for myself. And I still have bitter gourd (Karela) and asparagus left for the weekend. Yes, you are cooking those on the weekend hubbsy.
As for chickpeas, I can use them in various ways in all these chickpea recipes. The problem with being a food blogger is that often I keep making something new. In fact, if there are a few days when I make repeat dishes, by the fourth day hubbs will ask me if I am ok 🙂 . So here goes. More chickpeas!
I am currently digging black pepper. So I made a peppery turkish spice blend, inspired by Turkish Baharat and used it in these patties. The spices work fabulously in the patties. Use whichever spices you have and whichever veggies like potatoes, squash, broccoli etc 🙂
Serve these as snack or breakfast with chutneys, sriracha, ketchup, vegan tzatziki, vegan cucumber raita or ranch. Or make sandwiches, use as burger patties.
More Chickpea Recipes
- Sweet Potato Chickpea Peanut Burgers. Vegan Recipe
- Spicy Chickpea Lentil Burgers
- Vegan Tinga Bowl with Spicy Chickpeas & Spanish Rice
- Buffalo Chickpea Pizza with celery ranch
- Chickpea recipes from the blog now tagged.
Growing up in India, I have seen my share of problems and hopelessness. There are many many struggles every day and we tend to block them out or become indifferent. These are difficult problems with ever more difficult solutions. Indifference is a mechanism to keep the hope and happiness alive. I write more about it here. I remember in my earlier conversations with my parents about vegan-ism and why we are choosing so. In discussions about conditions of animals in India, my parents would point out how humans have it equally worse.
But there are solutions, there is something that can be done. I am fortunate to know some of the people who have done those things and are continuing to. I am fortunate that my parents understood that there will always be those problems, but they could take one of them at a time and try to not contribute to it.
On the eve of India’s Independence day, here are some uplifting stories of simple people doing amazing things for people, communities, women, children, animals. Happy Independence day India.
Steps:
Process the carrots, ginger, garlic. Process chickpeas and add to the bowl.
Make the turkish spice blend. Add to the bowl. Shape the mixture into patties.
Pan fry until golden brown.
Serve with sriracha, ketchup or chutneys or choice.
VIDEO:
Carrot Zucchini Chickpea Fritters Vegan Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (196 g g) small zucchini shredded
- 1/2 (64 g g) heaping cup chopped carrots
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 inch (0.5 inch) ginger
- 1 green chili or use cayenne to taste
- 15 oz can chickpeas drained or 1.5 cups cooked
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) black pepper corns or ground pepper
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground cardamom
- 1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt depends on if the chickpeas were salted
- 1 Tbsp flax seed meal or chia seed meal
- 1/4 cup (30 g) oat flour or other flour (chickpea flour, rice flour, wheat/while flours will work)
- 1 to 2 tbsp breadcrumbs or more flour
- Oil as needed
Instructions
- Grate/shred the zucchini and add to a bowl using a grater or processor. Lightly press the zucchini in a paper towel if there is too much moisture.
- Process carrots, ginger, garlic, chili in a food processor until shredded and add to bowl. Or use a grater.
- Process chickpeas until coarsely blended, not fully a paste. Add to the bowl. (I use a mini food processor and it works really well for both the steps).
- Make the Turkish spice blend : Crush the cumin coriander and black pepper using a mortar pestle. Or pulse in a spice grinder to a coarse meal. Heat 1/2 tsp oil in small skillet. When hot, add the crushed spices and cook until fragrant. You can also dry roast them until fragrant or add them unroasted.
- Add the spices to the bowl. Add cinnamon, cardamom, salt, flour, flax and mix well. Add flour and mix in. Add breadcrumbs if needed.
- Form patties and cook with a little oil in a skillet over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes per side.
- To bake, Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes. Broil to crisp for a minute.
- Serve as snack or breakfast with chutneys, sriracha, ketchup, vegan tzatziki, vegan cucumber raita or ranch.
Video
Notes
Add chopped onion and cilantro.
Nutrition
Mark says
August 14, 2015 at 5:36 pmThese look to die for. My first inclination would to be make them a bit bigger and throw one between some whole grain bread for what would have to be a first rate sandwich
Veg life lady says
April 29, 2016 at 6:20 pmI made these just tonight, I didn’t have flax meal so I added a little oat bran, and I used cayenne powder instead of the pepper, and my zucchini squash was large so I added extra oat flour and panko; the recipe made ten good sized patties, and they were delicious, just the right flavor-think if I had remembered to buy the chili they would have been perfect. Also note I don’t have a food processor so I used a grater for the zucchini and one of those small manual processors from pampered chef and it was just just as easy, I will make these again, they were delicious
Thunderbuns says
August 15, 2015 at 12:25 pmHaha if theres one thing that is never leftover in my house, it’s carrots! But I’ll just have to buy more to make these. They look delicious.
Tanya Goosev says
August 15, 2015 at 2:36 pmI made these today and they were absolutely delicious! I love the spice combination. Easy and yummy. Thank you!
IR says
August 15, 2015 at 7:14 pmLooks amazing! Happy Independence Day!
By the way, your posts aren’t too short. I think you work hard enough on the recipes, photos, and constant brainstorming =)
Belle Ball says
August 16, 2015 at 12:24 pmThanks for this delicious-looking recipe, i’ll be trying it soon. Also, the article about the 69 people in India making a difference was very inspiring, and a welcome thing to read. It’s amazing but true that just about anyone, from the richest to the poorest, can make a positive difference in our world with a little effort and right-mindedness. WE ALL CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Elsje Parsons Massyn says
August 17, 2015 at 5:43 amFirst of all thank you for the inspiring stories of the heroes of India. Of course my biggest encouragement is when I hear the stories about the men who planted forests for the sake of the environment and animals, and women (and men) who help homeless dogs and cats in India. Then thirdly I was encouraged by women who were sexually abused and became activists for women in India. Those are the 3 topics that moves my heart.
I have noted in South Africa that wherever there are homeless people who in the tiny little bit of food they beg for, are shared with their dogs. This encourages people to give them more and assist them more with food, money, clothing and sometimes jobs. The fact that a homeless poor person makes the effort out of their poverty to still reach out and help a homeless dog says something about their character. It pays off, because they are helping another creature, they are helped themselves.
If more homeless people can understand that they are not the only ones suffering, there are other creatures who cant talk, cant communicate in words (dogs/cats) who are worse off than them, they will start focusing on the needs of others (not only themselves) and by that, they are helped themselves. God always wants to help someone who helps someone/something else. Its sometimes a type of test to see HOW we will act in the worst circumstances i.e. in selfishness or selflessness.
Please share more stories like these and thank you for the beautiful recipe which I am going to try out a.s.a.p. Ps. ALL your recipes are divine!!
Richa says
August 22, 2015 at 11:07 amThanks Elsje. Indeed, Eileen also mentioned the same that people who have less who are more compassionate towards other the stray dogs and cats in India. i keep my eye on such stories, so will definitely post them when I see them.
The Vegan Junction says
August 18, 2015 at 11:49 amThese are delicious! I love the texture, and zucchini and chickpeas go well together. 🙂
Pongodhall says
August 20, 2015 at 3:34 amEksje I wholeheartedly agree with your remarks about seeing a kind heart and also spare some love for those so low the y cannot reach out to others yet. Someone has to make the first move!
And, back to pancakes….. Another winner here. I love to be able to sneak in those vegetables. My husband does not eat much in the way of those but then loves them in these and pizzas, pies, casseroles, yes, it has to be the all in method with him! He actually grates or chops for me so he can have some! A not very subtle hint is it?
Pat says
August 30, 2015 at 4:57 pmI made these for dinner with mint tzatziki on the side. Easy & delicious. I’m bringing a couple to work to share!
Richa says
August 30, 2015 at 11:29 pmAwesome!
Anthea says
September 20, 2015 at 8:07 amJust wondering if these are fried and baked or if they are fried or baked?
Thanks
Richa says
September 20, 2015 at 11:12 amyou can pan fry them or bake them
Minaz says
September 25, 2015 at 3:25 amHi Richa,
I just recently found your blog and I love it! It is filled with so many mouth watering recipes, you making me hungry 🙂
I really like the carrot and zucchini recipe. Going to try it this weekend.
Jennalyn says
October 8, 2015 at 11:04 amI loved this recipe. My patties didn’t stick together as well as I wanted. What suggestions to you have for that? Otherwise, delicious. Will be making them again.
Richa says
October 8, 2015 at 11:10 ammash the mixture really well. large chickpea pieces makes the patties crumbly. Also add some breadcrumbs if the mixture is too wet.
Vicki Stankewitz says
August 3, 2017 at 7:00 pmI made these tonight and I agree with Jennalyn that they didn’t stick together as well. I just used oat flour for all. But next time I make them, I am gonna add some chia seeds because when they get wet, they get gelatinous, and I thought it might help bind the mixture better. I had huge zucchini to use so I shredded it all and 11 patties. I had two but the rest I used a hamburger patty maker to form them, then I froze the other 9 patties for future meals
Plus I baked mine.
Richa, I wish I knew what the measurement in cups was for that small zucchini because it was kinda hard to adjust the recipe to accommodate my huge zucchini. So I just did what I thought was best to figure out the quantity of each ingredient.
Richa says
August 6, 2017 at 2:50 pmThe patties are highly dependent on the beans, moisture content in the beans and the veggies, how well they are mashed/shredded etc. Mash the chickpeas a bit more for added binding. a chia egg or aquafaba will also help with binding. Pak the patties really well while shaping.
Richa says
August 6, 2017 at 2:51 pm1 small zucchini is about 1 cup shredded , about 150 gms weight
John says
December 5, 2015 at 3:04 amThese definitely look delicious. I’ve got a can of chickpeas that I didn’t know what to do with. I think I’ll use it to make this recipe. Thanks.
Richa says
December 5, 2015 at 12:51 pmGreat!
Sara says
December 19, 2015 at 5:45 amI prefer these cold straight from the fridge as a snack – or in any meal because if I make these there’s no way I’m eating anything else until every last crumb is devoured.
And so EASY to make! I’m quitting going to restaurants from now on, I’m going to hang out here 🙂
Richa says
December 19, 2015 at 1:09 pm😀 Awesome!!
vikki says
January 20, 2016 at 2:50 pmThis looks divine, cant wait to try it! I love your posts, you are pretty much the star of my Pinterest page! Thank you so much for making our lives better 🙂
Richa says
January 20, 2016 at 3:02 pmThank you Vikki! these are very versatile. Use any veggies and any spice blend!
Jessica says
April 21, 2016 at 7:36 pmWhat do you serve with these to make a meal?
Richa says
April 21, 2016 at 8:57 pmServe them as a burger patty with dressing and topping of choice, or with a side salad and dressing. I also serve then with dal and chopped onion and cucumber.
Tina says
April 28, 2016 at 7:10 amMade those today…. Delicious!! Fantastic!! Thank you fir the recipe!!!
Lobna says
April 30, 2016 at 5:35 amThese sound and look delicious! 🙂 Do you think the patties can be frozen, and then taken out to bake upon need?
Also, I have tried another recipe for zucchini patties and I baked them in an Actifry without oil and on parchment paper. They stuck like crazy and the bottom layer came out as I seperated them from the paper. Given that I don’t use oil at all in my diet, are there any suggestions for them not sticking or disintegrating? Will frozen ones have a better chance?
Richa says
April 30, 2016 at 10:00 amPrebake or pre cook them a bit so that some of the zucchini moisture is cooked out before freezing.
I have baked in a regular oven without oil before, patties and sandwich breads(that are the stickiest stuff), and a good parchment works best for that. It always releases from the food easily. If the patties stuck to the parchment, its probably the parchment. There are several qualities of parchment. I has a roll once that worked with cookies but always stuck to breads.
Ms.Jyothi McMinn says
July 17, 2018 at 2:54 pmOften using the parchment paper for making this spray with oil or some butter…The flavor is great.I put all after making in the convections for seven minutes….it’s very crispy and you can put this in a pita bread as well with a lot of crunchy veggies.nThanks for sharing this…
Jess says
May 6, 2016 at 9:03 amThese were great, and no oil is needed for cooking when done on the Cuisineart Griddler, or on a ceramic pan on the stove.
Richa says
May 6, 2016 at 10:33 amThats awesome!
Maria says
May 10, 2016 at 2:10 pmThese look amazing!
Wondering if you have ever tried prepping ahead and making the next day ? Are they as good?
Thanks !
Richa says
May 10, 2016 at 4:57 pmHi Maria,
There is a lot of moisture from the veggies in the mixture. Zucchini and carrot swill continue to leak moisture if made ahead and kept overnight. What you can do is pre-bake the fritters for 15 20 minutes to dry up some of the moisture, then thaw and pan fry to crisp them up and serve.
Mardi says
September 14, 2016 at 7:31 amI’ve never had fritters of any kind. But, I had carrots and zuchinni that needed to be used. Your recipe sounded great. So, I made it Saturday. It has great flavors…but I feel my chickpeas are undercook bc I was thinking it should be more smooth than crunchy. Or, it needs more moisture. Either way, I will try this again. Thank you for sharing!
Richa says
September 14, 2016 at 11:58 amHmm, the chickpeas are already cooked, so I am not sure why they were feeling undercooked or crunchy. Maybe the canned chickpeas were not cooked well enough? Sometimes you get a bum can. Or maybe mash them really well to almost smooth and then make fritters. The edges of the fritters will crisp up as it cooks.
Aoife says
September 21, 2016 at 2:06 pmTried these tonight, delicious taste! I used garam masala instead of the spices and chickpea flour as the flour. They were quite dry , possibly because of the additional chickpea flour? but I accompanied with a tomato chutney and worked out very well. The above mixture made 16 so I cooked and froze the remaining. Looking forward to trying out your other recipes, thank you for sharing!!
Richa says
September 21, 2016 at 2:16 pmAwesome! yes could be flour or cooking time, thickness etc. These fritters have a great taste and texture and definitely go well with dressings or chutney, as the moisture content changes in the fritters.
Sara says
October 17, 2016 at 8:49 amI always make them with only chickpea flour instead of the flour/breadcrumbs and they’re really moist and perfect, perhaps because I bake them so I add a bit of oil in the mixture instead of in the pan? I also don’t press the zucchini. I haven’t made any other burger/fritter since I tried this one, how can you beat perfection?
Marilyn Webb says
October 2, 2016 at 5:23 amWhat do you mean by loaded carrots? Are they grated?
Richa says
October 2, 2016 at 6:27 pmI mean heaping cup. The carrots are processed in the processor. If you are grating them, then use the same amount grated. 1/2 cup
nina elle says
December 31, 2016 at 11:53 amPakoras are the best…thanks!
Mallica says
June 26, 2017 at 1:18 amMade these for lunch
Fabulous!!!
Sharon says
August 8, 2017 at 4:00 pmNot sure what I did wrong but mine were mushy, however the flavor of these is to die for! Soooo goood.
I tagged you on my FB post!
Richa says
August 8, 2017 at 10:05 pmsometimes the veggies have a lot of moisture which need a few minutes longer to cook.
The Student-turned-Doctor @ Food for Dissertating says
August 12, 2017 at 9:46 amThank you for this wonderful recipe! It was pretty easy to make and I enjoyed them in a variety of ways. They were excellent with vegan tzatziki. I also used them for little burgers one evening for dinner. They’re really versatile and I look forward to playing around with the seasonings. You can see the lunch I packed with them here: http://foodfordissertating.blogspot.com/2017/08/happy-jackson-snack-boxes-34.html
What you say about looking for good news reminds me of Fred Rogers’s (“Mister Rogers”) advice to “look for the helpers” when something bad happens. Eating compassionately is one way I find to ease my feelings of distress. I’m still learning about how what I eat makes a difference, and every new meal I can discover makes me that much more confident that we are not powerless in the face of suffering.
Richa says
August 14, 2017 at 12:22 pmLooks Amazing!
True that. We’ve been vegan for a while now, so thats the new normal. From this new normal, there is more we can do. The indifference for other issues can easily happen, so this post even though from 2015 still applies. There are tons of different problems and there are amazing people doing amazing things, and I always look for inspiration in these amazing set.
Regine Bohar says
August 13, 2017 at 12:51 pmI made these today – fried. I tweaked the recipe a bit by adding a large handful of flat parsley leaves (minced) and some mint. It was delicious, as all your recipes are. Thank you! Next time, I will add a flax “egg” to experiment with the texture.
Kia says
August 14, 2017 at 7:56 pmJust made these and they are delicious! My zucchinis were large, so they were a bit more watery/hard to shape than yours, but the flavours are absolutely delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
Richa says
August 14, 2017 at 10:25 pmAwesome! Add some chickpea flour or other flour to absorb the moisture.
Eti says
August 15, 2017 at 6:47 amRicha,
Hello from Tel Aviv 🙂 I just made these, baked in the over, and they turned out to-die-for… 🙂 The house smells great, too. I was concerned at first because after I was done mixing the batch came out very dry and crumble like. I wasn’t sure it would hold up but I mashed it well with my hand and it came out perfect! Now going to make your zucchini bread. I’m telling you, this blog in mind blowing…
marge201 says
July 26, 2018 at 7:33 pmWow, Richa, bake in the oven, now, THAT’S the ticket. That’s what I’ll do!!
Kat says
September 10, 2017 at 12:32 pmHello Richa,
Thank you for this recipe. Is one able to use ground coriander and cumin instead please?
Thank you!
Richa says
September 11, 2017 at 2:03 pmYes, you can use the same amount
Kat says
September 12, 2017 at 6:57 amWonderful, thank you for your reply. Have a good one!
Denise says
October 2, 2017 at 2:42 pmAs I read the recipe, knowing what every ingredient tastes like, I thought “oh, this sounds nice”. Wrong! Nice doesn’t begin to describe how AMAZING these fritters taste when all of these come together! I topped them with a little creamy (cashew based) cilantro/lime sauce…wow! The fresh, coolness of the sauce perfectly balances the rich warm spicieness of the fritters.
Thank you for this one. It’s made it on to my personal list of comfort foods.
Richa says
October 2, 2017 at 3:09 pmI know right. Humble ingredients and spices and so amazing together!
Elizabeth says
November 30, 2018 at 12:11 pmThis is the first of your great recipes that I have made. Extremely yummy, thank you Richa!
I actually omitted the oil, used curry powder, made 7 patties, baked them and they turned out brilliantly!
Although neither a vegan or vegetarian I love the ingredients in such foods and therefore love your recipes. I thoroughly enjoy following your blog and shall definitely be making some more of your delicious delights!
Richa says
November 30, 2018 at 4:25 pmits just great food! that happens to be vegan 🙂 veggies, beans and veggie dishes are generally vegan
mygirlwednesday says
March 31, 2018 at 1:56 pmI grated, salted, and drained an eggplant because I didn’t have a zucchini. I baked mine. These were delicious. Even my omnivore parents loved them. I can’t wait for the zucchini comes in from the garden to try them as written. Five stars!!
Richa says
April 1, 2018 at 6:22 pmthats amazing!
zentleman says
April 22, 2018 at 4:25 ami made this today it taste good
Vegan Richa Support says
May 6, 2020 at 11:46 amsweet!
Orly says
April 28, 2018 at 9:06 amThanks for a great recipe!
Can I use other vegetable instead of zucchini? (I really want to make these but don’t have a zuccihini)
Richa says
April 28, 2018 at 11:12 amSure, use any shredded veggies like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, potato, sweet potato etc
Mary says
June 18, 2018 at 3:28 amI did not like the flavour of these burgers. I even used half the spice it called for and it was still overpowering. It was hard to cook because the consistency was loose and didn’t stick together well.
Richa says
June 18, 2018 at 9:59 amoh no. Maybe try a different blend like curry powder, jamaican jerk or cajun. Its ok to not like all flavors :).
For the crumblyness add a bit more breadcrumbs. Canned chickpeas differ in the moisture content and dry/wetness of the cooked bean.So some might need additional dry binding while others might need more mashing etc. Also the veggies will add different amounts of moisture and texture based on how they are grated. Adjust based on the consistency of the mixture until it an form sturdy enough patties, before cooking the patties.
surati Ivey says
July 29, 2018 at 12:04 pmThese Look great. I can tell by the ingrediant list – they will be full of good texture and flavor.
QUESTION: Can I make these ahead and freeze them ?
Richa says
July 29, 2018 at 9:59 pmyes cook them halfway and freeze
Tracy says
August 9, 2018 at 7:32 pmThese were absolutely amazing! I use chickpeas in a lot of things, so I was not expecting to be wowed by these, but the whole family (3 meat eaters and me!) loved them. I will definitely be saving this recipe, and look forward to perusing your webpage much more often!
Thanks!
Richa says
August 9, 2018 at 8:28 pmawesome!