These spicy chickpea patties can be a light main meal with salad or a tasty starter for an Indian meal. Easy to make in the food processor and healthy too!
I believe if you have a tin of chickpeas in the cupboard it is always possible to make a quick and tasty meal without too much thought or planning. Personally I love making various types of chickpea patties. There are so many ways you can make them and so many ways you can vary the flavours.
For these chickpea patties I've gone for Indian flavours. I've used cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne as well as some curry powder. These spices go so well with the chickpeas. I've also added a couple of chilli peppers to give them some extra heat.
Do feel free to miss out the chilli peppers or at least the seeds if you're not so keen on hot food.
When you cook these patties they go lovely and crispy on the outside but stay soft and spicy in the middle. Right now, this is one of my favourite chickpea recipes.
Ingredients for spicy chickpea patties
To make these spicy chickpea patties you'll need:
- Chickpeas - I use tinned chickpeas as it's easier for me and I always have a few tins of chickpeas in the cupboard. Of course, you can use dried chickpeas and boil them first.
- Onion - This adds extra flavour and I like to think of it as extra hidden veg!
- Garlic - I usually use fresh cloves of garlic but you can replace it with garlic puree or even dried garlic powder.
- Chilli peppers - These add a real kick to the patties. I like to use quite hot ones but you can use milder peppers if you are not keen on too much heat. You can also remove the seeds if you don't want to blow everyone's heads off!
- Egg
- Plain flour - You could replace this with gram flour, rice flour or indeed any other flour you use regularly.
- Spices - turmeric, cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander and curry powder
- Seasoning - just a pinch salt of salt and black pepper
How to adapt these chickpea patties for kids
I first made these patties about 7 years ago and I loved the kick of fresh chilli pepper in them. These days I often add a little hot sauce on the side as my daughter loves the spices in them but doesn't like too much chilli heat. Not yet anyway!
You can also adapt these chickpea patties by adding some extra herbs. If you have some fresh coriander (cilantro) then add a handful to the food processor and it goes really well.
Lemon goes really well with these spicy chickpea patties. When I serve these chickpea patties I love to add a squeeze of lemon. It really lifts the flavour. If you like citrus flavours then a little grated lemon zest is also a great addition.
Do you need to adapt these spicy chickpea patties?
Well, now I've gone on and on about how to vary the flavours, you might be thinking you need to adapt these chickpea fritters. Not at all. They are delicious just as they are.
How to serve these chickpea patties
Even if you don't adapt the ingredients, it is still a really versatile recipe that can be served in lots of different ways. These chickpea patties make a great starter. Just serve them with a little lemon, yogurt or a small salad.
If you're a fan of burgers then make them slightly bigger and serve them in a burger bun. They make a great veggie burger.
Usually we eat them as part of a main meal. The ones in the pictures are served with cauliflower tabouli. They are delicious served with lots of salad and some flat bread.
Can you reheat these chickpea patties?
I often make enough of these for two meals and then eat the rest the next day. They are best reheated in the oven for about 5 minutes so they stay a little crispy. If you have an air fryer it is also a great way to reheat them as you don't need to wait for it to heat up.
You can eat them cold too so they are also good for packed lunches and picnics.
If you like recipes that are great for more than one meal then do check out my Cook Once Eat Twice recipe collection. I'm sure you'll also love my collection of spicy midweek recipes.
What equipment do you need to make these chickpea fritters?
I always use my Magimix food processor. I got it twelve years ago as a wedding present and it still works brilliantly. You could use any food processor of course or even a blender.
I haven't tried making them without but if you don't have a food processor or blender you could mash the chickpeas with a fork and then mix everything together. The texture inside the patties will probably not be as smooth but they'll still taste great!
More chickpea recipes
I love using chickpeas in my recipes and here are some that you might like:
Pumpkin stew with chickpea and Moroccan spices
Moroccan chickpea soup with roasted chickpeas
Spicy Chickpeas: Sour Chickpeas or Khatte chhole
Recipe
Spicy chickpea patties
Ingredients
- 400 g tin of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 chilli peppers
- 1 egg
- 75 g plain flour
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- Pinch salt
- Pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan. When it is hot, add spoonfuls of the chickpea mixture and press down a little.
- Cook for about 3 minutes and then turn oven. Cook for another 3 minutes.
- If you can't fit all the chickpea patties in the frying pan at once, cook them in 2 batches.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin for later
Ellie
These were great. We added some feta cheese for a bit more indulgence. Went perfectly as a side for a curry we made.
Corina Blum
I'm so pleased you liked them and I love the sound of adding a little feta. I make them quite a lot so will try it some time. Corina
Anna | Serving Dumplings
this sounds delicious! i really love the spices
Corina Blum
Thanks Anna! I love using spices and I think the spices make them really tasty.
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder
These sound delicious Corina! My 8 year-old recently switched to packed lunches as opposed to school dinners (he was on my case since September and I finally gave in before Christmas) so I'm constantly on the look out for new delicious things I know he would enjoy to put in his lunch box, These would be perfect! x
Corina Blum
I hope he likes them! My 6 year old daughter loves them and she is very picky - She keeps asking to change to packed lunches too but as it's free till next year I'm making her eat the school dinners for now! x
Monika Dabrowski
I love recipes where you just throw everything in a blender and it's done. I really like the spices you've used too! Happy New Year:)
Corina Blum
Thanks Monika! I do love my blender for making easy recipes. And happy new year to you too!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
Chickpeas are perfect as they are so satisfying and the spices in this make these so versatile. I'm already thinking about them in a bun with salad in summer!
Corina Blum
They are delicious in a bun with salad! That's how we often eat them.
Caroline
I love the sound of the spicing in these, and so easy to make as well!
Corina Blum
Thanks Caroline! I love easy recipes and this is one of my favourite easy vegetarian options.
Cat | Curly's Cooking
I'm not too keen on chickpeas in their usual form but I do like their flavour. This recipe is the ideal chickpea recipe for me and the flavours sound really tasty.
Corina Blum
I'm so pleased you like the flavours in these Cat! I find chickpeas are really versatile and use them quite a lot.
Choclette
Chillies for me please. These look so delicious, I could put away several with no problem at all. Chickpeas and pulses are brilliant and I always have a few tins in the cupboard. I'm also totally with you on the lemon. It really lifts so many bean dishes. Pinned.
Corina Blum
Tins of pulses are so good for all sorts of last minute meals aren't they! I'm so pleased you like this.
Jacqui Bellefontaine
These look and sound delicious Corina Im sure they would go down well in my house. I would reduce the chillies my boys thinks there is no such thing as too much chilli. Happy New Year and Thank you for linking these to #CookBlogShare
Corina Blum
I used to always add more chillies to my recipes but now I have to think of ways to make them suit everyone. The children like spicy food and will eat things with a little bit of chilli pepper in but not too much!
Jere Cassidy
Mmmm, sounds great, crispy on the outside and soft and spicy on the inside. These patties are the perfect addition to a meal.
Corina Blum
Thanks Jere! I'm so pleased you like the sound of them.
Michelle Rolfe
I love the sound of these. I'll be adding these to my January midweek dinners as desperately trying to add a few more ideas for spice and non meat dishes.
Thanks!
Michelle
Corina Blum
These are one of the recipes I made practically every month as they are such an easy tasty meal and as my daughter likes them and normally she likes meaty recipes! It's great to have a vegetarian option that she likes.
Jagruti Dhanecha
These low carb spicy chickpea fritters sound so delicious, perfect for lunch or even starter for small get together.
Corina Blum
Exactly! We often eat them as a light main meal but they are perfect as a starter or party snack too.
Beth
I love the spices in these patties! The turmeric, curry powder and cumin, yum! I am trying these for appetizers for a party I am having at the end of the month! Thanks for the inspiration!
Corina Blum
Oh that's great! I do hope they're a hit at the party.
Nikole
I think I will try these this weekend. I love a good veggie burger idea!
Corina Blum
I hope you like them! I am always so excited to hear what people think of my recipes.
Geetha Priyanka
These simple and easy to make patties are a real saver when we run out of ideas. I think these patties are perfect to make chickpea tikki (patties) chaat for my daughter as she is not any more interested to have aloo tikki or sabzi tikki for chaat. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Corina Blum
It is difficult when children change what they will eat, isn't it! I'm so pleased you like these.
Mandy
I really like the sound of these and can imagine that they'd make a delicious veggie burger!
Corina Blum
They do! I've eaten them in a burger bun before and they are so good. My daughter loves them too although I haven't convinced my son yet!
helz
Just made these for our lunch and they are really tasty. Quick and easy to make. Will be making these again
Corina
I'm so glad you liked them. It's always lovely to get feedback from people who have tried the recipes.
Tesney Ap
That sounds like a really yummy snacks. It looks delicious and comforting. I'm sure my boy will like this 🙂
FreeSpiritEater
Oh wow what a great idea to use chickpeas in fritters, I've definitely got to try this out sometime. Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing =]
Heather @girlichef
Mmm...these do sound delicious. Chickpeas are probably my go-to bean/legume. I love them in pretty much any form. Thanks for sharing these w/ MLLA this month =)
Andrew Davies
Chickpeas usually end up in curry, humus or salads for me, these look great