Vegetable Fritters

These crispy vegetable fritters are packed with carrot, corn and peas and make an easy lunch or snack. This simple fritter recipe can be adapted to use whatever vegetables you have on hand making it perfect for the whole family to enjoy.

Fritters are not a fancy food, but they are easy, versatile and a great way to enjoy vegetables in a different way and make them go a bit further.

Oh and they are so delicious, it’s truly a challenge to not eat them all, especially when they are fresh and crispy straight form the pan.

Being in isolation and trying to reduce trips to the grocery store and also trying to make sure we are eating healthy, veggie packed meals has presented quite a challenge. These fritters have been the saviour for some quick and easy lunches that involve minimal ingredients but still taste delicious.

Carrots are one of those long lasting vegetables. They can sit in the bottom of your crisper and basically be forgotten about until you realise you need to eat some vegetables. They are super versatile and a bit underrated. I feel the same way about peas, and I always have a big bag of frozen peas in my freezer. So between these two vegetables, I always have something that I can make these fritters with.

But the main benefit of fritters is that you are not bound by the ingredient list. You can add anything that you have available. Broccoli? Sure. Zucchini? Why not. Leftover roast meat? Of course. Chop it up into small bits and mix it through the batter and there you go.

How to make vegetable fritters

Making these fritters is really quite simple. The basic batter is made with either self-raising flour or plain all purpose flour plus baking powder, combined with egg and milk. Being dairy-free I always just use whatever non-dairy milk I have on hand, in this case it was oat milk, and use a whisk to mix it all up.

I like to add some extra flavour to my batter to really make the veggies delicious, so I also add some paprika and garlic powder along with parsley and oregano. But you could really use any combination of your favourite herbs and spices.

Then comes the vegetables. If you are using frozen peas and corn like I do, then you will want to cook them first. You can also use frozen carrot or any other frozen veggie you have available, so just give these a quick cook as well. I always do this in the microwave because I don’t like the idea of waiting for a pot of water to boil to cook something for a couple of minutes, but do this however you prefer.

If using fresh carrot, grate it and add it straight to the batter, you don’t need to pre cook it. Add all your veggies to the batter and stir it up.

Now comes the main event, cooking the fritters so you get that delicious crispy exterior but cooked all the way through and not soggy. The important thing here is to make sure your oil is hot before you add in your batter. You don’t want the oil so hot that it spits as this will cause your fritters to burn and not cook through, but you want a nice sizzle when you add the batter. If the oil is too cold it will just soak into your fritters and you don’t want that.

You also don’t want to use too much oil, use enough to just cover the bottom of the pan, about 1-2 tablespoons. Also make sure to use a vegetable oil rather than olive oil as vegetable oils are more suitable for frying.

Once the bottom of your fritter is golden brown and crispy use a large spatula to flip it like a pancake and cook the other side until golden brown and cooked through. A few minutes each side should do it. As you repeat with all of the batter, make sure to monitor your heat and turn it down if it’s cooking too quick. Add a little more oil if needed to the pan.

Set the fritters on a plate with some paper towel over it to absorb any excess oil before serving. I like to serve my fritters with either aioli or tomato and capsicum chutney, while my husband likes tomato ketchup.

These fritters make the perfect lunch or snack when you want something easy that tastes great and can be made with whatever you have on hand.

If you like these, you can also try my classic zucchini fritters.

If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with #eightforestlane as I would love to see.

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Vegetable Fritters

These crispy vegetable fritters are packed with carrot, corn and peas and make an easy lunch or snack. This simple fritter recipe can be adapted to use whatever vegetables you have on hand making it perfect for the whole family to enjoy.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Course: Light Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Australian

Servings: 8 fritters

Author: Sally

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 medium sized carrot grated
• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried herbs such as parsley and oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1-2 tablespoons canola oil

Instructions

• Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and add the frozen corn and peas and cook for 1-2 minutes. Alternatively, cover the frozen peas and corn with water in a microwave safe bowl with a lid and microwave for 3 minutes. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
• In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, herbs and spices. Add in the egg and milk and whisk to combine until a thick batter forms. Add in the grated carrot and cooked peas and corn and mix through.
• Heat a large frying pan on the stove with approximately a tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is hot add ¼ cup of batter to the pan per fritter. Depending on the size of your pan you may need to do this in batches. I usually cook 3 at a time. Once the bottom is golden (about 3 minutes) flip and cook the other side for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil to prevent the fritters from becoming soggy. Repeat until all batter has been used.
• I prefer to eat them straight away while hot, but you can also eat them cold if you want. They will last in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

You can also use canned corn for these however I would just skip the cooking step. I’ve also just cut off the kernels from a cob of corn and cooked them as per the instructions for frozen and it’s that has also worked fine.

Instead of the combination of baking powder and plain flour, you can simply use ¾ cup self-raising flour.

Not from Australia? Check out my US Conversion Guide. 

More Vegetable Recipes:

Vegetable Curry Pies
Roasted Vegetable Bowls with Green Goddess Sauce
Vegan Spiced Chickpea + Veggie Bowls

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