These vegan carrot fritters (adapted from Deliciously Ella) are made with sweet corn and gluten-free chickpea flour. Flavored with smoked paprika, ground coriander, and fresh cilantro.
As a plant-based recipe developer, I’m always on the hunt for fun ways to eat vegetables that aren’t your basic salad or stir-fry. I especially love things that are colorful, indulgent, and packed with flavor, so they don’t feel like “health food” – be it mushroom bourguignon, eggplant lasagna, or creamy moqueca.
These vegan carrot fritters with lemon tahini fit the bill perfectly. I first spotted them on Deliciously Ella’s app, Feel Better – which is a treasure chest of incredible recipes, non-intimidating workouts, meditations, and more, for less than $2 a month. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, I highly recommend it!
Made with corn and high-protein chickpea flour, they looked like a delicious addition to my dinner repertoire. After trying them once, I knew I’d have to share them with you as well – with a few of my own tweaks, of course. Hope you love them as much as I do!
What’s In These Carrot Fritters
The bulk of these fritters consists of shredded carrots and canned corn (pureed in a food processor/blender). In the flavorings department, there’s sauteed onion, garlic, coriander, smoked paprika, and cilantro. Everything is brought together by chickpea flour and arrowroot starch (or cornstarch), making these carrot fritters entirely gluten-free. Thanks to the spices – and the nutty tahini dipping sauce – these fritters have a middle eastern-ish flair.
Carrot Fritters Step-by-Step
Shred the Carrots: To start, grate the carrots – either with a box grater or, for much faster results, a food processor fitted with the shredding attachment.
Cook the Vegetables: Saute a diced onion with a pinch of salt until translucent. Then add the grated carrots along with the aromatics: minced garlic, ground coriander, and smoked paprika. Cook until the carrots soften a bit, about 5 minutes more, and transfer to a large bowl. (Reserve the skillet).
Puree the Corn: If you already used your food processor to prep the carrots, use it again to puree the corn into a chunky paste (no need rinse out the bowl). If you don’t have a food processor, puree the corn in a blender, Nutribullet, or Vitamix.
Mix and Chill the Dough: Scrape the corn puree into the bowl with the carrots and add the chickpea flour, starch, and minced cilantro. Stir to combine. Chill in the fridge until the mixture has cooled and thickened a bit, about 30 minutes.
Cook the Fritters: Heat a thin layer of oil in the skillet where you cooked the carrots. Scoop the dough into your hand (using an ice cream scoop, 1/4 cup measure, or a regular tablespoon) and form into a smooth patty. Place in the skillet and repeat with the rest of the dough. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, then flip gently and cook the other side.
Ingredient Notes + Substitutions
- Coriander: If you don’t have ground coriander or don’t like the flavor, skip it.
- Corn: Be sure to drain and rinse the corn in a mesh strainer – and drain off all the excess water – before pureeing it.
- Chickpea Flour + Arrowroot: If you don’t have chickpea flour, substitute with regular all-purpose flour, starting with 1/3 cup and adding more if needed later. If subbing with AP flour, there’s no need to use arrowroot/cornstarch.
- Tahini: Don’t feel like making the tahini sauce? Eat the carrot fritters with a dollop of yogurt (dairy or vegan) instead.
More Carrot Recipes…
- Carrot Lentil Soup
- Moroccan Shredded Carrot Salad
- Fall Farro Salad with Carrots
- Maple Roasted Carrots
Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with @thenewbaguette on Instagram.
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Vegan Carrot Fritters
- Prep Time: 35 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 fritters 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: n/a
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These vegan carrot fritters (adapted from Deliciously Ella) are made with sweet corn and gluten-free chickpea flour. Bright lemony tahini is the perfect compliment.
Ingredients
For the Fritters
- 2 large or 4 small carrots (1/2 pound)
- About 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- Fine sea salt
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander (see note 1 below)
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Freshly ground black pepper
- One 15-ounce can corn
- 1/3 cup chickpea flour (note 2)
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or cornstarch
- A handful of cilantro or parsley, minced
For the Sauce (note 3)
- 1/3 cup well-stirred tahini
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed, grated, or finely minced
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- About 1/3 cup water
Instructions
- Peel and grate the carrots – either with a box grater or food processor fitted with the shredding attachment. (You should have about 2 cups carrots). Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until the carrots are softened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse the corn in a mesh strainer; shake off all the excess water. If you already used a food processor to prep the carrots, use it again to puree the corn into a chunky paste (no need to rinse out the bowl). If you don’t have a food processor, use a blender.
- Transfer the carrot mixture to a large bowl (reserve the skillet) and add the corn puree, 1/3 cup chickpea flour, 2 tablespoons starch, and the herbs. Stir to combine well. Chill in the fridge until the mixture has cooled and thickened a bit, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a medium bowl, combine 1/3 cup tahini, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a splash of water. Whisk until smooth. Then add about 1/4 cup more water and whisk to incorporate (at first it may seem lumpy, but keep going and it’ll come together).
- Heat a thin layer of oil in the skillet where you cooked the carrots. Scoop some of the dough into your hand and form into a smooth patty. Place in the skillet and repeat with the rest of the dough. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, then flip gently and cook the other side. If the fritters seem reluctant to flip, give them a minute before trying again.
- Serve hot, with tahini sauce.
Notes
- If you don’t have ground coriander or don’t like the flavor, skip it.
- If you don’t have chickpea flour, substitute with regular all-purpose flour, starting with 1/3 cup and adding more if needed later. If subbing with AP flour, there’s no need to use arrowroot/cornstarch.
- Don’t feel like making the tahini sauce? Eat these with a dollop of yogurt (dairy or vegan) instead.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 fritters, w/o sauce
- Calories: 170
- Fat: 3.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.4 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 2 g
Wendy Ross says
Looks great. Can you freeze this recipe at any point?
Alexandra Shytsman says
Hi Wendy! I would not recommend freezing these at any stage. The moisture in the carrots will crystalize and the fritters will fall apart after thawing. Hope you still get to try them though 😀
Wendy Ross says
Thank you, great explanation! How far ahead of eating could you make them do you think?
Alexandra Shytsman says
My pleasure! They are best while still hot from the skillet, but if you want to make them for a party or something, they can sit out at room temp for 1-2 hours 🙂
Sofia Graf says
I love this carrot fritter recipe. As I am not a vegan life style follower and I don’t like olive oil for deep fry, I have used pure ghee to fry the fritters. I have liked the fritters. Thanks for sharing such a palatable but easy recipe.
Alexandra says
Thank you for the feedback! So glad you enjoyed the fritters 🙂