I love these gluten-free chickpea fritters. The recipe is very flexible. Add your favourite veggies and spices. Great for any meal. A wonderful snack too. They taste yummy cold too.

You can use canned or cook dried chickpeas in this recipe.

I love having chickpeas in my pantry and freezer. They are a versatile ingredient. Great for adding to soups, stews and curries.

• What are chickpeas?
• How do you cook chickpeas?
• Gluten-Free Chickpea Fritters Recipe
• Links to my other Gluten-Free Chickpea Recipes

What are chickpeas?

Chickpeas also called garbanzo beans are a legume. A type of bean/pulse that grows on a bushy plant that gets to a height of about 1 1/2 feet. The chickpeas are in little green pods that hang from the plants branches.

They are a great source of fibre and a good source of protein. They have a slightly nutty flavour and creamy texture.

Do be careful when buying dried legumes. As a celiac I always have to be concerned about cross-contamination of naturally non-gluten foods by gluten foods. In the case of dried legumes that would be wheat or barley kernals mixed with the legumes. Usually either because the plants share the same growing area or are processed in a non-gluten-free facility. For more information check out my blog Legumes or Pulses - Great sources of fiber, but Celiacs need to be aware of possible cross-contamination!

I like using certified gluten-free legumes. Two brands I buy are Clic and Yupik.

Chickpeas are grown in Canada. About 75% of Canadian chickpeas are grown in Saskatchewan. If you are interested in learning more about chickpeas and would like to see a photo of what they look like as a plant, then check out the Explore Saskatchewan website's Agriculture in the Classroom page. I think they do a great job explaining about chickpeas.

How do you cook chickpeas?

There are two main ways to cook dried beans. One way is to cook dried legumes like chickpeas is on the stovetop. Another is to use a pressure cooker like an instant pot.

I love using my instant pot to cook dried legumes. It is so easy and quick compared to the stovetop method. Here is a link to my blog explaining how I use my instant pot to cook dried chickpeas. But not everyone has an instant pot, so below is how I used to cook them on the stovetop.

Directions For Cooking Dried Chickpeas on the Stovetop

1. Soak the chickpeas in a large bowl of water overnight. You need enough water to cover the chickpeas.
2. The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly.
3. Put the drained chickpeas in a large pot and add water. Usually for each cup of chickpeas add about 1 litre of water (just over 4 cups).
4. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the chickpeas are tender.
5. Chickpeas are cooked when you can squish them between your fingers.

You can also cook them in a slow cooker. You don't need to soak them. Just rinse and drain and cover with water. Two cups of chickpeas would need about 7 cups of water. Cook on high for about 4 hours and on low for about 8 hours.

One cup of dried chickpeas will give you about 3 cups of cooked chickpeas.

Cooked chickpeas can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. They can be frozen too. I often freeze 1 cup of cooked chickpeas in small freezer bags to use as needed.

Gluten-Free Chickpea Fritters Recipe

Gluten-Free Chickpea Fritters

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or canned with the liquid
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup gluten-free flour
• 1/2 cup cooked onions
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water if not using canned chickpeas

Directions

1. Fry your onions till translucent.
2. In a blender or food processor add your chickpeas, egg, garlic and water if needed. Blend until you have a smooth paste. If you like some texture, you can keep some of the chickpeas aside and mash roughly with a fork and add to the blended mixture.
3. Put the blended chickpea mixture in a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
4. In a frying pan heat about a 1/2 inch of oil. Drop the mixture by spoonfuls into the pan and flatten with a fork. Fry about 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown.
5. Enjoy as is or with your favourite sauce. I like BBQ sauce with mine. They are good cold too!

Links to my other Gluten-Free Chickpea Recipes

Here are some of my chickpea recipes, and different ways to use chickpeas.

1. Gluten-Free Mock Tuna Sandwich Filling recipe. I really love this recipe. It is a great filling for sandwiches, wraps and as a spread for crackers.
2. Gluten-Free Falafel Recipe. I made this with lentils, but you can easily substitute mashed chickpeas.

Of course chickpeas are used to make a variety of hummus. I often put them in soups, stews, chilis and curries. They are a great substitute for meat and I have used them mashed in tacos.

As I post more chickpea recipes I will add them above. What are your favourite chickpea recipes?

Note: These are my personal experiences and opinions. Always seek out a medical opinion for medical concerns. Not sponsored. If sponsored I will always say so at the top of the post.