Black Eyed Peas Fritters- Spicy ,Crispy and crunchy, irresistibly Fritters made with fresh black eyed peas , onions, hot pepper and salt .
What name you call these light, crispy, Black-eyed peas fritters, that is so hard to resist, depends on what part of the world you live. In Nigeria and Cameroon; they’re called akara, accra or kosai, In Sierra Leone and Ghana ;akla or koosé.
Transported to Brazil you have…. Acarajé big and large, split in the middle and filled with fried shrimps, tomatoes and hot pepper sauce or some sort of spicy mixture.
In some parts of West Africa, like Nigeria it is often eaten at breakfast . Served with Custard or Pap . While Countries like Cameroon enjoy it as a snack .
They are for the most part, sold by women in market places and around street corners and are a delight with every crunchy bite.
Yes ! they are just not black eyed peas fritters without the crunch.
There are Tip and Tricks to making THE perfect Crunchy Akara
- Although store- bought peeled black eyed peas works for this recipe . I prefer using shelled( black eyed peas with skin on ). It delivers that perfect crunchy bite. It might be tedious but SO worthy it.
- One key essential step is whipping the batter just like you would a cake , in fast circles to get as much air in the mixture as possible making it light and airy. Usually takes about 4-5 minutes. You can’t omit this step. And in between frying you have to continue beating the batter before frying the next batch.
- Here , I used eggs to add more flavor and texture to it- 1-2 Large eggs does it. Just substitute with water (about 1/4 cup of water ) if want to make this completely vegan.
- let it cook an extra 1-2 minutes for a more golden brown exterior and an even better crunch.
If you want a traditional african recipe for fritters then go with the basic ingredients .
However, you can fuse the African recipe with the Brazilian one, by adding shrimp to the to the mixture to produce a neat and crisp outside and a fluffy inside – with a surprise shrimp awaiting . Another alternative for those who want something different.
In other to make this less grueling ,you can peel your beans ahead of time and freeze them till the day of cooking.
Enjoy!!!!
Watch How to Make It
- 2 cups black-eyed peas
- 1/2 Medium Onion
- 1-2 Hot Pepper Scotch Bonnet or habenero Pepper
- Salt to taste about 1 3/4 teaspoons or more adjust to taste
- 2 Large eggs optional see tips
- optional spices 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika)
- Oil for deep frying
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Instructions
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Soak them for about 15 minutes, pulse in the blender or food processor to break the peas (about 5- 10 times or about 10 to 15 seconds) you should do this in small quantities. In a large bowl soak the beans with warm water for about 2 hours or up to 24hours, cover with water until tender.
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Rub the peas between your hands to take the skin off. The skins will float to the top. Pour off the skins, into a colander; you may have to do this process several times. Most of the skin will come off the peas; Sort through the remaining peas to remove all the skin. You can do this ahead of time and freeze it, to save time
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In a food processor, puree onions, black-eyed peas and habanero pepper with no or very little water until completely smooth. You might have to do this in two batches. It is important to note that ,using water will cause the mixture to be very light and will not hold together.
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In a medium bowl mix together, blended black eyed peas , salt,and eggs.
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Heat up a large skillet or cast iron with oil up to ½ inch- medium-high heat (375) until hot but not smoking.
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Gently place batter by spoonfuls in hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes turning once. Fry in batches and do not over crowd pan - it may lead to soggy akara. Remove from hot oil with a slotted spoon, drain well, and serve.,
I just try this recipe and is so yummy.
M’y daughter was all over it.
Thank you
Hi ImmaculateBites
It was nice seeing all your recipes for Akara. I was wondering if I could learn a little more from you about trying it with dried powdered beans. I have tried using it for a while but it never comes out as the peeled ones. it spatters in the oil and sinks to the bottom too, making it absorb oil. have you tried it, is there a better way.
I also will like to know of more recipes you could try with beans paste, google hasn’t left me many options.
Thanks.
Sorry , I haven’t really tried it with powdered beans before. I have heard they don’t taste as good or have the same texture, so I stay clear of it.
Hi there,
I was wondering if I make a large batch can I freeze either the bran batter or the actual finished Akara.
Hi, Janice. As for me, akara are best enjoyed on the day they’re made. But what you can do is freeze the peeled peas to make it less grueling. Please see step # 3. Hope this helps.
Delicious
In Aruba we call it CALA
Hello, I am wondering what sauce do you serve these with? Do you have a recipe for it somewhere? I’m American but my husband is Ghanian and I would love to surprise him with some of these.
Hi, Brittany. You can pair it with this African Pepper Sauce here >>> https://www.africanbites.com/african-pepper-sauce/
Brazilian acaraje is an evolution of a yoruba recipe (short for akara ounje) I don’t think there is any need to add the shrimp or even meat bullion seasoning or the egg. Just a personal pet peeve. Just like how people meatify moimoi these days. It is nice to have a break from all the meat products. We can modify with non meat options. Although I’d probably complain about that too. 😀
Can you used tinned black eye peas?
Hi Alexa. This works best with uncooked blacked eye peas. Haven’t tried it with cooked peas.
Do not try this with canned peas.
The skin is easier to take off with hard peas. Tinned peas are already cooked and harder to remove skin
Hi,
I’m trying this for Thanksgiving hor d’ouevres. Can you please suggest the optimum oil for frying?
Thank you
Hello , at least 2 inch deep.
So cool! In Sierra Leone we actually call this “Akara” as well, this is “binch akara” 🙂
I made the Southern Black Eyes Peas for New Years dinner -so delicious, some of us had a second helping.
Hahaha! Good to know ! So glad you enjoyed it .
Hi Imma, hubby loves the Akara/Koose so much is there a way of preserving it because I can’t get to do it everyday. Thanks
Hi Immaculate when would you start making YouTube video. I will enjoy watching your videos just as I enjoy reading your recipes. Thanks
Thank you so much!!!Am working on it definitely by fall !
This is nobel laurate wole soyinkas favorite food. I have always wanted to try. U know they eat them in brazil too with a paste of ground up shrimp coconut milk and cashews i believe. google search akara brazil and you will see. are they anything like falafel texture wise? i am trying to get my parents to sample more african and west indian food and they are always like “too rich too spicy” it will be tough to get them to eat deep fried puff puff, akara, and tanzanian donuts even though they like cardamom. many recipes for this include dried crayfish. but we luckily hve an african store here in town! will make this asap. also i have read about pap in african literature but do not know what it is lol, i did however locate bags of gari at a certain market here in town. eager to try
I know… Brazilians do eat this too! It looks really delicious too! Maybe you can go easy on the spice when cooking for your parents.
I love this! I can’t wait to try it.
Awesome! Do let me know how it works out for you. Thanks
Can I use dried black eye peas for this?
Yes,but you have to soak in first.
I am glad I discovered your blog
However it was you who first followed me on Instagram. So thank you
I will be sure to try as much of the recipes on here
Beautiful plating and photography too
Awesome! Thanks for stopping by.
Making these tomorrow! The beans are being soaked at the moment. I just discovered your site and made you accra friend banana recipe and it was delicious!! The whole family loved it. So glad I found your site, will be cooking from your recipes from now on. Thanks and keep them coming!
WOO HOO!!! Glad to have you on board Hillary! Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Have made these a few times and love them more every time…
Made a spicy red pepper sauce to go with them.
Many Thanks
Awesome!!! I bet the red sauce makes it even more appealing. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
This is what I was about to ask – I’ve made it before but would love to know a recommended dip/sauce for it. It reminds me a lot of pholourie which we always have with some kind of chutney.
Yummy! I love akara! I recently enjoyed some made by my mother in law over the holidays. Question – we have bean powder, would you happen to know how much bean powder to use in place of the fresh beans? I would love to follow your recipe but use the powder =)
Hi Dana! There are so many variables involve . So Sorry I can’t give you any suggestions.
I use the bean flour when I make it but I never measure anything. I would say the mix should be just a little thicker than cake batter if that helps, so just add more flour or liquid until it gets to that point. And FYI, with a few more ingredients this would/could be the same batter for making moin-moin.
Hi Dana and Imma! Dana I know your question was a few months ago, but I’ve made similar bean fritters to these with bean powder. Since Imma recommends a more coarse texture maybe use half weight of the bean powder and half of some beans you grind coarsly yourself, making up the same weight. I did find that bean powder used by itself the first time I made fritters, made their texture a little too dense. Hope that helps if you are still planning and experimenting with this recipe!
Hi Gwen! Thanks for taking the time to share this tip with us. We appreciate it .
In your hints for step 1..Did you mean it the other way round? i.e unpeeled works but peeled works better?
I meant store-bought already peeled black-eyed peas. It’s better to get it at the supermarket with shells on and do the peeling your self. Just like in the pictures. Thanks.
Kai…..it’s been a while since I ate this…need to try it this weekend…surprise hubby 🙂
Thank you so much for all your delicious receipts. You have made cooking at my home a family affair, as my 12 years old daughter and I try your receipts at least once a week.
Hi Evelyne! Thank you so much. It means a lot to know that people are making what am posting . Let me know which ones you’ve tried. Thanks again
U can buy deskined or split black eyed peas from indian grocery
It’s called chora dal split black eyed removing skin is lot of work
Just soak for few hrs and grind to mk steamed dumplings
Daisy, you are a life saver! There is an indian store 5 minutes from my house . I am so heading there. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, you can Emma. Let me know how you like it.
Immaculate, thanks for this recipe. Can it be made without the smoked paprika?
I just found your site and I love it, I have seen these or something similar on the food network Chanel, and I can’t wait to try this.
Jennifer , thanks for stopping by and let me know how it turns out for you. These fritters are so popular all over the world .
Best receipt thank you.