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Akara or black eyed pea fritters in white bowl with cilantro.
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5 from 7 votes

Akara (African black-eyed pea fritters) Recipe

Akara or West African style black-eyed pea fritters are crunchy and light as a cloud. They are simply seasoned with onions and scotch bonnet peppers, but they are loaded with savory flavor. Serve as an appetizer or snack.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Soaking time for beans6 hours
Total Time6 hours 40 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: West African
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 8 (4 fritters per serving)
Calories: 136kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried black-eyed peas (cowpeas)
  • 1 medium red onion (roughly chopped)
  • ¼ to ½ scotch bonnet pepper or habanero pepper (if you can't tolerate heat use a milder pepper, like jalapeno)
  • ¼ cup cilantro (roughly chopped)
  • Salt to taste
  • Peanut oil (or any high-smoke oil, for deep frying. You will need 2-3 cups of oil depending on the size of the pan or fryer you use, but don't worry. A very small percentage of the oil will actually end up in the fritters).

Instructions

  • Place the dried black eyed peas in a bowl covered with two inches of water.
  • Let the black-eyed peas stand six to eight hours. The peas will absorb water and puff up quite a bit. Drain out the water.
  • Place the black-eyed peas in a food processor bowl along with onions, cilantro, chili peppers and salt.
  • Process without any added water until fairly smooth but still very textured. Remove the batter to a bowl.
  • Heat oil in a frying pan or deep fryer. Form balls with the akara batter as best as you can with your fingers and drop them in the hot oil. Don't worry about getting perfect rounds--these can be blobby and imperfect.
  • When the akara turn golden-brown, flip them carefully and fry the other side until golden-brown. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve hot or warm.

Notes

Tips for success
  • Don't add any water to the batter while processing--there is enough water absorbed into the black-eyed peas and you don't want a very runny batter, which would fall apart in the frying pan.
  • Process the beans into a homogenous batter but one that still has some texture, with flecks of onions and cilantro visible. This will give you the crispiest fritters.
  • Do not use canned or cooked black-eyed peas in this recipe. You will need to soak dried black-eyed peas for the best results.
  • Black-eyed peas are best in this recipe. However, you can use nearly any bean, including black beans, pinto beans and chickpeas, in this recipe (although subbing chickpeas would make it falafel, more or less).
  • Frying the akara will produce the best fritters. But if you want to bake them instead, use ¼ of an onion to reduce the moisture in the batter. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop rounds of the batter on it, leaving at least an inch between the fritters. Bake 25-30 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven, flipping over once halfway through, until golden-brown on both sides.
  • Serve the akara by themselves, with a spicy hot sauce, as a snack or appetizer. In West Africa the akara would be eaten sandwiched inside bread, with oatmeal, or with a hot cornmeal porridge called pap.
Storage instructions
  • Refrigerate: Store the fritters in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
  • Freeze: Freeze the akara in a freezer-safe container for up to four months.
  • Reheat: Reheat the akara in the oven or air fryer until hot and crisp again.

Nutrition

Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Potassium: 256mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 47IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg