Simple Tomato Fritters made with just a handful of ingredients. Super quick, easy, and BIG on flavor. 10/10 recommend keeping this one in your back pocket this summer. Yum!
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Tomato Fritters - My new favorite way to use tomatoes! The batter can be mixed and fried up in minutes and they hit just right with their golden crispy outsides, tender, tomatoey, herby insides, and a subtle pop of (optional) chili heat.
They are so simple and so good, and I'm really excited to have this recipe on heavy rotation this tomato season. Between these, my Tomato Basil Soup, and my Cherry Tomato Sauce we should be able to keep on top of all of those homegrown tomatoes!
Enjoy these simple egg-free fritters as an appetizer, side, or light lunch, or serve with a big crispy salad to make them a meal. My current favourite way to eat them is straight from the pan with a huge dollop of creamy vegan sriracha sauce or piled on top of some whipped vegan feta, but vegan mayo, tangy natural vegan yogurt, guacamole, or pesto mayo (stir a dollop of vegan basil pesto through mayonnaise) are all great accompaniments too.
Don't worry about leftovers because they reheat really well. Just pop in the air fryer, or a hot skillet for a couple of minutes and you've got yourself a really quick and easy meal!
Mel x
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Tomatoes - Fresh, juicy, and ripe. This recipe will not work with canned tomatoes.
- Flour - I have only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour. It should work ok with gluten-free all-purpose flour but I haven't personally tried it. If you are in the UK you can use plain flour, or omit the baking powder and use self-raising flour.
- Baking powder - I tested this recipe with and without and the texture is way better with so I don't recommend skipping it.
- Red onion - I recommend red over white or yellow onion because they aren't as harsh and with a short cook time this is important.
- Herbs - You have 3 choices here. Dried herbs (I like Italian seasoning but you could use dried oregano, thyme, basil, parsley, or a mixture). Fresh herbs (fresh basil makes these fritters taste incredible and is my preference, but fresh oregano, parsley, or thyme or a mixture will work really well too). Or use a combination of dried herbs and fresh herbs for even more flavor. I tend to use both when I make them.
- Olive oil - For the very best flavor I recommend frying these tomato fritters in extra virgin olive oil. That deep peppery, grassy flavor with the tomato and basil is just fantastic. Use regular olive oil if you don't have extra virgin.
Some crumbles of vegan feta make a really nice addition to the batter if you want to switch things up a bit!
Let's Make Tomato Fritters!
Can't wait to make them? Here's a quick visual walkthrough (see the recipe card and recipe video for the full and detailed version):
1 - Dice the tomatoes then mix everything up in a mixing bowl. The batter will feel very stiff and that's intentional because the tomatoes will release moisture during the cooking process.
2 - Scoop out dollops into a well-preheated pan with plenty of olive oil. I use a third cup measure to scoop and drop, then I use the base of the cup to squish them down to about half an inch thick. You can make them any size you want just be sure to keep them the same thickness.
3 - Once the bottoms are really golden and crusty flip them over and cook the other side.
Fritter Success Tips
- Measure the flour correctly. I always recommend weighing flour with a digital scale for accuracy but if you use cups make sure to use them correctly. Don't scoop. Spoon flour gently into the cup without shaking or compacting it down then level the top with a knife.
- Use a non-stick or cast-iron skillet and heat it up very well. If the pan and oil are not hot when you add the fritters, they will absorb the oil and get soft rather than crispy.
- Don't leave the batter standing for ages after you mix it. It only needs to rest while the pan preheats then should be cooked right away. If it sits too long the liquid will continue to be released from the tomatoes and your fritters will end up soggy.
Recipe FAQs
I don't recommend using anything other than tomatoes in this recipe. That's because there is no added liquid (because tomatoes are juicy) and the recipe has been developed to work with the juice from the tomatoes to create the batter.
I have not tried making this recipe with chickpea flour. Different flours have different absorbencies which means that the amount would need to be altered to make the recipe work. This would take some trial and error. Changing the flour will also affect the flavor of the fritters. I think all-purpose flour is the best option to allow the tomato flavor to really shine.
I haven't tried, but as long as you brush the basket with a little oil to avoid sticking I think it will work out ok. I'll try to test it soon and update this. They do reheat really well in an air fryer though!
Recipe
Easy Tomato Fritters
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1lb (450 grams) tomatoes , (about 4 medium)
- 1¼ cup (156 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning , or a big handful of chopped basil, (or some of each).
- ½ a medium red onion , diced (about ¾ cup)
- 1 large clove garlic , minced
- ¼ teaspoon dried red chili pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil , for frying
INSTRUCTIONS
- Dice the tomatoes into small pieces. Keep any juice and seeds that escape on the cutting board.
- Combine the flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
- Add the tomato to the flour mixture making sure to scrape in any juice and seeds from the board. Then add the herbs, red onion, garlic, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir it all together really well. It will feel stiff and that's intentional to compensate for the juice that will continue to escape from the tomato. Leave to rest while you preheat the pan.
- Place a large frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Once it's preheated add a good drizzle of olive oil. Allow it to heat for 20 seconds, then start adding dollops of fritter batter. I use a ⅓ cup measure which will give you 8 fritters. Scoop it up, drop it in, then use the base of the cup or a spatula to flatten the fritters to no more than ½ an inch thick. Cook a few at a time making sure you have plenty of room to manoeuvre your spatula when it comes to flipping time.
- Cook the fritters until deeply golden then flip and do the same on the other side. I set my oven to the lowest temperature with a plate in there and put the fritters on it to keep warm while I finish cooking the batch.
NOTES
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Jose says
A great recipe, as always. Thanks, Melanie. You did it again.
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you enjoyed them, Jose!
Jennifer says
These are so good and easy too! I made them with green zebra tomatoes which are on the tangy side and served with a cashew pesto sauce. They reheat nicely in the air fryer. These will be on repeat during tomato season for sure..
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you enjoyed them, Jennifer!
Jose says
I just made this recipe for dinner. I used what tomatoes I had in the garden. Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and two other type of tomatoes that I don't know they are called. I also used fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, and thyme. All and more from the backyard. Unfortunate, the bounty is reaching the end. This Melanie's recipe is easy to make, but so delicious.
lynn says
I mde thee nd they were very good. Is it possible that you could post the dipping sauce the is pictured with this recipe?
Melanie McDonald says
Here's the sauce recipe: https://avirtualvegan.com/creamy-vegan-sriracha-sauce/
Bobette says
These are awesome! Prep took me longer than 5 minutes - I'm a slow dicer I guess. But worth the work - and a great use for garden fresh tomatoes!
Toni Oros says
What is the dipping sauce in the picture? Or other recomendations for fritter dips.
Melanie McDonald says
That is a creamy sriracha sauce and the recipe is scheduled to publish here soon. Next week I think so watch this space. I really love them with some mayonnaise, but pesto, ranch, guacamole all work well. A natural yogurt-based sauce with jalapenos, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper, would work well really well too. Just add everything to taste. Hope that helps!
Gabi Hiemann says
Hi Mel, would chickpea flour work instead of regular flour to up the
Protein? Thanks!
Gabi
Melanie McDonald says
I haven't tried it, but, chickpea flour is quite a lot more absorbent than all purpose flour so you'd need to tweak the amount if you give it a try. I also feel like the flavor of the chickpea flour wouldn't work as well as all-purpose flour which is more of a blank slate and lets the tomato flavor shine through. Hope that helps and good luck!
Gabi says
Thank you Mel!