These crispy egg fritters, also known as ejjeh in most Middle Eastern households, are fluffy deep-fried bites of goodness. If you're looking for a quick and easy customizable meal for a lazy day, then you're going to LOVE these fritters.
I love adding twists to my childhood favorites, especially when it involved vegetables. I feel like by the end of the week, everyone has a bunch of vegetables sitting in their fridge that they don't really know what to do with. So, this is my twist on this Syrian classic, which is usually made with just egg, onion, and parsley. This version with carrots is my family's favorite.
What I Love About These Crispy Egg Fritters
Egg fritters are quick and easy to whip up on a lazy day, they're easily customizable to include any vegetables you have on hand, and there are SO many ways to serve them. They're perfect as a main dish or as an appetizer/side dish, and work for breakfast lunch, or dinner.
Another reason these crispy egg fritters are my favorite is that they pair well with dips and side dishes like this tahini dressing, this fried eggplant salad, and my favorite cheese and za'atar fried spring rolls.
Ingredient Notes
- Eggs: The base of this whole recipe. Everything else is pretty much customizable, as long as you have your eggs.
- Parsley: Ejjeh is usually made with A LOT of fresh parsley. So get ready to chop!
- Onion: You can use white or red onions, but I personally prefer white for their slightly sharper flavor.
- Carrot: The vegetable component. You can use any other vegetable instead or along with the carrots, like broccoli, zucchini, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, etc. Feel free to make this recipe yours.
- Garlic: I don't think I cook anything without at least 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic.
- Flour: You'll only need a couple of tablespoons of flour for this recipe. You can use all-purpose or wholewheat flour. I find all-purpose flour results in a fluffier egg fritter.
- Spices: My egg fritter spice mix is: cumin, 7 spices, dried coriander, salt, and black pepper. You can also add some chili flakes, chili powder, or chili paste if you want them spicy.
- Baking Soda: The secret ingredient to getting these egg fritters fluffy and airy on the inside, and unbelievably crispy on the outside.
- Frying Oil: You'll need any type of oil with a high smoke point. Some options are canola oil, vegetable oil, and frying oil.
How To Make Crispy Egg Fritters
To make these crispy egg fritters, start by blitzing the onion, carrot, and garlic in your food processor. Alternatively, you could smash the garlic, chop the onion, and shred the carrot. Wash and chop the parsley.
Crack the eggs into a large bowl. To the same bowl, add your spices, flour, and baking soda. Use an electric whisk to beat the eggs until they're pale and frothy.
Then, add in the parsley along with the carrot, onion, and garlic that you blitzed in your food processor and mix until fully incorporated. Your fritters are now ready to fry.
Heat your frying oil in an appropriate frying pot. You can check if the oil is hot enough by dipping the handle of the wooden spoon in the oil. It it bubbles, it's ready. Use a ladle to gently scoop a couple spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Serve these crispy egg fritters hot and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Don't add too many veggies. The batter should be slightly on the runnier side, a little bit like crepe batter. If it's too thick or has too many vegetables in it, the egg fritters won't fluff up while frying.
- Try not to overcrowd your pot. You want to give the fritters space to expand. If they're too close, they'll stick together and come out misshapen.
- Drain on paper towels as soon as they're done frying. I can't stress on how important this is. Getting rid of the excess oil in the key to fluffy, crispy egg fritters.
FAQs
Fritter comes from the Latin word frictura, which means "a fry".
You can serve these crispy egg fritters as a side dish or part of an appetizer platter with dips or sauces, throw them in a sandwich as a veggie patty substitute, or just have them on their own. It's your call.
Drain them on a paper towel as soon as they're out of the frying oil, and serve immediately. They don't reheat well and start to get soggy after sitting out for some time.
You can make the batter a day in advance. Place it in an airtight container or cover your bowl with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before you start frying.
More Vegetarian Breakfasts
📋 Recipe
Crispy Egg Fritters (Ejjeh)
Ingredients
- 7 eggs
- 3 small bunches parsley
- 1 large or 2 medium carrots
- 2 medium-sized onions
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Lebanese 7 spices
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Blitz the carrots, onion, and garlic in your food processor until they're cut into little pieces. Chop the parsley. Set aside.
- Beat the eggs, flour, and spices with an electric whisk until light and frothy.
- Add in the parsley and chopped vegetables and mix until fully incorporated.
- Heat your frying oil and scoop the batter into the oil in batches. Fry until golden.
- Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Notes
- Make sure your oil is very hot before you deep fry the fritters.
- Don't overcrowd your pot.
- Serve immediately.
Sarah
I pan-fried these in fractionated coconut oil and they turned out great.
Lily
That sounds like a great way to cook them. I'll try it next time.