Akara (black-eyed pea fritters)

Come, fall in love with these crunchy, light-as-a-cloud Akara or black-eyed pea fritters. These African-style fritters are simply seasoned with onions and scotch bonnet peppers, but they are loaded with savory flavor.

Deep-fried bean fritters are popular in many cultures, including falafel in the Mediterranean, southern fried pinto bean fritters here in the United States and vada or vadai in India. These akara, black-eyed pea fritters, are yet another amazing recipe to add to that delicious list.

Table of Contents

What is akara?

Akara are golden, crunchy, puffy bean fritters, often made with cowpeas or black-eyed peas, from the West African region, which includes countries like Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Ghana, among others. Akara is usually eaten stuffed inside bread, like a burger, or with a cornmeal porridge called pap, for breakfast.

Versions of akara are also eaten in the Caribbean and in Brazil, which are home to large populations of people of African origin. In Brazil, where they are sold as street food, they are called Acarajé.

If you love black-eyed peas in breakfast recipes or as a snack, be sure to try out these vegan black-eyed pea cakes and these black-eyed peas sweet potato pancakes.

Why you will love this recipe

Full-bodied flavor and texture. This is a simple recipe but it is big on taste and crunch.
Five ingredients. You need just a few ingredients to make this akara recipe and you likely already have them in your pantry.
Friendly to all diets. This is a gluten-free recipe and it is also soy-free, nut-free and vegan.
Easy to make. The batter comes together in the food processor and all you need to do is drop blobs of it in the hot oil.

Ingredients

Dried black-eyed peas. These have a delicious sweet, nutty flavor that works nicely in these fritters and adds the most authentic flavor.
Red onion. Yellow onions are okay too but the spicy flavor of red onion is nice here. You can also substitute shallots.
Scotch bonnet pepper or habanero pepper. You need a hot pepper in this akara recipe, and the heat is tempered down by the deep frying. But if you can’t stand the idea of a very hot pepper use a moderately hot pepper like jalapeno instead.
Cilantro. This is not always added to akara, but I really like the flavor it adds. Leave it out if you like, but it’s really good here.
Oil for deep frying. Use an oil with a high smoke point, like peanut oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil or canola oil.

Recipe FAQs

Can I substitute another bean for the black-eyed peas?

Black-eyed peas, which are easily available, add the most authenticity to this recipe. But 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).

Can I bake the akara instead of frying them?

I recommend frying the akara for the best texture and flavor. 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, flipping over once halfway through, until golden-brown on both sides.

Can I use canned black-eyed peas?

No. The texture of cooked black-eyed peas would be all wrong in these akara, and your fritters would likely fall apart in the frying pan. Start with dried beans for this recipe.

How do I serve the akara?

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.

More black-eyed pea recipes

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Akara (West African black-eyed pea fritters)

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.

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Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: West African

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Soaking time for beans: 6 hrs Total Time: 6 hrs 40 mins

Servings: 8 (4 fritters per serving)

Calories: 136kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

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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.

Recipe 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, 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

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Source

What is akara?

Why you will love this recipe

Ingredients

Recipe FAQs

Storage instructions

More black-eyed pea recipes