Description
These savory vegan pumpkin fritters are a delightful, easy-to-make snack or side dish, bursting with warm spices like curry powder and paprika. Made with mashed pumpkin, fresh herbs, and a light batter, they’re pan-fried to golden perfection and served with a tangy lemony coconut yogurt dip that complements their rich flavor perfectly.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pumpkin Fritters
- 2 cups pumpkin, cut into small pieces (or sub with butternut squash, hubbard squash, or kabocha squash)
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (adjust as needed)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil (plus more to oil your hands)
Lemony Yogurt Dip
- 1/4 cup plain coconut yogurt
- 1 green onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the Pumpkin: Fill a medium saucepan with water to about one-third full and bring it to a boil. Add the pumpkin pieces and boil over medium heat until just soft, about 8-10 minutes.
- Drain and Mash: Drain the pumpkin and pat dry thoroughly with kitchen paper to remove excess water, squeezing slightly to ensure it’s dry. Return pumpkin to the saucepan and mash with an immersion blender or potato masher until smooth with no large chunks.
- Mix Ingredients: Add the curry powder, salt, paprika, chopped green onions, and cilantro to the mashed pumpkin. Gradually stir in the flour, then sprinkle in baking powder and mix well. The batter will be slightly sticky.
- Heat the Skillet: Drizzle olive oil in a non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
- Shape the Fritters: Oil your hands to prevent sticking. Divide the batter into 6 equal portions. Shape each into a round fritter about 1 cm thick, re-oiling hands as needed between shaping.
- Cook the Fritters: Add fritters in batches to the hot oiled skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes on the first side until golden brown, then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes until the second side is also golden brown.
- Drain and Repeat: Transfer cooked fritters to a cooling rack lined with kitchen paper. Repeat frying with remaining batter, adding more oil to the skillet as necessary.
- Make the Dip: In a small bowl, whisk together coconut yogurt, finely chopped green onion, cilantro, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt until smooth and combined.
- Serve: Plate the warm pumpkin fritters with the lemony yogurt dip on the side. Optionally, sprinkle fresh cilantro on top before serving.
Notes
- The amount of flour may need adjusting depending on the moisture of the cooked pumpkin; the batter should be sticky but hold together when shaped.
- For best taste and texture, serve the pumpkin fritters fresh off the skillet.
- Store leftover fritters in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days; reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a little oil.
- The lemony yogurt dip can be made ahead and kept refrigerated in an airtight container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 fritter with dip
- Calories: 138
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 392mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
