Transform frozen peas into these flavourful Pea Fritters in just a few simple steps. Perfect for a snack or as part of a main meal, these fritters are sure to become a new favourite.
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Reasons to Love these Fritters
- Kid-friendly - With their vibrant green colour and finger food format, these pea fritters are sure to capture the attention of kids. My own children used to call them "green pancakes" and requested them time and time again!
- Easy to Make: With just a handful of ingredients, they are a simple and quick meal option for busy parents.
- Versatile: Serve as a snack, for breakfast or even as part of a main course.
- Customisable: You can easily adapt this recipe to suit your preference or needs. For example if you have a dairy allergy or are serving these fritters to a baby, you can omit the cheese and enhance the flavour with lemon zest and mint. Other complementary flavours, such as garlic, dill or chilli flakes can also be added.
Video Tutorial
Ingredient Information (with Alternative Suggestions)
For the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Frozen Peas - The star ingredient! Provides sweetness and a tender texture. If you don't have frozen peas you can use fresh peas or canned peas (drained and rinsed) as a substitute.
- Eggs - Used to bind the fritters together. No egg replacement has been tested but I would suggest trying a flax or chia egg.
- Spring Onion (Scallions) - Provides a mild onion flavour. If you don't have scallions you can replace them with some chives or some sautéed onion or alternatively just skip them.
- All Purpose / Plain Flour - You can replace the plain flour and baking soda with self-raising flour. No gluten-free flours have been tested but I have successfully made other fritter recipes using chickpea flour.
- Baking Powder- Helps to give the fritters a lighter texture and crispier exterior.
- Feta Cheese - Adds a salty and tangy flavour to the fritters. You can replace it with some grated parmesan cheese for a different taste or you can skip it altogether. If skipping I recommend adding extra flavour with salt (skip for baby) and some extra herbs such as mint.
- Parsley - Adds a fresh flavour to the fritters and can be replaced with mint, cilantro or dill for a different flavour profile.
Step by Step Instructions & Cooking Tips
- Cook Peas: Boil (2-3 min), steam (3-5 mins) or microwave (3-4 mins) until peas are tender but still slight firm. Drain and run under cold water.
Top Tip - You don't want to overcook the peas as they can become mushy and lose their vibrant green colour. Running the peas under cold water also helps to preserve their colour. - Blend: Add the eggs, spring onion and half of the peas to a food processor or blender and pulse until combined.
- Combine: Add the blended mixture to a large bowl and fold through the remaining peas, feta cheese, parsley, flour and baking powder. Stir until just combined.
Top Tip - Don't be tempted to over-mix here as this can result in tough and dense fritters. Small lumps in the batter are okay and actually can be desirable as they can help create a lighter texture.
Top Tip - Half the peas are blended into the mixture and the rest are stirred in. This provides the fritter with a nice bit of texture. If your child doesn't like "bits" in their food then you can choose to blend all the peas into the batter. - Fry: Add the oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat. Take a heaped tablespoon of the mixture and drop it into the pan. Flatten slightly and repeat with more tablespoons of the mixture Cook for 2-3 min on each side, or until golden brown and crispy.
Top Tip - Avoid overcrowding the pan as this can lead to uneven cooking and make it difficult to get a crispy exterior.
Serving Suggestions
These pea fritters are incredibly versatile and can be served as a delicious savoury breakfast, packed in a lunchbox, or as part of a main meal.
I love to dish them up with a variety of dips such as mint yogurt dip, smoked paprika dip or avocado dip. or you could also try plain yoghurt mixed with lemon juice, lemon zest and freshly chopped herbs.
To complete the meal, try serving them with vegetables or a salad. For an extra protein boost, add some smoked salmon and/or a poached egg on top.
They also make a great alternative to baked falafel in a wrap. Simply add them to pitta bread along with some lettuce leaves, shredded carrot and cucumber. Top with a refreshing lemon yogurt dip and you have got yourself a delicious lunch or dinner option.
Recipe FAQs
Pop the fritters in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To freeze, I like to individually wrap them, add them to a freezable container/zip lock bag and freeze them for up to 2 months.
These pea fritters can be served to babies from 6 months, depending on the stage of their development and feeding method used. However, it is important to make some slight modifications and considerations when preparing them.
Firstly, these fritters contain dairy, wheat and egg, all of which are common allergens. Therefore it is important to introduce them separately before offering these fritters to your baby.
Secondly, peas can be a choking hazard for babies. To minimise the risk, you can either blend all the peas or roughly chop/pulse/mash them to maintain some texture in the fritters.
Lastly, while feta cheese adds flavour to the fritters, it is very high in sodium, and it is advisable to skip it. Instead, you could add chopped mint and lemon zest to enhance the flavour.
*Informational purposes only. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen here.
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Pea Fritters
Ingredients
- 400g (3 cups) Frozen Peas
- 3 Eggs
- 120g (1 cup) All Purpose / Plain Flour See note 1
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Spring onion (Scallion) ,chopped
- 55g (â…“ cup) Crumbled Feta Cheese See note 2
- 2 tablespoon Chopped Parsley See note 3
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
Instructions
- Boil the peas for 2-3 minutes, or until peas are tender, drain and rinse under cold water.
- Add the eggs, spring onion and half of the peas to a food processor or blender and pulse until combined. *SEE NOTE 4
- Add the blended mixture to a large mixing bowl and fold through the remaining peas, feta cheese, parsley, flour and baking powder. Stir until just combined. *SEE NOTE 5
- Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat. Take a heaped tablespoon of the mixture and drop it into the pan. Flatten slightly and repeat with more tablespoons of the mixture. Cook for 2-3 min on each side, or until golden brown and crispy. Repeat until all the mixture is used up.
Video
Recipe Notes
- You can substitute the all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder with self-raising flour.
- Skip the feta cheese if serving a baby (due to high sodium content), can be replaced with lemon zest and chopped mint.
- Parsley can be replaced or mixed with other herbs such as mint or basil.Â
- If serving a baby mash or pulse the remaining peas to minimise choking risk. If your kids don't like texture then you can blend all the peas into the mixture
- Don't be tempted to over-mix the batter as this can result in tough and dense fritters. Small lumps in the batter are okay and actually can be desirable as they can help create a lighter texture.
Cari Lynn says
The taste is great, but these pancakes are so dense! Is there a way to make them less dense?
Amy says
Hi Cari, thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate your input. This is an old recipe so I will have a look at it again and republish it. I'm thinking it would be better to stir through flour rather than adding it to the food processor, this will reduce the risk of overdeveloping the gluten (which will result in a tougher texture)
Amelia says
I've been meaning to try this recipe for a while now and discovered recently I had a surplus of split peas (hiding at the back of the pantry!). So I gave this a try with them!
1 cup of dried peas, simmered in 2? Cups of water for a bit (20 mins? Just checked periodically to be sure they were still "peas" and not "soup"). Rinse, drain, cool and used like frozen peas. I did have to add about a handful of frozen to make up the full amount but it helped with colour so I recommend that. Super yummy!
Amy says
Great! Thanks Amelia
madeline says
Hi Amy,
Could I bake these instead of frying. Thanks.
Amy says
Hi Madeline,
I haven't tried baking these but believe they could work. I'd brush/spray with oil and bake at 180C/350F for around 15-20 mins. 🙂
Milena says
I've just made these and they turned out great. Was supposed to be for my 1 year old, and I was planning to freeze the rest, but the whole family ate them all.
Keeley says
I made these for my 2.5 yo and 7 month old and they turned out wonderfully! I suspected I had done something wrong when my batter was a little on the runny side, but they cooked well and the consistency was spot on. I ran out of all purpose flour, so I ended up with about 1 cup of AP and 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour. I omitted the feta to keep salt content low for my baby. I served them with cottage cheese and cherry tomatoes for my toddler. Bookmarkng this one for sure! The littles loved them.
Amy says
Perfect! Thanks for your feedback Keeley 🙂
Mel says
My 8 month old absolutely loves these and so do I! So easy to make, delicious and healthy!
Amy says
Thanks Mel, I'm delighted you both enjoyed them 🙂
Sophia says
What age is this ok for? I have a 6 month old and he loves to feed his self
Amy says
Hi Sophia, if you have safely introduced the allergens (eggs, dairy & gluten) and your baby is used to finger food then you can introduce these. You can mash the peas that you stir through.
Melissa says
Question- instead of oil can we use an air fryer?
Amy says
Hi Melissa, I have never tried them in the air fryer but I'm pretty sure they would work 🙂
Bernadette T says
I've made these twice now - my first attempt I didn't boil the peas long enough and they came out very dense. My second attempt however was infinitely better. My now 10month old has been finding her food journey challenging but I offered her one after they cooled and to my delight she happily ate the whole thing! I dont mind the flavour myself, and love the serving suggestions which I'll now experiment with too!
Christina says
Great recipe for my 8 month old! I omitted the feta, and instead of all purpose flour, I used 1 cup whole wheat flour + 1/2 cup iron fortified infant cereal (to increase the fiber and iron content which is important for babies). A little bland for myself and toddler, but I'm sure with cheese it would be a big hit for the toddler too.
Amy says
Great idea, thanks for your feedback Christina. 🙂
Claire Barrand says
I’m not sure where I went wrong but they turned out a bit tough and dense. Are they supposed to be light and fluffy? Lovely flavours and baby enjoyed them broken up.
Amy says
Hi Claire, I apologise for the late response. I wonder if you overprocessed them. You could try folding through the flour instead of adding it to the food processor.
Cara says
I also made the mistake of over processing the flour. I think maybe changing the recipe to folding in the flour would make sense. Other than that, great recipe!
Amy says
Thanks for the valuable feedback Cara, I will add this recipe to my list to revisit. 🙂