Craving something crispy, flavoursome, and easy to whip up? These carrot fritters, spiced with ras el hanout, has become our go-to for turning a couple of tired carrots into golden, crispy bites. No squeezing, draining or resting the carrots required. Perfect with harissa yogurt, these carrot fritters work as an appetiser, a light lunch, or a side for your favourite North African-inspired dishes.
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I'll be honest, I rarely get a full batch of these to the table. Seb tends to intercept at least two straight out of the pan while I'm still frying the rest, which I've decided to take as the ultimate taste test.
They are so easy to make using just a box grater, a large mixing bowl and a nonstick skillet! If you too are a fan, try our courgette and potato fritters and sweet potato fritters next! And if you keep a sourdough starter, try our Sourdough Courgette Fritters!
Recipe Highlights
TASTE: Warm spice from ras el hanout against sweet, caramelised carrot, with a fresh hit of garlic and spring onion.
WHAT'S SPECIAL: No squeezing or draining the carrots first.
MOST IMPRESSIVE PART: Deeply golden, crisp edges in under 10 minutes of frying, from just a box grater and one bowl.
SEB'S RATING: 10 out of 10 if there's a dip!
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Carrots: about 2 large carrots, peeled and coarsely grated. A food processor with a grating attachment speeds this up if you're making a bigger batch.
- Egg: helps bind everything together.
- Plain flour: also known as all-purpose flour. Chickpea flour works as a gluten-free swap. Whole wheat flour also works, though the fritters come out noticeably chewier and heavier inside, so I'd only reach for it if that's genuinely what you're after.
- Ras el hanout: or garam masala, or your favourite curry powder.
- Garlic cloves: minced.
- Spring onions: called scallions or green onions in the US, same thing. Chives make a milder substitute if that's what you've got.
- Salt and black pepper.
- Neutral oil for frying: we use vegetable oil, but sunflower or avocado oil both work well.
Find the ingredient quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional information in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-By-Step Method
1. Place the grated carrot, garlic, spring onions, egg, flour, ras el hanout, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix until well combined. No need to squeeze or drain the carrots first, just grate and go.
2. Heat just enough oil to coat the base of a large frying pan over medium heat.
3. Form 6 to 8 patties with your hands, flattening them slightly as you go, and place them directly into the pan. You can also spoon the mixture straight in and flatten with the back of the spoon.
4. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until crispy and deep golden brown. Leave them be while they cook. Moving them too early is the main reason fritters fall apart, not the mixture itself.
5. Place the fritters on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
6. Serve with harissa yoghurt or your favourite dip!
Tips For Best Results
š¶ļø Mix up the spice blend each time. Medium curry powder, garam masala, berbere and baharat all work well. Have a look at these ras el hanout alternatives if you want to experiment.
š³ Fry in plenty of oil and serve immediately for the best texture. These don't reheat quite as crisp as fresh.
š Flatten the patties to no more than 1cm thick so they cook through without burning, while keeping a little bite in the carrot.
ā±ļø If your fritters are falling apart, it's almost always because they've been flipped or moved before they've had time to set a crisp base. Give them the full 3 to 4 minutes before touching them.
š„ If your mixture genuinely feels too wet to hold together (rare, but it happens with very large or watery carrots), a splash more flour or a dab with a paper towel sorts it out.
Recipe FAQs
No, not for this recipe. Carrots simply aren't watery enough to need it, and the flour and spices soak up what little moisture is there. If you happen to end up with an unusually wet batch of carrots, a quick dab with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel is plenty, there's no need to squeeze.
This is almost always down to moving them too soon. Let each fritter fry undisturbed for the full 3 to 4 minutes so it can form a crisp base before you flip it. If the mixture genuinely feels loose before frying, a little extra flour helps, but patience solves most cases.
Yes, it works, but the texture changes. Fritters made with whole wheat flour turn out chewier and noticeably heavier inside rather than light and crisp, so it's a trade-off rather than a straight swap.
We'd recommend eating these fresh or within 4 days from the fridge rather than freezing, as the texture suffers on thawing and they lose their crisp edge.
Sauce For Carrot Fritters
These simple carrot fritters are flavoursome enough to be served with plain sour cream, but we highly recommend trying our Harissa Yogurt Sauce with them. We also love them with the following sauces and dips:
- Chipotle Yogurt Dip
- Herby Greek Yogurt Sauce
- Maple Tahini Sauce (which makes a great salad dressing too!)
- Chimichurri Mayonnaise
- A dollop of hummus
How To Serve These Carrot Fritters?
These carrot fritters make a fantastic lunch alongside a salad, we like Pea Shoot Salad With Edamame Beans or Courgette Ribbon Salad. Add a small charcuterie board on the side if you want some protein in the mix for a complete meal.
They're just as good as a side dish to Moroccan-inspired mains like Ras el Hanout Chicken Thighs or a Lamb Tagine.Ā
Storage
Let any leftover fritters cool to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat, arrange them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking tray and pop them in a preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes. You can also eat them cold straight from the fridge.
More Carrot Recipes
Fan of carrots in general, or only really sold on them in carrot cake form? Either way, try our Sourdough Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting next.
For something more savoury, our Asian-style Carrot and Cucumber Salad is a good match, or if you've got a real carrot glut on your hands:
Easy Carrot Fritters
Ingredients
- 250 g (0.55 lb) carrots about 2 large carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 egg medium
- 50 g (6 tablespoon) plain flour all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ras el hanout or garam masala
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 spring onions (green onions) finely chopped
- Ā½ teaspoon salt
- Ā¼ teaspoon black pepper
- neutral oil for frying
Instructions
- Place the grated carrot, garlic, spring onions, egg, flour, ras el hanout, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Mix everything until well combined.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan.
- Form 6-8 patties with your hands, flattening them slightly as you go and placing them directly into the pan.
- Fry the carrot fritters for 4 minutes on each side until crispy and deep golden brown.
- Serve with harissa yoghurt or your favourite dip!
Video
Nutrition
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