How To Make Vegan Fritters (sweet And Savory)

Buñuelos are a fluffy and soft bite, although like everything fried, it is advisable to reserve them for special occasions, take them as a whim and not as the basis of our diet. The salty fritters are a good option as a starter; the sweet donuts for dessert or snack. The vegan recipe is easy to make once you’ve got the hang of it, since the most complicated part is handling a not very compact, liquid dough.

Precisely because of this, because we have to handle a not very compact dough, we will not be able to make our vegan fritters in the oven or on the griddle. The only option we have is frying.

Specifically, what we are going to do is fry the fritters at a high temperature, since we want them to be tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. To do this, we will heat the oil in a deep frying pan or a pot with a frying rack. We are not interested in the fritters being cooked in oil, but rather that they are made as quickly as possible, hence they have to be completely submerged.

In the healthy menu this week we have added some recipes savory donuts. We understand that sweet fritters are even more a whim and occasional consumption, and I leave it up to you to decide when you fancy them. You can use them for dessert, but also for a snack or breakfast. If we have good eating habits, this type of preparation will not displace other essential foods, such as fresh fruit.

• Download this week’s seasonal weekly menu here.

How to fry vegan fritters

To fry at high temperature it is best to use olive oil. It is the one that we have the most available, it is local and, in addition, it withstands the high temperatures of frying well: it is much more stable than other vegetable oils. Many seed oils that are ideal for stews or salads are not suitable for this technique, as they break down.

It is also important to bear in mind that there is a suitable temperature for frying depending on the type of food :

• For very thick foods or foods with a lot of liquid inside, 130-145 ºC.
• In the case of breaded and battered meat, 160 ºC.
• For small foods that fry very quickly, 180 ºC.

To fry our fritters, it is therefore best to fry them in olive oil at 180ºC as briefly as possible. But there are still other tips that can help you do better.

If you want perfect fritters, remember that:

• The dough must be as cold as possible when we are going to fry it, as this ensures greater consistency. Let it rest for a few hours in the fridge to make it more manageable.
• When putting them in the pan or pot, you have to leave space between them so that they do not stick at first. It is better to work in batches.
• The fritters should be scooped up with a slotted spoon and placed on absorbent paper to remove excess oil.
• After every so much you have to remove any possible excess dough, because if not, those remains will burn and they will dirty the frying oil.
• Do not cover the fritters or they will become soft.

And here are three donut recipes to enjoy : the vegan version of the popular wind fritters; some salty spinach fritters that will serve as the base to prepare fritters with any leafy vegetable you choose; and some gluten-free fritters, for those who cannot or do not want to eat gluten can also enjoy this treat if they wish.

You will find other proposals for salty fritters in today’s weekly seasonal menu.

1. Recipe for vegan wind fritters

The traditional wind fritters can be made at home without the need for eggs or dairy products.

In this recipe we use soy milk, without added sugar, because the contribution of soy lecithin will help us with the texture. In the case of using a non-fat vegetable milk, it would be necessary to introduce other fats and the measurements would change.

Another option is to use water and swap a few tablespoons of the water for deodorized olive or coconut oil.

If you don’t like anise, try vanilla extract.

Ingredients:

• 200 g spelled flour
• 30 g of panela
• 8 g of chemical yeast
• 250 ml of soy milk
• 1 tablespoon ground flax
• 4 tablespoons of water
• 1 star anise
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt
• abundant mild olive oil for frying
• brown sugar with cinnamon

preparation:

1. We hydrate the ground flax with the tablespoons of water for at least 15 minutes. So we have our “flax egg”.
2. We infuse the anise with the soy milk for about 5 minutes. We strain and reserve.
3. We sift the flour and yeast and place them in a bowl. Add the cinnamon and brown sugar and mix well.
4. Add the flax “egg” to the soy milk with anise and mix.
5. We integrate the wet and dry ingredients, adding a pinch of salt, and stir until there are no lumps.
6. We put a deep frying pan on the fire with abundant oil to fry at high temperature.
7. To make the fritters, we load a soup spoon with the dough and, once the oil is ready, we add it to the pan. We repeat until we have a full pan, but without the fritters touching.
8. We remove the fritters with a slotted spoon and repeat until we finish with the dough.
9. We optionally batter in brown sugar with cinnamon and serve at room temperature.

2. Vegan spinach fritters with whole wheat flour

Not all donuts are sweet. There are many delicious savory options. Take advantage of spinach, the seasonal green leaf, to make this recipe.

You can take this recipe as a base to make fritters from other vegetables. With chard leaves it is also very good, but in the case of using collards or cabbage you may need to blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes so that you get some vegan fritters that are just as soft and fluffy.

Ingredients:

• 150 g of fresh spinach
• 100 g of whole wheat flour
• 50 g chickpea flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic or onion powder
• 50 ml of water
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 pinch of salt
• Plentiful olive oil for frying

preparation:

1. We wash the spinach well and chop them, without chopping them. In a frying pan, we put the tablespoon of oil and sauté the spinach for just 2 minutes. We booked.
2. In a bowl, add the sifted flours and all the dry ingredients. We stir well to integrate them and add the water.
3. To the dough we add the spinach, mixing.
4. We chill the dough for about four hours in the fridge.
5. In a pot or deep frying pan, fill with at least 3 fingers of oil and heat the oil to 180 ºC.
6. We help each other with two tablespoons to introduce the dough into the oil. We watch the fritters so that they brown on the bottom without burning. With the same spoons, or with a slotted spoon, we will turn it over so that they are made on both sides. We make them in batches, leaving them on absorbent paper to avoid excess fat.
7. It is better to consume them warm or at room temperature.

3. Gluten-free vegan fritters recipe

A good option for people on a gluten-free diet is to use cornstarch. The texture may not be as fluffy, but they are certainly very rich.

Ingredients:

• 120 g cornstarch fine corn flour
• 200 ml of soy milk
• 50 g margarine
• 1 pinch of salt
• 8 g of chemical yeast
• 4 flax “eggs” (1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
• abundant mild olive oil for frying
• 1 pinch of salt
• brown sugar with cinnamon to coat

The indications are practically the same as in the previous recipe. Remember that the margarine has to be pumped before adding it to the liquid ingredients, that is, it has to be left at room temperature so that it is soft.

You can infuse soy milk with vanilla, anise, or cloves to flavor your gluten-free vegan fritters.