By Akara (Black Eyed Peas Fritters) is a very delicious, vegetarian-friendly meal. It is crispy, golden, tasty, downright irresistible, and quite filling.
Akara – Black Eyed Peas Fritters
Akara, which is also known as black-eyed peas fritters, beans fritters, or Acaraje, is a very delicious, deep-fried bean cake made from black-eyed peas paste.
These are quick, easy, and tasty and involves only a handful of simple ingredients – black-eyed peas, peppers, onions, salt, and seasoning cube. It is a vegetarian-friendly meal eaten in most parts of West Africa and Brazil.
The origin
Though it’s origin is said to be from the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria but somehow it has found its way to the hearts of other west African countries and even beyond.
Akara – Acaraje – Koose
Nothing warms up a Saturday morning like a plateful of old-time Akara served with a bowl of pap (akamu – fermented corn pudding) or stuffed in a freshly baked bread loaf. They are also good for evening snacks, appetizers, and as a simple, comforting snack. If you are looking for a more westernised breakfast option that will also fit the bill, check out this recipe on how to make simple crepes.
How to make Akara: The setup on this one is extra-simple:
- Soak for about 30 minutes or till the skin swells.
- Peel off the beans with your hands (the hard way) or use a blender and pulse a couple of times to split the beans (the easy way)
- Blend the peeled beans with peppers, crayfish, salt, and bouillon powder (or cube).
- Whisk until the batter becomes airy and fluffy. This will take about a minute to 5 minutes depending on the tool you use. Electric hand whisk takes about a minute to two, regular hand whisk will take about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the diced onions.
- Preheat the oil and scoop the mixture by spoonfuls into the pan
- Fry till golden brown!
The result is hot fluffy fritters perfect for pairing with akamu (pap), bread, hot sauce, or just eat as is.
The texture is very important
It’s very important to be mindful of the texture of the Akara batter. Try to no blend too smooth, otherwise, the Akara will not form enough tiny air pockets which will result in dense Akara.
It’s also important to be careful of the quantity of water that is used to blend the beans. Too much water will result in a thin batter and this will cause the Akara to crumble inside the oil during the frying process.
Don’t skip the whisking part, it is very important to incorporate air in the batter as much as possible before frying. This will help yield a light Akara.
How to serve Akara:
We serve Akara in diffrent ways:
- Akara burger: I need to mention this first. We take Akara and place it between a small loaf of bread and eat it like a sandwich. We call it African burger.
- Serve it with pap, oatmeal, garri (Cassava Flour), or custard.
- Serve with a bowl of salad.
- Dip in spicy sauce.
- Eat as is.
Notes:
- When making Akara, a little salt goes a long way, so be careful.
- You need very little water to blend the Beans, adding excess water will result in flat and unpleasantly soft Akara balls.
- If you don’t have a whisk to mix the batter, you can use a wooden spoon to beat it will give the same result. You can even go the traditional way by using a mortar and a pestle it’s all well and good.
- A well-made Akara should be Light, airy, soft, and relatively rounded. When the Akara appears flat, it means enough air has not been introduced into the batter. That is why it is very important to whisk the batter for a couple of minutes before frying it.
- Two cups of dry black-eyed peas yield about 4 to 4 ½ cups of peeled beans, and this quantity will yield about 20 (a little more or less) pieces of Akara balls, depending on the scoop you use.
Other black-eyed peas recipes you might want to try:
- Beans Porridge
- Moin Moin
- Rice and Beans
- Mashed Black-eyed Peas (Ewa Aganyin)
- Black-eyed peas salad
- Southern Black-Eyed Peas recipe
Here are some popular names for this meal – Acaraje, Kosai or Kosai, Black-eyed pea fritters, Koose.
This post has been updated — first published in July 2015.
How to make Akara (Nigerian Beans Fritters)
Ingredients
- 2 cups black-eyed peas dry
- 1 Small habanero
- 3 ounces red bell pepper approximately half of one red bell pepper
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons crayfish (unblended) If you have it in the ground form you need 2 tablespoons
- salt to taste
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1/4 cup water for blending – a little extra might be required
- vegetable oil Enough for deep frying
Instructions
- Soak the beans in room temperature water for about 15 to 20 minutes until the skin is swollen.
- Drain the water and place the beans in the food processor. Pulse the food processor a few times to remove the skin from the beans.
- Pour the beans into a large bowl, add enough water, and gently swirl the beans around so the skin can float. Discard the skin into a colander. Repeat this process until the beans are clean.
- Pour the clean beans into a blender, add the water, red bell pepper, habanero pepper, salt, bouillon powder, and crayfish, and blend until smooth.
- Pour the batter into a large bowl and whisk it until it’s light and fluffy – hand whisk for about 3 to 4 minutes, or use an electric hand mixer for about a minute or two.
- Add the finely diced onion and gently fold with a wooden spoon or spatula in one direction.
- Heat some oil (enough to fry the Akara) in a pan on medium to high heat. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter into the hot oil, frying in batches to prevent overcrowding. Flip once or twice to ensure even browning—fry the Akara for about five to six minutes, or until golden brown on all sides.
- Before removing any Akara from the oil, gently press them down to remove any excess oil.
- Remove the Akara from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve with bread, pap, oatmeal, yogurt, or other desired side.
Nutrition
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Hi Lola, thanks for the recipe. What measurement is the cup you refer to? Is it the Nigerian standard cup or baking cup measurement?
Hello Titi, I guess I answered you on instagram already but here is the answer again. I use the standard American measuring cup.
Loved this recipe. The fluffiness of the akara was amazing. Akara just melted in my mouth. I made an akara burger with tea. Was delicious.
Hi Margaret😊, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Akara that melts in your mouth is the goal, and an akara burger with tea? Perfect combo. Thanks for giving the recipe a try❤️
When I was in Niamey, Niger, back in the early 2000’s, I used to eat something called “cecena” (the “c” being pronounced like a “ch” or a “k” depending on who you were talking to). Cecena was also a black-eye pea fritter, commonly eaten on a baguette with pepper sauce. Have you ever heard of it? If so, do you think that it is similar to akara? Thanks!
@Perry, sounds similar. We eat it with white bread sometimes and dry pepper
good morning i really like your works
kindly show us the dry bean cake
thanks
What do use use as a substitute for the crayfish to make it vegetarian? Obviously vegetable bouillon for the chicken bouillon.
Crayfish is an optional ingredient in akara. You can still have a delicious akara, Megan.
Ive included this dish for a Nigerian themed food night tomorrow. I made a batch of the Akara batter tonight to test and when I added the batter to the oil it sort of disolved – I mean fell apart. All I had left in the pan was a nice reddy coloured oil and the fried onion. Any idea what I could have done wrong? I am thinking of thickening up the batter with more blitzed white beans? Any other ideas?
If the batter is too watery, it can take apart. Ensure that the batter is not too thick or to thin. Also, make sure that the oil is hot before you start frying it. I hope this helps, Stuart.
@Chef Lola’s Kitchen,
i have the same issue as stuart, altho under a little different circumstances.
i don’t have access to black eyed peas, so i’m using pinto beans instead. and i’m rather following “acarajé” recipes, but it’s the same food, the recipe came from africa to brazil.
my batter is surely not too watery, rather the opposite, it’s very very thick. i’m afraid to pour in more water because everyone says too much water would ruin it. as it is now, it’s not smooth enough to whisk in air, but it doesn’t sink in the hot oil, so there is air inside i guess.
i also miss heat instructions in every recipe i check.
tried a lot now, from 100 to 180°C everything, always the same result, it dissolves before developing a crust on the outside.
PS: i’m using coconut oil because coconut fat is extremely unhealthy
Step #4 mentions “crayfish” but there is no other mention of them in the article or the ingredients list. Is this an error?
Hi Simon, I used crayfish, and I have adjusted the ingredient list to reflect it. Thanks for pointing it out.
Can I peel the back today if I want to use it tomorrow and how do I preserve the beans I already pealed the back please
Yes, you can, but be sure to refrigerate it so that it doesn’t go sour. You can also peel a big batch and freeze it till needed.
Nice recipe! I will try it.😍
Great, Hafsat. I will be expecting your feedback when you try it.😀
Hello!
Would i be able to blend everything and then make the next day?
Thank you!
Adesola, blending everything on the day you want to make it, is better. Blended beans don’t keep well when you leave for long. You can get all the ingredients ready instead to save time.
Hi Lola, can I use regular beans (the type for making beans and plantain/iron beans) for akara?
Yes!!! Nora, you can.
The cake is nice,I want to know how to make bean orlelek
Akara is very nice food when taken with hot pap. To prepare is not hard, only to stear it very well. Mix with water averagely and make it soft before frying.
Do you know if this recipe works or could be adapted for different kinds of beans? I have been given a lot of pinto and other beans, and I am wondering if these would work.
Thanks very much!
Hi, sorry I almost missed your question. I haven’t tried using pinto beans for Akara but I see no reason why it should not work. However, my guess is that it will be a bit hard to peel. Just my guess.
@Lola Osinkolu, no worries! I sometimes answer comments on my stuff years later!
Thanks for responding to my question!
you are welcome. 🙂
Aunty Lola. E reach to call you aunty oh. Mehn you just save my day. Been craving akara and I didn’t want the road side own. Was determined today came across your recipe and decided to give it a try. Omo it was lit. Nice and delicious. God bless you.
Hello ma, thanks for this teachings on how to make Akara beans, but My problem is my akara beans is always strong its not soft if I add water to make it soft it turns flat in the oil, pls what do I do to make a better Amara beans thank u, frm Elvis, ph,
The most important thing to do when making Akara is to introduce air to the batter. Whip the batter very well before frying it.
Hi Lola! I love your recipes. I would like to make this, would you be willing to share the spicy sauce recipe? I do not see it.
Thank you!
Hi Camille, here is the link to the spicy sauce https://cheflolaskitchen.com/west-african-pepper-sauce/
THESE LOOK SO GOOD! I’m super excited to try them, especially since they’re gluten free!! (I’m celiac) what you you recommend serving with them?🥳
We serve them with corn or millet porridge (pap) but you can eat them as they are (snack) or use a filling for wraps, they can also replace meat in burgers (gluten-free), serve with a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast. These are just ideas, there are many more ways to enjoy them. I hope this helps?
Can cray fish also be added to it
Either the blend one or unblend one
Yes, you can add crayfish. Blended will work fine.
Chef Lola. I’m cooking for one. Can you refrigerate the dough to Cory up later? If yes for how long?
I haven’t tried refrigerating the batter because it gets sour when left outside for a long time. I’ll rather divide the peeled beans into two and freeze half. I hope that helps?
Thanks Lola for such a delicious, practical & productive site. Goes a long way to helping us guys feed ourselves. Cheers!
That’s so good to hear. 😊😊😊😊😊😊
Well finally I did it! I made akara successfully!
Next time I need a little more salt. Skinned my beans for tomorrows breakfast batch.
Girls loved them. Also made pepper and onion sauce too.
I am happy reading about this information about akara, it’s helpful, especially I can prepare akara now from this information I’m grateful.
I’m glad you found the information helpful. 🙂
I made Akara todayand it was nice, my kids loved it.
That’s so good to hear. 😊😊😊😊😊😊
Hi Chef Lola! Should the black eyed peas be dried? Or are canned beans okay to use?
Hi James, it should be dried.
I just tried this and turned out great…thank you
You are welcome, Julie. I’m glad the recipe worked out well for you. 🙂
This is awesomely nutritious n simple
I will do this for my family
I lola i make akara before but it sokes oil and it use to be hard what do i do.
I lola your akara is lovly.I make akara before but it sokes oil and it use to be hard what do i do.
Make sure the oil sizzles when you drop the batter in. If the oil is not hot enough your akara will absorb it.
Thanks for the addition Lee 🙂
Wow! Thank you very much Chief Lola. I will make my tomorrow
I wish to know more about food and snacks
Feel free to browse around Marian. There are loads of foods and snacks from this site. 😊
Hello chef Lola, pls I need ur help anytime I bake fish roll, meat pie or anything bakeable they come out dry and hard pls what am I doing wrong. How can I correct it pls help me
Hi miss Charity, I think you need to use the right recipe and measure out your ingredients correctly. If you are using a particular recipe that is not working you I’ll advise you to change it.
thanks for sharing Godbless you Lola
You are welcome Lizzy ❤️
Thanks for sharing
I am going to try to make this today. Can’t wait! Thanks for the recipe Lola!
Can I used the already powdered black eye peas that come labeled as Moin Moin?
Yes, you can. Just follow the mixing instructions on the package and it should turn out well.
I’ve never had anything like these before, but they sure do sound delicious! Can’t wait to give them a try!
Yummy! I love akara! Making these tomorrow! The beans are being soaked at the moment.
It’s great to learn about something new and these sound delicious!
These sounds intriguing and delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I was looking for a recipe to use up some black eyed peas. I had seen some fritters, but they looked heavy. These look amazingly light.
I’ve never heard of this before but am intrigued. They sound delicious! def something i’d like to try.