These crispy little veggie fritters are loaded with cauliflower and carrots, and served with a homemade cashew cream-based Smoky Garlic Aioli. Adorable, delicious, and 100% vegetarian!
I was looking for dinner ideas a few weeks ago and came upon this recipe for Crispy Broccoli-Carrot Fritters with Yogurt Dill Sauce. They looked totally delicious, so I had the to try making the fritters with cauliflower instead of broccoli.
And the sauce? I replaced that with a cashew-cream based Smoky Garlic Aioli. I love me some cashew cream!
The smoky aioli is perfect with the cheesy, crispy fritters. And these come together super quickly too. From start to finish, they're done in about 30 minutes.
Tips & Variations
If you don't have a mayo-aversion like I do, you can use mayo instead and make a more traditional aioli.
While the batter for these fritters might seem like it's not going to hold together, have faith because it will! Use your spatula to press each patty into shape on the skillet and then flip them over carefully.
For a completely vegan version, just leave out the parmesan cheese or replace it with a dairy-free vegan cheese.
More Tasty Ideas
If you love these carrot and cauliflower fritters, be sure to check out these other delicious recipes:
- 25 Vegan Recipes that Make Veggies Actually Taste Good!
- Sweet Potato Fritters
- Zucchini & Red Lentil Fritters
- BBQ Spaghetti Squash Fritters
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Crispy Cauliflower-Carrot Fritters
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 cup matchstick-cut carrots
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Smoky Garlic Aioli
- ¾ cup raw cashew pieces, soaked for 4 to 8 hours
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup water, + 2 tablespoons addditional
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Crispy Cauliflower-Carrot Fritters
- Combine the water, cauliflower, and carrots in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for 4 minutes, then drain well. Place the cauliflower and carrots on a few layers of paper towels and pat dry. Transfer to a cutting board and finely chop.
- Place the chopped veggies in a large bowl; add flour and stir to coat. Fold in the cheese, salt, pepper, green onions, and egg.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, swirling to coat. Put the fritter mixture into the skillet ¼ cup at a time, using a spatula to flatten each fritter into shape. Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes, then carefully flip over and cook for about 4 minutes more. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil if needed.
Smoky Garlic Aioli
- Drain and rinse the cashews. Combine the cashews, garlic, lemon juice, paprika, and ¼ cup of water in a blender and blend until smooth. If needed, add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with the fritters.
Jill says
I love these fritters. I haven't tried the cashew sauce. I use wasabi mayo. Delicious!
Kathryn says
My family absolutely LOVED these fritters and the cashew aioli! Thank you! I dried the veggies on a tray in a 350º oven for a few minutes after boiling to help dry them out instead of the paper towel method, worked well!
Kiersten says
Drying the veggies in the oven is a great idea!
Errin Ironside says
these were so yummy! I used plain greek yogurt instead of the aioli + tri-color carrots & peas. gorgeous & delicious:) thank you!
PATRICIA JOHNSON says
What type of flour could be used instead of all purpose? Whole wheat?
Alissa says
Whole wheat should work just fine. 🙂
Karen says
For anyone interested in making this paleo or gluten free friendly...I used almond flour instead of regular flour and added another egg to hold it all together. It came out delicious and I'll definitely be making it again. 🙂
Kim says
Has anyone tried baking these? They are amazing as is but I would love to cut some calories.
Monique says
I improved these tonight! (On a budget) I didnt have much food, but I had frozen cauliflower, broccoli and carrots, some plain stuffing mix, eggs and sorghum flour. So I cooked the veggies in olive oil with salt n pepper, then chopped and forked them with the flour and 1 egg.Then I rolled them into my smashed stuffing mix, and heated them just the way you called for. Delicious!! I'm so happy I found this recipe and was able to use what I had. Made along with white rice that I Doctored with basil, cumin, curry powder and olive oil. Made for a delicious meal! Thank you for the recipe! 🙂
eva saxell says
I am also a big fan of cooking light! I printed this recipe for me and my friends. -several copies. I like the smoked paprika. and the low calories! YUM!!