Crowded Kitchen

MENUMENU
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Sign Up
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact
×
Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

Green Pea Fritters with Lemon Dill Sauce

Published: May 8, 2022 by Lexi

52 shares
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

These green pea fritters with lemon dill sauce are made with a base of quinoa and peas, which keeps them super light and fluffy. We paired our fritters with a lemon dill sauce that adds a pop of bright, acidic flavor.

These fritters are lighter than other recipes we found, and they make a great side dish!
Jump to:
  • Why We Love This Recipe
  • Ingredients
  • Ingredient Notes
  • Step-by-step Instructions
  • Expert Tips and FAQs
  • Related Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Reviews

Why We Love This Recipe

  • Lighter than other fritter recipes: A lot of other pea fritter recipes call for a thick, sticky batter that's tough to work with. We used peas and quinoa to create a much lighter, falafel-like texture that's easy to form and absolutely delicious.
  • Fresh and herby: We added spinach, parsley, dill, and leeks to give these fritters a ton of fresh flavor. It makes them an amazing spring time snack that's packed with herbs and veggies.
  • Customizable: These fritters can be made with corn, chickpeas, or even black eyed peas. They're the perfect vehicle for your favorite veggies!
  • Great for kids: These are a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies, with a texture that feels like a hash brown and a tasty dipping sauce.
  • Vegan and can be made gluten free: We used a flax egg to keep this recipe vegan, and two simple swaps make it completely gluten free.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make these pea fritters:

Overhead view of pea fritter ingredients, including frozen peas, lemon juice, and flour.
You can use fresh or frozen peas in this recipe.

Ingredient Notes

  • Peas: You can use fresh or frozen peas, but we opted for frozen because they're a lot easier to find. Just cook them according to the instructions on the back of the package - we like microwaving them to save time. Note that if you use fresh peas, you'll still need to cook them to soften before adding to this recipe.
  • Flour and breadcrumbs: If you want to make this recipe gluten free (we did), then you can simply use the gluten free flour of your choice (we'd advise an all-purpose since that's what we tested), and gluten free breadcrumbs.
  • Leeks: These add a depth of flavor to the pea fritters, but we understand they take some time to prep. You can replace with green onion or regular onions if you don't have any leeks on hand.
  • Herbs: We used parsley and dill in the fritters, but you can sub for your favorite fresh herbs. If you're using dried herbs, use the tried and true conversion: 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs is equal to 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
  • Quinoa: Really any variety will work in this recipe, but we used white quinoa.
  • Flax meal is our egg substitute of choice for these pea fritters. If you're not vegan, you can sub with 1 regular egg.
  • Lemon pepper seasoning is optional, but adds a nice extra kick of flavor! If you don't have any, just sub with regular black pepper.

Step-by-step Instructions

(1) Cook quinoa and peas according to package directions and set them aside until ready to use.

Stir together flax meal and water and let sit for 15 minutes.

(2) Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in chopped spinach, parsley, and dill, season with ¼ teaspoon of salt, and cook for 2 minutes.

On the left: leeks added to a pan. On the right: spinach and the rest added and cooking away.
Sauté your aromatics.

(3) Add cooked peas to a bowl and use a hand masher to mash the peas. It's okay if some are smashed and some are left whole. Stir in the cooked quinoa, leek/garlic mixture, flax mixture, and lemon juice.

On the left: mashing peas with a hand masher. On the right: adding in quinoa and flax mixture.
You don't have to mash the peas perfectly.

(4) In a separate bowl, stir together flour, breadcrumbs, the remaining salt, and the lemon pepper seasoning. Add to wet mixture and stir to combine. We like using our hands for this step. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes so that it has a chance to bind together before cooking.

On the left: dry ingredients. In the middle: dry ingredients mixed together. On the right: final batter before cooking.
Mix up the dry ingredients and add to the pea mixture.

(5) Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add some olive oil. Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to measure out the batter for each fritter. Flatten each patty using your hands and pan fry for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned. Then carefully flip each fritter and cook for 4-5 minutes on the other side.

(6) Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until smooth. Serve fritters warm with lemon dill sauce.

On the left: sauce ingredients before mixing. On the right: sauce after mixing.
Pea fritters arranged in a circle around lemon dill sauce.

Expert Tips and FAQs

  • Use a nonstick pan: To make sure the pea fritters don't stick and fall apart, be sure to use a nonstick pan. Trust us, it's much easier!
  • Make sure to clean your leeks well: Leeks are notorious for holding a lot of dirt in between each layer, so it's important to thoroughly clean them before using. To do so, trim the upper dark green leaves, then slice the bulb in half lengthwise. Run under water, using your hands to separate the layers, to remove as much dirt as possible. If they're still dirty, slice the leeks, then transfer to a colander and rinse a second time.
  • What part of a leek should you use in this recipe? We only use the tender white and light green part in this recipe. The dark green part is edible, but it's much tougher and needs longer to cook, which isn't the case with this recipe.
  • Storage: Store leftover pea fritters in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days (store sauce in a separate container). You can also freeze the fritters for up to a few months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
  • Dipping sauce: I can't get enough of the creamy lemon dill sauce we serve with these pea fritters – it's the perfect pairing! However, you can also serve these with ketchup, sour cream or another dipping sauce of choice.
  • Customize: Try changing things up by swapping peas with corn, black beans, or another similar ingredient of choice!
Close up view of chickpea fritter on a black background.
These fritters can be pan fried, baked, or air fried.

Related Recipes

  • close up overhead view of vegan carrot fritters on a green plate with harissa yogurt sauce on the side.
    Carrot Fritters
  • side view of stack of vegan zucchini fritters on a plate
    Vegan Zucchini Fritters with Lemon Cashew Cream
  • close up view of vegan sour cream in a bowl with spoon.
    Vegan Sour Cream
  • Green goddess salad in a bowl with a spoon. Full of quinoa and cherry tomatoes.
    Quinoa Salad with Vegan Green Goddess Dressing

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

Print

📖 Recipe

clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Overhead view of pea fritters with lemon dill sauce on top.

Crispy Pea Fritters with Lemon Dill Sauce


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 10-12 Fritters
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

These green pea fritters with lemon dill sauce are made with a base of quinoa and peas, which keeps them super light and fluffy. We paired our fritters with a lemon dill sauce that adds a pop of bright, acidic flavor.


Ingredients

Pea Fritters:

  • ⅓ cup dry quinoa
  • 10 ounces frozen peas, cooked according to package directions
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax meal + 2 tbsp water
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • ⅔ cup finely chopped leeks (~2 medium leeks)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
  • ½ cup packed spinach, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ cup all purpose flour (gluten free if needed)
  • ¼ cup Italian style breadcrumbs (gluten free or regular)
  • 1 teaspoon fine grain kosher salt, divided
  • 1 ½ teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning (or regular black pepper)

Lemon Dill Sauce:

  • ½ cup dairy free sour cream
  • ¼ cup of vegan mayonnaise
  • 1 ½ tablespoons tahini
  • 1 ½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons fresh dill, finely chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning (or regular black pepper)
  • 1/ 4 teaspoon kosher salt


Instructions

  1. Cook quinoa and peas according to package directions and set them aside until ready to use. Stir together flax meal and water and let sit for 15 minutes to thicken.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in chopped spinach, parsley, and dill, season with ¼ teaspoon of salt, and cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Add cooked peas to a bowl and use a hand masher to mash the peas. Stir in the cooked quinoa, leek/garlic mixture, flax mixture, and lemon juice.
  4. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, breadcrumbs, the remaining salt, and the lemon pepper seasoning. Add to wet mixture and stir to combine. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes so that it has a chance to bind together before cooking.
  5. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add some olive oil. Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to measure out the batter for each fritter. Flatten each patty using your hands and pan fry for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned on each side.

  6. Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until smooth. Serve fritters warm with lemon dill sauce.

Notes

Use a nonstick pan: To make sure the pea fritters don't stick and fall apart, be sure to use a nonstick pan.

Storage: Store leftover pea fritters in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days (store sauce in a separate container). You can also freeze the fritters for up to a few months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating. 

Dipping sauce: I can't get enough of the creamy lemon dill sauce we serve with these pea fritters – it's the perfect pairing! However, you can also serve these with ketchup, sour cream or another dipping sauce of choice. 

Flax meal is our egg substitute of choice in these pea fritters. If you're not vegan, you can sub with 1 regular egg. 

  • Prep Time: 50 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Side Dishes
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 fritter with sauce
  • Calories: 111
  • Sugar: 1.1 g
  • Sodium: 370.7 mg
  • Fat: 6.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 10.2 g
  • Fiber: 1.6 g
  • Protein: 2.9 g

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #crowdedkitchen

More Vegan Side Dishes and Snacks

  • Overhead view of Italian chopped salad in a bowl.
    Italian Chopped Salad
  • Overhead view of creamy cucumber pea salad in a bowl.
    Creamy Cucumber Pea Salad
  • side view of garlic herb butter fan rolls.
    Garlic Herb Fan Rolls
  • Overhead view of onion tarte tatin topped with goat cheese and rosemary.
    Onion Tarte Tatin

Comments

No Comments

Let us know what you think! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Lexi and Beth toasting with wine.

Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

More about us →

Seasonal

  • close up overhead view of vegan bean soup in a bowl on white linen surface.
    Three-Bean Vegetable Soup
  • Front view of strawberry pop tart.
    Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts
  • Overhead view of slice and bake cookies on a pink plate.
    Slice and Bake Heart Cookies
  • close up view of a passion fruit martini in a glass with dark backdrop.
    Passion Fruit Martini

Popular

  • Overhead view of fruit and nut crackers on a plate.
    Gourmet Fruit and Nut Crackers
  • overhead view of vegan mac and cheese in pot
    The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
  • Overhead view of hot honey chicken plate.
    Hot Honey Chicken Plate (Sweetgreen Dupe)
  • Overhead view of potato leek soup.
    Super Green Sheet Pan Soup

See more-->

Footer

Back to top ↑

About

  • Learn About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • See our Portfolio

Newsletter

  • Sign up for weekly emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Work With Us
  • As Seen In

Copyright © 2025 Crowded Kitchen