Akara is a tasty snack and a popular breakfast staple in Nigeria. It is also known as Koose in Ghana or black-eyed pea fritters. This recipe is one of the simplest vegetarian or vegan-friendly Nigerian food. Let us show you how to make the best Akara that is fluffy, pillowy and delicious.

Akara, or beans fritters, is a famous Nigerian savoury (vegan) fitter made with beans, mainly black-eyed peas. Akara, also called beans cakes, beans balls, koosé, or acarajé, is a famous street food across Africa and beyond.

How to Make Akara

To make Akara, kindly follow these simple steps:

• Soak for about 30 minutes or until 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. Depending on the tool you use, this will take about a minute to 5 minutes. An electric hand whisk takes about a minute to two, and a regular hand whisk will take about two to three 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 take it like that.

Ingredients for Nigerian Akara

Here are the ingredients for Akara-making:

• Beans

• Onion

• Fresh bell peppers (Red or orange colour preferably. I like using red/reddish bell peppers for this recipe. It gives it gorgeous colour)

• Habanero (for that spicy heat)

• Salt and crushed red pepper to taste

• Oil for frying

Best Tips for Making Akara

Blend the beans with very little water, too much water would result in flat or no akara.

Incorporate air into the bean batter before frying using a whisk or wooden spoon.

Regulate the hotness of the oil when frying. If the oil is very hot, it will burn the bean fritters and may result in false cooking which will make the inside undercooked.