The pumpkin fritters are one of those pumpkin recipes to always keep at hand because it’s an easy and tasty recipe to prepare on any occasion. At my house, we really like pumpkin, so I often use it for savory pies, pumpkin dishes and sides, but also for desserts.
They are savory pumpkin fritters with a soft texture and delicate flavor, which you can prepare as an appetizer or side dish. They are made with cream cheese, so they could also be a great vegetarian main course, perhaps to accompany vegetarian savory pies like the rustic puff pastry pizza with ricotta and spinach or the vegetable savory pie. They can accompany other winter sides like sweet and sour artichokes or pan-fried radicchio with mozzarella.
The truth is, these savory pumpkin fritters are truly delicious and I am sure you will like them, especially if you love the sweetness of pumpkin and delicate flavors. You can also customize them by adding speck or bacon to the batter: this way you will have fritters with a more intense flavor.
The preparation is very simple: you can even get a head start on the preparation by cooking the pumpkin in advance. Once you’ve done that, you just need an immersion blender or a food processor and in a few minutes the pumpkin fritter batter will be ready. If you then follow my tips on how to make perfect frying, your fritters will also be dry and with little oil.
You can also prepare the pumpkin fritter batter with the Thermomix. I will include both methods in the recipe.
Well, let’s move on to the recipe and see together how to prepare these soft and delicious pumpkin fritters with and without Thermomix. But first, I will leave you the links to other recipes that you might like!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Frying, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 406.81 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 12.24 (g) of which sugars 1.57 (g)
- Proteins 4.43 (g)
- Fat 38.89 (g) of which saturated 3.25 (g)of which unsaturated 21.20 (g)
- Fibers 0.74 (g)
- Sodium 196.69 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 87 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to prepare the pumpkin fritters
- 4 oz oz pumpkin (weighed raw and without waste)
- 1/2 white onion
- 1.75 oz oz all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 4 oz oz cream cheese (like Philadelphia)
- 1.5 tbsp tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste chopped parsley
- as needed sunflower seed oil (for frying)
Tools to prepare the pumpkin fritters
- Pan
- Mixer
- Knife
Steps to prepare the pumpkin fritters
Let’s see together how to prepare these delicious soft pumpkin fritters. I will first put the traditional method and then the method to prepare the Thermomix pumpkin fritters.
Let’s start with the preparation of the fritters using the traditional method.
Clean and cut the pumpkin into small cubes, approximately the same size. Finely chop the onion with a knife.
Transfer them to a pan with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.
Cook over low heat with the lid on for about 20 minutes. At the end of cooking, the pumpkin should be soft and dry.
Transfer the cooked pumpkin to a food processor.
Add salt, pepper, and the cream cheese and blend until smooth.
Put the mixture in a bowl and also add the flour. Mix well with a spoon. You will obtain a soft and creamy mixture.
Finally, add the chopped parsley. If you decide to enrich the pumpkin fritters with cold cuts (e.g., speck, bacon, or salami pieces), add them at this stage.
Prepare a bowl with some all-purpose flour.
With the help of a spoon, take a small amount of mixture and place it in the flour. Flour it on all sides and try to give the fritter a regular shape. Proceed this way for all the mixture.
Heat plenty of sunflower seed oil. When it has reached temperature, fry a few fritters at a time. Let them cook for a few minutes on one side without touching them, then turn them over and cook on the other side as well.
When they are ready and golden (you will hear a crust on the surface when touched with a fork), drain them with a slotted spoon and set them to drain on absorbent paper.
Enjoy your fritters hot or warm!
Now let’s see how to prepare the pumpkin fritters with the Thermomix.
To prepare the pumpkin fritters, start by cleaning the pumpkin: remove the skin and cut it into cubes. Set aside.
In the mixer bowl, place half an onion: chop 3 sec vel 7. Then add the oil and pumpkin: cook 20 minutes 100° vel 1. Once this is done, blend 10 sec vel 7.
Let it thicken for about 10 min Varoma temp vel 1. Be careful with this step, because in the end, you should get a thick and consistent cream. The cooking times at Varoma temperature depend on how much water the pumpkin has released, so check the consistency often. If necessary, stop this phase of cooking early. Let the cream cool.
Add salt, pepper, chopped parsley, flour, and cheese: mix 20 sec vel 3. You will obtain a soft mixture. If you decide to add cold cuts in pieces (speck, bacon, or salami), add them at this stage.Place some flour in a bowl and, in the meantime, heat plenty of sunflower seed oil in a pan.
With the help of a spoon, take a portion of the mixture and roll it in the plate of flour, flouring the pumpkin fritters well.Fry the Thermomix pumpkin fritters a little at a time until they turn golden. Set them to drain on absorbent paper and serve them hot!
Storage and Tips
– Fried foods are best enjoyed immediately. I recommend frying and eating the fritters on the spot, hot or warm. Over time, they lose their crispness and initial texture.
– If they remain, however, do not throw them away. Store them in the refrigerator and maybe reheat them in an air fryer or oven for 4-5 minutes at 300°F: this way, the outer crust will become crunchy again.
– I do not recommend freezing them: once defrosted, they would lose their texture.
– The cooking times of the pumpkin vary depending on the type of pumpkin you use. You should obtain a dry mixture. Based on this, increase or decrease the cooking times to achieve the desired result.
FAQ
What type of pumpkin is best to use for pumpkin fritters?
For this type of fritters, it is best to use a type of pumpkin with firm and dry flesh. Ideally, it would be the Delica pumpkin. If you have other varieties of pumpkin, they are fine as well, but make sure to dry out the liquids well in the pan when cooking the pumpkin.
Are these fritters vegetarian and vegan?
They are vegetarian, but not vegan. To make these pumpkin fritters vegan, you should replace the cream cheese with a vegan or plant-based cream cheese.
Can I substitute the cream cheese?
If you don’t have cream cheese, you can substitute it with the same amount of well-drained ricotta.
