Crispy Carrot Keftedes
Keftedes are a delicious Greek dish traditionally made with minced meat, but we’ve switched it up a bit by replacing the meat with carrots! This recipe was inspired by Maria Elia’s dish of the same name, in her cookbook Smashing Plates.
Keftedes are moreish and crispy Greek meatballs. So, what’s a vegetarian to do when the craving for delicious, flavourful and crispy meatballs strikes? The answer is… carrots! This carrot keftedes recipe is every bit as delicious, crunchy and addictive as its meaty counterpart.
Ready in under 40 minutes and requiring under 10 ingredients, this is the perfect dish to serve as a party starter or snack, or just as an everyday delicious meal accompaniment. The keftedes are herbaceous, salty and absolutely packed with flavour.
We served our keftedes with a simple salad of rocket/arugula, tomatoes, and cucumbers, on a bed of seasoned yoghurt to make them a complete meal.
This recipe requires the carrots are partially cooked until al dente, we do this in an air fryer, which saves turning on the oven, but should you not have an air fryer an oven will do just fine for this step.
If you try this recipe, let us know how it goes! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photo #theculinarycartel on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. You can also view the video here. Happy cooking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this in the oven?
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can absolutely make this in the oven. Simply preheat your oven to 200 degrees C, and roast for 30 – 40 minutes until the carrots are al dente. Then proceed as indicated.
Can I make this vegan?
For sure. Simply sub out the feta for your favourite vegan feta and the egg with a vegan egg replacer.
Crispy Carrot Keftedes
- Total Time: 40 Minutes
- Yield: 16 Servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Keftedes are a delicious Greek dish traditionally made with minced meat, but we’ve switched it up a bit by replacing the meat with carrots! This recipe was inspired by Maria Elia’s dish of the same name, in her cookbook Smashing Plates. You can view the cook-along video here.
Ingredients
- 10g parsley
- 10g fresh mint
- 1 tsp cumin
- 200g feta
- 400g carrots
- 1 small onion, grated
- 50g fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 free-range egg, beaten
- olive or vegetable oil, for shallow frying
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For Serving (Optional)
- Greek Yogurt seasoned with salt and pepper
- A simple salad of rocket, tomatoes and diced cucumber
Instructions
- Set your Instant Vortex or air fryer to roast at 190 degrees C, or the oven to 200 degrees C.
- Peel and top and tail the carrots and leave them whole. Drizzle the carrots with olive oil and place them in your air fryer. Roast for 15 Mins, at 190 degrees C in the air fryer, or 200 degrees C in the oven, (depending on the size of the carrots) until al dente (softening but still with a firm texture), turning them halfway through. Leave to cool.
- Grate the carrots into a bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients, except for the oil. Season the mixture with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Shape into 12-16 balls, then press to flatten the balls into fat, compact, disks.
- Heat a drizzle of oil in a non-stick pan. Add the keftedes and fry on medium heat until golden on one side then flip, and cook until golden on the other. Repeat the process until all the keftedes are cooked.
- The keftedes can be served immediately warm, on a smear of seasoned yoghurt with a side salad.
Notes
Leftover keftedes keep well and can be reheated in the microwave or in the oven or air fryer until crisped.
Freezing: Allow your keftedes to cool, then place them in a container in the freezer. To reheat, defrost completely then follow the reheating instructions above.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Category: Mains
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Greek-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 64.49kcal
- Sugar: 2.06g
- Sodium: 201.04mg
- Fat: 3.39g
- Saturated Fat: 2.07g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 5.64g
- Fiber: 0.95g
- Protein: 3.09g
- Cholesterol: 21.64mg
