Akara is one of the most popular breakfast staples in Nigeria, it’s made with a combination of bean paste, fresh onions and salt. Akara is also a great street food as sellers can be found frying them at different hours of the day. It is popularly served with ogi (pap) or with fried yam.
Ingredients
- 1 cup peeled beans
- 1 raw hot pepper (Ata rodo) – chopped
- Salt – to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (optional. This helps to make the exterior crunchy)
- 1/2 of a medium onion – chopped
- oil for frying
Directions
- Combine the beans with 1/4 cup water in a blender.
- Puree the mixture to a smooth paste
- Pour the pureed beans into a bowl. Mix for 5 minutes with a whisk or mixer. This is to incorporate air into the batter.
- Set a deep pan on medium heat, add in some oil. Heat until oil
- Add in the salt, baking soda, chopped pepper and onions. Stir
- Scoop 1/2 cooking spoon of batter into oil. You do not want to spread out the batter in the oil, you want to pour batter directly on itself (the way you would pour water into a narrow bottle).
- Fry on each side until golden brown .
- Lift the akara balls out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper towels.
- Repeat the process until everything is fried
- Serve with bread, garri, ogi(pap) or fried yam. Enjoy!!
Note: The shape of the akara is affected by two factors: thickness of the pureed beans and your method of frying. Shallow frying or watery batter will result in flat akara.
Thanks for sharing, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for
My akara came out heavy and greasy. I think I beat a little too much air into the batter.
Must you use milk for ogi
Ronke. Is there ANY NIGERIAN FOOD you CANNOT simplify so AMAZINGLY
I am winning with my daily 30 minute akara all thanks to you
Hahahahha… I am yet to come across one.
egg is not on the list of ingredients, where does egg come in on the steps of cooking?
Hi
have you tried to make akara with other types of beans? tried haricot and kala chana (type of chickpea) and was a FAIL!
I have tried lentils and chickpeas. the texture is different but it works if you whip enough air into it before frying.
I like to read up on your cool recipes ( I never comment though) and I just tried your akara recipe and it was purrrrfect….and to think it’s been here for a while. Thanks a bunch for sharing.
Yeiii! thanks for the feedback.
wow..how come i just found out about your blog, its amazing and i cant wait to try akara and moi moi out, infact i have soaked my beans already, would let u know how it turned out. keep up the amazing work Ronke, cheers
please do!
I usually add ground crayfish to my akara mix before frying. Looks sumptuous! I am salivating. I know this sounds ridiculous but I wonder if it is possible to make Akara using oven. Trying to change diet and still have my meals as usual
right! akara with crayfish and fresh herbs is to die for. Have you tried our pan fried akara? you can find the recipe here : https://www.9jafoodie.com/pan-fried-akara/
Do you have recipe for soya milk?
you can find it here
Is it like one egg to a cup of beans?
An egg will do for up to 2 cups.
And how many balls does 1 cup make roughly?
Depends on how big you make them, it can make up to 10 small pieces.
Um where does it say add egg to the recipe? Am I missing something?
we removed eggs from this recipe to make it more traditional. you can add in eggs when you add in peppers.
Do you boil the beans first?
No you do not
Haven’t had akara in a while…i’m getting excited! Now off to the kitchen:)
My mum made me make akara for my dad at home, she claimed my hand kept it intact. lol. We don’t add egg, however we bend not adding anything , mix to a sighty thick consistency, the add shreded ata rodo and onion, and fry in deep fat oil, other wise it woud be flat. Your recipees are quite good and correct for yoruba cooking, My ony problem is peeling the beans and bending. My blender is always exhausted by the time I finish. Thanks for the tips, very good.
WHATS BASIL LEAF
efirin (scent leaf)
About to make akara right now!
Great
I love what you are doing please keep it up….plus I’m learning a lot here…
I just found out abt this web,and honestly i am impress.thank you so much i have really learnt some things.i was already getting tired of doing same thing over nd over again,cooking was becoming a burden.thank you.please can you guyz help with kiddies.i need to know what to pack for my toddlers launch box.
Lovely!!!! Made it dis morn nd it was fabulous
how do you blend without water though?
Start with small quantity and add more as you go….
I tried this recipe today and it came out fab! Couldn’t wait to make custard as I had my fill while still frying it. Lol
Comment…this is good, i have never heard of using eggs in akara but i’ll try it. Thanks
yes oh…. 21st recipe secret. try it and let us know
Wow I really love all ur recipes, I just found out about dis website and I must confess its amazing. Thank u for doing dis and keep it up
great! never knew of making akara wit egg n shrimp, wonders hw it tastes,maybe i do give it a trial
Do try it, the taste is amazing!
I tired to make Akara some days ago and now I think I can see where I got it all wrong.
Peeling the beans was too much work for me so i just peeled half and left the rest like that :-D
I blended the beans and pepper separately and I added water when blending the beans. Sigh.
I put it in the pan and I honestly cannot describe how it turned out!
LOL… @ only peeling half the beans. It can be very tasking I am sure (check out the post on how to peel and store beans in the ingredient glossary). From everything you said, the consistency of the puree was probably watery, which will scatter and spread in oil.
You should adjust your methodology and try again. Happy cooking!!!
I never knew that egg was among the recipes oh.
I don’t like custard too, it has to be with ogi, garri or bread.
Hahahaha… I find It odd that some people didn’t use eggs. I have to make egg free akara like tomorrow.
For those of us in parts of the UK where we can’t get beans nko? I have bean flour though, how do I incorporate that in the description without adding water like you said?
Aside: I never knew egg was incorporated in akara when being made back home in nig :S
No Beans?? for real? I usually use black eyed beans and most grocery stores around here carry it.
I have never used beans powder, but I will assume you have to add water in order to puree it. We used egg in my house, I have heard people say they never used egg though. I will try making it without eggs next time :)
I asked my mum about using egg when I saw your recipe for moin moin. She said if I feel the paste is watery, it would be good to add egg to help hold it together. If not, it’s optional. I usually put egg to be safe :)
Mama knows best :)
I will not recommend using the bean powder for akara, I tried it and it was very dry. I think the bean powder is fine for moimoi but Akara needs the proper beans.
Noted Abby, thank you!
I’m in the UK as well and I bought beans… You can get our naija beans either at a Nigeria shop or Pakistan shop
Thanks for the addition.
Looks yummy, and with pap and lots of milk….my mouth’s watery!
Yes!! you are definitely speaking my language. lol
I don’t like custard, Ogi, Garri etc but would try the akara.
http://www.secretlilies.blogspot.com
How come? ever tried ogi with peak milk? yeiii… do try the recipe :)
ahh…its all about the milk oo.