Akara - Bean cake (Best Akara Recipe) - K's Cuisine (2024)

Akara also known as fried bean cake, koose, bean fritters and acaraje. This is a common breakfast in Nigerian homes. It is vegetarian or vegan, delicious and easy to make. Let me show you how to make the best akara recipe that is fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside.

AKARA RECIPE

Akara recipe is quite straightforward and easy with the modern method of peeling beans with blender. Once you have peeled beans, the others steps are quick and you can get akara on the table in minutes.

I remember back in Nigeria the different types of akara sold. The ones fried with vegetable oil, the ones of Palmoil and also a special one called akara kengbe' fried with Palmoil. Akara goes with almost everything. You can eat with bread, yam, pap, custard. It can also serve as snack or even a light dinner. It is rich in protein.

Let me show you how to make akara in quick steps.

INGREDIENTS FOR AKARA

1 cup black eyed beans or brown beans

2 scotch bonnet/ habanero - rodo

1 Bell pepper (optional)

1 Brown or red onion

Vegetable, sunflower or palm oil for frying

1 Maggi (bouillion) cube

Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE AKARA

*Peel the beans. The easiest way of doing this is by using blender. click to know how to peel beans using blender.

*Blend the peeled beans with the scotch bonnet, bell pepper and onion. It's important you do not add too much water to blend as what you want is a thick paste for the akara so blend with as little water as possible.

*Pour the blended beans in a bowl, add maggi cube and salt to taste and mix thoroughly.

If you like the inside of your akara fluffy, then use a mixer and whip for 10 minutes.

*Pour the vegetable, sunflower or palmoil in a frying pan and put on stove. You need it deep fried so make sure you have enough oil in the frying pan.

When oil is heated start scooping in the bean paste. For this i usually use a small cooking spoon which is just slightly bigger than a tablespoon.

To know if your oil is heated enough drop a tiny bit of the paste in the oil. If it floats to the top then the oil is ready .

When a side is done, flip to the other side.

Fry both sides till it's brown and when done remove from oil and put on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil.

Serve with pap (ogi) or custard. It can also be eaten with bread. On this occasion I had mine with pap.

Fried bean fritters

Akara served with pap.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH

Some recommendations on what to eat akara with are

Pap

Agege bread,

Custard

sh*to pepper

Fried plantain

TIPS

• Soak peeled beans in water for up to 6 hours before blending. This make blending easier plus it gives fluffier akara.
• Blend with little water. If using home blender, put onion and peppers at the bottom of the blender before adding beans. That way they blen first and provide more juice for the beans to blend in wothout use of excess water.
• For fluffy inside, mix the bean paste with hand or stand mixer till it's light and fluffy before frying.

WHY IS MY AKARA FLAT

If the batter is too watery, the akara will come out flat and in some cases not hold up in oil. That's why it's important to blend with as little water as possible.

HOW TO STORE

To store leftover, allow to cool completely then put in ziploc , label and store in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To reheat, microwave on high for 30 seconds or 1 minute if from the fridge. Frozen will take few minutes longer.

MORE RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE

Jollof rice

Nigerian beef stew

Efo riro

Egusi soup

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This post was originally published January 17, 2014. Republished February 2020.

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