Recipe
🍳 BREAKFAST
Ata (Beninese Black-Eyed Pea Fritters)
Skinned black-eyed peas whipped into an airy batter with onion and chili, then fried into crisp, fluffy golden fritters.
Beninese · medium · serves 4
prep 30 min · cook 20 min
~338 cal · 24g protein · 61g carbs · 2g fat · 11g fiber · 8g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Ata is the Beninese name for the black-eyed pea fritter known across West Africa as akara, a breakfast and street-food staple born in the Yoruba and Fon kitchens of the region. The peas are soaked, their skins slipped off, then blended with onion and chili and whipped until light before frying.
In Benin they are eaten hot in the morning, often with a spiced pepper sauce or a corn porridge called ablo. The whipping is the secret, beating air into the batter so the fritters puff crisp outside and soft within.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2 cups dried black-eyed peas
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 small pepper
1 tsp salt
as needed oil, for frying
Instructions
1
Soak the peas for a few hours, then rub them between your hands to loosen the skins and rinse the skins away.
2
Blend the skinned peas with the onion, pepper and a little water into a thick, smooth paste, then season with salt.
✎ Chef’s note
Keep the batter thick, using as little water as possible, or the fritters will soak up oil.
3
Whisk the batter hard for a few minutes until it lightens and holds air.
4
Drop spoonfuls into hot oil and fry, turning, until golden brown, then drain and serve hot.
Fon and Yoruba street cooking, southern Benin.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Cotonou. Cotonou is Benin's bustling seaside city, eating amiwo, cornmeal cooked directly in a red tomato and pepper sauce so the starch carries the seasoning. Grilled fish, akassa fermented dough, and fiery pepper sauces come with almost everything.
🗺️
Benin. Benin, the birthplace of vodun, cooks with corn, yam, and beans, its tables rich with fiery pepper sauces and the peanut and palm-nut stews of West Africa. Akassa and grilled fish are everyday staples.
🌍
Africa. Much of what reads as timeless African cooking is younger than the Atlantic crossings. Maize, cassava, groundnut, chilli and tomato all arrived from the Americas after 1500 and pushed older crops aside; millet, sorghum, teff, yam and fonio are the ones that were already here, and the map still shows the join.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Benin
AmiwoCornmeal cooked directly in a spiced red tomato-and-pepper sauce, served with braised chicken.
AbloSoft, slightly sweet steamed rice-and-corn cakes eaten plain or with a spicy sauce for breakfast.
Wassa-WassaSteamed yam-flour couscous tossed with a spiced tomato and onion sauce, a northern Beninese lunch staple.
Browse all Benin recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Blender, Whisk.
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Benin meal
TchoukoutouDrink
Yovo Doko (Sweet Fritters)Dessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Ata (Beninese Black-Eyed Pea Fritters)?
Skinned black-eyed peas whipped into an airy batter with onion and chili, then fried into crisp, fluffy golden fritters.
Where does Ata (Beninese Black-Eyed Pea Fritters) come from?
Ata (Beninese Black-Eyed Pea Fritters) is a Beninese dish from Cotonou, Benin.
Can Ata (Beninese Black-Eyed Pea Fritters) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Ata (Beninese Black-Eyed Pea Fritters) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Ata (Beninese Black-Eyed Pea Fritters) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Ata (Beninese Black-Eyed Pea Fritters) take to make?
About 50 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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