Made with gruyere and parmesan cheese paired with sweet raisins and pine nuts, these fritters are cheesy, slightly sweet, and have the perfect crunch. Make these as an appetizer, side, or as a main! These delicious Mediterranean-inspired spinach fritters are sure to please even the pickiest of eaters.

Mallorca, Spain

This recipe was inspired by a restaurant in Mallorca that I go to every year with all of my extended family in Spain. We usually go to this restaurant on one of our last days on the island and there is something so special about eating a meal with loved ones on a terrace in the hillside of a beautiful villa.

Sharing meals with loved ones is one of the things that brings me most joy in life. I wish every meal were savored and enjoyed as much as this one. One of the things I love most about the food culture in Spain is that every meal shared is a chance to connect with others, share stories, and create long-lasting memories.

It is not uncommon to sit around the table for two or three hours there, because food is more than just fuel. Meals are meant to be appreciated and shared in the company of others. Meals are made to accompany conversations and laughter.

Some of my most vivid memories have been in the places where I have shared a delicious meal with friends and family. Food transports us to places and connects us with people. That is the magic and beauty of food and why I am so passionate about the power and importance of nutrition and cooking.

A Crowd-Pleasing Appetizer

In this picturesque restaurant, one of the most popular tapas they have are these spinach fritters with raisins and pine nuts that everybody raves about. If you’re not familiar with the term, “tapas” are small bites of food (much like an appetizer) that originate in Spain.

I love these fritters so much that I just knew I had to re-create this dish to share with you all. They are cheesy, slightly sweet, and have the perfect crunch and golden-brown color. If there is a way to transport you to this beautiful country, it is through food, and that is why I challenged myself to develop a recipe that comes pretty close to the real deal. Wherever you are, you can try a taste of traditional Spanish tapas!

Quien quiere probar?

The Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you will need to make my Cheesy Spinach and Raisin Fritters!

Fresh Spinach
Eggs
Minced Garlic
Pine nuts or Slivered Almonds
Fresh Parsley
Gruyere and Parmesan Cheese
Yellow Onion
Salt and Pepper
All-purpose Flour
Raisins
Vegetable Oil

All in One Bowl

After many requests from friends and family to re-create this dish, I have finally tested the perfect version to share with you all!

What’s great about this dish is that it comes together in one bowl!

Start by whisking together the eggs, minced garlic, pine nuts or almonds, fresh minced parsley, salt and pepper, grated gruyere and parmesan cheese, and diced onion.

Next, you want to bunch the spinach leaves together as packed as possible. This makes it easy to cut it into thin strips using a large chef’s knife. Once in small strips, add the spinach to the same bowl and mix to combine!

Add in the flour and stir until just combined. Fold the raisins into the batter, and that’s all! Now you’re ready to fry these fritters to golden-brown perfection.

Sneaking in the Veggies

What I love about this recipe is all of the sneaky veggies we are adding in. Yes, this recipe has quite a bit of cheese and is fried, but hey, you’ve gotta have some balance and what better way than to add in some spinach and fresh herbs!

For this recipe, you will need 12 ounces of fresh spinach. This may seem like A LOT, but as you’ve probably experienced, the spinach will get much smaller after chopping and will wilt down when cooked.

I used some fresh parsley, along with 1/4 cup of diced yellow onion and 1 clove of minced garlic to add some depth of flavor to these fritters.

All About the Cheese

Shouldn’t it always be “All About the Cheese”? 😉

In this recipe, I included 2 types of cheese, because two types of cheese has to be better than 1, right?!

I tested this recipe with Gruyere and Parmesan cheese and felt that this was the best combination for these spinach fritters. Gruyere cheese is rich, creamy, and slightly nutty. Paired with a sharper Parmesan cheese to add some saltiness, and this combination is irresistible.

The Key to Golden-Brown Perfection

The key to getting a golden-brown color and crispy exterior is keeping the oil pretty hot and adding enough to coat 1/2 the height of the fritters. To prevent these fritters from getting too oily, it is important to heat the oil on medium to high heat and only add the spoonfuls of batter when the oil is bubbling. In addition, you can set them on a paper towel-lined plate after frying to drain some of the oil.

I added 1/2 cup of vegetable oil to fill about 1-inch in height on a large, deep frying pan or Dutch oven. You want the oil to cover about half the height of the fritters since you will be flipping them over to cook on the other side.

The best way to measure out the batter is to just take a heaping spoonful of the batter and drop it into the hot oil. It is important to drop the rounded spoonful of batter carefully into the oil so that the batter holds its rounded shape and doesn’t spread too much.

What to Pair with Spinach Fritters

These fritters can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or main! The batter makes enough for 6-8 people depending on whether it is used as a main dish or side.

I love to pair these cheesy spinach and raisin fritters with a refreshing herby yogurt dip to cool the palette!

These fritters would work well alongside a fresh salad, main course such as fish or meat, or as a side with a bowl of soup!

Whatever you choose to serve alongside these fritters, this is a recipe that is sure to please anyone! Take these cheesy fritters to a family gathering or dinner party, and I promise, even the skeptics will fall in love.

If you liked this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and rating on this post! Your ratings and kind comments help me to grow my blog and share my platform with a wider audience.

If you made this recipe and want to share your creations on Instagram, be sure to tag me @sipandscone!

Print Recipe

Cheesy Spinach and Raisin Fritters

Prep Time25

Cook Time10

Course: Appetizer, dinner

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: spinachandraisin, spinachfritters

Servings: 8

Ingredients

12 oz fresh spinach
4 large eggs
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, garlic, pine nuts or slivered almonds, parsley, salt and pepper, Gruyere and Parmesan cheese, and onion.
Bunch the spinach leaves together, and using a chef's knife, chop it into thin strips. You want the spinach to be in small strips.
Add the spinach to the bowl and mix everything together. Add in the flour and stir until just combined. Add the raisins and fold them into the batter.
Heat a large deep frying pan or dutch oven with about 1-inch of vegetable oil on medium to high heat. I used about 1/2 a cup of oil. You want the oil to cover about half the height of the fritters since you will flip them to cook on the other side.
Once the oil is shimmering, take a large rounded spoonful of the batter and drop it into the hot oil. Repeat with the remaining batter. You may have to fry the fritters in two batches if your pan is not big enough, as you don't want to overcrowd the pan.
Fry for about 3-4 minutes before flipping each fritter to fry on the other side. You want to keep the oil hot and fry until golden brown on both sides.
Place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain the oil. Serve warm! A yogurt dip would be great to serve with these fritters.

Liked this recipe? Be sure to check out some of my other recipes on the blog!

I hope you love these cheesy spinach and raisin fritters as much as I do!

Sip & Scone