Swiss chard fritters, or crispeddi chi giri as we call them in Sicilian, made with tender swiss chard leaves fresh from the garden stirred into a pastella (batter) made of eggs; flour; water and parmesan cheese and lightly fried. A tasty snack, appetizer or side dish!
I absolutely adore fritters, especially my mom’s cauliflower fritters (crispeddi cu brocculu), however she doesn’t make these swiss chard fritters very often. That’s because I had an aversion to most leafy green vegetables when I was a child! But thankfully, I’ve grown out of it.
Swiss chard now grows plentiful in my garden and these fritters are the perfect way to use up a bunch of chard.
Fritters known as frittelle, crispelle in Italian or crispeddi in the Sicilian dialect consist of a vegetable (cauliflower, zucchini; zucchini flowers or other) combined with a pastella (batter) made up of flour, water and sometimes, as in this recipe, eggs.
And, incidentally, in case you’re wondering about the word giri, this is what we call swiss chard in Sicilian. Sounds absolutely nothing like the Italian word for swiss chard which is bietole, right?
Variations:
My mom’s crispeddi recipe is quite simple just as her family prepared them in Sicily. No herbs or spices added and that’s how I enjoy mine. However there are numerous ways to vary the flavor of fritters by adding:
- a handful of fresh herbs such as parsley
- chopped green onion or chives
- a small minced clove of garlic or garlic powder if you prefer
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
Prepare the swiss chard: Rinse one bunch of swiss chard (about 8-10 large leaves) well making sure to remove all traces of dirt along the stems. Roughly chop the stems along with the leaves. You may choose to remove the stems, if you prefer, and reserve for another use.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. If using, add the stems first and boil for 2 minutes. Add the leaves and boil for 1 minute longer. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl to cool.
Meanwhile prepare the batter: In a large bowl combine eggs; flour; baking powder; water; salt and pepper. Whisk the ingredients until smooth. The batter will have a thick, pancake like consistency. If needed, add extra water 1 tbsp. at a time.
Squeeze some of the water (it does not need to be completely dry) out of the swiss chard and add to the batter along with the grated parmesan cheese. 
To fry: heat vegetable, canola or sunflower oil on medium high heat in a large skillet. Spoon batter (about 2 tablespoonfuls) into the hot oil. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip with a spatula and cook until the underside is browned, about 2 more minutes.
Transfer to a paper towel lined tray to absorb excess oil. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Tips and Suggestions
- Leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in a 350 degrees F preheated oven until warm before serving.
- These fritters may be frozen in an airtight container or plastic wrap for up to one month. To defrost, place the fritters wrapped in foil in a 350 degrees F preheated oven until thawed, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake a few minutes longer until heated through and slightly crisp.
If you give this recipe a try, please let me know how much you enjoyed them by rating them in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin it for later. Buon appetito!
Check out more delicious Italian swiss chard recipes!
Cheesy Swiss Chard and Potato Casserole
Swiss Chard and Potato Bignolati
Swiss Chard with Potatoes and Tomatoes
Swiss Chard and White Bean Stew
Swiss Chard and White Bean Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 bunch swiss chard (8-10 leaves: about 10 cups loosely packed before cooking)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup water or more as needed
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2-3 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tbsp. vegetable oil or canola or sunflower oil
Instructions
Prepare the swiss chard:
- Rinse one bunch of swiss chard (about 8-10 large leaves) well making sure to remove all traces of dirt along the stems. Roughly chop the stems along with the leaves. You may choose to remove the stems, if you prefer, and reserve them for another use.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. If using, add the stems first and boil for 2 minutes. Add the leaves and boil for 1 minute longer. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl to cool.
Meanwhile prepare the batter:
- In a large bowl combine eggs; flour; baking powder; water; salt and pepper. Whisk the ingredients until smooth. The batter will have a thick, pancake like consistency. If it is too thick, add extra water 1 tbsp. at a time.
- Squeeze some of the water (it does not need to be completely dry) out of the swiss chard and add to the batter along with the grated parmesan.
To fry:
- Heat vegetable oil on medium high heat in a large skillet. Spoon batter (about 2 tablespoonfuls) into the hot oil. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip with a spatula and cook until the underside is browned, about 2 more minutes.
- Transfer to a paper towel lined tray to absorb excess oil. Serve hot or at room temperature
Notes
- Leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in a 350 degrees F preheated oven until warm before serving.
- These fritters may be frozen in an airtight container or plastic wrap for up to one month. To defrost, place the fritters wrapped in foil in a 350 degrees F preheated oven until thawed, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake a few minutes longer until heated through and slightly crisp.
- Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact ingredients used and portion size.
Nutrition
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! In Palau we eat these with various vegetables and my parents never taught me how to make it. I’m standing over the stove and eating one piping hot while my son helps me cook and it’s so nostalgic and heartwarming. Absolutely delicious thanks for sharing!
Hello Destiny, that’s so interesting. Thanks for sharing that you enjoy a similar dish in Palau, and yes I can imagine that these fritters must be delicious with a variety of vegetables. My mom them with cauliflower and zucchini as well. Thanks for reaching out!
So yummy!
I added 1 chopped onion and 2 tbs taco seasoning to the batter and that gave it an amazing flavor to it!
Hello Susana, the recipe is quite neutral so you can definitely jazz it up according to your taste. Thanks for sharing and so glad to hear you enjoyed them!
The Swiss chard fritters are in the oven. I hope they like being cooked. They look great and were easy to prep.
Hello Lida, please do let me know how the baked version turned out. Hope you enjoyed them!
Nadia, they were delicious! I probably should have put them under the broiler for about 5 minutes at the end of the cooking time p, which was randomly chose, as they tasted great but were not pretty to look at 🙄. I will make them again and maybe try them in the air fryer.
Hello Lida, thank you for getting back to me with the results! Yes I am sure they don’t look as nice as the fried ones, but if they taste fine that’s what counts. I do agree that broiling will give them more color and texture. Did you drizzle or brush any oil over them? That would certainly help. Thank you!
Thank you for this recipe! We’re growing rainbow Swiss chard in our schoolyard garden this year and I was looking for a kid-friendly Swiss chard recipe I could make with our pre-k class. This one was perfect and got two thumbs up from many of the kids!
You are quite welcome Rebecca, I’m so glad you and your students enjoyed these fritters. Great way to get them to eat their veggies!
These were fantastic! I made an enormous amount of them at the end of my gardening season and froze them. I eat them for breakfast, topped with poached eggs. I found I needed to use quite a bit more oil, and wondered if there is a way to adapt the recipe to bake them? Both to cut down on oil but also because I made so many that baking a lot would save time. Thanks so much for the recipe, they will be made for years to come.
Hello Amanda, I’m so glad you enjoyed these fritters! I’ll be quite honest with you I have not tried baking them myself but if I were to try it I would generously grease a baking pan with olive oil, then spoon the mixture on the pan, and certainly flip them halfway through cooking. I think it would work, do let me know if you give it a try!
I will definitely try them in the oven at the end of my next growing season. Thank you for your reply!
You are quite welcome!
This is the best recipe for using almost any kind of vegetable. Our family always made them with asparagus. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you Philip, I think you are definitely right. And I like the idea of trying them with asparagus. Thanks for sharing!
I found your site by accident and what a happy accident it was. My grandparents were all born in Sicily. All of the recipes you illustrate are huge part of my background. Unfortunately I don’t, or didn’t, have the recipes for many of my all-time favorites.
The Swiss chard or cauliflower fritters are particular favorites. My father loved to make them with ‘cardoons’ (sp?) which I think are a form of Swiss chard perhaps the wild ones. More often than not we make them with asparagus. Since I don’t have a recipe for them it’s usually a guessing game. (BTW…Your cannoli recipe and procedure is also spot on to what I remember. We didn’t use bamboo rollers but we did use dowels made from old roll-up window shades that were boiled and sterilized.)
Thank you so much for filling in the missing pieces to this wonderful puzzle of delicious Sicilian food!
Hello Phil, I’m glad you stumbled upon my website and that my recipes are very familiar to you! Do you know that I still have not tried cardoons, it’s not something that my mom has ever made! However they are definitely on my to do list! Thanks for taking the time to reach out to me!
I think cardoons are in the celery family and they are wonderful in soup which is what we always have on Christmas eve before the fish entrees.
Hello Toni, although cardoons do resemble celery they are actually part of the artichoke family. And would you believe I have yet to taste these. They are definitely on my to do list!
I absolutely love this recipe, but why are they still a little raw in the middle. I’m making the batter thin and letting it cook until browned on both sides. Can you possibly tell me what I’m doing wrong?
Hello Janyce, in this case I would recommend that you lower the temperature a little bit (so they don’t burn) and cook them a bit longer on each side. All stoves are different and so it is possible that you may have to adjust the cooking time and temperature. Glad to hear you enjoyed them, thanks for your feedback!