Easy Spanish Pumpkin Fritters

If you were looking for easy pumpkin desserts that you can make yourself at home, let us tell you that you came to the right place. 

Autumn is the perfect time to use the pumpkin in almost all recipes, but with this one, you can innovate a little.

In this article, we will tell you all about the Spanish pumpkin fritters, also known as old belly, which are an Andalusian recipe where the star ingredient is pumpkin.

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Keep reading to learn how to make it yourself, and some tips and tricks to make your dish a success, such as ways to store and serve, or the changes you can make to the ingredients.

Background of the Dish

These Spanish pumpkin fritters are relatively recent in Andalusian cuisine, not because they did not exist before, but because they were not so popular in all households.

In its beginnings, it was a dessert of the lower classes, and later it was reaching more parts of society. 

For a long time, they were also associated with Latin American immigrants, since they used to sell them in the most important squares or centers throughout Spain.

Today all people love it and it is without a doubt one of the most famous pumpkin fall desserts. 

With all the craze that has been seen in recent years with pumpkin spice, one can only hope that its popularity will increase further reaching other countries. 

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Pumpkin Fritters

Like other pumpkin fall desserts, the real star is the pumpkin, so it is the only ingredient that you cannot miss. 

Then you only need a frying pan and with that, you are ready to make the recipe.

If you liked this recipe or you are in a loop of Andalusian recipes, we recommend that you try and make the delicious Quince Paste or the Saint’s bones recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (125g) flour
• 300 gr cooked pumpkin (roasted or boiled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• oil for frying

How to Make Spanish Pumpkin Fritters – Step by Step Guide

1. To make this recipe for pumpkin fritters, the first step is to cook the pumpkin. You can boil it or roast it, then mash the pumpkin until it reaches a puree consistency. If you buy canned pumpkin puree, then you can avoid this step.

2. Then add the sugar, flour, and baking powder. Mix the ingredients well so that they are integrated, you can do it with a whisk by hand, you do not need an electric hand mixer.

3. After that add the pinch of salt and the orange zest. Keep mixing now with a spoon to integrate these last ingredients. You can use a wooden or metal spoon because if you use a whisk everything will stick there.

4. Next, separate the whites from the egg yolks and beat the whites until stiff (in this step you should use a hand mixer to make it easier). Then, add them to the dough and stir making enveloping movements until they have a uniform consistency.

5. Grab a frying pan and take it to the stove with enough oil for frying. With the help of a wooden spoon and when the oil is hot, pour in a little of the dough for the sweet pumpkin fritters and let it fry for a couple of minutes on each side. It shouldn’t take more than 3 minutes on each side.

6. Now the pumpkin fritters are ready, you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar when they are ready or drizzle honey on top.

Substitution of Ingredients

Unlike other pumpkin fritters recipes, in this one, you can make several changes. 

Keep in mind that the only irreplaceable ingredients are the flour (although it can be gluten-free or any type of flour), the egg, the pumpkin, and the sugar.

Aside from that, you can make various changes to this pumpkin fritter recipe.

For example, you can use canned pumpkin puree if you don’t have the time to cook the pumpkin or just don’t want to.

You can use any type of sugar, or replace it with the same amount of honey.

We also invite you to be inspired by other Spanish recipes to make changes to them. 

For example, you can take the chips from the Spanish chocolate chip cookie recipe and put them in the batter for these Frituras De Calabaza (on top of that they melt inside like chocolate sauce).

You can also take inspiration from the famous Pestiños and put the same syrup in your Spanish pumpkin fritters when they are ready. Basically, you can let your imagination run wild.

Try the pumpkin flan cake recipe as well, if you want a delicate cake with pumpkin spice.

Tips on Serving Spanish Pumpkin Fritters

This is one of the most popular pumpkin dessert recipes, mainly because it is easy to make, but also because it is even easier to serve and enjoy a delicious dish.

Unlike other pumpkin desserts, this buñuelos recipe does not have a lot of sugar since it is designed to be sprinkled with powdered sugar when served. 

You can also drizzle some honey, maple syrup, or chocolate sauce on top and add some whipped cream next to it. The plate will look just like it’s been served in a restaurant.

You can make a completely Andalusian breakfast or an afternoon tea if you serve them together with Polvoron, Bunelos de Viento, or the fantastic Churros, and what better than eating all this together with Spanish hot chocolate.

How to Store Spanish Pumpkin Fritters

If you make this pumpkin fritters recipe, you can store it both in the freezer and in the refrigerator. 

You can freeze them once they come to room temperature, and leave them there for up to 60 days, just thaw them overnight in the fridge when you want to eat them.

You can also store them at room temperature for up to 3 days (then heat them before eating if they harden so they’ll be fluffy again), or you can store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.

In all cases, you should store them in covered Tupperware, or on a plate or tray with plastic wrap or a clean plastic bag to prevent them from picking up other odors from the refrigerator, freezer, or kitchen.

Recipe Card: Spanish Pumpkin Fritters

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