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This easy Guatemalan recipe for tortitas de ejotes, featuring green beans and eggs, makes a batch of fritter-style pancakes that are perfect for an appetizer, nutritious breakfast or light lunch.
Serve these delicious vegetarian, low-carb bean fritters with a salsa for dipping. Or tuck them inside a crusty French roll with mayonnaise, slivers of red onion and a handful of fresh lettuce.
In spring — when the weather is beginning to hint at warmer weather — I crave veggies. That means it’s a perfect time to make tortitas de ejote, a traditional Guatemalan food featuring fresh green beans in a fritter batter.
This easy Guatemalan dish is also popular in Mexico where fresh green beans are available year round. But if you don’t have fresh green beans, you can substitute equal parts of frozen green beans that have been cooked and drained.
Why We Love this Guatemalan Food Recipe
- If you have a lot of green beans in your garden or bought green beans are wondering how to use all them all, this recipe is a great way to use up a lot of fresh beans.
- Not only is it super easy to make, it’s so delicious you’ll literally see bushels of green beans disappearing from your table. You don’t have to worry too much if some of your green beans are a bit stringy, they’ll come out tender in this recipe.
- You can easily scale this recipe up or down depending on the quantity of green beans you have.
- Tortitas de ejotes make a bright side dish for a spring time meal. But these bites of goodness are so versatile they can also be served as an appetizer or breakfast.
- This very easy Guatemalan recipe is virtually foolproof!
Best Green Beans for Tortitas
While black beans are the most famous beans in Guatemala, fresh green beans are also readily available in outdoor markets. They’re especially tasty, crispy and bursting with fresh-picked sweetness.
Unlike other fresh produce such as watercress used in our recipe for tortitas de berro, you don’t need to disinfect green beans in an antibacterial wash such as Microdyn. In this recipe, the green beans are pre-cooked prior to being battered.
Tortitas de Ejotes is similar to another popular Guatemalan dish called envueltos de ejotes, which are whole fresh green beans wrapped in a light batter.
My mother-in-law make envueltos featuring other vegetables such as pacaya (palm tree blossoms) or cauliflower.
This recipe for tortitas de ejotes is a lower calorie option as the beans are not fried in much oil. They’re also easier to make as you don’t have to try to keep the green bean bundles together.
Because you’ll be chopping the green beans, you can use less-than-perfect beans in this recipe. You don’t need French green beans – the long slender (and expensive) variety. You can use curly, bent or even broken green beans and still get delicious results!
Just try to avoid buying green beans with large bumps as that means they have large seeds inside and those can be tough.
You can store fresh green beans for up to one week in the refrigerator. They should be stored dry, unwashed and bagged in plastic or an eco-friendly bag.
If you chop the green beans in advance and store them in the refrigerator overnight, it’s easy to whip up a batch of these green bean omelettes in the morning for a healthy breakfast.
Nutritional Content of Fresh Green Beans
There’s another great reason to add green bean recipes to your list of dishes to make. Fresh green beans are a power food!
According to FoodData Central, they’re an excellent source of Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Copper. They’re also low in calories and high in dietary fiber.
Combined with eggs for protein, tortitas de ejote is a very nutritional vegetarian dish.
How to Make Guatemalan Tortitas de Ejotes – Fresh Green Bean Fritters
After removing the ends of the green beans, place them in batches within a food processor or chop finely by hand.
I’m a big fan of the Braun MQ777 Multiquick 7 Hand Blender as it cleans easily, is compact and trouble- free to use. Best of all, it chops vegetables finely without crushing them.
Once you’ve chopped the green beans, par boil them in salted water for three minutes. Drain and plunge into icy water to stop the cooking process. Drain thoroughly and dry in a paper or kitchen towel.
Note: If you’re using frozen green beans, cook them according to the package instructions, drain, plunge into cold water and drain again.
Chop the onions finely and mix with the green beans.
Prepare your batter, beating the egg whites until stiff and then folding the beaten egg whites to the beaten yolks.
Mix the salt, pepper and flour and then combine with the beaten eggs.
Gently fold the green bean and onion mixture into the eggs.
Add oil to a non-stick frying pan or griddle. I love the Delonghi Livenza All-Day Grill as it has a very large grilling area so you can cook very large batches of fritters. It’s also easy to set up and clean.
But you can use any sturdy frying pan.
Drop 1/4 cup of green bean batter onto the griddle to fry each of the tortitas de ejotes until browned.
The key to making them crispy is to try not to pack too many green bean pancakes into the pan or onto the griddle at the same time.
How to Serve These Healthy Green Bean Fritters
While I love tortitas de ejotes for breakfast, in Guatemala they are most popular for lunch or dinner.
They’re traditionally served with fresh tomato salsa such as our freezer salsa or Guatemalan chirmol, tortillas de maize and a salty cheese such as queso de Zacapa from Guatemala. Or substitute any crumbly white cheese such as Greek feta or Mexican cotija.
For a hearty lunch enjoy these nutritious bites with a side of Guatemalan black beans and rice.
Instead of a tomato salsa, try a green tomatillo salsa verde such as this easy recipe for salsa verde from The Mexykan.
Another way to enjoy this recipe for fresh green beans is to tuck some tortitas de ejote inside a crusty bun, slather it with mayonnaise or a creamy avocado dressing and enjoy as a vegetarian sandwich.
Tortitas de Ejotes: Guatemalan Green Bean Fritters
Ingredients
- 5 cups fresh green beans minced
- 1/2 cup onion minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Batter
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons white flour
Instructions
- Boil the green beans in water until tender but still crisp
- Plunge the green beans into cold water to chill. Drain the beans and allow to cool
- Mix the onion, salt and green beans together
- Prepare batter by beating egg yolks until creamy. Beat egg whites separately until stiff and then fold egg white into yolks together with salt and flour
- Mix the green beans and batter together, stirring lightly
- Drop by large spoonful (1/4 cup) in a frying pan with oil and shape into patties
- Fry in oil for 2-3 minutes per side until browned. Turn and cook other side
- Serve topped with chirmol (simple tomato and onion sauce) or any other salsa. I like red pepper salsa as it's got a bit of spice.
Nutrition
Enjoy This Post? You Might Also Like these Easy Guatemalan Recipes:
Tortitas de Berro: An Easy Guatemalan Recipe for Watercress Omelettes
Jocon de Pollo: Chicken in Tomatillo Sauce
Recipe for Pulique: A Guatemalan Stewed Chicken
Salpicon, Guatemalan shredded beef and mint salad
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Wandering Carol
The photos look fabulous and I hope you decide to cook this for me one day as I will never do it for myself. But I’m sure plenty of others will try the recipe. Yum.
esperanza
What a great way to serve green beans. Will definitely try soon. I suppose it will work as well with Zucchini? Hope so.
Suzanne Fluhr
The photos accompanying your background and recipe are very evocative. I’ll know to try these if I ever visit Guatemala, but I’ll probably not want to fry green beans myself as a calorie watching thing. It’s also unlikely that anyone in my household will want to help with the chopping. 😉
Irene S. Levine
What an appealing dish that you’ve made look incredibly simple! The salsa looks great, too!
Betsy Wuebker
Yum! Nothing better than el esposo en la cocina! These little fritters look delicious! Good way to take advantage of fresh veggies from the garden or farmers’ market.
noel
What an excellent recipe, I’ll have to try it. Your market photos are gorgeous.
Donna Janke
I love green beans fresh from the garden. This recipe sounds wonderful. I will try it.
Neva @ Retire for the Fun of it
Green beans are so versatile and tasty fresh from the garden. I printed this recipe to amaze my friends some time soon.
Patti
Yum! You had me at green beans!
Carole Terwilliger Meyers
Sounds yummy! I especially like your market photo.
Colleen Friesen
Wow and wow. I like the you have el chapin aka jefe, on chop duty. Your mother-in-law has the most gorgeous eyes. I’d like to put in my request for this dish next time we’re together…wherever that may be!
Lesley Peterson
Wonderful photos! These green bean fritters look do-able and tasty! I’ll be printing this and trying. Thanks for posting.
Marilyn Jones
I really enjoyed reading about the way your mother-in-law taught you this tasty way to prepare vegetables! Great article!
Linda ~ Journey Jottings
Your photos are so evocative of the region – It rouses my curiosity for both Central America and the cuisine 🙂
Nancy Thompson
I love this! I have a cauliflower from the farmer’s market that I was looking for a new recipe for. I think I’ll give it a try this evening. Yum-o! Thanks for the inspiration.
Cathy Sweeney
Green beans are a favorite of mine and having them in fritters would be extra nice. Love this recipe and must try it. I can almost smell the freshness of the market and your mother-in-laws kitchen.
Anita @ No Particular Place To Go
We were in Guatemala last year for almost six months and I almost felt a little “homesick” when I saw your market photo and the woman in the traditional Mayan dress. I’ll have to try your fritters to chase away the blues!
Michelle
I love the photo of your mother in law and all the fresh vegetable at the market in Guatemala. It looks like they eat a lot more healthy than we do here in Florida!
Muza-chan
Looks delicious 🙂
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
I had no idea you could make fritters with green beans! They’re my husband’s favorite vegetable, he’s gonna love this recipe!
Michele Peterson
Fantastic! Let me know how he likes them!
Erin
I am so intrigued by these fritters!!! My kids would definitely eat these and I am always looking for something totally new to try.
Michele Peterson
Yes, a great way to get kids to eat more vegetables!
sue | the view from great island
This is fascination, I love those beautiful market shots! I’ve been planning to make asparagus fritters, so it’s interesting to see how you’ve done these.
Michele Peterson
Asparagus is a great idea! I’m sure it would work well too!
Tara
Such a great use for green beans! These fritters look wonderful paired with that red salsa.
Tracy
Oh these would be perfect for a brunch! Love adding green beans in everything I can!
Beth Pierce
What a flavorful and easy recipe! A restaurant worthy dish, indeed!
Michelle
I love your travel photos, they’re beautiful! Can’t wait to try this recipe
Dannii
We are always looking for more finger food recipes. A great little snack or party food.
Estelle@soulandstreusel.com
The outside market in Guatemala looks amazing!! The vegetables are so fresh!! We have something similar here in Israel- the Shuk in Jerusalem, and shopping there is really a whole experience of its own.
Veena Azmanov
Love such amazing breakfast option. Easy to make and yummy to the Pallet.
Irina
These green bean fritters are the best way to start the morning on the weekend. Healthy and delicious! Bookmarking for later.
Neha
Bean fritters are my all time favorite. Can’t wait to try this one!
Sara Welch
I have never head bean fritters before! What a tasty looking recipe; I will be giving this a try this weekend!