Greek Meze and Appetisers
Ntomatokeftedes Santorinis Recipe (Santorini Tomato Fritters)
Ντοματοκεφτέδες Σαντορίνης doh-mah-toh-kef-TEH-thes san-doh-REE-nees · Ntomatokeftedes Santorinis
Photo: Tomato fritters of Santorini (Tomatokeftedes).jpg by Sam Holt, CC BY-SA 4.0. Placeholder until original photography is shot.
In short
Ntomatokeftedes are fritters from Santorini made almost entirely from the island's own small, intensely sweet tomatoes, grown in volcanic soil with almost no irrigation, mixed with onion, mint and just enough flour to bind, then fried until crisp. They exist to showcase the tomato itself.
Santorini's tomatoes are a genuinely different vegetable from what grows almost anywhere else, small, intensely sweet and concentrated, the result of vines grown in volcanic ash with almost no rainfall or irrigation, forcing the plant to put everything into a small amount of fruit rather than a large, watery one. Ntomatokeftedes exist specifically to show off that tomato, using almost nothing else.
The fritters are held together with barely any flour, relying on the tomato's own thick, concentrated pulp rather than a heavy batter, which means genuinely ripe, good tomatoes are not optional here, they are the entire dish. A bland, watery supermarket tomato will simply not produce the same result.
Mint, rather than the parsley or dill more common elsewhere in Greek fritters, is the traditional herb here, giving a clean, slightly cooling note against the fritters' sweetness once fried.
Key preparation steps
- Deseed and drain grated or finely chopped tomato thoroughly.
- Mix with onion, mint and just enough flour to bind.
- Rest the mixture so the flour can absorb the moisture.
- Fry spoonfuls in hot oil until deeply golden.
Getting the tomato right
Small, very ripe, intensely flavoured tomatoes are essential, Santorini's own if you can find them, or the ripest, most flavourful vine tomatoes available otherwise, since a bland tomato gives a bland fritter with nothing to hide behind. Deseed them and chop or grate finely, then drain in a sieve for fifteen minutes, since tomatoes carry a great deal of water that needs to go somewhere other than into the batter.
The minimal batter
Mix the drained tomato with grated onion, chopped mint, a little crumbled feta if you like, and just enough flour, often self-raising, to bring everything together into a mixture that holds its shape on a spoon without being a thick, doughy batter. The tomato itself, not the flour, should be doing most of the work.
Let the mixture rest for fifteen to twenty minutes before frying, which allows the flour to fully absorb the tomato's liquid and firms the mixture enough to hold together in the hot oil.
Frying
Drop spoonfuls into hot oil and fry until deeply golden on both sides, a few minutes per side, without pressing down on them, which would squeeze out the moisture you want to stay inside. Drain well and serve hot, since these fritters, like most fried Greek meze, lose their appeal quickly once they cool and soften.
Tips from my kitchen
Use the ripest, most flavourful tomatoes you can find
There is very little else in this dish. A bland tomato gives a bland fritter.
Drain the tomato properly
Skipping this step leaves the mixture too wet to hold together in the fryer.
Do not press the fritters while frying
This squeezes out the moisture that makes them worth eating. Let them fry undisturbed.
Ntomatokeftedes Santorinis Recipe (Santorini Tomato Fritters)
Ντοματοκεφτέδες Σαντορίνης · by Kalliopi Andreou · updated 2026-07-31
- Prep
- 25m
- Cook
- 15m
- Total
- 40m
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Ingredients
Method
- Toss the chopped tomatoes with a pinch of salt and drain in a sieve for 15 minutes.
- Mix the drained tomato with the grated onion, mint and feta if using in a bowl.
- Stir in the flour gradually until the mixture holds together on a spoon, adding a little more if it seems too wet. Season with salt and pepper.
- Rest the mixture for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Heat a generous depth of vegetable oil in a wide pan to about 175C.
- Drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the hot oil, without crowding, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deeply golden.
- Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately.
Nutrition, per 3 fritters
- Calories
- 142
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Sat fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions about Ntomatokeftedes Santorinis
Why are Santorini tomatoes different?
They are grown in volcanic ash soil with almost no irrigation, which concentrates their sugars and flavour into a small, intensely sweet fruit, quite different from a standard watered tomato.
Can you make this dish without Santorini tomatoes specifically?
Yes, the ripest, most flavourful tomatoes you can find will work, though genuine Santorini tomatoes, where available, give a noticeably more concentrated result.
Why is there so little flour in the batter?
The dish is meant to showcase the tomato itself. A heavy batter would dilute that rather than support it, so only enough flour to bind the mixture is used.
