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bowl of courgette falafel drizzled with tahini

Courgette Falafel Recipe

Crispy courgette falafels, serve as a side, add to a wrap or use to top a salad as a light summer meal. You can make this dish in the oven for a healthier version, lightly pan fry or deep fry for a more traditional option.
Course Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword Courgette Falafel
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 235 kcal

Ingredients

  • ½ tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • ½ tsp dried cumin
  • ½ tsp marjoram
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • 1 flax egg
  • 3 tbsp GF breadcrumbs
  • ½ large courgette grated

Instructions

  1. Heat a frying pan on low medium heat and add your olive oil. Once hot, add your onion and garlic. Cook for roughly 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add your herbs and spices, along with salt and pepper to taste and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
  2. Transfer your cooked garlic and onion to a food processor and add your chickpeas. Pulse or process on low for about 20 seconds to combine the two. Add your breadcrumbs and flax egg and continue to process on low until everything has combined. If you’re used to making falafel, the mix at this stage should look drier than you’re used to because we’re about to add the courgettes.
  3. Once the falafel mix has reached the ideal texture, stir in the grated courgette or pulse very lightly for no more than a few seconds at a time to mix them in. Once the courgette has been evenly distributed in the mix, start shaping them into balls.
  4. You'll need roughly a tbsp of mix per falafel, and it should be a consistency that holds its own shape with very little pressure. If it’s too moist, add some more breadcrumbs and if it’s looking a little too dry, add some water, a tsp at a time and stir in until you reach the ideal consistency. Continue to shape into balls until you have no mix left; you should end up with 10-12 falafels.

Cooking Options

  1. Oven – preheat your oven to 190°c (375f), line a baking tray and place your falafels in the oven for 20-25 minutes until they’re starting to crisp on the outside. Flip them roughly half way.

  2. Pan – Place a large frying pan on medium heat and add 1 ½ tbsp of a neutral cooking oil (sunflower, rapeseed, olive etc). Add as many falafels to your pan as you can without overcrowding, you’ll probably need to cook the batch in two halves, and fry for roughly 6-8 minutes, turning half way.

  3. Deep fry - If you’ve used canned chickpeas rather than dried, this isn’t the best option for your falafels. They'll likely crumble too much. Heat cooking oil in a large pan about 3 inches deep so that the falafel balls will float. The oil should be medium to high heat. As a guide, if you drop a falafel in the oil, it should sizzle, not sink. Deep fry the falafels in the oil for about 3 to 4 minutes each until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil before serving.

Serve and enjoy!