Pumpkin is the secret ingredient that your falafel has been missing. This fall-inspired falafel is perfect in a salad, stuffed inside pita, or on its own!
I carefully planned out all of my posts for the whole month of November, which is something I don’t often have the discipline to do. But November is a big month, so I did it! And when I proudly showed my calendar to my husband, he commented on the fact that I scheduled not one, but two, Thanksgiving leftover recipes.
I didn’t actually intend that. My mashed potato pancakes were meant to be a Thanksgiving leftover recipe, but this falafel wasn’t. But I was also kind of like, “Well hey, now that you mention it, maybe some people will have a half cup of pumpkin leftover.”
Okay, so not that many Thanksgiving recipes will leave you with a half cup of leftover pumpkin. But if you do happen to have some leftover, well, here you go!
And if you don’t have leftover pumpkin, crack open a new can. It’s worth it for this recipe!
So, what’s pumpkin falafel like? It’s a lot like regular falafel, but more moist and tender, thanks to the addition of pumpkin. I also added some cinnamon, because it goes so well with pumpkin and the savory spices you find in falafel!
Also, this stuff is baked, so it’s quite a bit healthier than the falafel you might find at a restaurant. It’s nowhere near authentic, but it’s super tasty and pretty darn healthy to boot!
To make your pumpkin falafel, just throw everything into a food processor and pulse.
You just want everything finely chopped and well mixed. Don’t overdo it! Keep some texture in the mixture. Nobody likes mushy falafel.
Shape your mixture into patties, lightly oil, and bake.
I love my pumpkin falafel in a bowl, with the maple tahini sauce as dressing, but it’s also awesome stuffed in a pita, or on its own and dipped in the maple tahini sauce.
Tips for Making Perfect Pumpkin Falafel
- Keep a bowl of water handy when shaping your falafel, and then use it to keep your hands wet. This will help prevent the mixture from sticking to them.
- Leftovers will keep just fine in the fridge or a day or two. But if you’re able to plan ahead, just shape and bake as many falafels as you’ll eat. Store the remaining mixture in the fridge or freezer, then thaw if frozen, shape, and bake! It’ll be just like it’s freshly made.
- The recipe instructions give you the option of making your falafel with panko breadcrumbs or chickpea flour. I prefer the texture with panko breadcrumbs, but chickpea flour will enable you to keep the dish gluten-free.
- Can the oil be omitted? Yes, but the falafel will be a bit on the dry side.
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Baked Pumpkin Falafel Bowls with Maple Tahini Dressing
Pumpkin is the secret ingredient that your falafel has been missing. This fall-inspired falafel is perfect in a salad, stuffed inside pita, or on its own!
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Falafel
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs OR 1/2 cup chickpea flour
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the Maple Tahini Dressing
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice about 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 tablespoon sriracha sauce, or to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons water, as needed
For Serving (Just suggestions - use what you like!)
- Lettuce, or greens of choice
- Chopped tomatoes
- Sliced cucumber
- Sliced red onion or scallions
- Pita bread
Instructions
To Make the Pumpkin Falafel
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Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a baking sheet or oven-safe skillet with about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil.
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Place the chickpeas, panko or chickpea flour, pumpkin, lemon juice, onion, garlic 1 tablespoon of olive oil, cilantro, parsley, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade.
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Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped and well-mixed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Don't overblend. Taste-test the mixture and adjust the seasonings to taste, if needed.
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Form the mixture into 16-20 balls or small patties. The mixture will be soft, so handle it gently and use wet hands to avoid sticking.
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Arrange the falafels on the baking sheet or skillet and brush them with the remaining olive oil.
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Bake for about 35 minutes, turning halfway through.
To Make the Maple Tahini Dressing
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Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl, thinning with as much water as you need to achieve the desired consistency.
To Serve
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Stuff in pita bread, use as a salad topper, or serve the falafels alone with maple tahini dressing.
Recipe Notes
The falafel mixture can be prepped in advance and refrigerated for a few days or frozen before baking.
Nutrition information is for falafel made with panko breadcrumbs and dressing. It does not include accompaniments.
Looks amazing, as always! I love falafel – but PUMPKIN?! Oh man
Thanks Bianca! I might be on a quest to throw pumpkin into every vegan food item imaginable this fall…time will tell. :)
I love that you can’t make a normal falafel! :) It’s easy to find a regular falafel recipe online. It’s another thing to find an incredibly unique, delicious-looking falafel recipe like this! I cannot wait to try this recipe! :) Great idea adding pumpkin into the mix.
Hell to the yeah! I love falafel and I love pumpkin. Together? Genius! :)
I am sooo making this tomorrow! Yipee!
YES! Enjoy!!
They are delicious! Thank you!
Awesome! You’re welcome, and thank you for letting me know – that always makes my day. :)
Yeah! Pumpkin falafals! Maple tahini! This looks amazing! I’ve gotta roast up a pumpkin this weekend and get down to business, because as an expat I seriously paid $10 for a can of pumpkin puree yesterday. What in the actual heck?! And you’re so right, everything is better in a bowl!
Hi, what is sriracha?
Hi Brenda! Sriracha is a type of hot sauce. You could substitute another type of hot sauce, like basic cayenne pepper sauce, but I like the flavor sriracha gives the dressing here. If you want to seek some out, try the international foods section of your supermarket.
Do you make your normal falafel with cooked or canned chickpeas, too? that might be your problem. REAL falafel is made with soaked, not cooked. You have to soak for about 12 – 24 hours, then blitz. Then combine, cook, and serve. The raw chickpeas will bind as they cook – it’s kinda like adding raw flour to a gravy and then cooking, rather than breadcrumbs. The first will thicken and make a nice smooth sauce. The second, I think you’d just get hot lumpy watery breadcrumbs :)
Thanks for the tip! I’ll give it a try with soaked chickpeas. I love falafel, so I’m happy to try that one out. :)
This looks delicious! Nice one.
Thank you!!
This was wonderful. Such a clever idea to use pumpkin–so tasty and not dry like alot of falafels I’ve had. I cooked up some quinoa and added to bowls with mixed greens, the falafels and that fantastic tahini dressing. This will be added into regular rotation. Thanks for sharing your great recipes!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much!