Pesto Falafel
- Super simple
- 1:10 h
- 11 ingredients
Forget everything you thought you knew about falafel. This Middle Eastern delight is one of the best vegan snacks you can get, and we've decided to take our up a gear by incorporating pesto into the mix. Yes, you heard us - pesto. Super tasty and super easy to make, these zesty little balls go great with hummus or whacked into a pitta with lashing of salad.
Serves: 5
Ingredients
For the falafel
- 400g tin of chickpeas
- 50g pine nuts
- 2 tbsp chickpea flour
- 1 banana shallot
- 1 clove garlic
- 60g fresh basil
- 60g baby spinach
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- vegetable oil for frying
To serve
- flaky sea salt
- store bought hummus
Before you start
Food Processor | Saucepan | Baking tray lined with baking paper
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients
- Open, drain, rinse and very thoroughly dry the chickpeas.
- Peel, trim and roughly chop the shallot.
- Peel and halve the garlic clove.
- Rip the basil leaves off the stalks.
- Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice into the food processor, catching any pips in your free hand.
Ingredients
- 400g tin of chickpeas
- 1 banana shallot
- 1 clove garlic
- 60g fresh basil
- 1 lemon
Step 2
Make the mixture
- Add the chickpeas, pine nuts, chickpea flour, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper to the food processor and pulse until a textured puree forms.
- Add the basil and spinach to the food processor and pulse to combine.
Ingredients
- 50g pine nuts
- 2 tbsp chickpea flour
- 60g baby spinach
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
Step 3
Prepare the falafel
- Lightly oil your hands and scoop a heaped tablespoon of mixture out of the food processor.
- Roll into a ball or small patties (around 5cm tall), set down on the baking paper lined tray and repeat until all the mixture has been rolled.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 30m to firm up.
Step 4
Cook the falafel
- You can cook these falafels a few different ways, but the tastiest is deep frying in vegetable oil until golden and crispy.
- You could alternatively shallow fry until golden and crispy, or bake them at 190˚C (fan setting) on a well-oiled tray for 25-30 minutes (flatter patty shapes rather than balls will be easier for baking).
Ingredients
- vegetable oil for frying
Step 5
Time to serve
- Transfer the falafel onto a plate lined with kitchen paper, sprinkle over some flaky sea salt while still hot and leave to sit for a minute.
- Serve with your favourite store bought hummus.
Ingredients
- flaky sea salt
- store bought hummus