• Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Recipe Index
  • About
    • About Me
    • Work with Me
    • Portfolio
    • FAQ
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Snixy Kitchen logo

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Portfolio
  • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Meal Type / Savory / Main Courses / Vegetarian Main Courses / Zucchini and chickpea baked falafels

    Zucchini and chickpea baked falafels

    September 26, 2012 by Sarah Menanix · Modified: Jun 29, 2020

    • Share123
    • Tweet

    I'm dreaming of a day without a MOUNTAIN of academic reading on my horizon. That day is November 30th. And until then, I'm having nightmares of being attacked by various researchers for misinterpreting their work (yes, totally rational fear - ha). To make it so that cooking dinner doesn't also seem like a scary task each night, Lucas and I finally went back to our old routine of meal-planning and grocery shopping on Sundays. Get it out of the way, I say. We're once again back to eating wholesome home-cooked meals and I'm perfectly happy to put the box of tomato soup back on the shelf. Especially if it means I get to eat these zucchini and chickpea baked falafels.

    We used to bake falafels about once a week for dinner, until one night, I overcooked a batch and we decided it was time for a falafel hiatus. To break back into one of our favorite quick weeknight meals, I decided to put a twist on our regular recipe, adding shredded zucchini to the batter. I got to share these falafels over girl chat with my fellow cat-lovin' friend Angi last week. She dutifully updated the recipe for each extra dash of this, or pinch of that I haphazardly threw into the bowl. "I'm adding an egg. Why? Because why not. I want to see what'll happen." That's the kind of cooking mood I was in. The kind where you throw caution to the wind and cross your fingers in hopes that it'll turn out edible.

    Each crispy shell holds in a moist interior bursting with spice. Served in a whole wheat pita stuffed with tahini sauce and fresh veggies, this take on baked falafels, while definitely not authentic to the Middle Eastern originals, are super addicting. Everyone asked for seconds!

    Zucchini and chickpea baked falafels
    Serves 4-5

    • 1 medium zucchini, shredded
    • 1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed (Most recipes call for soaking dry chickpeas overnight, which I've read, helps hold the falafels together. I'm into quick meals, and have found that the flour keeps them together just fine)
    • ½ large yellow onion, roughly chopped
    • 4 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
    • 4 cloves of garlic
    • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
    • ¾ teaspoon cayenne
    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • Juice of 1 lemon
    • 1 egg
    • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
    • 6-8 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour (just enough so you can form a patty from the mixture)
    • Olive oil spray for baking
    • Serve in whole wheat pita bread with: tahini (our favorite brand), lettuce, tomato, and avocado.
    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
    2. Place the chickpeas, onion, parsley, garlic, salt, cayenne, cumin, and paprika in a food processor and pulse until you have a slightly chunky paste.
    3. Transfer to a bowl and add the zucchini, lemon juice, egg, baking powder, and flour. Stir to combine.
    4. Spray two 9 x 13 glass dishes with olive oil. One at a time, pat about 2 tablespoons of batter into a ¾-inch thick patty. Repeat until you use up all the batter.
    5. Bake for about 25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until both sides are golden brown.
    6. Serve in a whole wheat pita bread with tahini, lettuce, tomato, and avocado.

    « Healthy turkey and veggie chili
    Pumpkin pie muffins »
    instagramIf you make this recipe, tag your photo #SnixyKitchen on Instagram!
    • Share123
    • Tweet
    Snixy Kitchen

    SUBSCRIBE NOW

    get free recipes straight to your inbox:

    Reader Interactions

    You may also enjoy:

    Gluten-Free White Chocolate Matcha Brownies Overhead
    Gluten-Free White Chocolate Matcha Brownies with Tahini Swirl
    Cauliflower Shawarma
    Vegetarian Shawarma Tacos
    Banana Bread Choc Chip Muffins
    Tahini Gluten-Free Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips
    Gluten-Free Snack Tahini Coconut Flour Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
    Gluten-Free Tahini Snack Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

    25 Comments

    1. Sheri -

      September 27, 2012 at 9:18 am

      I'll have to see if Justin will try making this for dinner for me! Looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Sarah Menanix -

        September 27, 2012 at 7:04 pm

        He'll love them!

        Reply
    2. Colette @ JFF! -

      September 27, 2012 at 1:08 pm

      OMG, Snix, those look gorgeous!
      I'm puttin' them on the menu for tom night! xoxo

      Reply
      • Sarah Menanix -

        September 27, 2012 at 7:05 pm

        Thanks! Would love to hear how you like them!

        Reply
    3. Cindy -

      September 27, 2012 at 6:49 pm

      Was wondering if I could substitute something in place of the flour for my gluten intolerant friends! otherwise, for myself, it looks amazing!

      Reply
      • Sarah Menanix -

        September 27, 2012 at 7:06 pm

        That's a great question! I've seen some recipes that recommend using chickpea flour, which I think would be a perfect substitute. Maybe I'll even try that next time just to see!

        Reply
    4. Veronica -

      September 27, 2012 at 8:06 pm

      Wow!This looks wonderful! Roy and I are trying this recipe. We both love falafel.

      Reply
    5. Cooking on a Dime -

      September 29, 2012 at 6:06 pm

      These look yummy and healthy! I will definitely have to try these out.

      Reply
    6. Alie -

      October 21, 2012 at 6:36 pm

      I just made a batch and they are absolutely delicious! Only one problem... I'm neglecting all the other dinners I made for the week because I just want to eat falafel! Yum yum yum.

      Reply
      • Sarah Menanix -

        October 24, 2012 at 6:18 pm

        Haha - Addicting, indeed! Happy to hear you like them:)

        Reply
    7. Ashley -

      January 05, 2013 at 3:44 pm

      Made these, and they were soso good! Will definitely be making again. Thanks for sharing recipe!!! :)

      Reply
      • Sarah Menanix -

        January 06, 2013 at 9:32 pm

        Yay! Thanks for sharing - so glad you like them!

        Reply
    8. Millicent Veal -

      September 20, 2015 at 10:44 am

      Thank you. Just the ingredients alone had me searching for a can of chickpeas, let alone the convenience... wondering...will these freeze well?

      Reply
      • Sarah Menanix -

        September 20, 2015 at 8:25 pm

        Great question! I've never tried freezing them before, but I would probably par-bake them (under bake them a little bit), then freeze them in a single layer or between layers of parchment/wax paper. Then I'd pop them back in the oven to reheat and finish baking!

        Reply
    9. Barbara Darr -

      October 25, 2015 at 8:11 pm

      Eager to try more of your recipes!

      Reply
    10. Phuong -

      June 30, 2018 at 3:44 pm

      There's too much salt and cumin in this recipe. I had to slather the falafel with homemade cucumber yogurt sauce to eat it, even then it gave me a headache from the high sodium.

      Reply
      • Sarah Menanix -

        July 01, 2018 at 9:46 pm

        I realize that I did not specify on this recipe to use kosher salt (and not table salt). I wonder if that could have been the cause of the over saltiness? So sorry about that! I'll update it now. I've made these many times and haven't found the sodium to be an issue (and I tend to lean toward under salting!).

        Reply
    11. Andrew Stamps -

      August 01, 2019 at 6:43 am

      Tasted great but my oven got them nowhere near as golden brown! They were more like a warm, soft-center cookie. Again, not bad - just different!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    Sarah Menanix Picture

    I’m Sarah (aka Snix)! Welcome to Snixy Kitchen - where I create gluten-free recipes with fresh, local ingredients to tell stories about my life.

    More about me ➤

    Trending Recipes

    • Gluten-Free Dumpling Wrappers
    • Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower and Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
    • Gluten-Free Olive Oil Matcha Cake
    • Matcha Mochi Cake
    The Ultimate Guide to Matcha

    Gluten-Free Staples

    • Healthy Instant Pot Bolognese
    • Rice pudding with Raspberry sauce
    • Gluten-Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
    • Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies
    KitchenAid Stand Mixer Amazon Affiliate Link

    Footer

    ⬆ back to top

    • Subscribe
    • About
    • Contact
    • Work with me
    • FAQ
    • Recipes

    Privacy Policy | Disclosure

    All content & images © 2022 Snixy Kitchen