These Summertime courgette and chickpea falafels are quick to mix, easy to cook, and a brilliant way to use up courgettes when they’re coming thick and fast. Whether you’re building a mezze platter, prepping lunchboxes, or you just want a simple vegetarian starter that feels light yet satisfying. Served with a simple, cool and fresh tzatziki sauce, they make the perfect summertime small plate.
A versatile summer plate
There’s something about summer that makes me crave lighter, fresher meals. The kind you can pile into a bowl, tuck into a wrap, or serve alongside a simple salad in the garden. These courgette and chickpea falafels are exactly that kind of recipe. They’re crisp on the outside, soft and herby inside, and packed with flavour without feeling heavy. Whether you’re looking for a starter, a vegetarian dish to form part of a bigger feast, or a simple lunch packed into a pitta bread. These summertime courgette and chickpea falafels will do the trick.
Courgettes for extra moisture – and they’re green!
Courgettes bring moisture and a gentle sweetness, chickpeas give structure, and the herbs lift everything into something bright and summery. They’re quick to mix, easy to cook, and a brilliant way to use up courgettes when they’re coming thick and fast. And of course, they’re bringing extra greenness to your plate!
Other similar recipes
If you’re looking for similar recipes, check out the list below:
- Courgette and feta fritters
- Jammy courgettes with ricotta on toast
- Chickpeas and spinach with whipped feta on toast
- How to cook dried chickpeas
Growing Courgettes
Courgettes are remarkably easy to grow in the UK and are perfect for beginner gardeners. They thrive in the British climate when planted after the last frost (typically late May or early June) and can produce abundant harvests from just two plants throughout the summer months, making them one of the most easiest and rewarding vegetables to plant at home.
Courgettes like a rich, well composted soil, and above all else constant watering – especially in hot weather – as plants can produce 1-2 courgettes per day which requires a lot of water. Ensure you regularly harvest the courgettes to encourage further production.
Yes, these falafels are gluten-free as we’re using gram/chickpea flour.
Absolutely! Click here to jump to the recipe on the site for my no-soak dried chickpeas, ready in an hour.
Courgette and Chickpea Falafels
Ingredients
- 100 g dried chickpeas cooked or a tin drained See notes below for recipe
- 100 g courgette grated
- 4 tbsp chickpea (gram) flour
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil for frying
Instructions
- Put the cooked chickpeas, grated courgette, flour, grated garlic, chopped onion, coriander and parsley, along with the ground coriander, cumin, mint, and seasoning into a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as you go.
- Tip the mixture into a dish, pressing it lightly, cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
- Using slightly damp hands, take walnut-sized pieces of the mixture and shape them into rounds, then slightly flatten.
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan to a medium-high heat. Add the falafels in batches, don't overcrowd the pan, and cook until golden. This should take around 3 minutes a side. Remove when cooked and drain on kitchen paper. With each batch you might need to add some more oil
- Serve as a simple lunch with pitta or flatbreads, alongside houmous and tzatziki. Or as part of a bigger meze-type Mediterranean meal.
Notes
- You can find the recipe here for my ‘no-soak dried chickpeas‘
- And here is the recipe for my quick creamy houmous