Pesto Falafel

Pesto Falafel

We make these pesto falafel constantly and honestly they've become one of our all-time favourite things to bring to a party or just snack on at home. There's something about the combo of herby basil pesto and crispy golden falafel that just works so well together. You get this incredible crunch on the outside, then inside it's soft and fragrant with pine nuts, garlic and fresh basil running through every bite. They take a bit of time and effort but trust us, the moment you pop one in your mouth you'll know it was completely worth it.

Cook: 70 min
Serves 5

Before You Start

  • Food processor
  • Large baking tray lined with baking paper
  • Chickpeas drained, rinsed & thoroughly dried
  • Chill falafel in fridge for at least 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 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
  • flaky sea salt
  • store bought hummus

Method

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.
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.
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. 
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).
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.

Tips & Variations

  • Dry those chickpeas properly: We cannot stress this enough. Spread them on a clean tea towel and pat them really well, then leave them to air dry for a bit if you have time. It makes a massive difference to how well the falafel holds together.
  • Make them smaller for a party: If you're serving these as nibbles, roll them a little smaller than you think. They cook more evenly and people can pop them straight in their mouth, which always goes down well.
  • Serve with something creamy: We find these work really well with a big dollop of hummus or a simple yoghurt dip on the side. The richness of the dip against the herby falafel is just a great combo.

Why This Works

The trick here is making absolutely sure your chickpeas are properly dried out before they go into the food processor. Any extra moisture and your falafel will fall apart in the oil, which is gutting after all that work. The pine nuts and chickpea flour do a brilliant job of binding everything together and giving you that perfect texture, crispy outside and tender in the middle.