These wonderfully tasty Butternut Squash Falafel are zero SmartPoints on Weight Watchers Freestyle plan.
They are zero SmartPoints on myWW Blue & Purple plans and 4 SmartPoints per portion on myWW Green plan.
To find out how many Personal Points this recipe will be for you & to track it in the WW App, click on the blue button in recipe card below!
Serve warm or cold in a Pitta bread stuffed with fresh salad leaves and drizzled with Zero Point Tzatziki for a filling & delicious lunch.
As I have said before, chickpeas are one of my favourite zero hero foods!
As well as being tasty, they are a rich source of protein and are packed full of dietary fibre.
I have been cooking with them quite a lot recently.
I use them as a crunchy addition in this Couscous Salad.
And if ever the craving for a salty, crunchy treat takes hold, I snack on these Spiced Chickpeas!
So if you love chickpeas, you'll love falafel.
And if you love falafel (and really, who doesn't) you will love these butternut squash ones!
They are delightfully tasty, with a soft, slightly spicy inside and a crispy outer shell!
Traditionally, Falafel are deep fried which gives them the distinctive crunchy outer layer.
But of course, on the Weight Watchers plan it is best to steer away from the deep fried foods!
So these falafel are baked! But they still maintain a crispy outer crust, with a soft inside.
Result, I think!
How many Points in Butternut Squash Falafels?
To find out how many Personal Points this recipe will be for you & to track it in the WW App, click on the blue button in recipe card below!
- Freestyle Plan - 0 SmartPoints per portion
- myWW Blue Plan - 0 SmartPoints per portion
- myWW Purple Plan - 0 SmartPoints per portion
- myWW Green Plan - 4 SmartPoints per portion
Tips for making them!
- Chop the butternut squash into cubes approx 2cm square.
- I use fresh butternut squash but you could use frozen chopped butternut squash if you prefer!
- The squash needs to be cooked until it is soft. Just be aware that it may take less time for frozen butternut squash to cook than I have specified in the recipe instructions.
- Although the ingredients are all put into a processor and blitzed, it's still a good idea to roughly chop the onions, garlic and coriander before adding to the processor.
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What I used to make these Butternut Squash Falafel
I used a food processor, similar to this one from Amazon, to blitz the falafel mixture.
I used my Tefal Actifry to air fry the falafels to perfection!
Information about other types and models of Air Fryers can be found here.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve these tasty zero point falafel with some Zero Point Tzatziki for a zero point lunch or snack (on Freestyle plan & myWW Blue & Purple plans)!
- Place two or three of the falafels in a warmed pitta bread with a little salad and a dollop of tzatziki for a filling and delicious low SmartPoint meal.
Other WW Chickpea recipes you may like!
If, like me, you love chickpeas then how about trying these Shawarma Chickpeas or these Honey Roasted Chickpeas. Or check out this Chickpea Lentil Curry for 4 SmartPoints per portion (& that includes rice!).
Butternut Squash Falafel
Ingredients
- 2¼ cup butternut squash (300g) cubed
- calorie controlled cooking spray I used Frylight
- ½ onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic large
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 can chickpeas 1x400g can - drained & rinsed
- 3 tbsp fresh coriander / fresh cilantro chopped
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
To cook in traditional oven
- Preheat the oven to 220oC / 200oC Fan / 425oF
- Peel and de-seed the butternut squash and chop into cubes (approx 2cm square). Place in a roasting tin and spray with a thin coating of calorie controlled cooking oil (approx 5 pumps). Roast for 30 - 40 minutes or until the squash is soft.
- Remove the butternut squash from the oven and tip into the bowl of your food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Blitz until the mixture is combined, still has some texture but holds together.
- Shape the mixture into 10 balls and place on a non stick baking tray. Spray with a little more calorie controlled spray oil and bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until they have turned golden brown.
To cook in an Air Fryer
- Peel and de-seed the butternut squash and chop into cubes (approx 2cm square). Mist with calorie controlled cooking spray and place in the air fryer. Cook for 10 - 15 minutes or until the squash is soft (NB. timings are dependant on the model of air fryer that you are using - check manufacturers instructions).
- Once the butternut squash has cooked, remove from the air fryer and tip into the bowl of your food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Blitz until the mixture is combined, still has some texture but holds together.
- Shape the mixture into 10 balls and mist with calorie controlled cooking oil. Place into the air fryer and cook for 10 - 15 minutes or until the falafel have turned golden brown.
Ananda says
These are my current meal prep favorite! Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
Marianne says
I am so pleased that you like them! They are one of my favourites too 😀
Best of luck with you WW journey.
Marianne x
Amy says
Wow! I had some butternut squash I needed to use up and found this recipe and I'm so glad I did. I didn't have any fresh herbs but they turned amazing even without them! I made these in my airfryer and they are crispy on the outside and super creamy on the inside, not to mention very easy to whip up without much mess and staple ingredients, great recipe thank you!
Karina von Byern says
Thank you so much for this recipe! Absolutely delicious + zero points = a new favourite for lunch with the zero point tzaziki ?
Jane says
What temp do you use in the airfryer? Thanks!
Elyse says
Made these with sweet potatoes as I didn't have the squash and it was so yummy. It came together so quickly too, thanks!
Dana F says
Wow! Truly great! I didn't adjust anything, and love the taste. I didn't get anything resembling a crispy outer shell, perhaps a bit more oil next time (I only used a quick spritz)? But really pleased with this - I'm going eat these as a salad topper.
Marianne says
Hey Dana
I am so pleased that you liked them! They are one of my favourites too.
Sorry to hear that yours didn't develop a crispy outer shell - perhaps a few more spritz of oil would help like you say.
Best of luck on your WW journey and thanks for visiting.
Kind regards
Marianne x
Pierre Rossouw says
I adjusted the recipe just a little.
Firstly, I didn't want to use our massive oven for a little bitty pumpkin so I dry fried it in a cast iron skillet until nicely caramelized. I added a quarter tsp of honey to pick up on the butternut, then also about a quarter teaspoon of smoked paprika and a generous pinch of cinnamon; these pick up well on the earthy tones of the ingredients. Lastly, don't discard the aquafaba of the chickpeas! It is great to get the consistency just right and so healthy.
To serve, since my dad doesn't like cucumber, I made a jalapeno yoghurt dip.
Overall, a solid dish, easy to make and stores well in the fridge. Now, my next version, somehow, is going to include roasted peppers . . . .
Sue says
TY! I really enjoyed these. I made your tzatziki recipe too! Instead of a pita I used St. Joseph's flat bread (found it @ Walmart - very point friendly per serving & they have pita's too). I added diced tomato as well. A WW friendly dish I will make more of as the rest of my butternut squash will be ready in a couple of weeks.
Marianne says
Hi Sue
So pleased that you liked them - they are one of my favourites too!
Hopefully, your butternut squash do better than mine this year!
Best of luck with your WW journey.
Kind regards
Marianne
Diane says
I just made these as per recipe and they turned out excellent, so tasty ! Served them with hummus I just made ,
I will definitely make them again ( I used frozen Bns)
Thank you for the recipes