How delicious are these pumpkin and chickpea balls? You have to try them to know, I love them so much, and they are also very light. They are vegan and gluten-free, made with simple ingredients we have at home and, of course, in autumn when pumpkin is abundant.
You can prepare them in advance and cook them just before serving. I usually roast the pumpkin in the air fryer in cubes when I buy it, and then use it for many dishes, like these balls. For me, it’s the quickest way to prepare them.
They cost only 1 Weight Watchers point each and provide protein and fiber, making them perfect for a main course. Let’s make them together!
Here are some other recipes for making tasty balls:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 9 balls
- Cooking methods: Air Frying, Oven
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 7.8 oz cooked chickpeas (or boil 2.1 oz of soaked dried chickpeas)
- 14.1 oz pumpkin (you need about 5.3 oz when cooked)
- 1 clove garlic
- 0.5 oz sunflower seeds
- to taste fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage (or even dried)
- to taste dried garlic, onion, and cumin (mix to your taste, omitting those you don't like)
- 2 tbsps water
- to taste salt
- Total Points = 9 WW points
- Points per ball = 1 WW point
Tools
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Air Fryer
- Blenders
- Ice Cream Scoop
- Air Fryer Parchment Paper
Steps
As always, the first thing to do is to measure all the ingredients well so that all the steps will be simple to follow.
Place the chickpeas, sunflower seeds, herbs, dried spices, and a bit of salt in the blender container.
Pulse blend to chop and mix everything well without making a puree. This way, there will be little pieces that add texture to the balls.
Cut the pumpkin into cubes and place them directly in the air fryer basket. Roast the pumpkin at 338°F for about 30 minutes.
Add the roasted pumpkin to the blender container.
Pulse the blender again until you get a compact mixture but still with little pieces. If it doesn’t come together, add a bit of water. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Use an ice cream scoop to form equal balls or simply a spoon. You will get 9 if you use the ice cream scoop to make large balls.
Form the balls and flatten them slightly. Place a specific parchment paper or, as I do, a cut-to-size Teflon sheet that you can wash and reuse in the air fryer basket.
Start cooking the balls at 338°F for 8 minutes, take out the basket and turn the balls over, but this time, there’s no need to use the paper: turn them and place them directly on the basket. Cook for another 7 minutes or more until they are nicely golden.
Now our pumpkin and chickpea balls are ready to be served! But if you let them rest for a while, they are even better…
These were enjoyed even by the Dutchman who is not fond of pumpkin, so I was very pleased.
Serve the pumpkin and chickpea balls with a big plate of vegetables and some good whole wheat bread or slightly flatten them and make a wrap with a tortilla or with a flatbread adding arugula and tomatoes and some yogurt sauce. You can also take them to work as they are delicious both hot and cold.
Let me know if you liked them in the comments below or in my Facebook Club.
Enjoy!
By Giovanna Buono
Storage
You can prepare the mixture in advance the day before, leave it in the fridge, and cook the balls afterwards.
Once cooked, you can keep them in the fridge for 4 days or freeze them and then reheat them as needed without defrosting.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What if I want to use dry chickpeas?
If you want to cook them yourself, soak about 2.1-2.8 oz of dry chickpeas overnight and then boil them in unsalted water for about 2 hours. If they don’t soften, you can add a pinch of baking soda and cook for another half hour. Once cooled, you can also remove the skins to make them more digestible. Take the amount you need and freeze the rest.
What can I use instead of chickpeas?
I believe any other type of cooked legume would work fine, although I haven’t personally tried yet.
Can I also use the oven?
Absolutely, you can make more balls in the oven! I haven’t tried using the oven, but I’m sure if you preheat the oven to 392°F, bake for 12 minutes, then turn the balls and bake for another 12 minutes, it should be fine: you can judge by the color of the balls, which should be nicely golden.
