Butternut Squash Croquettes - these healthy baked veggie fritters are a delicious appetizer or snack.
I don’t have much of a weakness for fried foods. French fries don’t make me crazy, I never really cared for fried chicken… but whenever we’re on vacation, I find myself ordering little balls of fried stuff everywhere we turn. Cod croquettes in Japan, arancini in Italy, and all kinds mashed veggie fritters (with tangy yogurt sauces) in London.
Since we’re currently not on vacation, these are baked, not fried… but I promise they’re so good that you likely won’t even notice. I mash creamy butternut squash with cumin and smoky paprika, mix in some tangy feta, and serve them with a creamy light yogurt sauce for dipping. They’d be great as party food but, really… Jack and I often sit down to a plate of these, a glass of wine (or two), and call it dinner.
butternut squash croquettes
- ½ a medium sized butternut squash, roasted until soft (about 1.5 cups of mash)
- ⅓ cup garbanzo bean flour
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch of cayenne
- splash of maple syrup or agave (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional, omit if vegan)
- salt & pepper
- about 1 cup panko bread crumbs, for rolling
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- juice and zest of one lime (or ½ a lemon)
- splash of olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- a few tablespoons of chopped cilantro
- a few pinches of red pepper flakes (optional)
- salt & pepper
- Roast your butternut squash in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until it's soft. I roast mine whole (make a few holes in it with a fork), and then cut it in half lengthwise (and save the other half for another day). When it's cool enough to touch, scoop out the soft flesh. If it's not soft enough continue cooking it.
- Using a potato masher or a fork, mash the butternut squash with the garbanzo flour, olive oil, garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne, a touch of maple syrup, and a generous sprinkling of salt. Stir in the scallions, feta, and chopped cilantro. You can taste it at this point and adjust seasonings... (although keep in mind that the flavor gets infinitely better once they're cooked).
- On a large plate, spread out the panko bread crumbs. Spoon about a tablespoon amount of the mash and shape into balls (as best you can, it's messy). Then gently roll them in the panko. (you might not use all the panko, it's ok).
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.. If you have a broiler, turn it on during the last few to help the golden-ing along.
- While the croquettes bake, stir together the yogurt sauce ingredients. Set in the fridge to chill until ready to serve.
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adapted from the Leon Cookbook
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So yummy!!
Great recipe. I’ve tried making squash patties before and they come out thin and bland. The chickpea flour gives them body and the spices keep it interesting.
These turned out amazingly! I was unsure when the batter was fairly watery, but I just used a spatula to transfer from the panko to the baking sheet, and all was well! Thanks for another great recipe 🙂
so glad you loved them!
I love how you make this printable on one neat page! Thank you for that little touch!
I made these last week and loved em so much my second batch is currently in the oven. yum!!!
OMG – These look amazing. I Love butternut and anything crumbed!
I am making these this weekend 🙂
Bec x | http://www.dancingthroughsunday.com.au
I made these last night as part of a asian fusion meal, served it with a peanut butter dipping sauce instead, a true success! I also made your Kale chips with the miso dipping sauce (the bowl was empty in 5 minutes!) These are absolutely lovely! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Kind Regards,
Elora
Hi Elora – I’m so glad they were a hit!
These look wonderfully delicious! I just made butternut squash puree for my son this morning. I can’t wait to make these for my husband and I. I’ve never used garbanzo flour before but I think I’ll try them with mashed garbanzo beans. 🙂
Cheers.
These are fantastic. I did not have garbanzo bean flour so I subbed in unbleached all-purpose flour. It was a little difficult to bread them, but it worked well if I laid them on the plate and then tossed breadcrumbs on them instead of rolling them around. I was liberal with the breadcrumbs and cooked them a bit longer hoping that the extra crispy breadcrumbs would help it hold together. They held together pretty well and they weren’t dry.
Glad you liked them! That’s basically how I get the bread crumbs on too. (I’ll try to be a little bit more specific next time with the instructions, thanks!)
Could these be made ahead of time and frozen? Would I still bake them using the same tempurature and time? Thanks!
Hi Christina,
I haven’t tried it but I would imagine they would freeze well. You’ll probably have to bake them a little longer.
Made these for dinner tonight – YUM. At first I though there would be enough left over for tomorrow’s lunch. But, they were soooooo good that we couldn’t stop eating. Guess we’ll be having the other half of the roasted squash with the yogurt sauce that I managed to scrape from the bowl. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Would you believe I’ve never had a croquette? I think it’s about time to change that. Your baked version looks marvelous and I have no doubt I’d prefer it to the fried version anyway.
Hi,
Thanks for a very inspiring blog! Vegetarianism becomes so much more accessible when recipes like yours are available. My boyfriend is easier to persuade as well 😉
Anyway, I was wondering if you think that the result would be the same, using Hokkaido pumpkin?
Hi Michelle, thanks! I’m glad you’re persuading your boyfriend too 🙂
Yes, I think the result would be pretty similar.
I love your recipes because they combine things in new ways that I normally wouldn’t think of. (Did I post this comment already on another recipes, or is it just something I think to myself every time I try one of your recipes?) Thanks for the kitchen inspiration!
I didn’t have garbanzo flour, so tried what the above post recommended with flour and eggs. I think I added just a little too much flour because it tasted a little floury, but it worked for holding it all together.
When I ran out of your delicious yogurt sauce, I used sour cream mixed with hot sauce and it worked well with these too!
great recipe! i switched the garbanzo flour for a mix of panko and regular flour + two eggs and it works just fine!
these look absolutely lovely!
This looks so good. My husband is not a fan of squash, but I think I could get him to eat it this way. 🙂 And, as always, such beautiful photographs.
Yum! Croquetas remind me of my time living in Madrid, when I first discovered how wonderful they are. Your take looks delicious! Do they get crispy in the oven? I’ve tried baked falafel and had a tough time getting them to crisp up.
This looks and sounds beyond delicious!