Cold day ahead? Warm up your hands with hot, crispy pumpkin croquettes. They’re golden, crunchy, and just the thing for a cozy snack, a seasonal appetizer, or a versatile side dish. From Gaz Oakley’s Plant to Plate, these bite-sized croquettes bring together mashed pumpkin, spring onions, chili, and a touch of five-spice for a playful twist.

These fried treats are light and crispy with a soft, tender, and flavorful filling. Pumpkin gives the croquettes a natural sweetness and a rich color, turning an everyday snack into something special. Stack them on a plate with a tangy dip or scatter them on a sharing board for friends.

These croquettes are simple to make, fun to eat, and easy to love. They are also exactly the kind of comfort food that makes chilly weather feel inviting. Quick, cozy, and perfectly golden, these croquettes might just become your new favorite autumn treat.

Prepare the pumpkin croquettes

Crispy on the outside and soft inside, these pumpkin croquettes are little golden bites of comfort. Great with a dip or straight off the tray, they’re the kind of snack that disappears fast.

pumpkin croquettes with Chinese five spice and panko breadcrumbs

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Servings pieces

Ingredients

1 small pumpkin about 500g
1 tbsp onion granules
1 tbsp garlic granules
½ tsp Chinese five spice
4 tbsp plain all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dried chili flakes red pepper flakes
3 spring onions (scallions), chopped
3 tbsp soy sauce
125 ml neutral oil for frying
Hot sauce to serve

For the coating

50 g panko breadcrumbs or gluten-free alternative
3 tbsp sesame seeds
280 g plain all-purpose flour (or gluten-free alternative)

Instructions

First, prepare your pumpkin. Peel (using a serrated knife – it’s always easier), deseed, then chop it into small cubes. Steam the cubes until tender (I recommend steaming here, but you can always boil or even roast them; you just want mashable pumpkin), then mash until smooth.
Put the mashed pumpkin in a large bowl with the onion and garlic granules, Chinese five spice, flour, olive oil, salt, chili flakes, spring onions and soy sauce, and mix together until really well combined. If it’s not coming together (it should be moldable), then add a little more flour.
Grab a tray and dust it with a little flour. Leave some on your hands, too. Next, take tablespoons of the pumpkin mixture and shape each into a cylinder or round, lightly dusting them with more flour after putting them on the tray. You should have about 10–12. Pop the tray in the freezer while you prepare the coating.
Grab 3 small, shallow bowls and in one mix the panko breadcrumbs with the sesame seeds. Place half the coating flour in another, and in the final bowl whisk together the remaining flour with enough water to create a pancake batter-style consistency.
Dip each croquette first in the flour, then the batter, and finally in the panko and sesame seed mixture, making sure the croquettes are coated all over. Try to keep one hand for dry and one for wet (or you’ll breadcrumb your fingers).
Heat the oil in a heavy-based skillet or large saucepan (ensuring the oil comes no further than halfway up the sides of the pan) set over a medium heat. Bring it to about 180°C (356°F). To test if the oil is hot enough, place a wooden spoon in the pan; if bubbles form around the spoon, it is hot enough to fry. Fry the croquettes in batches, until golden and crispy on all sides. Once fried, transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
Serve the croquettes hot, with some hot sauce or carrot kimchi emulsion on the side.

Extracted from Plant to Plate by Gaz Oakley (Quadrille, £25), Photography by Gaz Oakley & Tom Kong.