Add a healthy twist to a restaurant favorite with this easy recipe for Crispy Homemade Baked Falafel.
Calling all falafel fans! Ditch that deep fryer because your oven holds the secret to the lightest, crispiest, most tender baked falafel perfect for tucking inside fluffy pita pockets or piling high atop a salad.
When it comes to making baked falafel from scratch, the most important tip is to use dry, uncooked chickpeas (rather than the canned variety) to ensure you’re baking up perfectly rotund falafel nuggets rather than flattened falafel pancakes. Pair your protein-packed vegetarian snack with homemade tahini sauce or a quick-fix yogurt dip made with cucumbers and fresh dill. Then all that’s left to do is pile on the veggies and dig in!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup dried/uncooked chickpeas (See Kelly’s Notes)
- 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with 4 inches of water. (The beans will triple in volume as they cook.) Set the chickpeas aside to soak overnight for a minimum of 12 hours and up to 24 hours. (The chickpeas are ready to use when they are easily broken apart with your fingers.)
- Drain the chickpeas and add them to a food processor along with the parsley, cilantro, onion, garlic, cumin, salt, baking powder and lemon juice. Process the mixture just until the ingredients are minced but not pureed, scraping down the sides as needed. (Do not overprocess the mixture or the falafel will be too loose. Process the mixture just until it holds together when squeezed into balls.) Taste and season the mixture with more salt, as desired.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a baking sheet with half of the olive oil.
- Squeeze the falafel mixture into 1.5-inch balls then flatten them slightly so they are the shape of patties. Arrange the falafel on the greased baking sheet and brush the tops of them with the remaining olive oil. Bake the falafel for 15 minutes, flip them once then bake them an additional 10 minutes until they are golden brown. Serve the falafel in pita bread with tahini sauce and veggies, or add them to a salad as a healthy, protein-packed topping.
Kelly's Notes:
- Do not use cooked/canned chickpeas, as the mixture will be too loose and the falafel won’t hold their shape.
- Falafel are wonderful tucked inside pita bread alongside lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and a drizzle of tahini sauce or yogurt mixed with cucumbers and dill.
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Flavor wise this recipe is spot on. Maybe I didn’t run my chickpeas in the food processor long enough but they were a little more crunchy than I expected.
Thanks for your note, Katrina! Glad you enjoyed the flavor :)
Hi! Do you think I can make the patties and freeze them before baking them? Preparing for baby #2 and would love to have this ready to pop into the oven.
Absolutely! That would work great. Congratulations!
Love these so much more than the traditional fried falafel that I’ve made before, it feels so much lighter. I also added half a large carrot to the mix in the food processor to clean out the fridge and it worked out great.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Abigail!
Excellent recipe! The second time making this, I didn’t have fresh parsley so I used dried along with the fresh cilantro. They were fine none the less. Thank you for the recipe!
You are so welcome, Denise! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!