I prefer the baker version of your recipe since it’s even healthier. The one cup of dried chickpeas had expanded to about 2.5 cups. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Falafel is quite rich in several micronutrients and serves as a good source of fiber and protein. If they’re difficult to form into your hands, you might try using a cookie scoop. Happy to hear this recipe was able to help you master falafels right at home! ... What texture should the mix be? During the last few minutes of baking, wrap the pita in foil and warm in the oven. I was wondering the same thing. Then remove them to a paper towel-lined plate. Great recipe! This recipe is a staple in my home now. This is the best baked falafel I’ve ever had. Baking powder a must. From a fellow autoimmune disease person, a genuine thanks to Lisa, for making this recipe and this website. I’ll walk you through the process of forming the falafel and show you three different cooking methods. These balls are a great source of protein :). They’re so quick and easy! Can I make the mixture in the day and bake later? Hi Sky, I haven’t tried, so I’m not sure if the mixture would dry out too much overnight (which could cause them to crumble fall apart). Drizzle with Tahini Sauce or other sauce of choice (I … Make tangzhong: In a small pot over medium-low heat, continuously whisk together 3 tablespoons flour and ⅔ cup water until mixture is thickened and begins to bubble, 3 to 4 minutes. ©Downshiftology. So glad to hear this recipe was a success! They use chickpea flour so are completely gluten free . Thanks! It uses less oil but is still super crispy on the outside. Hi Melanie – you can freeze the dough before cooking but not after! Good to know this came out perfectly in the air fryer . You can also freeze the batter as well. They sure are addictive :) Glad you love this recipe Sarah! PERFECT! I can’t recommend enough, you have to try these, but be warned they are addictive ;0). So you don’t cook chickpeas before blending. *Canned chickpeas cannot be substituted in this recipe or your falafel will turn out mushy. I grow my own parsley in a small greenhouse so used a lot of it along with some Cilantro paste because I didn’t have fresh. orangewasabi | Sep 10, 2007 08:37 AM 27. LOL! Hi Christine, it’ll be fine – I’ve soaked for 2 days before (I wouldn’t do much more than that). Because it’s all about balance. Knead this way for 8-10 minutes until dough is nice and soft. I have already began the soaking process. Hi Christine, you can just use extra parsley. My fault of course. Glad to hear this recipe was easy to follow along to Vee! Thanks again! I know it says to use dried chickpeas but my local store has been out and I do have canned chickpeas, which I use for my hummus. Therefore, I’ve used collard greens from that point forward and make it often. I will be sure to keep in mind to create more hummus flavors soon :). If you’re not in the mood for pita, top your patties onto a big salad along with some crispy roasted chickpeas, or serve it over a bed of quinoa, cilantro lime rice, or cauliflower rice with lots of fresh veggies. Then I make the hummus recipe with the leftover chickpeas!! These are delicious. Thanks again! Wonderful! They actually came out ok, bursting with flavor, assuming with the extra chickpeas (1 cup dry and soaked) they’ll be perfect! I just made these and they are the bomb!!! It’s a popular street food throughout the Middle East and Europe (if you’re ever in Paris, make a stop at L’As du Fallafel), where you can find it stuffed into pitas brimming with fresh veggies, herbs, sauces, and pickles. Glad you enjoyed this recipe :). Thanks! Change the water and you’re good to go. Glad you found a recipe both you and your partner can enjoy Amber :). If your texture was too thick, that would definitely prevent the falafel from sticking together. Thanks so much Sunita and I’m glad you enjoyed this falafel recipe! with the yogurt and oil. Recombine and the end result should feel like wet gravel if you grind it around between you fingers and leave a slightly chalky residue that dries on your fingertips quite rapidly. Excellent!!! I appreciate the kind words and hope you continue to enjoy! Hi Leanne – no, for this recipe you don’t cook the chickpeas. Thank you! Just as a reference a 1 lb bag of dried chickpeas is the right amount for a double batch of these. By the way, left over falafel freezes very well and is easy to reheat. Falafel are naturally gluten-free and made from a few simple ingredients. Hi Hannah, I haven’t tried at 5-6 hours – I do 18-24 hours. If you’re thinking, “Wait. How to Serve: * Falafel wraps / rolls - Use large or small flatbreads. Wonderful! The only change I made was that I was able to successfully cook it in my air fryer. I love you! We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! Here’s what you need to do: I love stuffing these into a pita sandwich loaded with chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, fresh herbs, hummus, pickled onions, and generous drizzles of tahini sauce. I’ve found three cups of soaked chickpeas is the perfect equivalent. I used baba ghanouj, herbs, tomatoes, pickled onions, and drizzled with cucumber tzatziki. I’ve been a lover of felafel for over 35 years but shied away from trying to make them thinking it would be difficult and time consuming -but I was wrong! Are we baking at 350? I looked at a couple of other recipes online that suggested refrigerating the mixture for an hour or two before forming, so I may try that next time. Hi, I want to bake these but I don’t see where the baking instructions are. Happy to hear both methods have worked for you Sharon :). I tried making this in a blender and it was nearly impossible. I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes Cheryl :), OH! Meanwhile, combine the diced cucumber and tomato in a medium bowl with ½ teaspoon of the salt. I struggle to find food that my partner enjoys, which is also vegetarian! Amazing recipe, Lisa! Top with tabbouleh and/or lettuce, tomato, onion and falafels broken in half. Transfer to paper towels; let sit 5 minutes. I had extra mixture and kept it for a week in the fridge and then baked them up as the recipe says. I tried finding it in Dubai with no luck. I can only get them to work if I bake them. Falafel is one of my all-time favorite foods, but is not always easily available in the middle east. Thanks Jeanine! Looking forward to trying this recipe out x. The best authentic falafel recipe you can make at home! This one stood out and I was very happy that I picked this one. Great! I am so excited to see this recipe for baked falafel. The sauce was the perfect mix of tomato, herb, and sweetness, and the veggies made us forget we were missing any cheese! Love them. My favorite way is stuffed in pita pockets wjth garlic tahini and chopped Cucumbers, feta, tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Wow! So I made it and shared it with meat eating spouse and he loved it! And it’s one cup of dried chickpeas which equals three cups once soaked, as they expand. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Thank you for this recipe, we love it and I’m making it for my Mom and Grandparents this evening. Thank you for your help-found them at a bulk barn! Falafel is a delicious Middle-Eastern vegetarian dish made with chickpeas, a mix of onions and different herbs and spices. Thank you for what you do. It’s definitely less cohesive than a veggie burger or other type of patty or meatball. If you have the rest of the chickpea you soaked (if you measured 1 cup from the dry), I would pulse those in until the mixture is less wet and resembles the photos above. The freshest falafel we’ve ever made. Next time time processing it for a little bit longer. Sounds delicious and so glad you loved this recipe Lorraine :). It’s a classic Middle Eastern and Mediterranean recipe that’s enjoyed as street food and often served up as part of mezze (a group of small meals). I have some chickpeas soaking and realized that I will be having a dinner party tonight 24 hours after I began soaking them. Hi Keiko – unfortunately this recipe needs chickpeas. But yes, this recipe traditionally uses uncooked chickpeas :). Yes, definitely going to stick with it and try all these suggestions! When I try to deep fry they fall apart in the oil and they do the same in the frying pan at 2-3 minutes. Fell apart to the point were it was basically falafel soup and there was nothing to fish out with a spoon except falafel filled oil. They really are great as a portable meal. Needless to say, we didn't try another batch. I looked 4 times. Lightly spray or brush a baking sheet with oil. I followed the recipe exactly, using dried chickpeas that were soaked overnight and a 1/8 cup (= two tablespoon) measuring cup to measure and form the patties. Do you think this would work in a blender? Place the falafel on the baking sheet, lightly spray or brush the top side with oil and bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through. (Cilantro tastes like soap to me .). We have to travel a lot for my healthcare so they are great for the car ride,  breakfast at the hotel, whatever. I didn’t fully follow the recipe because I just assumed that I was supposed to cook the chick peas first and when I had trouble getting them to break down in the processor, I took some out and did a smaller batch. Thanks for posting it! I made it first time and everyone loved them! Next time I’ll borrow a legit food processor. I’ve had my fair share of falafel on travels through Egypt, Israel and Jordan. Simply delicious! If they’re difficult to form with your hands, you could try using a cookie scoop to scoop the mixture onto the baking sheet into balls and then gently push down to form disks. Healthy, easy., great flavor. So easy and just as good as the traditional ones. Do you have a recipe for that posted somewhere? Working in batches, cook falafel, turning occasionally, until deep brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. They're crispy, soft and delicious! So yummy! Thank you!!! Didn’t miss the “fry” at all. They’ll just be slightly less crispy and golden. But like I said – ecen though they’re messy for me, the flavor is terrific and I really want to make them work! The best Falafel recipe that I have found! I’m a recipe developer, food blogger, YouTuber and massive wanderluster (getting food inspiration from around the world!). The pickled red onions are a must have on hand at all times! It seems strange after soaking the chickpeas to not cook them a little bit in advance of making the falafel… Am I missing a step here? Hope you next try comes out better! Used red onions, just a preference, and topped with tzaziki sauce, yummo! Oy was I supposed to measure the cup of chick peas before I soaked? If the mixture seems too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time until it holds together well. Only talks about oil. I just tried baking these and everything worked fine except they stuck quite badly to the baking paper when cooking, I drizzled about a tablespoon of oil over each one – does that seem enough? 3. This was my first try at making it and I’m so glad I chose this recipe. I’m picky about my falafel, but these little guys check all the boxes: they’re crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle, and loaded with herbs and spices. I mostly enjoy them over a green salad. We create & photograph vegetarian recipes Thank you very much. Copyright © 2021 Love and Lemons, LLC. I’ve made it twice, baking both times, using a little olive oil on the outside of the patties. While the flavor of these is spot on, after attempting to make these twice the process of actually forming and baking them is really messy and frustrating – no matter how much I tried to make sure the ingredients were dry and processed finely (but not too finely), the patties would simply not hold together for me. Blenders are best for more liquid ingredients and food processors are best for more thick and chunky ingredients. Thanks! Can’t wait to make them again without cooking the chick peas…. Hi Rebecca – yes, you can freeze the batter, no problem! Thanks you. Falafel are naturally gluten-free and made from a few simple ingredients. Then grind the entire batch coarsely and about 1/5th of it further down to a fine paste. Next, I tried it with the herbs but found that the spices did not come through as well as they did with the collard greens (full disclosure: I am not a fan of cilantro. Hope that helps! I order falafel at a few local restaurants. oh yes, try that, we found 30 minutes to be helpful (check out the other tips in the #3 tips paragraph in the post text). I ended up grinding it by hand with a mortar and pestle. Incredible! I am on my third batch of this falafel recipe. Bleh. What am I doing wrong. If it feels very wet, feel free to lightly dredge in flour if you like. You choose your favorite! We have tried various falafel recipes over the years but these are by far my favorite. The Collapse of the Falafel. We also have a few extra tips up there in the blog post under “best falafel tips,” tip #3 has some options if the mixture isn’t holding together. This makes for an addictive flavor that’s “a little something extra” but not spicy. I replied to your friend that I think they’d be best baked ahead of time and reheated in the oven when ready to serve. My Falafel Recipe Ingredients. I made this today and it was disappointing- it was too dry and i just couldn’t make a ball Shape, and what I could get to stick together just disintegrated in the oil. The aroma coming out of the food processor is to die for! Mix the spices together (1 tablespoon garlic powder; 1 to 1 ½ teaspoon seasoned salt; 1 teaspoon each sweet paprika and black pepper; and ½ teaspoon nutmeg). Hope that helps! Flavors are amazing!! Neither are super large but I like them for recipes like this. Would definitely recommend adding some black olives too. I don’t recommend canned chickpeas in this recipe, as the falafel will end up too soft. Thank you so much for sharing. No need to look any further. Best falafel I’ve ever made or eaten. How long? And if you’re in the market for a side dish, any of these recipes would be excellent with this baked falafel: Try my Mediterranean chickpea salad, shawarma wraps, or stuffed zucchini next! Curtis Stone says to pour it on a large sheet tray and spread it out. Hi Onidne – you’ll find the recipe instructions if you scroll down to the recipe card (just above the comments). Let them cook for 1-2 minutes or until golden on the outside. This our new favorite meal. It sounds like you did everything perfectly… it’s hard to tell without being there, but I’m guessing that your mixture might have been fine. Wonderful! They came out amazingly delicious! This recipe is in line with what I saw on a travel video. They come out crisp on the outside, soft in the middle with great flavor. I like to add a couple of jalapenos to my falafels. I made these twice, the first to a T and the second time was 100% perfection, as delicious as a restaurant. Dried them out for 8 hours beforehand, made sure the herbs were dry after washing them, then used an air fryer on 400 for 14 min & they held their shape & were delightfully crispy . Tag. Yes! Loved it! Use a skimmer to the remove the falafel to a paper towel-lined plate. from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor. Hi Penny, yes, the recipe calls for 1 cup uncooked chickpeas. 1 cup of dried chickpeas = 3 cups of soaked chickpeas. Hope that helps! If it does, the outside will cook too fast before the inside can warm up. MORE: Making this for a big group and want to prep. Awesome recipe! I made a whole batch and froze half of the falafel mix to use later. It is a vegetarian and vegan food and one of the most widely consumed and recognized foods of the Middle East.It's a very popular fast food around the world, and vendors sell it on the street corners in countries like … I made these tonight, and they were perfect. Are you ready to make homemade falafel? I keep to the TBS in the mixture, but only lightly spray them with EVOO. Smear a good dollop of hummus or yoghurt (or Yoghurt Lemon Sauce, below) down the middle. Make sure the water covers the chickpeas by 2-3 inches, as they'll triple in size. For baking, you will bake at 425 for about 25-30 minutes! Ours might have been too wet? Turn heat to medium. Just insanely delicious. I have never made falafel because I do not enjoy deep frying at home. Hi! I love falafel but I am very picky with it (there is one middle eastern restaurant that makes it sooo well) and did not want to deal with making/frying it. but can tolerate it when it is cooked). It has never upset our stomachs which is soooo rare!! : https://www.loveandlemons.com/tahini-sauce/, Hi Heidi, did you start with dry, uncooked chickpeas (vs. canned chickpeas?). Are you ready for the best falafel you’ve ever tasted? Cook the falafel in batches (about 6-8 at a time) for 1-2 minutes or until golden. My husband, however, loves cilantro but liked it either way. It’s simple, just takes a few steps. This one is my favorite falafel recipe to date, and I hope you fall for it too! Place the patties on the baking sheet. Mix wet ingredients: In a medium bowl or 2 cup measuring cup, combine the ¾ cup warm water (between 105 and 115ºF.) Once the falafel are formed, you can cook them by your preferred method mentioned above. And I haven’t tried them yet in an air fryer, but hopefully someone else will comment with tips. You can add more if the mixture is still too wet.) Would absolutely make these again! Hi Karen – yay, I’m so happy you loved this recipe! (ie, did you use canned chickpeas instead of dried). I’m also a big advocate of self-care and taking life “down a notch” – while chasing adventures half-way across the globe!