Crispy Baked Falafel: Easy, Healthy, and Delicious
This easy, healthy falafel recipe uses soaked chickpeas and fresh herbs for a flavorful, crispy baked dish. Perfect for meal prep and versatile for various meals.
Equipment
- Food processor
- Silicone baking sheet
- Sheet pan
- Spoon or Ice cream scoop 1.5 - 2 tbsp, optional
Ingredients
- 380 g Dried chickpeas, soaked at least 4 hours, preferably overnight 2 c
- 200 g Red onion cut into chunks
- 113 g Olive oil 125ml
- 55 g Fresh cilantro 1 c
- 40 g Fresh curly parsley 1 c
- 9 g Kosher salt 2 t
- 5 g Cumin 1 t
- 1-2 g Ground cinnamon ½ t
- 1-2 cloves Garlic
Instructions
For the dried chickpeas
- Cover the chickpeas in at least an inch of water and soak for a minimum of 4 hours, but preferably overnight in the refrigerator
For the falafel
- Once chickpeas have soaked and you are ready to make the falafal, preheat an oven to 425 F and line two baking pans with a silicone baking mat, or cover with a thin film of oil to prevent sticking
- In a food processor, combine the soaked and drained chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and the olive oil.
- Process until smooth, about 3-4 minutes (mixture should resemble coarse sand)
- Using your hands or a small ice cream scoop, scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time. Shape the falafel into small patties, about 2 inches wide and ½ inch thick
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, carefully flipping the falafels halfway through baking, until the falafels are deeply golden on both sides.
- Serve with pita bread, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, feta cheese, red onion, hummus and/or tzatziki (or other herbed garlic sauce)
- These falafels keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days, or in the freezer for several months
Notes
- Use dried chickpeas, not canned. Canned chickpeas do not work for falafel. They’re far too wet. If you try to use canned chickpeas instead of dried and soaked chickpeas, you’ll end up with sad falafel pancakes.
- This recipe makes enough 24-30 falafels, and can easily be halved if you want to make a smaller batch
- If the falafels aren’t sticking together while shaping, add a little more oil to the mixture
- Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to work in a couple of batches.
- For a crispier texture, you could brush a little olive oil on the top of your formed falafel patties before cooking … but not necessary