easy baked falafel

Hello my dears! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. It has been cold and snowy here in Switzerland, making me want to stay in more than usual — the perfect opportunity to work on more delicious recipes for you! With my birthday coming up, Jon surprised me with one of the best gifts ever for a food blogger: a new camera! I’ve been thinking about upgrading cameras for months, and after reading through so many reviews, I decided that the Canon EOS 70D was the best camera for my needs. I was so excited to charge up the battery and get to work on Sunday, shooting these baked falafel first.

Falafel is one of my favorite comfort foods. It’s maybe because of my Israeli and Lebanese origins, but something about falafel just makes me instantly happy. Traditional falafel are fried in tons of oil until golden and crispy, but I chose to make them the healthiest way possible by removing all oil.

I always grew up thinking that chickpeas were fattening, surely because in Israel hummus is always served with tons of pita bread — a combination that will definitely make you gain weight if you’re not paying attention. But the truth is that chickpeas are one of the healthiest beans out there. Packed with protein, fiber, folate and zinc, these little miracle beans have been proven to help in weight loss, as they help to keep you feeling full for hours. The key to making healthy falafels is to forget about frying them. Save the calories and indulge in more falafel instead by baking them in the oven until crisp.

The only thing you’ll need to make these falafel is a food processor. Combine all spices, herbs and chickpeas until evenly mixed and chunky. Transfer the dough to a bowl and mix in some almond flour. Shape the mixture into 4 individual burgers — or 8 if you’re making them small as appetizers — and refrigerate them for 15 minutes so that they harden a bit. Bake them for 40 minutes, flipping them once half-way, and serve warm with some tahini and a classic israeli salad on the side.

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5.0 from 1 reviews

easy baked falafel

 

Print

Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Recipe type: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Israeli, Lebanese, Syrian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Ingredients for falafel

• 1 small red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cup parsley
• ½ cup coriander
• 2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 500g canned chickpeas, drained
• 15g breadcrumbs

Ingredients for tahini sauce

• 3 ½ tablespoons tahini paste
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a food processor, add the onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, lemon juice, ground cumin, turmeric, ground coriander and paprika. Pulse to combine.
2. Add the canned chickpeas with salt and pepper. Pulse to combine; all the ingredients should be mixed but still chunky. Scrape the sides of the food processor bowl with a spatula and continue pulsing to make sure all the ingredients mix evenly.
3. Transfer the chickpea mixture to a bowl and add the breadcrumbs. Mix to combine. Adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
4. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Divide the chickpea mixture in four. Roll each part and flatten them like a burger. Place all four falafels on the baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes so that they harden a bit.
5. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Bake the falafel for 40 minutes, turning them half way so that they cook evenly on each side.
6. Make the tahini sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl. Add more water to thin it out if it is too thick; it should be the same consistency as honey.
7. Serve the falafel on a plate. Drizzle tahini over them and eat warm.

Notes

TO SERVE AS AN APPETIZER: You can make mini falafels by dividing the chickpea mixture in 8. Decrease the cooking time so that they don't burn.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Topped with tahini sauce with this israeli salad on the side.
STORAGE TIPS: The falafel can be cooked then frozen.

3.5.3229