Chickpeas are some of those versatile ingredients that are great by themselves but can also be used in various different recipes. They’re filling and nutritious, and if you adhere to a vegetarian lifestyle, their high protein content makes them an awesome meat replacement.
I know chickpeas. what is falafel?
Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern dish that’s made with crushed chickpeas and is normally deep-fried. I’m not a huge fan of frying foods (it’s a mess and not the healthiest), so I prefer to bake my falafel. With a healthy amount of oil, a high oven temp, and dried chickpeas, you can get them nice and crispy.
You can eat falafel by itself, but it’s often served in pita pockets, hummus spreads, or it’s thrown onto a big salad for some added protein. However you choose to consume your falafel, follow this recipe for deliciously crispy, flavorful chickpea bites.
⟶ the recipe
crispy baked falafel
ingredients
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
To serve
Pita bread
Cucumbers
Cherry tomatoes
Radishes
Hummus
Fresh herbs
Prep time
15 minutes
Cook time
25 minutes
Total time
40 minutes
12-15 falafel balls
instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pat the soaked chickpeas dry, and place them in a large food processor or blender. Add the onion, garlic, lemon zest, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, baking powder, cilantro, parsley, and olive oil. Pulse until well combined.
Pat your hands with some olive oil, and roll mixture into 12-15 balls. Place the balls on the baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper, and drizzle with additional olive oil.
Bake falafel for about 15 minutes. Flip the balls and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Serve falafel by itself or make pita pockets by filling each pita with 2-3 falafel balls, veggies, hummus, and fresh herbs.
⟶ recipe notes
Do not try to use canned chickpeas for this recipe. The raw chickpeas allow the falafel to be nice and crisp, while canned chickpeas might make your balls soft and mushy
Check out these recipes for classic hummus and beet hummus as great accompaniments to your falafel
⟶ make it ahead
You’ll want to soak your chickpeas for at least 24 hours before using, so it’s best to do that the night before!
Wrap leftover falafel tightly in foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days
