Crispy Baked Falafel

What's not to love? Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, baked, healthy AND vegetarian! These crispy baked Falafel are everything you could hope for so you don't have to feel guilty after having seconds. Traditional Falafel are deep fried but we all know deep frying comes with a hefty calorie count, and truth be told, I actually hate doing it (grease everywhere - no thanks!). So why not bake them? Trust me - the taste is there!

Anyone with kids would know how hard it is to get them to eat their vegetables. This is why I love making this crispy baked Falafel recipe so much, every time I make it my son devours them! So does my husband (it's hard getting him to eat vegetables too). If you like creating weekly meal plans, this is a great vegetarian recipe to add to meatless Mondays. It's especially convenient because you can prepare it ahead of time and freeze them before cooking.

How to make the best crispy falafel

• It's important to use dry chickpeas for this recipe. Using canned chickpeas will yield a very moist mixture which won't hold when forming into patties
• Dry chickpeas usually double in size after soaking for 24 hours. They don't need to be boiled for this recipe
• If you do use canned chickpeas, you can add a bit of flour until you feel the mixture is holding firm. This will compromise the taste slightly
• Make sure to refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour to help it firm up
• When forming the patties, make sure they aren't too thin, otherwise they will taste dry after cooking. You need a thickness of ½ to ¾ of an inch

How to freeze falafel

• You can freeze cooked falafel by allowing them to come to room temperature after baking. Then place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper in one layer. Freeze them for a few hours until frozen, then place them in freezer bags. Cook them by thawing in the fridge then bake them again to re-heat. They should last several months.
• You can also freeze uncooked falafel. Form them into patties then place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Allow them to freeze then store in freezer bags. Thaw in the fridge and bake them as directed in the recipe.

For more healthy baked recipes, check out:

• Eggplant Fatteh
• Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma
• Honey Za'atar Chicken

Crispy Baked Falafel

These crispy baked falafel are delicious, so easy to make and super healthy. Make a large batch and freeze them for meal planning!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main

Cuisine: middle eastern

Keyword: baked falafel, crispy falafel, healthy, vegetarian

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 20 -22 patties

Author: Amina Al-Saigh

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 cups of chickpeas after soaking overnight equivalent to approx. 2.5 cups of dry chickpeas before soaking
• ▢ 2 cups parsley packed
• ▢ ½ cup cilantro packed
• ▢ ¾ onion quartered
• ▢ 6 garlic cloves
• ▢ 1.5 tsp salt
• ▢ 1.5 tsp cumin
• ▢ 1 tsp baking soda
• ▢ ½ tsp black pepper
• ▢ 3 tbsp olive oil in mixture
• ▢ ½ cup olive oil to bake Falafel

Instructions

• Add the onion and garlic to a food processor and process for a minute
• Next add the chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, olive oil, baking soda and all the spices and process for a few minutes until well combined and mixture holds together
• Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour (do not skip this)
• Add the ½ cup olive oil on a baking sheet and spread evenly
• Form the Falafel patties ensuring they are not too thin (approx ½ - ¾ inch thick) and place on the baking sheet
• Bake at 375F for 25 mins, then flip Falafel and rotate pan, and bake for a further 20-25 mins until golden brown

Notes

Dry chickpeas will double in size once you soak overnight. Therefore start with about 2-2.5 cups of dry chickpeas to get 4 cups soaked chickpeas

Using canned chickpeas will yield a much more moist dough and may not hold into patty shapes. You may need to add flour. But using dry chickpeas is recommended for optimum results.

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