Falafel is naturally vegan and gluten-free and full of flavorful herbs. It is the secret of a tasty and incredibly delicious vegan falafel.
They can be prepared either by deep-frying them in abundant oil or roasted in the oven for a healthier version of them. In this recipe, I will share with you how to prepare vegan falafel either baked in the oven or deep-fried.
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Falafel: an authentic Middle Eastern dish
Falafel are crispy balls made of chickpeas, fava beans, or both, depending on the country.
They are a side dish, also known as a fast food dish in Middle Eastern street food.
Main ingredients for this vegan falafel recipe
Every single ingredient in this vegan falafel recipe is rich in vitamins and minerals and extremely beneficial for health:
Chickpeas: High in protein, chickpeas are an excellent replacement for animal-based proteins. They are also a great source of vitamins and fiber. Most importantly, they are so tasty!
Onion: It is a perfect ingredient in falafel recipe. Combined with garlic and chickpeas, onion gives a strong flavor to the falafel.
Parsley: Rich in antioxidants, parsley is great for our general health. It is also a perfect herb to flavor the falafel and give them a stunningly vibrant green.
Green chili pepper: Gives the falafel a kick of spiciness and makes all the other ingredients’ flavors pop out.
Garlic: It is a must ingredient for falafel. Garlic is known for its nutritious values, especially in boosting the immune system.
Easy Vegan Falafel Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cup chickpeas (Soaked overnight and drained)
- 1 medium onion
- 1 chili green pepper
- 1 big handful of fresh parsley (Around 1 cup)
- 3 garlic gloves
- 1 1/2 tbsp chickpeas flour
- 1 tspn ground cumin
- 1 tspn baking soda
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
Tahini sauce
- 2 tbsp Tahini
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Preparing the dough
- Soak the chickpeas in cold water for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Drain the pre-soaked chickpeas and dry them. Put it in a food processor, then add chopped onions, parsley, garlic, green pepper.Mix all the ingredients until you get a mixture to the size of sesame seeds.
- Put the mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add chickpeas flour, spices, and baking soda.
- Mix all the ingredients until everything is perfectly combined. Then cover it with a plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for one hour.
Cooking
- When the dough has rest enough, start forming the falafel by cutting the dough into small balls. You can also have falafel as discs by gently spreading the balls into thick discs
- Fry them in hot vegetable oil until brown, then put them on cooking paper to remove any extra oil.
- Serve hot as an appetizer or let them cool and serve in a salad.
Sauce
- There are a lot of sauces you can serve with falafel. I have used Tahini sauce.To prepare this sauce, mix the tahini with water until the mixture becomes sticky. Then add the lemon juice while continuing to stir.
Secrects of a good vegan falafel
- It is necessary to use dried chickpeas soaked overnight. Do not use canned chickpeas as they are very wet and won’t be a suitable choice for this falafel recipe.
- Use as much as you can of herbs. In this recipe, I have used fresh parsley because that was what I have. But, feel free to use cilantro or even zaatar.
- This vegan falafel can be baked in the oven as well. Shape the falafel balls, then spread them evenly on an oven tray greased with a bit of olive oil. Cook the falafel for about 5 minutes, then flip them over and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
How to store falafel
These vegan falafel are freezer friendly. After baking, let it cool off, then freeze it in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Frozen falafel can last up to 3 months.
The best solution to use frozen falafel is to heat them in the oven. But, you can also heat it in a skillet greased with some olive oil.
Serve your vegan falafel!
Falafel are usually served as sandwiches wrapped in pita bread, with salads, or as a hot appetizer.
I love to serve them warm plain yogurt and cucumber sauce, or with the Tahini sauce sprinkled with some fresh pomegranate seeds, it is a real delight.
Enjoy my dears!
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