My first experience with falafel was a good one. My second experience was even better! I can honestly say that my love for falafel began at first bite. And considering my obsession (yes, I admit that it is a bit of an obsession) with chickpeas, my devotion to falafel should really come as no surprise. Now, do not get me wrong…fried falafel from a restaurant is about as good as it is going to get. However, I decided to give a healthier baked version a try at home, and I was quite pleased with the results!
Baked Falafel (Vegan)
Servings: Makes 10 falafel patties
Ingredients
1/2 small red onion, chopped roughly
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
1 TB EVOO
2 TB hummus (any flavor you desire)
1 TB whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 TB dried cilantro
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
EVOO cooking spray
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Add onion to food processor and pulse a few times. Add chickpeas and pulse until blended, but with some parts of the chickpeas remaining intact.
3. In a large bowl, combine the onion and chickpea mixture along with the remaining ingredients. Stir well.
4. Form the falafel mixture into ten small patties. The patties should be about half of the size of a veggie burger. Think: “sliders.”
5. Place the falafel patties onto a foil-lined and sprayed baking sheet.
6. Bake the falafel patties for approximately 15 minutes, flip carefully (this is often the trickiest part), and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until both sides are golden brown.
Dip the baked falafel into your favorite dipping sauce, such as mustard, tahini, or additional hummus. I chose to dip mine in Dijon mustard and hummus.
I served my Baked Falafel with a side of roasted broccoli and cauliflower and cooked butternut squash. You could certainly serve your falafel with more Mediterranean-inspired sides like pita with hummus, Tabbouleh, Couscous, or Babba Ganoush.
Not only is falafel super cute (am I the only one who loves mini versions of foods?), but it is so flavorful. It is amazing what a can of chickpeas and a few select spices can become! Not only will you likely find this recipe very quick and easy to make, but I can almost guarantee that you will instantly fall in love with the tastes and textures found in Mediterranean cooking.
These baked falafel patties were delicious as leftovers, so I imagine that when wrapped properly, they would also freeze and re-heat very well. However, after tasting just one bite of these babies, I cannot imagine actually wanting to wait to eat them until a later time ;).
Do these baked falafel patties taste like the “real,” fried version of falafel? Not quite…but I am not sure that that is a bad thing! The textures were definitely more present, and the flavors of the spices and hummus really shown through. Give this healthy baked version of falafel a try for yourself, and find out just how tasty they can be!
Have you ever tried Mediterranean food, in particular falafel? Have you ever tried making your own falafel?
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gah so these have always been on my ‘find out how to make’ bucket list. I need to try these!
Please let me know if you give them a try!
Mm this looks delicious and simple! I love Mediterranean food so this is right up my alley 🙂
Mediterranean food is amazing, for sure!
Never heard of ‘falafel’, but it sounds good! Pretty simple too! Maybe I’ll try it first at a restaurant 🙂
You absolutely have to try it. It is amazing :).
I’ve never tried making falafels before but I LOVE chickpeas and hummus so I should make these 🙂
You absolutely should. They are really easy to make, too, so you can’t beat that!
Yum, I love falafel too – this baked version looks great! I’m always up for trying versions of my favorite things that have been a little healthified!
Me too! I love healthified versions of foods. You really can’t beat it! 🙂
mmmmm! These look so darn good. LOVE falafel.
Falafel is amazing!!
Those sound so good and so easy! I’ve had Falafel once at a restaurant and liked it but thought it was kind of dry. If I made them at home I think I could fix that. Plus your recipe doesn’t sound like they’d be dry at all!
You should absolutely give them a try. Please let me know what you think! 🙂
I love falafel! One of the foods that has been intimidating for me to think about making.
Oh, you should definitely give these a try! They are super easy to make! Like I said, the trickiest part is flipping them halfway through. But…I think you can handle it! 😉
I need to try this….loved falafels in college so I need to venture into making my own
You absolutely should. They are SO easy to make, too!
I love mediterranean food, mostly because I love feta cheese! I’ve only had falafel at restaurants, but I have loved it every time. This is a much healthier alternative, so I’m going to try this for sure. looks great!
Feta cheese is definitely amaaazing! Please let me know what you think of the falafels!
You’re right– mini versions of food are the BEST! I love falafel, I just made falafel burgers last week and now I just have to try your version. I love the idea of putting hummus in.
You can never have too much hummus..am I right? 😉
TOTALLY right
I recently made falafel on the stovetop and they were burned on the outside and mushy on the inside :-(. I love your idea of baking them; that’s going to be my strategy next time!
I hope this cooking method turns out better for you!
I love falafel and also love making it! I’ve tried baking it before too, and it’s definitely healthier than frying it!
You betcha! I don’t have to feel guilty eating this version!
I didn’t even know what falafel was, would it taste okay without the onion in it?
You could absolutely leave the onion out and it would taste just fine!
Perfect, i jut might have to give it a try (;
i need falafel in my life- im bookmarking this recipe NOW!!
Yes, you do! Please let me know if you try it!
I absolutely love falafel, and have never tried baking it! LOVE this idea!
Baking it is certainly healthier, plus it is still super tasty. It is a win-win!
I’ve never tried falafel specifically, but I love Mediterranean food so I really should. I love trying to re-create or healthify a favorite restaurant food at home, so much better for you and usually saves you money too!
You absolutely need to try it. It is my favorite type of Mediterranean food to eat!
Love falafel. And these sound like a falafel version of a veggie burger. Can’t wait to try them!
They are definitely similar to a veggie burger…aka super delicious! 😉
Love falafel. For some reason, I never thought how good it would taste on its own (as opposed to being in a gyro sandwich). Great thinking on the baking part too!
It is definitely delicious in a sandwich, but I also really love it plain.
I’m a little hit-or-miss with Mediterranean food as a whole. There are some dishes I love and some I can do without (grape leaves). Falafel, however, is most certainly something I LOVE. I have never tried making it on my own before, though. This is a great idea!
I have never tried the grape leaves thing…not sure how I feel about that. I am definitely open to it, though!
Love, love, LOVE falafel! I tried The Beautiful Balance’s baked falafel a few weeks ago and now I’m going to have to give yours a try. I could seriously eat this for every meal!
Haha, so could I! 😉 Please let me know if you try it!
I’ve only had falafel once and I didn’t DISlike it, but I also didn’t just love it. Which surprises me since so many people like it. I am definitely planning to give it a few more chances, haha! Glad your homemade version is delicious!
You should definitely give it another try! 🙂
It is like you are calling to me on this post. Falafel and I are best friends. It is definitely a Jew thing and then my trip to Israel increased my love for falafel times a million. I can not get enough of falafel. I’m going to have to test out your recipe!
Please let me know what you think…though I imagine that my recipe is nothing compared to what you would find in Israel!! I cannot live up to that! 😉
i love falafels, but i’ve never made them. need to try!
You sure should!!
I love falafel but I’ve never made it really good at home. It always tends to fall apart hmmm! I love getting it out at restaurants. I’ll have to give it another try!
It definitely is a bit tricky getting them to stay together. That is why I said that flipping them is absolutely the most difficult part! Adding some extra EVOO or hummus may help with this, if needed.
I didn’t even know they couldn’t be fried! So yummy – I just found your blog and am LOVING these recipes! 🙂 YAY!
Thank you! I am glad that you are finding some recipes that you like. Please let me know if you try any :).