Fact: fried food is delicious.
But a moist delicious morsel also leads to a few extra pounds as well as an increased risk of health problems including heart disease.
Not a delicious thing for your health.
So that is why I use our oven constantly and create faux fried food. Fried food is delicious because it is moist and has the great textural contrast of a tender interior with a crispy, crunchy outer coating. I was looking for more vegetarian options for our menu as well as tweaking it to create slightly healthy versions (let’s face it, even vegetarians can love their oil and butter a little too much) and have perfected baked falafel. You get the nutritious benefits of low saturated fat and sodium with a good source of dietary fiber, protein, and folate. I found that a touch of oil created a nice texture and although I would have liked to eliminate it, I found that eliminating it entirely created a strange, mushy consistency (this version is still soft, but it can be too soft if undercooked). The vegan addition of rice flour is a happy accident because I was running low on wheat flour and wanted to experiment with using rice flour in more recipes.
Note: I preferred the crisp of baking this in a non-stick oven safe skillet. There was a distinct crunchy difference between falafel baked in my skillet vs. falafel baked in my non-stick pan.
I’m glad to share the results of my happy experiment with you and hope this encourages you to try this healthy, vegan treat!
Best Vegan baked falafel
Falafel Ingredients
- 2 cups of cooked chickpeas or a 15 ounce can of cooked chickpeas
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro (about 1 1/2 bunches of leaves)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 teaspoons / 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Tahini dressing Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- juice of half a lemon
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon tahini
Special Equipment
- Baking pan or oven safe frying pan
Makes about 15 falafel balls
Preparation
1. Cook your chickpeas or if using canned chickpeas, rinse thoroughly. Toast your cumin seeds in a dry skillet if using whole seeds.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and pulse for several minutes until all ingredients come together. The ingredients don’t have to be completely chopped.
3. Form falafel mixture in 1-1 1/2″ discs and place into pan (I find it easier to bake if it is slightly flatter). Pop those yummy little balls into the oven.
4. Bake for 20 minutes. Take out pan and flip over falafel discs. Bake for another 7 minutes.
5. Remove falafel from oven and let cool. Mix together tahini dressing ingredients and top over falafel and desired vegetables (I love red peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers!)
My husband is part middle eastern and we love falafel. It’s delicious but packed with nutrition. This is a great recipe actually. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome dear and I love middle eastern food! I wanted to find my own lower oil options and hope you like this as well!
Mmmm…this looks great. Never had it before, but I think I must get some and have a go too :)) Have a wonderful day sweets xx
I have never tasted falafel before; but I’m not a meat eater so I would love to give this a whirl – it looks delicious! 🙂
Wow, these look great! Thanks for sharing a vegan recipe. I love the shape of the round patties, but if you want to completely eliminate oil and still get a crunch on the outside, you can make falafel in a waffle maker! We have tried it before and while it looks strange, it tastes delicious 🙂
I’m ok with a little bit of oil in these and definitely experimented with the quantities and ratio of water to oil.
Falafel in a waffle maker is a brilliant idea! Alas my George Foreman grill and panini grill are in NYC! I find that flipping the falafel over in a nonstick skillet does add a nice crunch as well but a waffle maker of some sort would definitely cut down on cutting time!
Thanks for this vegan recipe, its right up my food alley. I had no idea you could bake falafel’s, which makes this even better and a far more healthier choice.
I’m trying to cut back on fried food myself. This dish looks really good.
These look so delish–Thank you! I’m bookmarking because it will be the perfect summer dish!
xo Mary Jo
Thanks dear – baked falafel with fresh salad is great any time of year! Just remember to close your kitchen doors when baking so your home doesn’t get too hot!
Yum. I have been craving this lately, but I never thought to make my own, haha.