Chickpeas are an amazing bean and I’m finding out just how versatile they are!
I’ve used chickpea’s in a lentil stew, roasted them with spices for snacking on and sprinkled them on top of salads. They are the main ingredient in hummus, which is just as versatile as the chickpea itself. Freshly cooked, they are wonderful and I have no problem snacking on them just like that.
You can also make good things like socca bread and chickpea omelets. Its flour can be used and combined with other gluten-free flours to make gluten-free baked items too.
And now, I come across the falafel, another great way to use chickpeas. High in protein and full of fiber, anything made with chickpeas is a great addition to a healthy lifestyle.
Falafels are a Mediterranean food and can be used in various ways, such as, salads or made into sandwiches using pita bread. Enjoy them with a drizzle of creamy dressing or by simply pairing your falafels with hummus, a flat bread and fresh fruit for a great snack or simple meal.
Along with the falafel recipe are 2 creamy style dressings. One is a more traditional dressing using tahini as the base while the other is not so traditional using avocado and cucumber. The avocado and cucumber dressing is inspired by my Avocado & Cucumber Soup and works great as a dressing too. I couldn’t pick just one to share so they both are here for varying tastes.
Everything is super easy to make. I hope you enjoy it all!
Let me share with you a bit about my trials of falafel making. I have used canned and fresh soaked garbanzo beans.
- Once everything is blended together the canned and fresh soaked chickpeas tasted about the same and I had no preference. I like the convenience of using canned, but it’s nice to be able to use dried, soaked beans as well. The soaking just takes some patience.
- If using dried beans, there isn’t any need to cook them, just soak them as they will be soft enough to use in the recipe.
- Use whatever is easiest and convenient to you. You may like to try them both and see which way you like best.
- I’ve also made them with added flour and/or oil like some recipes call for. I personally found the flour and oil to not be necessary and have omitted them in this recipe.
- I’ve baked my falafels in a skillet and on cookie sheets, both work great.
- I’ve also added a few extra ingredients like coriander which is nice but have omitted it here just to keep it simple as possible (although I do have the garlic & onion powder – I like them for good measure). But by all means, if you have coriander on hand go ahead and throw in a teaspoon.
- As for the greens, feel free to use only parsley or cilantro.
That’s a little about my experiences. I’m sure there is more to learn and each of us will have varying outcomes due to our kitchen appliances, tools and taste. These were flavorful, delicious falafels and I see them being made fairly regularly around here!
Start by adding the ingredients to your food processor/blender. Blend until fairly smooth, stopping every now and then to scrap down the sides. The amount shown here is a double batch of the recipe.
Shape your falafels into medium size patties like you see here or make bite size nuggets. I played around with different size falafels.
The bite size ones were especially great in a salad and I was able to get 16. You can vary your size according to your needs and uses.
All the sizes cooked for the same amount of time and came out nicely firm on the outside and perfectly soft and tender on the inside. They weren’t dry and crumbly. Any size will work great for salad toppers or sandwich fillers.
Once your salad is put together, add your dressing of choice and dig in. This was a most delicious salad!
BAKED FALAFEL SALAD + TWO CREAMY DRESSINGS
Falafels are incredibly easy to make. No need to fry falafels in tons of oil, they bake up perfectly in the oven. Add them to a fresh salad with a creamy tahini-dill dressing and you’re in for a delicious meal!
Ingredients
Salad Base
- spring mix or choice of leafy greens
- shallot or red onion, thinly sliced
- tomatoes, sliced
- cucumber, thinly sliced
Falafel
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed or 1 cup dried and soaked overnight
- 1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup loosely packed parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (optional)
- 1 small shallot or 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional, but for good measure)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (optional, but for good measure)
- pinch or two cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, chili powder or smoked paprika (depending on your mood)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- himalayan salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste
Lemon-Tahini Dressing
- 4 tablespoons tahini
- 1 garlic clove, pressed OR a dash or two garlic powder
- juice of 1 large lemon
- few dill fronds, cilantro or parsley, minced
- himalayan salt to taste
- 1/3 cup water, + more to thin
- pinch of cayenne
Avocado-Cucumber Dressing
- 1 avocado
- 3 – 4 inches cucumber, peeled (leave the peel on if you like)
- a few sprigs cilantro and dill fronds
- 1 clove garlic
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- dash of onion powder
- salt to taste
- water as needed to thin
Instructions
FALAFELS: If using dried chickpeas, place beans in large pot and cover with at least two inches of water (they will puff up), let soak overnight or at least 12 hours. No need to cook them, they will be softened enough to use in the recipe. If using canned chickpeas be sure to drain and rinse well by running the beans under cool running water. If using freshly cooked chickpeas you will need about 1 1/ 2 cups.
Preheat oven to 400. Coat your cast iron skillet or cookie sheet with olive oil.
In food processor/blender, combine all the ingredients for the falafel. Blend until blended and fairly smooth but not pureed, scraping down the sides as needed. Form patties into whatever size you like….
For medium patties (shown above): Scoop 4 tablespoons per patty…will yield approx. six 1/4 – 1/2 inch patties.
For small patties: Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon per patty…will yield approx. 9.
For mini patties or nuggets: Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon…will yield approx. 16.
Place patties on greased skillet/cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake for 15 minutes. Total cooking time 25 minutes. If you find that your falafels are not as browned as you like, place them under the broiler for a minute or two, just be sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
Store leftover falafels in an airtight container. They will soften overnight. To warm them up and return crispness again to the outside, place under broiler or in a toaster oven at a high temp for a minute or two while keeping an eye on them so they don’t burn.
On to the dressing…while the falafels are in the oven make your dressing of choice…
LEMON TAHINI DRESSING: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until well combined. Taste for seasoning and add more water as needed 1 tablespoon at a time or add more lemon juice. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
OR, for something different and refreshing…
AVOCADO-CUCUMBER DRESISNG: In food processor/blender, combine all the ingredients except for the water. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Add water a tablespoon or two at a time until desired consistency. Best chilled in the refrigerator before serving. Leftovers will hold up a day or two in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It may last a little longer but it’s gone by day two around my house.
Serve: Once patties are ready, make your salad, top with falafels and choice of dressing.
NOTES:
Nutrition information is calculated without dressing.
Anonymous says
dill fronds
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Oops, correcting now…thank you! :)
Amy says
This looks delicious!!! I love falafel and I'm definitely gonna try your recipe, home made is so much better than store bought! Thanks :)
Amy
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you, and your welcome! Would love to know how they go for you. Enjoy :)
Laura Thomas | Peaches and Greens says
Wow! These look fantastic, I really want some falafel now! Have you ever tried making falafel with sweet potato? I've heard good things about it!
Just stumbled upon your blog and am really enjoying it so far, looking forward to hearing more! Laura xx
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you Laura!
I've heard of squash, sweet potato sounds great too! I will have to try the sweet potato since I have a whole bag waiting to get made into something. :)
therawfoodsisters.com says
Beautiful Pictures! It looks delicious. Have a wonderful day!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you! You too :)
The Vegan Cookie Fairy says
*SWOON*
I love me some falafels! I much prefer to have them baked rather than deep-fried, which is unfortunately how they are usually sold in shops here in London. I love those two salad dressings you shared, as well. I'm so picky with my salad dressings, I hate the sour ones you always get in restaurants, I prefer mine quite creamy. I will definitely give these a shot :)
Oh, and chickpea omelette? CANNOT WAIT.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I've never had fried falafels but I'm sure I wouldn't want to eat it anyway either. Baked is great! Would love to know what you think of these if you get a chance to try them. Cheers to creamy dressings. :)
The Vegan Cookie Fairy says
They're baking in the oven as I type this. I don't have a food processor, only a blender, so the texture is still very rough, and I found it hard to shape the falafels as the batter was so sticky, so I used a bit of gram flour to keep my hands from sticking. I'm adding roasted peppers and tomatoes to the salad–it's a bit chilly tonight, so I want a bit of warmth :)
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I hope you love them as much as I did! Your take on this sounds wonderful. I love roasted peppers and tomatoes…and in a salad…oh my!
It's true that the hands may get sticky with the dough. I like to rinse my hands every now and then. I find that helps with the stickiness. I will make a note of that. :)
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you! I'm going to look into some of those other chickpeas you mentioned. I'll definitely take a look at your recipes…I love me some inspiration…that is what got me into blogging about food, glorious plant based food! Hail to the chickpea :)
AUBREY @ Project Lovegood says
This looks divine, Julie. I pinned it to my vegan recipes board. Just gorgeous! We recently went to VegFest and enjoyed a very delicious falafel wrap. I have never made falafels but it's about time to!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you Aubrey!
awesomeveganrad says
I love falafel in salad! Yours look great :)
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you. :)
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you! I love Greek food and hope to have more in the future. :)
Freda Love Smith says
Thanks for this lovely recipe – nice and clean and simple! Falafel is one of my favorites and I can't believe I've never tried to make it at home. I have cooked chickpeas in the fridge and this is going on my to-do list for the weekend!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Perfect…give it a try!
Caitlin says
i am in love with this recipe! i cannot wait to try it! those little falafels are adorable!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
They are too cute and so tasty! :)
Anonymous says
Can't believe I didnt think of someething like this earlier! I love falafels and this recipe is terrific!
Danielle says
Just made these to put on top of a lemony kale salad…by far the best falafel I've ever made!!!! Thank!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
What a great salad that must've been! I will definitely try that combo as I love lemony kale salads. Cheers…and thank you for the inspiration. :)
Carrie says
I may have processed the mixture too long, so it was like trying to shape hummus into patties. They took much longer to bake than called for. (Maybe because they were patties, not balls?) It does not matter, because they were DELICIOUS! I will definitely make them again. And the lemony dressing was the perfect zing on top of the spicy goodness. Can't wait to try the avocado-cucumber dressing!
gabriella says
I am looking forward to try this. Really like how simple is your blog. I just started my vegan experience and am in need of inspiration, keep up the good work!
Craig says
I think they taste good, but mine always come out kinda mushy :(
genevieve @ gratitude & greens says
I know fried is the traditional way to make falafel but I much prefer them baked! Otherwise they are just too heavy and greasy on my stomach. Those dressings sound so creamy and lovely!