Falafel

Have you ever wondered what can you make with chickpeas for dinner? Falafel are vegan meatballs. They are made of chickpeas ground with garlic, onion and herbs and then deep-fried or baked. This is a very good idea for a quick and cheap dinner.
How to make falafel?
To prepare falafel, you will need a grinding device, e.g. a food processor, thermomix, blender, chopper or shredder. The preparation itself will not take you more than 10 minutes, but you must remember to pour water over the chickpeas the day before so that they have time to soak. You cannot prepare falafels from cooked chickpeas in a can or jar. Falafels made from such chickpeas will simply melt. Falafels can be baked in the oven or fried in a pan.
Recipe modifications:
- You can add a little baking soda or baking powder to the falafels. Its purpose is to loosen the mass and make the falafels fluffier. However, I don’t think it’s necessary, so I don’t add it. If you want, you can try it and decide which version suits you better.
- You don’t have to use chickpea flour. If you dry the chickpeas well before grinding, you may not need any flour at all. However, I add it because it combines all the ingredients well and it is easier to form balls from the mass. You can replace it with another flour, e.g. wheat. But remember that falafels may contain gluten (depending on the flour you use), but if it doesn’t bother you, you can go ahead and use wheat flour.
- You can replace fresh parsley with cilantro or mint leaves.
What spices for falafel?
- Cumin (cumin) is not to be confused with caraway seed. It is a very popular spice in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is an inseparable ingredient of every humus.
- Lemon pepper – a ready-made spice mixture combining salt, black pepper, garlic, onion, citric acid, sugar, lemon peel and turmeric. If you don’t have it at home, you can replace it with pepper, zest and a little lemon juice. Remember to wash and scald the lemon beforehand.
Why does falafel fall apart when fried? Can you make falafel from cooked chickpeas?
If your falafels began to fall apart or even dissolve after being placed in the oil, you most likely prepared them with canned or jarred chickpeas, i.e. cooked chickpeas. Unfortunately, this falafel will not work. For falafel, you need to buy dry chickpeas, pour cold or lukewarm water over them, set aside for several hours, pour off, dry them and only from such chickpeas can you prepare falafel that will not fall apart.
It sounds like a lot of work, but all you really need to do is pour the chickpeas the day before and the chickpeas are ready the next day. Such dry chickpeas are also much cheaper and you can prepare up to 50 large falafels from one 500 g package!
What to eat with / What to serve falafel with?
Falafel can be eaten with a sauce like nuggets, with hummus or in a pita/tortilla with lettuce and vegetables, e.g. tomato, cucumber. Falafel can be served with fries or groats, e.g. bulgur. You can also serve falafel in a bun like a hamburger or make falafel in the form of a sausage and prepare vegetarian hot dogs. Falafel tastes great both warm and cold.
What kind of sauce for falafel?
Check out the recipe for a sweet and spicy Tahini sauce.
The caloric value is given for baked falafels (without oil).
Falafel is perfect for people on a vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian and pescatarian diet. Falafel does not contain gluten. The proportions given below will make approximately 8 large falafels or approximately 16 small falafels.
Read the step-by-step recipe on how to prepare fried falafel or baked falafel and watch the video below the recipe.
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Falafel
Falafel Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried chickpeas
- 3 tbsp chickpea flour
- 3 clove garlic
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp hot paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 bunch parsley (or cilantro)
- 1 onion
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- salt
- oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Pour the chickpeas into a bowl and pour water over them (at least 2 cups of water). You can use cold tap water (if safe to drink), filtered or boiled lukewarm water. Soak the chickpeas for 12-24 hours. While soaking, the chickpeas will absorb water and increase in volume.½ cup dried chickpeas
- Strain the soaked chickpeas through a strainer and dry with a paper towel. Pour the dried chickpeas into the food processor. Add onion, garlic, parsley and spices. Grind all ingredients. Finally, add the chickpea flour and grind for a few seconds to mix the ingredients. If you add the flour at the very beginning and not at the end, you will get a smooth paste instead of small pieces of vegetables.3 tbsp chickpea flour, 3 clove garlic, 1 tsp sweet paprika, ½ tsp hot paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 bunch parsley, 1 onion, 1 tsp lemon pepper, salt
Frying (OPTION I)
- Form the mixed ingredients into balls or flattened cutlets. Put the raw falafels into a heated frying pan. Fry the falafels in hot oil, e.g. rapeseed oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Place the fried falafels on a paper towel to remove excess fat. Serve with your favorite sauce. You can eat them alone or with pita or tortilla bread.oil
Baking (OPTION II)
- Form the mixed ingredients into balls or flattened cutlets. Place the raw falafels on a baking tray lined with baking paper. You can brush the falafels with oil or olive oil. Put the falafels in an oven preheated to 392 °F (200 °C) and bake for approx. 30 minutes. When the falafels are slightly brown, they are ready. Serve with your favorite sauce. You can eat them alone or with pita or tortilla bread.
Video
Nutrition
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet