My family was craving some good falafel, but we didn’t want to indulge in the deep-fried variety, so we found a different recipe, which is now a go-to! We think they are much tastier than the fried ones too.
Ingredients
- 3 cups soaked chickpeas (soaked for 24 hours, drained, rinsed and patted dry)*
- 3 chopped shallots
- 8-10 roasted garlic cloves
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, patted dry
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, patted dry
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse well until combined but not pureed. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Prepare two baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper. Use a 1-Tbsp scoop and your hands to form the mixture into small patties and place onto baking sheet. (Be careful not to pack them too tightly, or your falafel will be dense.) If they are not holding together, give the mixture a few more pulses in the food processor.
- Once on the lined baking sheets, drizzle generously with olive oil. (This is the to making them moist and crisp without frying.) Bake for about 20 minutes at 400°F. Check and see if the bottoms are getting golden, and if so, flip. Drizzle that side with olive oil and bake in the oven for another 15 minutes or so until golden and the olive oil is bubbling. The bake time will be largely dependent on your oven. Keep a keen eye on them! They will smell incredible.
- We love to enjoy these with fresh beet hummus, pickled onions, tahini and tabouleh! They are good by themselves, in pita or as a snack. You can also double the recipe and freeze a batch for a healthy, quick meal on a busy day.
*The chickpeas need to be soaked and still slightly firm. Using canned chickpeas will not work: The recipe will turn into mush.