DESCRIPTION:
Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern “fast food” that is made with fresh chickpeas (not canned), fresh herbs, and the right spices, that are formed into a small patties or balls. They are typically fried but here we are going to bake them. Enjoy the falafels in a pita bread, that is stuffed with tomato/cucumber salad, and a generous drizzle of Lemon Tahini or in a salad. This is by far one of my favorite meals!
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups dried chickpeas (Do not use canned or cooked chickpeas)
1 small red onion, diced
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
3-4 Tablespoons cumin
1 Teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Teaspoon coriander
1/2 Teaspoon cardamom
1 Teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoon chickpea flour
3 Tablespoon lime juice
1/4 Teaspoon black pepper
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
PREPARATION:
1-Pre heat the oven at 425 degrees
2-Place the dried chickpeas and baking soda in a large bowl filled with water to cover the chickpeas by at least 2 inches. Soak for 24 hours, changing the water a few times. When it’s ready , drain the chickpeas completely and pat them dry.
3-In a food processor fitted with a “S” blade, add the chickpeas, herbs, onion, garlic, lemon juice and spices and start to process. Start by pulsing to make sure it’s well combined. Make sure not to over process. If you can’t fit everything into the food processor then you can mix it in batches.
4-Transfer the falafel mixture to a large bowl. At this point add the chickpea flour, toasted sesame seeds and baking powder and mix well. Put the falafel mixture into a container and cover tightly. Refrigerate overnight or for at least a minimum of 1 hour. So not skip this step.
5-Using a 1” ice cream scooper, start to make uniform balls. The mixture will be light and fluffy but don’t worry it will bind together. Form the balls between your hands and place on a baking sheet covered with a slipat or parchment paper.
6-Place in the oven and bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Once the falafels have baked, put them on a cooling rack.
7-To make a falafel sandwich, grab a pita bread, load it up with the cucumber & tomatoe salad, add a few falafel, and drizzle with tahini sauce. Or place the falafel on top of a salad and drizzle with tahini sauce.
LEMON TAHINI SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of water
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup toasted sesame seeds
1-garlic clove
PREPARATION:
1-Put everything in a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth. About 3-5 minutes
2-Store tahini covered in the refrigerator for at least an hour. It will thicken up a bit in the refrigerator.
8 thoughts on “Authentic Oil Free Falafel with Lemon Tahini Sauce”
I do not have a food processor. How would a adjust the falafel recipe to work well using a blender?
My best guess would be… After you have soaked the chickpeas, you may have 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups of chickpeas. In blender you would work with half the ingredients at a time. So, 2 cups soaked chickpeas, a 1/2 onion, a 1/2 cup cilantro, and go down the line. Blending to a fine chop but not cream the items. You’ll be mashing them together anyways. Place them in a large bowl and mix/blend both batches together. Then continue from there. I hope it works out for you.
I just took your falafels out of the oven, ohmygosh, the taste is out of this world! The herbs and sesame seeds give so much flavor! I baked some in the oven as your recipe says, and some in the Br. air fryer, 400° for 20 min. they came out the same either way. Thank you for this recipe, I will be making these a lot, it’s a keeper!
Exactly what I’ve been dreaming about. These will be delicious. Thank you Shayda!
Do I add baking soda to the chickpea soaking water each time I change it?
It’s whatever spice you like. I sometimes use lemon pepper, chili powder, cumin etc.
Hi Shayda, how do I toast the sesame seeds? Also, I cannot eat cilantro…can I double the parsley? Thanks so much.
Hi sandy, you can certainly omit the cilantro and add more parsley, not a problem. As for toasting the sesame seeds, I do it on the stove top in a dry skillet. You want to keep the skillet at a low temperature and constantly move the sesame seeds until the seeds are toasted. Seeds burn quickly, so you need to continually move them around.