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    Home » Blog Post

    Baked Falafel with a Spicy Moroccan Sauce (in a muffin pan!!)

    Modified: May 26, 2025 by Susan Pridmore · This post may contain affiliate links · 16 Comments

    Updated April 21, 2022

    Baked Falafel with a Spicy Moroccan Sauce

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    What is Falafel?

    Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern street food of softened (but not cooked) chickpeas, kicked up with some spices, formed into balls or patties and deep fried. They have a crispy exterior, while the insides remain tender.

    They're a great vegan and gluten-free appetizer, lunch option with a salad, or tucked inside pita bread with, tomatoes, red onion, and a tzatziki sauce for dinner.

    Baked Falafel

    I don't really deep fry anything. It involves a LOT of oil. Very hot oil. And the temperature needs to be closely monitored to avoid burning the falafel. And then the oil needs to be disposed of, and the air cleared. Literally.

    With all due respect, No Thanks.

    So I bake my falafel. There is one downside to baking falafel. It will only get crispy where it's in direct contact with the baking sheet.

    How to Get Baked Falafel Crispy

    These chickpeas baked in a muffin pan aren't crispy, to be honest. They're more like chickpea meatballs. Tender, inside and out. But the flavor is identical. (I promise to update the photos soon with patties!)

    There must be a lot of contact between the falafel and baking sheet. So, if you bake your falafel too, form it into patties instead of balls.

    Oil a baking sheet very well - don't be skimpy with it. Both olive oil and avocado oil work fine. Do not use parchment paper or foil for the best results.

    Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, flipping only once. Don't move the patties around on the baking sheet except for flipping.

    Want them even crispier? Pre-heat the oven with the baking sheet in the oven. When the oven reaches temperature, slide out the baking sheet, spread the oil on the sheet, and arrange the falafel patties. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

    Baked Falafel with a Spicy Moroccan Sauce

    Ingredients

    Dried chickpeas - do not use canned chickpeas, as they are much too wet. You will not get the true falafel flavor or texture.

    Baking soda - for softening the chickpeas.

    Onion

    Garlic

    Fresh herbs and spices

    Baking powder - to keep the falafel from becoming too dense

    Oil (for the baking sheet)

    Equipment

    Baking sheet

    Food processor

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    4.17 from 6 votes

    Baked Falafel Recipe with a Spicy Moroccan Sauce

    Baked falafel balls, made in muffin tins, and served with a Moroccan spicy sauce of red peppers, tomatoes, dates, and spices.
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    Prep Time25 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time45 minutes mins
    Course: Vegetarian Appetizer or Main
    Cuisine: Middle Eastern
    Keyword: Baked falafel
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 155kcal
    Author: Susan Pridmore
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    Ingredients

    Falafel

    • 1 cup dried chickpeas
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
    • ½ cup packed fresh cilantro coarsely chopped
    • ½ cup packed fresh mint leaves
    • 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
    • ¼ cup diced red onion
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

    Spicy Moroccan Sauce

    • 1 medium red sweet pepper
    • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 3 pitted whole unsweetened dates
    • ¼ cup boiling water
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon ground ras-el-hanout spice

    Instructions

    Falafel

    • Place the chickpeas in a pot and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes, remove from the heat, cover, and soak the beans overnight. Drain. At this point they should be soft enough to be easily chopped by a food processor.
    • Preheat the oven to 375˚ F, and brush a muffin pan with olive oil (or line with paper muffin cups).
    • Put the chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade and pulse until coarsely ground. Add in the remaining Falafel ingredients and continue to pulse until the chickpeas are finely ground. You should be able to gather the mixture together into a ball. If you can't, continue to pulse until you can.
    • Roll 2 tablespoons of the falafel mix into a ball and place in a muffin cup. Continue with the remaining mix. You should end up with 12 balls. Brush each with a little olive oil, and top with a little Spicy Moroccan Sauce. Slide into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
    • Scoop the falafel out of the muffin tin using a spoon, and ladle a little more sauce over them. Serve warm.

    Spicy Moroccan Sauce

    • Preheat the oven to 450˚ F, and form 2 foil "trays" that will fit on a baking sheet. Place the red pepper on one foil tray, place the tomatoes on the other. Toss the tomatoes in 1 tablespoon of oil. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove the tomatoes, and continue to roast the pepper until blackened, turning the pepper over every few minutes. Remove the pepper from the oven, and wrap in the foil until cool enough to be handled. Peel and seed.
    • Soak the dates in the boiling water for 5 minutes.
    • Place the roasted pepper, tomatoes, and remaining Spicy Moroccan Sauce ingredients into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Whirl like crazy until smooth.

    Notes

    Recipe makes 12 falafel balls (3 balls per serving).
    Calories were calculated using the VeryWell Fit nutrition calculator for 4 servings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 155kcal
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    About Susan Pridmore

    Susan Pridmore is an award-winning cookbook author and the owner of The Wimpy Vegetarian. She has been featured in Huffington Post, Healthline, BuzzFeed, and has written for and developed recipes for The Food Network and Parade Magazine. She is professionally trained and focuses on easy vegetarian recipes for busy lives, bread-baking, and tips for new vegetarians. Susan lives in the mountains in Lake Tahoe with her husband and mini-labradoodle.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Liz

      May 31, 2016 at 7:22 am

      Husbands have a way of rationalizing the need for cupcakes! I love falfel, so know I'd be thrilled with these veggie meatballs for dinner!

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        May 31, 2016 at 4:39 pm

        Yes, they do! And pie. And homemade bread. LOL!

        Reply
    2. Jane, The Heritage Cook

      May 31, 2016 at 11:01 am

      5 stars
      Woo Hoo! This is such a great way to make falafel (or any meatball)! I am drooling over your Moroccan sauce - it would be good on so many different meals, grilled meats, vegetables, as a dip .... brilliant!

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        May 31, 2016 at 4:38 pm

        The sauce is so so good! I'm going to find lots of ways to use it! Thanks Jane!!

        Reply
    3. Jenni

      May 31, 2016 at 11:36 am

      5 stars
      Loving all the flavors here, Susan! You are speaking my language with falafel, and that Moroccan sauce sounds fantastic! Might I suggest a dip in a starch slurry and a roll in panko or something before baking? That might help you get the crisp exterior you're looking for!

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        May 31, 2016 at 4:38 pm

        I'm going to try it! Thank you very much for the suggestion!!!!

        Reply
    4. Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living

      May 31, 2016 at 6:07 pm

      That Moroccan sauce sounds incredibly good and I love how you used a muffin tin to shape these vegetarian meatballs!

      Reply
    5. Kristen

      June 01, 2016 at 6:26 am

      Genius to use a muffin pan!! I would never do that for a heavy, fatty meatball--but for these beauties it is perfect. Pinning!

      Reply
    6. Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons

      June 01, 2016 at 8:56 am

      These looks amazing! Love that sauce!

      Reply
    7. Ansh

      June 02, 2016 at 5:06 am

      Fabulous. That sauce is enticing. And yes for muffin recipes. I love them.

      My suggestion for crispy bake is to take them out of the pan on to a sheet and bake for additional 5 minutes with air on in the oven.

      Reply
    8. Rachel @ {i love} my disorganized life

      June 02, 2016 at 8:17 am

      This looks so delicious! I'm always looking for new recipes to try, thanks!

      Reply
    9. Megan @ MegUnprocessed.com

      June 03, 2016 at 11:19 am

      Yum! I've got to make these. Sharing now!

      Reply
    10. Vegan Recipes

      August 16, 2016 at 7:36 am

      Love this falafel meatballs, the spicy sauce sounds delicious! 🙂

      Reply
    11. plasterer bristol

      March 08, 2017 at 11:01 pm

      oh this ssounds delicious. tanks for sharing. Simon

      Reply
    12. Kelly

      December 04, 2020 at 8:32 pm

      This was very tasty, but the balls collapsed in my muffin pan. Is it supposed to be baking powder, not baking soda??

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        December 06, 2020 at 3:39 pm

        I'm so sorry this happened! No, it's definitely baking soda. It's what makes them fluffy. Baking powder contains baking soda, so it wouldn't make a difference to them collapsing. I've not had them collapse on me. What altitude are you baking them at?

        Reply
    4.17 from 6 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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