Updated April 21, 2022
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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.
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
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Baked Falafel Recipe with a Spicy Moroccan Sauce
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.
Liz
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!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Yes, they do! And pie. And homemade bread. LOL!
Jane, The Heritage Cook
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!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
The sauce is so so good! I'm going to find lots of ways to use it! Thanks Jane!!
Jenni
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!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm going to try it! Thank you very much for the suggestion!!!!
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living
That Moroccan sauce sounds incredibly good and I love how you used a muffin tin to shape these vegetarian meatballs!
Kristen
Genius to use a muffin pan!! I would never do that for a heavy, fatty meatball--but for these beauties it is perfect. Pinning!
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons
These looks amazing! Love that sauce!
Ansh
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.
Rachel @ {i love} my disorganized life
This looks so delicious! I'm always looking for new recipes to try, thanks!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed.com
Yum! I've got to make these. Sharing now!
Vegan Recipes
Love this falafel meatballs, the spicy sauce sounds delicious! 🙂
plasterer bristol
oh this ssounds delicious. tanks for sharing. Simon
Kelly
This was very tasty, but the balls collapsed in my muffin pan. Is it supposed to be baking powder, not baking soda??
The Wimpy Vegetarian
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?