Falafel, I LOVE it! I have had my fair share of falafel over the years. At restaurants and stalls, as take out, but also at home. My own recipe has evolved over the years. Every time I come across a great falafel, I study its flavors and I tweak my own recipe to improve the flavor.
Lately I have been thinking about a recipe though that I both enjoy and is easy to make. Having a busy household has made me realize that you sometimes have to ‘sacrifice’ a bit; I want my falafel to taste traditional, but without being deep fried or labor intensive. I think I have gotten close. So I am sharing my family friendly falafel recipe with you today. Let’s make some!
Some tips to make family friendly falafel?
Go for canned chickpeas
Traditional falafel is made from dried chickpeas that are soaked overnight in the fridge. I opted for using canned so you don’t have to wait for the chickpeas to be consumable. That saves a lot of time and the recipe suddenly qualifies to be a ‘last-minute-decision meal’.
No deep frying; keep ‘m healthy!
These falafel are baked on the stovetop instead of deep fried to keep it healthy. The secret to get them still crispy is adding a bit of (oat) flour to the chickpea mixture. And I use avocado oil to sauté them. Avocado oil has a high smoke point and is therefor better suitable for cooking at high temperatures.
Toasted spices and fresh herbs
For a flavor explosion I toast cumin and coriander seeds and use a mortar and pestle to crush and grind the seeds. This significantly enhances the flavor without adding much to the preparation time. But having said that, your falafel will still taste good if you use ground cumin and coriander. As well as the toasted spices I use fresh parsley in my mixture. Nothing beats the flavor of fresh herbs!
My kids like falafel now as well (YAY!) so I have been making it a lot. I serve it in a pita with some tzatziki and/or my kids’ favorite ‘honey lime sauce’ (yogurt – lime juice – drizzle of honey – pinch of salt). Or on a green salad with crispy spiced chickpeas, roasted bell pepper, tomato, cucumber and a tahini dressing. So say hello to your 2 new healthy weeknight meals!
These falafel are simple: they require just 8 ingredients, come together in a blender or food processor and sauté up beautifully in just 5 minutes. And they are vegan, gluten free and chockfull of wholesome ingredients!
I can tell you falafel is one of my favorite foods. I am so happy I’ve finally gotten my kids to eat it. And with this easy recipe I intend to make it even more. I really hope you will enjoy it too. These falafel are:
simple – flavorful – crispy on the outside – tender on the inside – & so delicious
They are great for a quick weekday meal in a pita or salad. Or when you have friends over for dinner they can be part of a great mediterranean spread with homemade pita bread, tzatziki, hummus or roasted pumpkin hummus, crispy chickpeas, shawarma spiced chicken, quinoa salad, harissa sauce and some tomato, cucumber and roasted bell pepper on the side.
Love falafel? Then you might love this falafel naan burger as well!
Family friendly falafel
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Mortar and pestle (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas (rinsed, drained, patted dry) (or use dry chickpeas that have soaked overnight)
- ½ cup red onion (minced)
- ½ cup fresh parsley (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tsp cumin seeds (or sub 1½ tsp ground cumin)
- 1 tsp coriander seeds (or sub ½ tsp ground coriander)
- 1 pinch ground cardamom (optional)
- 2-3 tbsp oat flour (or sub all purpose flour or GF blend)
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper (or sub for cayenne pepper for more heat)
- 3-4 tbsp avocado oil (for cooking)
Instructions
- Toast cumin seeds in a skillet until fragrant. Transfer to mortar and pestle and grind into powder (skip this step if you are using ground cumin and coriander).
- Toast and grind coriander seeds in the same way as cumin seeds (see above).
- Add all ingredients except for avocado oil and oat flour to a food processor or blender and pulse to combine, scraping down the sides as needed until thoroughly combined. You are looking for a crumbly dough not a paste.
- Add oat flour 1 tbsp at a time and pulse again, until no longer wet and you can mold the dough into a ball without it sticking to your hands (I used 3 tbsp).
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Add salt and pepper if needed or any of the other spices. Don't be shy, a lot of flavor is good!
- Cover blender bowl or transfer to a mixing bowl and cover. Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up (or 30-45 minutes in the freezer if you are in a hurry) or skip this step (which I have done before). Just keep in mind that the falafel will be a bit more fragile when cooking.
- Scoop out tablespoon amounts and gently form into 12 small discs.*
- Heat up a skillet over medium heat and add enough oil to generously coat the pan (about 2 tbsp). Swirl to coat. Once the oil is hot, add only as many falafel as will fit comfortably in the pan at a time.
- Cook for a total of 4-5 minutes, flipping them over when the underside is golden brown. Repeat until all falafel are browned (deeper brown = crispier). They will firm up a bit more when transfer to a serving plate.
Notes
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
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