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Family friendly falafel

A quick and easy falafel recipe ideal for weekday family dinners; healthy, simple and flavorful
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Resting time (optional) 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 12 falafel
Calories 90 kcal

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

*FREEZE uncooked discs between layers of parchment/wax paper and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Then just thaw and cook as instructed.
Nutritional information:
the information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.