Inspired by our trip to Israel, I created a easy baked falafel recipe that is just as easy as it is tasty! It’s made with canned chickpeas so there’s no soaking necessary. These protein-packed patties are great for topping bowls and salads, plus they’re vegan and gluten-free.
Ever since our trip to Israel last November, I’ve been hooked on Israeli food. Not only does it take me back to that time and place, but it’s just so fresh and the flavors used in their cooking are incredible. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of Middle Eastern food. I just stumbled across this article by Food52 that says “the U.S. appetite for goods and products from (Middle Eastern countries) is on the rise.” Apparently I’m on trend… totally not mad about it.
Rather than just daydreaming about these flavors or depending on a local restaurant, I decided I needed to create my own recipe for baked falafel.
The main reason these falafel are so easy is that I used canned chickpeas. Traditionally, falafel is made using dried chickpeas that have been soaked overnight. No, soaking is not hard, but sometimes I forget to start the process the night before and when mama wants falafel, mama wants falafel. 😉 I typically like to keep my pantry stocked with a variety of spices, so I usually have most of the ingredients for this recipe on hand. Score!
If you’ve never tried falafel before, you’re in for a treat. I like to eat these on their own, with a sauce or dip (can’t go wrong with hummus or tahini), or as a vegetarian protein option for pita sandwiches, salads and bowls.
Are you a falafel fan? Have you ever tried making your own?
If you make this easy baked falafel recipe please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. We love getting your feedback and it helps other EBF readers who are thinking of trying the recipe!
Inspired by our trip to Israel, I created a baked falafel recipe that is just as easy as it is tasty! It’s made with canned chickpeas so there’s no soaking necessary. These protein-packed patties are great for topping bowls and salads, plus they’re vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1 Tablespoon olive or avocado oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons oat flour
olive or avocado oil cooking spray
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a baking sheet with oil.
Add chickpeas, onion, garlic, oil, parsley, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, salt and cayenne into a food processor(affiliate link) and pulse until just combined. You don’t want to over-process the mixture or you’ll end up with hummus. Plus, having a few chunks of chickpeas gives the falafel a nice texture. Stir in baking soda and oat flour. At this point your mixture should be holding together quite well.
Scoop spoonfuls of mixture out and form into small patties; you should get about 15. Place on prepped baking sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes, flip patties and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until falafel are golden and cooked through.
I return to this recipe often! I’ve also doubled it and made big burger-size patties for falafel burgers. They take longer to cook (15-20 each side) but hold together well! This recipe works without herbs too, which I don’t always have on hand. They freeze great.
Oh I love that idea, Colleen! So glad you’re loving this recipe – thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It’s super helpful for other readers, so I appreciate it. 🙂
Sooo delicious my toddler absolutely loves these! Question though how well do they freeze? I’d like to make a big batch and have some stored. Thank you 😊
Made falafels for the first time. They were delish. Albeit with some minor changes. I subbed the chickpeas for cannellini beans and coriander seeds for fresh cilantro. I then lightly coated them with GF panko. Turned out delicious on their own or in a salad.
Woo-hoo! So glad these falafels turned out for you, Piera! Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
I made them an WOW! My family loved it, even though they were almost hummus in the inside. I blame the blender, it‘s not my favourite thing to use. However they turned out pretty good with a nice crunchy crust. I wonder if I could experiment with the ingredients. For example using an orange instead of a lemon and a really crazy idea: vanilla flavour? Again: Thank you for this recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, but sorry to hear it was mushy in the middle. Do you think it didn’t cook long enough? I’m sure it’d be fine to sub in orange for the lemon. I haven’t tried it though, so I’m not 100% sure of the taste. Let me know if you end up trying it though!
These were super easy to make. I’d never made falafel before but I was craving it so I thought I’d give it a try. My only complaint is that they were a little salty, I don’t know if I did something wrong or what. I would probably make them again.
Hey Kimmie – I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe! Did your can of chickpeas have added salt? You can definitely adjust the salt next time based on your personal taste preferences. 🙂
The taste is good, but the texture is off- the would not bake properly, they were really flat (although they went in perfectly rounded), and raw in the middle, so they needed to cook for way longer than listed.
Oh no!! I’m so sorry to hear that these didn’t turn out for you, Naava. Did you change anything about the recipe? How many falafels did you get out of the mixture? I wonder if they were bigger, which is why they needed more time to cook.
I LOVE this easy recipe, I used dried parsley instead as I didn’t have fresh in the house and I didn’t have the cayenne pepper. But it still tastes soooooo good. The hubby and kids love it. Very happy and will make again and again. Thanks for the recipe
DELICIOUS!! Doubled the recipe for my 6-person family of athletes and mostly meat-eaters, and they all loved the falafel! The reason I didn’t give this recipe 5 stars is because the balls were quite crumbly.
So glad this recipe was a hit with your family, Ellie! I’m sorry to hear that they turned out crumbly though. Did the batter seem too dry to begin with?
I made these, with a couple modifications using what I had on hand. I substituted the lemon juice with orange juice and coriander with a lemon dill spice, and they turned out very well! I found that I was able to process the mixture a lot more than indicated without the chick peas turning into hummus, but the can of chick peas I used was 19 oz, not 15oz. That being said, I also adjusted the amounts of other ingredients accordingly. I will be making these falafels again.
My toddlers LOVE chickpeas and falafel and I have tried dozens of baked falafel recipes that taste great but just don’t hold together well. These are perfect, they hold together! I altered the herbs to fit my family’s taste but that is normal, we tend to like things with a big punch. 🙂
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Adrienne! So glad you found my recipe. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me. <3
Yes, you can definitely use soaked chickpeas for this recipe. I’m not sure how the oat bran would work as a replacement for the oat flour since I’ve never tried it before. Others have used regular flour and these falafels have turned out for them, so you could always use that instead. Let me know if you try these and how they turn out. 🙂
Hey Ivelina, I would bake and cool them, then freeze. Then all you would need to do is thaw and reheat when you want to enjoy. They should turn out just fine after freezing and thawing!
I live in China and can not find fresh parsley. I should grow my own!! However, in the mean time, can I use dried parsley? How much would I use? Thanks!
After trying some lackluster falafel recipes, finding this gem makes it my new “go-to”. The flavors are earthy with brightness from the lemon and parsley. The patties (I used a 1 TBSP scoop) held together well and the baking yielded a crispy texture. 7 people (friends and family)enjoyed them in a pita, a wrap and on salads. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe!
So glad I found this recipe! Others I’ve tried have been lackluster in the taste department. It’s now my “go-to” falafel. I doubled the recipe for 7 people for Meatless Monday with leftovers. Some ate it in pita, some in a salad and others in a wrap. The flavors are earthy with brightness from the lemon and parsley. Couldn’t be easier to make. Thanks so much for this gem of a recipe!
Thank you so much for the rave review, Diane. I’m so excited that you all enjoyed this recipe. It’s one of my favorites too! Quick favor, would you mind leaving another comment with a star rating? It can be really short, but the star ratings are SUPER helpful for my site. 🙂
Made these today, yielded slightly more (about 20) but perhaps coz I made them more on the smaller side. They were absolutely delicious! I only had regular flour and no cilantro (because I hate it) but they turned out great! Really yum with a squeeze of lemon or hot sauce on them! Super quick and easy to make.
I made these yesterday and they were a huge hit! My only question is how you get 15 patties out of the recipe–I only got 9 and they looked like they were roughly the same size as yours. Next time I will double the recipe because they will definitely be in our regular rotation!
I tried these tonight, and I hope my critical comment will be taken with a grain of salt… I think its because of my middle eastern background but they aren’t traditional falafel; they’re more of a vegan chickpea patty to me… still yummy, but they weren’t too crunchy, they just didn’t have that traditional falalel feel/taste. 🙁 I followed the recipe to the T! but they just wouldn’t bake – they were raw on the inside and nicely coloured on the outside.
I had the exact same problem, they never fully cooked even though I cooked them for double the time posted. They were also quite small – I made 24 patties. I’m not middle eastern, but I loved the flavor.
Made these tonight and they turned out great! Made only minor changes and cooked them in my air fryer. Delicious served with homemade tahini.
I added more garlic cloves and some garlic powder because we like things garlicky. Didn’t have enough fresh parsley, so I threw in some fresh cilantro and a little dried parsley on top of the fresh parsley I had. I didn’t measure out salt, just did some twists of my shaker. I only had regular flour, so I used that.
I made mine into balls not patties and “fried” them in my air fryer at 390 degrees for about 10 minutes. After draining the canned chickpeas, I blotted them dry on a paper towel. I was skeptical attempting this with canned chickpeas, but it was super easy and turned out great. Thanks!
Made these last night for dinner and even the sceptics LOVED them! Really quick and easy to make, and they made great leftovers to pack in my lunch today.
I made these quick and easy, tasty, chunky monkeys and they were fantastic! Next time I’ll be cutting back the sea salt to 1/2 tsp. though. Other than that I wouldn’t change a thing. Making again tonight. Love them in lettuce wraps with salsa verde or balsamic glaze on the side. Yum yum. Thanks Brittany.
These are ridiculously amazing…. I have made these a few times now (double batch each time), and used my FoodSaver to freeze some to take with me while traveling. In the last batch I used 2 chipotle peppers (in adobe sauce), and used a bit less salt, and it was amazing too. Thank you for this recipe!!
Hooray! So glad that you enjoyed these, Melissa. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment with your feedback and suggestions too. It’s so helpful for me and other EBF readers. <3
This looks fantastic! Can’t wait to make the recipe? Just a quick question – is there any reason not to use Chickpea flour instead of oat flour, to keep it gluten-free? Are there consistency differences or would it just be an easy 1:1 swap?
Good question! I haven’t tried it with chickpea flour so I’m not sure if it’s a 1:1 swap. I would add the flour last and do 1 Tablespoon at a time until the dough has the right consistency… holding together well but not too dry. Just a heads up, you can get gluten-free oat flour. I buy the Bob’s Red Mill brand. 🙂
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I return to this recipe often! I’ve also doubled it and made big burger-size patties for falafel burgers. They take longer to cook (15-20 each side) but hold together well! This recipe works without herbs too, which I don’t always have on hand. They freeze great.
★★★★★
Oh I love that idea, Colleen! So glad you’re loving this recipe – thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It’s super helpful for other readers, so I appreciate it. 🙂
Sooo delicious my toddler absolutely loves these! Question though how well do they freeze? I’d like to make a big batch and have some stored. Thank you 😊
★★★★★
Hey Brianna – So glad this recipe is a hit with your toddler! They should freeze perfectly fine in an airtight / freezer-safe container or bag. 🙂
Made falafels for the first time. They were delish. Albeit with some minor changes. I subbed the chickpeas for cannellini beans and coriander seeds for fresh cilantro. I then lightly coated them with GF panko. Turned out delicious on their own or in a salad.
★★★★★
Woo-hoo! So glad these falafels turned out for you, Piera! Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
How do I store these for the next day?
★★★★★
Hey Sarah – You can store these in an airtight container in the fridge!
I made them an WOW! My family loved it, even though they were almost hummus in the inside. I blame the blender, it‘s not my favourite thing to use. However they turned out pretty good with a nice crunchy crust. I wonder if I could experiment with the ingredients. For example using an orange instead of a lemon and a really crazy idea: vanilla flavour?
Again: Thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, but sorry to hear it was mushy in the middle. Do you think it didn’t cook long enough? I’m sure it’d be fine to sub in orange for the lemon. I haven’t tried it though, so I’m not 100% sure of the taste. Let me know if you end up trying it though!
Have made this recipe several times and it’s always a delicious veggie meal! (Meat loving husband approved!)
★★★★★
Yay!! So glad this recipe is a hit, Kara! Thanks for making it and for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. 🙂
We loved this recipe! Do you have any suggestions on how to start with dried chickpeas?
★★★★★
Hey Sarah! I would just cook them based on the instructions on the packaging or else here‘s a good resource for cooking chickpeas.
Thank you. Awesome recipe!
These were super easy to make. I’d never made falafel before but I was craving it so I thought I’d give it a try. My only complaint is that they were a little salty, I don’t know if I did something wrong or what. I would probably make them again.
★★★★
Hey Kimmie – I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe! Did your can of chickpeas have added salt? You can definitely adjust the salt next time based on your personal taste preferences. 🙂
The taste is good, but the texture is off- the would not bake properly, they were really flat (although they went in perfectly rounded), and raw in the middle, so they needed to cook for way longer than listed.
★★★
Oh no!! I’m so sorry to hear that these didn’t turn out for you, Naava. Did you change anything about the recipe? How many falafels did you get out of the mixture? I wonder if they were bigger, which is why they needed more time to cook.
I LOVE this easy recipe, I used dried parsley instead as I didn’t have fresh in the house and I didn’t have the cayenne pepper. But it still tastes soooooo good. The hubby and kids love it. Very happy and will make again and again.
Thanks for the recipe
★★★★★
DELICIOUS!! Doubled the recipe for my 6-person family of athletes and mostly meat-eaters, and they all loved the falafel! The reason I didn’t give this recipe 5 stars is because the balls were quite crumbly.
★★★★
So glad this recipe was a hit with your family, Ellie! I’m sorry to hear that they turned out crumbly though. Did the batter seem too dry to begin with?
I made these, with a couple modifications using what I had on hand. I substituted the lemon juice with orange juice and coriander with a lemon dill spice, and they turned out very well! I found that I was able to process the mixture a lot more than indicated without the chick peas turning into hummus, but the can of chick peas I used was 19 oz, not 15oz. That being said, I also adjusted the amounts of other ingredients accordingly. I will be making these falafels again.
★★★★
My toddlers LOVE chickpeas and falafel and I have tried dozens of baked falafel recipes that taste great but just don’t hold together well. These are perfect, they hold together! I altered the herbs to fit my family’s taste but that is normal, we tend to like things with a big punch. 🙂
★★★★★
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Adrienne! So glad you found my recipe. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me. <3
This meal is so tasty! The tahini dressing is amazing and a great way to incorporate nutritional yeast.
★★★★★
Yay!! I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Lesia! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
I really enjoy these and this is definitely a repeat recipe in my house.
★★★★★
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Elizabeth! 🙂 Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it!
These look very good. Would using dry chickpeas (and soaking the night before) be ok? And oat bran instead of flour? I have to try these!
Yes, you can definitely use soaked chickpeas for this recipe. I’m not sure how the oat bran would work as a replacement for the oat flour since I’ve never tried it before. Others have used regular flour and these falafels have turned out for them, so you could always use that instead. Let me know if you try these and how they turn out. 🙂
Hey, very easy and yummy. Have you tried freezing them? I’d like to make in bulk and freeze for later. Do you think it would taste ok after?
Hey Ivelina, I would bake and cool them, then freeze. Then all you would need to do is thaw and reheat when you want to enjoy. They should turn out just fine after freezing and thawing!
Very yummy and crispy falafel! However, it is way too salty for me. Next time, I’ll do 1/2 teaspoon of salt or less.
★★★★
I live in China and can not find fresh parsley. I should grow my own!! However, in the mean time, can I use dried parsley? How much would I use? Thanks!
Yes, dried parsley should be fine. Of course it’s not going to have the same fresh flavor. I’d do 1/4 cup dried parsley instead of the fresh.
After trying some lackluster falafel recipes, finding this gem makes it my new “go-to”. The flavors are earthy with brightness from the lemon and parsley. The patties (I used a 1 TBSP scoop) held together well and the baking yielded a crispy texture. 7 people (friends and family)enjoyed them in a pita, a wrap and on salads. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe!
So glad I found this recipe! Others I’ve tried have been lackluster in the taste department. It’s now my “go-to” falafel. I doubled the recipe for 7 people for Meatless Monday with leftovers. Some ate it in pita, some in a salad and others in a wrap. The flavors are earthy with brightness from the lemon and parsley. Couldn’t be easier to make. Thanks so much for this gem of a recipe!
Thank you so much for the rave review, Diane. I’m so excited that you all enjoyed this recipe. It’s one of my favorites too! Quick favor, would you mind leaving another comment with a star rating? It can be really short, but the star ratings are SUPER helpful for my site. 🙂
Easy to prepare and excellent. Will reduce salt too to 1/2 tsp. Thank you Brittany for sharing.
★★★★★
Made these today, yielded slightly more (about 20) but perhaps coz I made them more on the smaller side. They were absolutely delicious! I only had regular flour and no cilantro (because I hate it) but they turned out great! Really yum with a squeeze of lemon or hot sauce on them! Super quick and easy to make.
I made these yesterday and they were a huge hit! My only question is how you get 15 patties out of the recipe–I only got 9 and they looked like they were roughly the same size as yours. Next time I will double the recipe because they will definitely be in our regular rotation!
★★★★★
Oh I love this recipe! It looks fairly easy to make so I won’t mess it up haha great recipe, thank you!
★★★★★
I tried these tonight, and I hope my critical comment will be taken with a grain of salt… I think its because of my middle eastern background but they aren’t traditional falafel; they’re more of a vegan chickpea patty to me… still yummy, but they weren’t too crunchy, they just didn’t have that traditional falalel feel/taste. 🙁 I followed the recipe to the T! but they just wouldn’t bake – they were raw on the inside and nicely coloured on the outside.
I had the exact same problem, they never fully cooked even though I cooked them for double the time posted. They were also quite small – I made 24 patties. I’m not middle eastern, but I loved the flavor.
★★★★
Oh no!! I wonder why they didn’t cook fully through. And you didn’t change anything about the recipe, Dawn?
Fantastic! No other comment necessary!
★★★★★
Looking forward to making these! I am on an oil free diet right now. Do you think they would turn out ok without it?
Made these tonight and they turned out great! Made only minor changes and cooked them in my air fryer. Delicious served with homemade tahini.
I added more garlic cloves and some garlic powder because we like things garlicky. Didn’t have enough fresh parsley, so I threw in some fresh cilantro and a little dried parsley on top of the fresh parsley I had. I didn’t measure out salt, just did some twists of my shaker. I only had regular flour, so I used that.
I made mine into balls not patties and “fried” them in my air fryer at 390 degrees for about 10 minutes. After draining the canned chickpeas, I blotted them dry on a paper towel. I was skeptical attempting this with canned chickpeas, but it was super easy and turned out great. Thanks!
★★★★★
Made these last night for dinner and even the sceptics LOVED them! Really quick and easy to make, and they made great leftovers to pack in my lunch today.
★★★★★
I made these quick and easy, tasty, chunky monkeys and they were fantastic! Next time I’ll be cutting back the sea salt to 1/2 tsp. though. Other than that I wouldn’t change a thing.
Making again tonight. Love them in lettuce wraps with salsa verde or balsamic glaze on the side. Yum yum.
Thanks Brittany.
★★★★
Just made it. A little too salty for me, but it tasted amazing! Thanks!
Oh shoot! Sorry it was a little too salty. Hopefully next time you can cut back on the salt a little bit. 🙂
Mine are delicious but they are crumbly and splitting as they bake.
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that, Michelle. Did the batter seem too dry to begin with?
Can you use any other flour? Almond flour of coconut flour?
These are ridiculously amazing….
I have made these a few times now (double batch each time), and used my FoodSaver to freeze some to take with me while traveling.
In the last batch I used 2 chipotle peppers (in adobe sauce), and used a bit less salt, and it was amazing too.
Thank you for this recipe!!
★★★★★
Hooray! So glad that you enjoyed these, Melissa. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment with your feedback and suggestions too. It’s so helpful for me and other EBF readers. <3
I made these today and they were delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
Hey dear, can I use regular flour? Much love.
Sure!
Can’t wait to make these. Can they be prepared and then frozen before baking ?
Hi Lynn. I think I would bake and cool them, then freeze. Then all you would need to do is thaw and reheat when you want to enjoy.
This looks fantastic! Can’t wait to make the recipe? Just a quick question – is there any reason not to use Chickpea flour instead of oat flour, to keep it gluten-free? Are there consistency differences or would it just be an easy 1:1 swap?
Good question! I haven’t tried it with chickpea flour so I’m not sure if it’s a 1:1 swap. I would add the flour last and do 1 Tablespoon at a time until the dough has the right consistency… holding together well but not too dry. Just a heads up, you can get gluten-free oat flour. I buy the Bob’s Red Mill brand. 🙂