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 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’ve made these loads of times and every time they’ve been amazing. I used to deep fry falafel, which was really unhealthy and a huge faff. These ones taste just as good and are so easy to make. Thank you!
You’re so welcome, Victoria. I’m so glad this recipe was a hit! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
I love trying new recipes so I find myself hardly doing any repeats (obviously I’ve had lots of time during the pandemic!), but I have made this 3 times now?! So good!! I would definitely give it a try. I love that these are baked rather than fried. I do have to say I find myself baking them for a bit longer than the instructed time, could be a personal preference too! I would definitely give these a try!
I was surprised by how delicious these are. Mine were very crumbly and fell apart so I’m wondering what I did wrong? I was worried about making hommous so maybe I didn’t mix it enough?
Oh no, sorry to hear that! Did you change anything about the recipe? I’m thinking maybe adding a little bit of water to the dough before forming could have helped if it seemed to dry.
Brilliant recipe, I originally tried a baked falafel recipe but had to soak dried chickpeas, it was a failure. I had a different recipe where I deep-fried the chickpeas, I wasn’t happy with the oiliness and they fell apart.
This recipe is perfection!! I made them at lunchtime to eat for dinner, couldn’t stop eating them throughout the afternoon!
I cut down on the salt, halved the garlic and used a good sprinkling of onion powder instead of fresh onion as my husband can’t tolerate it, also used a good sprinkle of dried parsley.
I doubleD the quantities and got 31 pieces. I used a small cookie scoop. Yum yum yum
Yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Miriam. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
This recipe was so easy. canned chickpeas and no refrigeration necessary. Delish!! My very picky 12 year old even liked it. He was pleasantly surprised! LOL. But I did need to bake for a little longer than suggested.
That’s awesome!! So glad this recipe was a hit, Francesca. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
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. 🙂
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I have soaked my beans. Shall I cook the chickpeas before?
Hey Marzia – if you’re using chickpeas that aren’t from the can then yes, you’ll need to cook them before.
I’ve made these loads of times and every time they’ve been amazing. I used to deep fry falafel, which was really unhealthy and a huge faff. These ones taste just as good and are so easy to make. Thank you!
★★★★★
You’re so welcome, Victoria. I’m so glad this recipe was a hit! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
I love trying new recipes so I find myself hardly doing any repeats (obviously I’ve had lots of time during the pandemic!), but I have made this 3 times now?! So good!! I would definitely give it a try. I love that these are baked rather than fried. I do have to say I find myself baking them for a bit longer than the instructed time, could be a personal preference too! I would definitely give these a try!
★★★★★
I was surprised by how delicious these are. Mine were very crumbly and fell apart so I’m wondering what I did wrong? I was worried about making hommous so maybe I didn’t mix it enough?
Oh no, sorry to hear that! Did you change anything about the recipe? I’m thinking maybe adding a little bit of water to the dough before forming could have helped if it seemed to dry.
Brilliant recipe, I originally tried a baked falafel recipe but had to soak dried chickpeas, it was a failure. I had a different recipe where I deep-fried the chickpeas, I wasn’t happy with the oiliness and they fell apart.
This recipe is perfection!! I made them at lunchtime to eat for dinner, couldn’t stop eating them throughout the afternoon!
I cut down on the salt, halved the garlic and used a good sprinkling of onion powder instead of fresh onion as my husband can’t tolerate it, also used a good sprinkle of dried parsley.
I doubleD the quantities and got 31 pieces. I used a small cookie scoop. Yum yum yum
★★★★★
Yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Miriam. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
I did sauté instead of bake these. But all four kids AND my picky husband all enjoyed them with tzatziki (how the heck to spell) sauce.
★★★★★
Woot woot! That’s definitely a win in my book if everyone enjoyed them. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Hi! Recipe looks great and is in progress. How long would you say these are good for in the fridge?
★★★★★
Hey Caroline – They should stay fresh in the fridge about 5 days in an airtight container. 🙂
Great, just wanted to double check! They’re amazing with tahini sauce!
★★★★★
This recipe was so easy. canned chickpeas and no refrigeration necessary. Delish!! My very picky 12 year old even liked it. He was pleasantly surprised! LOL. But I did need to bake for a little longer than suggested.
★★★★★
That’s awesome!! So glad this recipe was a hit, Francesca. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
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. 🙂