This year of 2020, I realized I had never had homemade falafel but had had it quite a few times in Lebanese restaurants!
It is one of my favourite foods in the world and, as always, I decided, I wanted to try to create a recipe for it that would be healthier than the oily one you get in restaurants and super tasty!
And, as always, SUPER EASY!
INGREDIENTS FOR THE EASY FALAFEL!
- 150 g uncooked chickpeas
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 large onion
- 20 g coriander with the stalks
- 5 tbsp spelt flour
- Juice of 1 lemon
WHAT ABOUT THE SPICES?
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp baking powder (trust me! It is so much softer with this)
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- A pinch of salt
HOW TO MAKE THIS SUPER EASY FALAFEL?
CHICKPEAS
For this recipe, it is really best to plan a little bit ahead so that you have time to properly soak the chickpeas, for at least 8 to 12 hours.
If you are not used to eating beans, I would even say, soak the chickpeas for 12 hours, change the water and soak for another 12 hours! It helps with the digestion for sure!
GARLIC AND ONION
If you are a true garlic lover, feel free to add 1 more garlic clove! However, I find 3 garlic cloves are the perfect balance.
For the onion, I used a simple WHITE ONION. If you have red onion, that works too!
SPELT FLOUR
I know, you might wonder if you can use normal white flour? The answer is PROBABLY. I haven't tried it with white flour but it should work and just ensure you had enough flour that the mix is not sticking to your hands.
READY TO GET STARTED WITH THIS EASY FALAFEL?
- Soak the chickpeas for at least 12 hours in a bowl.
- Add, the uncooked chickpeas and onion along with the coriander, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic cloves, cumin and lemon juice to a food processor.
- Process until blended but not pureed.
Add the baking powder and flour. If it still sticks too much to your hands, add a bit more flour in, but by small amounts at a time.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- Shape the falafel and put on a baking tray.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 180ºC and flip the falafels.
- Bake for another 20 minutes.
If you want a more spicy falafel, add some ground chilli or a bit more of cayenne pepper!
AND THIS DIP?
Simply mix together coconut yoghurt, lemon juice, black pepper and cubed cucumber! Easy as that and so, so delicious!
Easy Falafel
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 150 gram Chickpeas uncooked
- 3 Garlic cloves
- 1 Onion Large
- 20 gram Coriander With stalks
- 5 tbsp Spelt Flour
- 1 Lemon juice
- 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
- Salt
Instructions
Chickpeas
- Soak the chickpeas for a minimum of 12 hours.
Food Processor
- Add the uncooked chickpeas and onion along with the coriander, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic cloves, cumin and lemon juice. Process until blended but not pureed.
- Add baking powder and flour. Add more flour if needed in small amounts at a time.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Oven
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
- Shape the falafel and put on a baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes at 180ºC and flip the falafels and bake for another 20 minutes.
Yoghurt Dip
- Add to a bowl, the yoghurt, lemon juice, chopped cucumber and some black pepper.
Looking for a next recipe to try? Try these ones next:
Do you know if chickpeas are caloric ?
I have seen 100g has 364 calories 🙂 So this meal would not have many calories. You could eat this falafel with a salad! Would work really well, specially being baked and not fried.
Thank you for your answer! I tried it with normal flour (a little bit more than the quantity for spelt flour) and it was soooo good ! Loved it ! I Made a salad with it as suggested by you. Really tasty and healthy: my favorite kind of food ! Keep the good recipes going ! 😉