The best oven-baked falafel recipe! I know it’s a big claim, but honestly, these little flavorful gems are delicious and baked to crispy perfection. You won’t even notice they are oil-free.
Oven-baked falafel
Falafel is a traditional middle eastern dish, made out of chickpea, typically deep-fried to achieve a crispy and crunchy outside layer.
They are often served on halved pita bread with various pickles, cabbage slaw, and a tahini dressing.
This oven-baked falafel recipe has nothing to envy to the deep-fried version. It’s crunchy, crispy, full of middle eastern flavors, and healthier for you.
The base for this falafel is dry chickpeas that you have to soak overnight. And that’s the « hardest » part of this recipe!!!
After that, it’s a matter of combining all the ingredients in a food processor and pulsing until you get a homogeneous dough.
I find ice cream scoopers are perfect for forming falafels but you can do it by hand as well.
These oven-baked falafel are freezer friendly, and perfect for meal prep. They can be frozen raw, for later baking, or already baked.
How to serve these oven-baked falafels
Falafels are very versatile, they can be served with a buddha bowl/salad, or as a sandwich, but my favorite way to eat them is; falafel wraps!!
Freshly baked pita bread, thinly sliced cabbage, cucumbers, sliced onions, and pickles. Topped with some sliced avocado, and a heavy drizzle of tahini dressing!
Hummus works great with these oven-baked falafels, you can find a recipe for a smooth and creamy hummus here.
Other recipes you might want to try:
What you might need to make these falafels:
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog please consider leaving a comment & rating below! Find me on Instagram @glowingblush or Pinterest for even more deliciousness!
The best oven-baked falafel recipe! These little flavorful gems are delicious and baked to crispy perfection. You won’t even notice they are oil-free.
- 1 cup dry chickpeas (soaked overnight)
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 cup parsley & coriander (tightly packed)
- 1 tbsp corn starch (optional)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp pepper
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Soak dry chickpeas overnight. In a large bowl add 1 cup dry chickpeas and 5 cups fresh water. Set aside for at least 12 hours. I would recommend soaking overnight for best results.
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Drain soaked chickpeas from water and pat dry using a kitchen towel. This will ensure that the falafel dough isn't too moist.
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Peel and cut onion into small enough pieces to help with the blending process. Peel the garlic.
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In a food processor, add chickpeas, onion, garlic and herbs and pulse to combine. scrape down the sides as needed until thoroughly combined. You’re looking for a crumbly dough, not a paste.
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Add spices, baking soda and pulse again. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
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If the falafel dough is too wet, add the optional corn starch until no longer wet and you can mold the dough into a ball without it sticking to your hands.
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Transfer to a mixing bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up. Or simply skip this step if you are in a hurry!
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Using an ice cream scooper, scoop a generous amount of the falafel dough and transfer it to lined baking tray.
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Bake at 180°C for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- You can freeze raw falafel between layers of parchment paper and store in a container in the freezer up to 1 month. Then just thaw and bake as instructed.
- You can also freeze the baked version by storing them in a container for up to 1 month.
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator covered for 4-5 days.
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Tasteeeeee!!! Wonderful with a drizzle of tahini on salad. Actually, I’m eating 3 and salad as I text! Really good. Thank you!
I am so glad your liked the falafel, they are my favorite! Thank you for your feedback Joanne x
Hello! Is this one cup each of parsley and coriander, or one cup total?
Hi! it’s one cup of both parsley and coriander.
I’m making this right now! Is it 1 cup of each parsley and coriander, or 1 cup combined?
It’s one cup combined of both parsley and coriander!
Can I just confirm that you soak the chickpeas but DO NOT cook them?
Thanks….
Exactly, use soaked chickpeas that are still raw! If you cook them they will be too mushy to work with.
I made them and they were great! I’m happy to have found a recipe without oil 🙂 Only thing was that my falafels were very green… did I do something wrong? I tried to cook them longer so that they turned “golden brown”, but instead they stayed green and the edges got a little bit too hard.
Hi Kat,
I am glad you liked these falafels, thank you for your feedback! Pretty sure you didn’t do anything wrong, the green color comes from the herbs used so that’s totally normal! You can lightly spray the surface of the falafels with water before baking to help them take more color!