I love falafels, but up until this week I had never actually made them at home before. Falafel is a great source of vegetarian protein and given that this week is National Vegetarian Week, I decided to work it into my weekly meal plan!
You can buy falafel from most supermarkets and although this may be more convenient it is a) more costly (25p per falafel vs. just 10p) and b) more calorific (55Kcal per falafel vs. 35Kcal). Did I also mention that making falafel at home is super easy and the end result is WAY more tasty than shop-bought?! If I’ve persuaded you enough to have a go at making falafel yourself then keep on reading :).
Homemade Falafel Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 can/240g chickpeas (drained)
- 1 small/90g white onion
- 40g wholemeal or spelt flour
- Handful (1/2 bunch) fresh parsley
- 1/2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic granules (or 2 cloves)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cal spray oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees C (400 F) & put all of the above ingredients into a food processor and blend until the ingredients start to combine and look well mixed
- Cover a baking tray with baking paper and give it a spritz with 1 cal spray oil
- Use a spoon to scoop out some of the mixture and roll into a ball using your hands before placing on to the baking tray and pressing down slightly (so you create more of a disk shape rather than a ball)
- Repeat this until you have 14 falafels on a tray and give them a spray with your 1 cal spray oil
- Bake for 30 minutes, turning them after 15 minutes and giving them another spritzs with 1 cal spray oil
Notes
The mixture keeps in the fridge over-night if you want to make them in advance or save any left-overs. I've also tried chilling the cooked falafels in fridge and reheating them for ~1min in the microwave.. this did work but do NOT freeze them.. when re-heated they go all chewy and not very nice (!)
This recipe makes ~14 falafels. The nutritional stats given are per falafel ball and the entire recipe serves 2-4 people depending on how hungry you are! Falafel goes great with sweet potato wedges, hummus/sweet chilli sauce and salad or in a pitta pocket with hummus.
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 35 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 1 g | 2% | |
Total Carbohydrates 5 g | 2% | |
Protein 3 g | 6% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I’ve never made them in the oven but it’s definitely healthier than frying!
Thanks for sharing.
Author
It’s super easy too, and there’s less washing up 😉 x
Just made these, cant believe how easy they were to make! They tasted amazing, will definatley be making these again.
Author
Thanks for your comment Jess! I couldn’t agree with you more – they’re a perfect meal for meat free Mondays! x
These falafels are delicious. I added sundried tomatoes, chilli and oregano to mine (i had no fresh parsley). Theyre also great for those with wheat intolerances as the flour can be substituted by wheat free flour. Quick tasty and can be saved for days when there is no time to cook. Yum.
Author
Hi Sara! Thanks so much for your comment and suggestions- I’m making hummus and falafel today so will add sundried tomatoes to both and chilli and oregano to the falafel! Thank you!! Nic 🙂
Fab!! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Author
It turned out amazing!!! Loved the flavour combo. Thank you!! x
Hi nic. Looking forward to trying these. Can they be frozen or how long do they keep for? Love the blog! Thanks!
Author
Hi Jenny! I kept left over mixture in the fridge over night and it was fine cooked the following day. I’m also freezing some right now so will update this blog post to say if they defrost and then re-heat ok! Thanks 🙂 x
Big thanks!
Author
any time 🙂 x
These look fab! Do you know if I’d be able to make them with dried parsley instead of fresh? If so, how much dried would you suggest?
Author
I’m sure it would be ok! I would have to experiment.. maybe start with 2 tsp and go from there? See what the mixture is like? I hope this helps – let me know! Thanks, Nic x
I used fresh parsley from my garden but because I dont have a food processor, I chopped mine by hand, and it worked out to about 2-3 Tbsp if I had to guestimate, so I’d use about 1-1.5 Tbsp of dried, since dried is more potent than fresh. 🙂
Author
Thanks for your great tip Tails! I can’t wait to get my own herb garden 🙂
I made these last night (pics in my Instagram, @Rat_Tails) and they were wonderful! Hubby hates vegetarian stuff and even he liked it! Super easy to make (I used a immersion blender to mix it up as I didn’t have a food processor) and they were yummy! Thanks! It’s going on our “Meat Free Monday” lineup in our household!
Author
Oh I’ll go check out your pic, thank you!! So glad you liked them! Nic x
Another really easy recipe from Nichola! Just chuck all the ingredients in a bowl and blend! I forgot the parsley and didn’t cook them for long enough but they still tasted really nice lol!
Author
Hehe and I bet dipped in hummus you couldn’t tell 🙂 Thanks for your comment! xx
Going to try these on Monday for tea. Do you think you could eat leftovers for lunch the next day?
Author
Yes definitely 🙂
FABULOUS!!simple, delicious and healthy! Thank you!!
Author
Aw thanks Carrie!
Could you use Buckwheat Flour instead of Spelt?
Author
Hello! I’m really sorry I’ve never used buckwheat before! Sure it would work though 😀
Just had these for dinner. My son with multiple allergies is successfully introducing chickpea as a new food and I absolutely love falafel. We all loved these, my husband, my 6 year old and I thought they were perfect and my 5 year old thought they were a but too peppery but still kept trying to eat them then gulping water a they must be good eh? Am going to make again and adjust so he can eat them without the water gulping! I added fresh chopped coriander as well.
Author
Hehe aww that’s so lovely to hear thank you Bev!! xx
Hi Nic,
Could you use gram (chickpea) flour instead of wholemeal? And is either one of them healthier?
Thanks
Author
Yes I don’t see why not! Chickpea flour will be slightly higher in protein 🙂 x
Have made these three times now and they are so popular. I ran out of parsley so used fresh coriander instead and the falafels tasted just as great.
Author
Aw that’s so great to hear, thank you!!