Get the Recipe: Vegan Falafel (Gluten-free)
How to make vegan falafel, that's crispy and crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and packed full of earthy, tangy flavour. Serve in a pita or flatbread, a salad or in a sandwich with a sauce of your choice. Gluten-free and easy to make in under 30 minutes, using simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas, or 3 cups (2 cans) canned chickpeas
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 3 tbsp buckwheat flour
- 1 tbsp rice flour
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lemon, juice of
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
- Spoon
- Skillet or frying pan (if frying)
- Conventional oven (or baking)
Instructions
- If you are using dried chickpeas, soak them in cold water for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse them, and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them, and pat them with a paper towel, making sure they are as dry as possible.
- Transfer the chickpeas to a blender or food processor together with the onion, cilantro, garlic, sesame seeds, buckwheat flour, rice flour, turmeric, cumin, dried basil, salt, smoked paprika, olive oil, and lemon juice. Set aside 1/4 cup of the sesame seeds to coat the falafel. Blend on a low setting for a few seconds, until mostly smooth, but with a bit of texture left.
- Scoop out around 2-3 tbsp of the mixture per falafel and shape them using your hands. If they stick, dip your hands in a little bit of flour before shaping. Dip the falafel in the sesame seeds on both sides and lay them out on a flat surface.
- To fry: To make fried falafel, heat a thin layer of olive oil or avocado oil in a large flat pan or skillet. Add the falafel to the pan, working in batches if necessary - it's important not to overcrowd the pan. Fry for around 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip and fry for 2 minutes more, until crispy and browned.
- To bake: If you want to make baked falafel, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350F) before blending. Lay out the falafel on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, flipping half way through.
Video
Notes
The nutritional information is an estimate, and doesn't include any oil used for frying.
Calories: 194kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 300mg, Potassium: 340mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 78IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 135mg, Iron: 4mg