These vegan falafel balls are perfect for bite-sized snacks or add-on to meals. They pair well with veggies, dips, and wraps! This is actually a very special recipe by my lovely assistant, Molly. If you don’t know, Molly has been working with me since early 2019 and in our recent YouTube video, linked below, Molly picked recipes for me for a full day of eating! I was so happy with the recipes she shared that I wanted to feature them here so you can all try them yourselves. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Vegan Falafel Recipe
Hi guys, it’s me, Molly. Being the only vegetarian in my household for several years challenged me to become more creative with cooking. Some of the best vegan foods are recipes that are inherently vegan. Many Asian and Middle Eastern-influenced dishes consist of purely vegan ingredients and I had to make my own version of Falafels. I’ve mastered this homemade recipe that I make for my family almost every two weeks. The recipe is filled with healthy and flavorful ingredients that you can seriously just enjoy on its own. I hope you love it as much as we do!
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Are there other ways to make it? This recipe can be made gluten-free, it is nut-free, soy-free and vegan. You can serve as a snack or meal, with any veggies or dips you’d like.
This is a simple vegan recipe that I know you and your loved ones will really love!
Related Recipe: Israeli Hummus
Falafel
Falafel is absolutely amazing, the texture is crispy from the outside and soft on the inside, while the taste is bursting with herbs and onion flavours. I love them served hot with fresh and pickled vegetables, sauces like hummus, tahini sauce or garlic yogurt sauce.
This recipe is so easy to make, it’s also very forgiving if the mix doesn’t hold together, add more flour, if it’s too dry, add a splash of water. All you need to do is soak chickpeas in water overnight, then drain and rinse them. Next, in batches, pulse in a food processor until the size of chopped nuts, add to a large bowl, then pulse the onion, garlic, pepper and herbs to a similar size, add to the bowl with the other ingredients, form into balls, fry and enjoy!
How many servings does this make?
This recipe makes 12-16 golfball-sized falafel balls, but you can easily double or even triple the recipe and make a larger batch.
Can I make it ahead of time?
I find it easiest to triple the recipe and make a huge batch that I can freeze in smaller portions to defrost and cook up to serve with pita and veggies for a simple and delicious dinner.
Will this recipe work with canned chickpeas?
No, this recipe only works with dried chickpeas that have been soaked in water overnight.
Related Post: Vegan Baklava
INGREDIENTS FOR CLASSIC FALAFEL (VEGAN):
- Dried Chickpeas
- White Onion
- Garlic
- Chili or Jalapeno (optional)
- Fresh Cilantro
- Fresh Parsley
- All-Purpose Flour, Chickpea Flour if Gluten-Free
- Salt
- Baking Powder
- Ground CorianderÂ
- Ground Cumin
- Vegetable Oil for frying
- Flakey Salt
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT:
- 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
- ½ large white onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 chili or jalapeno (optional)
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, chickpea flour if gluten-free
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp cumin
- Vegetable oilfor frying
- Flakey salt to finish
- Diced tomatoes
- Hummusand other preferred sauces
- Pickled onions
- Soak chickpeas in lots of water overnight.
- Drain and rinse chickpeas, then add to food processor and pulse until they are the texture of chopped nuts, scrape down the sides as needed.
- Transfer chickpeas to a large bowl.
- Add onion, garlic, pepper (if using), cilantro and parsley to the food processor and pulse until the onion pieces are similarly sized to the chickpeas.
- Add to the bowl with the chickpeas.
- Add flour, salt, baking powder, coriander and cumin and fold all together.
- Try to make a ball with some of the mixture, if it doesn’t hold together, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it holds together.
- Heat oil to about 350 F.
- Form about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into a ball then roll into a ball or flatten it in your hands until it’s about ½ inch thick.
- Fry a few at a time, covering with the lid to avoid oil spitting and allowing steam to cook the chickpeas inside.
- Flip after about 3 mins when you see them turn brown and cook on the other side. Cook until evenly browned (about 5-7 mins total).
- Place on a paper towel to soak up extra oil.
- Lightly sprinkle with flakey salt.
- Serve with hummus and other dips or in a wrap.
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Hey welcome to The Edgy Veg – we veganize popular food recipes for vegans, plant-based diets, eco-conscious eaters & people who are trying to eat more plants over… y’know animals or their by-products. We hope you enjoy this tasty vegan recipe!
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Samantha says:
Thanks for sharing about how to make Homemade Falafel, seems amazing and unique . Excited to try this delicious one , just hope my kids gonna love this recipe .