Baked Falafel Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is baked falafel good for you? ›

Is baked falafel healthy? Yes! Baking instead of frying reduces the amount of fat and calories in this healthy falafel recipe! With protein and fiber rich chickpeas and loads of fresh herbs, these baked falafels are a great healthy meal!

And the perfect binding ingredient for falafel is flour. Nothing fancy, just plain all-purpose flour. Add a few tablespoons at a time to your mixture, until you can press it easily into balls or patties. Just be sure you don't overwork the falafel batter.

Form the falafel mix into 1/2-inch patties (instead of balls) so that they sit flat. Pan-fry the falafel patties, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes.

Baking soda and powder: Baking soda breaks down and softens the chickpeas as they soak. Baking powder, mixed in just before baking, makes the falafel light and airy. Fresh herbs: The tender leaves of parsley, dill, and cilantro bring fresh, herbal flavor and color.

It's a good source of fiber, an amazing source of proteins, and chickpea fiber; it helps manage blood sugar levels by slowing down carbohydrate absorption. Too much falafel can never be bad for your health, conditional to the fact that you're not deep-frying it every time.

In some ways, falafel's nutritional profile stacks up to red meat, since it's also full of nutrients like iron, folate, magnesium and vitamin B, Zozos says.

Canned chickpeas do not work for falafel. They're far too wet. If you try to use canned chickpeas instead of dried and soaked chickpeas, you'll end up with sad falafel pancakes. Some recipes try to counteract the wetness by adding flour, which significantly dulls the flavor and makes the texture more doughy.

There are three types of falafel--Traditional falafel, baked falafel and lemon falafel. “Where the traditional falafel is the basic fried falafel comprising a mix of chickpeas, onions, garlic, herbs and spices, baked falafels are made using fresh herbs in the chickpea mixture,” says Chef Sati from Ophelia.

Falafel have to be crispy on the outside yet soft and fluffy in the inside. They have to have enough fresh herbs and onion. Too much onion and your falafel will have a bad after taste. Too little and they won't be as moist and fluffy as they should be.

If the mixture is too wet, the falafel has a tendency to fall apart when being fried so please pat dry the ingredients before using them.

What to eat with falafel? ›

Classic, plain hummus is my go-to dip here, but roasted red pepper hummus or avocado hummus are also great options. Add a salad. Tabouli, fattoush salad, and shriazi salad go well with falafel, but nearly any fresh green salad with a light olive oil dressing will work. Don't forget the olives and pickles!

Its the deep frying in oil that should cook the beans. The moisture in the pre cooked beans make the falafels soggy and fall apart whereas frying the uncooked chickpeas makes them crispier.

The second option, and the one best for nights when you forgot to soak the chickpeas, is to quickly boil the chickpeas and then set them aside to soak for an hour. The chickpeas should be tender enough to break apart with your fingers, but still have a bite to them.

Baking Soda and Baking Powder Conversions. Baking soda is a much more powerful leavener than baking powder, about 3-4 times as strong. That is why you will notice that recipes usually call for a small amount of baking soda, typically ¼ teaspoon per 1 cup of flour.

To help out, I often stir a little flour into the mixture along with some baking powder — the flour binds the falafel together while the baking powder helps keep them from being too dense. Resting the mixture overnight before baking the patties also helps them hold together a little better.

That said, falafel is traditionally deep-fried in oil, so falafel purchased at restaurants can be high in fat and calories. Falafel contains a variety of important nutrients, but it's traditionally deep-fried in oil, which can make it high in fat and calories.

Yes, falafel is a good source of fiber. It's made primarily from ground chickpeas or fava beans, which are rich in dietary fiber, contributing to digestive health and providing a feeling of fullness.

4 pieces of baked falafel (Fabalish) contains 120 Calories. The macronutrient breakdown is 64% carbs, 23% fat, and 13% protein. This has a relatively low calorie density, with 128 Calories per 100g.

Falafel are flavorful balls of ground chickpeas, herbs, and spices. In Middle Eastern cooking, they're typically fried, but here, I bake them for an easy homemade twist.