Baked chickpea falafel
Ingredients
Method
- The day before, soak the dried chickpeas in at least three times their volume of cold water for 12 to 24 hours. Drain them and dry them well in a tea towel.
- Preheat the oven to 210°C (190°C fan) with the baking tray inside, greased with 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Pulse the onion, garlic, parsley and coriander in a food processor, then add the raw chickpeas, spices, salt and pepper. Blitz until you have a fine, grainy mixture that holds together when you squeeze it in your hand.
- Add the bicarbonate of soda and mix. Shape 20 patties about 4 cm across, slightly flattened, and sprinkle them with sesame seeds.
- Place them on the hot tray, brush the tops with the rest of the oil and bake for 25 minutes, turning them halfway through, until nicely golden.
- While they bake, mix the tahini and lemon juice, then add the water a little at a time until you have a smooth sauce. Season with salt and serve with the hot falafel.
Notes
Crispy on the outside, soft and bright green on the inside, fragrant with cumin and coriander: here is our baked chickpea falafel, made the traditional way, with dried chickpeas that are simply soaked and never cooked. The only difference from street-vendor falafel is the cooking: they turn golden in the oven, on a well-oiled baking tray, instead of being plunged into a deep-fat fryer. You just need to remember to soak the chickpeas the day before. The rest takes less than an hour.
Falafel, the star of Middle Eastern street food
Falafel is one of the most popular dishes in the Middle East, sold on every street corner from Cairo to Beirut and from Jerusalem to Amman. Its exact origin is disputed. The most frequently cited theory places it in Egypt, where ta’amiya, a version made with dried broad beans, is still prepared. Some attribute it to the Coptic Christians, who were looking for a nourishing, meat-free dish for their long periods of fasting. It then spread throughout the Levant, where chickpeas gradually replaced broad beans.
Today, falafel is most often eaten tucked into a pitta, with raw vegetables, pickles and a tahini sauce. Far beyond the Middle East, it has become one of the great classics of vegetarian cooking.
Why raw chickpeas?
This is the great secret of falafel, and the main difference from our herby chickpea croquettes, which are made with chickpeas that are already cooked. For falafel, the dried chickpeas are only soaked for 12 to 24 hours, then blitzed raw with the herbs and spices.
Why? Raw chickpeas contain starch that has not yet been transformed by cooking. Once blitzed, it forms a grainy mixture that holds together on its own and, as it cooks, becomes crispy on the outside and light on the inside, with no egg or flour. With tinned chickpeas, already cooked and full of water, the mixture would be soft and sticky, and the falafel would fall apart.
No need to worry about safety: unlike kidney beans, soaked chickpeas pose no particular risk once cooked through, which they are after 25 minutes in the oven.
Getting the soaking right
- Allow plenty of room: chickpeas double or triple in volume. Cover them with at least three times their volume of cold water.
- Keep them cool in summer: if it is hot, put the bowl in the fridge to prevent any fermentation.
- Test them: a well-soaked chickpea squashes between your fingers with a little resistance, but is still crunchy when you bite it.
- Dry them: after soaking, drain them and pat them dry in a clean tea towel.
Why bake rather than fry?
Traditional deep-frying gives very crispy falafel, but it needs a large amount of hot oil and constant attention, and it leaves a lingering smell in the kitchen. In the oven, a few tablespoons of olive oil are enough for the whole recipe. The falafel are a little less golden, but much lighter and far easier to make for a crowd.
Our tips for crispy baked falafel
- Heat the tray with the oil while the oven preheats: the falafel start to sizzle as soon as you put them down, just as in a frying pan.
- Flatten them slightly: patties 4 to 5 cm across, slightly flattened, brown better than balls.
- Brush the tops with oil before they go in the oven.
- Turn them halfway through so both sides brown.
- Don’t crowd them: leave space between them so the hot air can circulate.
Herbs, spices and bicarbonate of soda
A good falafel is green inside. Flat-leaf parsley and fresh coriander are the base, in generous amounts: a bunch of each for 250 g of dried chickpeas. As for spices, cumin and ground coriander are essential, with a little chilli for heat. Our own little touch, a pinch of turmeric, isn’t traditional, but it warms up the colour of the mixture. To find out more about this spice, read our article on the health benefits of turmeric.
Bicarbonate of soda, added just before cooking, is the discreet ingredient of street falafel: it releases a little gas in the heat and lightens the centre of the falafel. Half a teaspoon is enough. Finally, a few sesame seeds on top add extra crunch, as at many Egyptian food stalls.
How to serve baked falafel
- In a sandwich, in a warm pitta with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, pink pickled turnips and a tahini sauce.
- As a mezze platter, with hummus or our split pea and cumin dip, a tabbouleh, olives and raw vegetables.
- In a bowl, on bulgur wheat or quinoa, with roasted vegetables.
- With a salad, such as our chickpea, feta and cucumber salad, for an all-chickpea meal.
- As nibbles, in small bites with the sauce as a dip.
The tahini sauce
Mix three tablespoons of tahini (sesame paste) with the juice of half a lemon, then add cold water a spoonful at a time. The sauce thickens at first, then becomes smooth and pourable. Season with salt and add a little grated garlic if you like. It is vegan and keeps for 4 days in the fridge.
Variations
Half broad beans, half chickpeas
For a version close to Egyptian ta’amiya, replace half the chickpeas with dried skinless broad beans, soaked in the same way.
In a frying pan
Fry the falafel in a little oil for 3 to 4 minutes on each side over a medium heat. It is a good compromise between the oven and deep-frying.
More vegetables
Add a little red pepper or carrot, finely chopped and patted dry. The falafel will be more colourful and a little softer.
How is this different from our other chickpea recipes?
The chickpea is one of our favourite ingredients, and each recipe shows a different side of it. The herby croquettes are the quick version, made with tinned chickpeas and ready in 35 minutes. The spinach and turmeric pan-fry is a complete evening meal. The salad is the fresh summer version. These baked falafel are the authentic recipe, to prepare the day before for a crispier, lighter result.
Storage
Cooked falafel keep for 3 days in the fridge: reheat them for 8 minutes in the oven to bring back their crispness. The raw mixture freezes very well, as balls or patties. Cook them straight from frozen without defrosting, adding 5 minutes to the cooking time. In that case, add the bicarbonate of soda only at the time of cooking, or leave it out.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use tinned chickpeas?
Not for falafel: the mixture would be too soft. With tinned chickpeas, make our herby chickpea croquettes instead.
My falafel are crumbling: what can I do?
The mixture hasn’t been blitzed enough or the chickpeas are too wet. Blitz a little more, until the mixture holds together when you squeeze it in your hand, and add a tablespoon of gram (chickpea) flour if needed.
Are falafel vegan and gluten-free?
Yes, this recipe contains no animal products and no gluten.
