Recipe for crispy and perfectly flavored vegan, gluten free falafels made from scratch using dried chickpeas. Falafels make a great snack, and when stuffed in pita or flatbread along with pickled vegetables and tahini sauce, a satisfying meal.
It’s been a long time since I have posted on the blog, and I know each time I say this but I truly hope that going forward I post more regularly. There have been a lot of great recipes that I have tried in the past few days and I would love to share them here. One such recipe is of these from falafels that I made the other day for A and myself.
When I was in Dallas, I remember going to this falafel place that served the most delicious falafels I have ever eaten. It was like a subway shop but for mediterranean food, and their falafels (and fries) were super addictive. Ever since then I have wanted to try my hand making falafels.
The whole idea of making falafels at home has always intimidated me, mainly because the prospect of churning uncooked chickpeas made me feel that my blender would overheat and give up. While working on a styling gig for Hamilton Beach, I got to try their mixer grinder that they had been specifically designed for the indian market. I fell in love with the product and the ease with which I could make each recipe for the shoot, that I had to approach the brand for a collaboration. Since receiving the product, I have been so happy with their Juicer Mixer Grinder– making purees, soups, chutneys, masala powders and recently Falafels.
While slightly expensive (at the moment of this post going live, there is a INR 2000 disocunt on the MRP on amazon), because of the great quality and its ability to withstand heavy duty use, I would highly recommend the product. I do wish they would have a smaller dry grinder, for times when I do not have too many whole spices to grind, but besides that I have had no complaints and am making the most of the juicer mixer grinder.
Coming to the falafels recipe. These homemade falafels are so flavorful and most of the work is done by the mixer, so super easy to put together. They are also perfectly crisp on the outside, without being mushy on the inside. Remember to use soaked uncooked chickpeas, and not chickpeas from the can. You will not get the same results if you change that. Also, make sure that you do not overprocess the chickpeas. I used the manual setting on the Hamilton Beach JMG, on the lowest speed, and once saw the mixture coming together, switched to pulse mode.
The recipe for these homemade falafels is adapted from here. I served the falafels in pita as a wrap with lettuce, some veggies and tahini sauce. It was the perfect meal. These falafels would be great as a snack as well, served with some homemade hummus. I am constantly looking for more vegetarian, gluten free healthy meal options and these falafels definitely make the cut. Hope you get to try them out and in case you do please tag me on my instagram here.
Disclaimer: While this is not a paid promotion, I did receive the product in exchange for an honest review of the product. I am writing this review after extensively using the product on a regular basis, and trying out its different features.
- 1 cup dried chickpeas
- ½ large onion
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 2 tbsp coriander
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp besan/chickpea flour
- Oil, for cooking
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Wash and soak the chickpeas overnight.
- In a blender, or food processor, place the uncooked drained chickpeas, onions, parsley, coriander leaves, salt, pepper, and spices. Pulse the mixture until blended but not pureed. You want the mixture to be a little coarse, couscous like. Scrape the sides of the processor periodically and push the mixture down the sides when pulsing.
- Add in the baking soda and the chickpea flour and pulse 2-3 more times.
- Cover and refrigerate the mixture for few hours.
- In a frying pan, fill with oil to 1½ inches. Heat oil over medium heat.
- Form round balls (2 tbsp mixture per falafel) from the falafel mixture. In case the mixture isnt holding together, you can pulse it a few more times in the processor to a more paste like consistency so that they hold together better.
- Fry the falafel balls 2-3 minutes per side till deep golden brown on both sides and super crusty on the outside. Make sure the oil is not too hot else the falafels wont cook internally and will brown from the top.
- Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining falafel.
- Serve them warm with hummus or stuff them in your pita.
I also used the Hamilton Beach Juicer Mixer Grinder to make my Pumpkin swirled cheesecake bars. You can find the recipe here. Leaving a short video of the JMG in use for you to get an idea of the product and its features. Feel free to ask any questions related to the product, I would be happy to answer them.
Do you remember the name of the restaurant with the falafels? We’re in Dallas and I would love to check it out.
Lovely photos, as always delicious too
Hi Shumaila, I love your Quick and easy Falafel Recipe. Moreover, I tried this in my home and loved every person of my family.
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