Are you a falafel fan? If you haven’t tried this delicious Middle Eastern food, you are missing out! Falafel are Middle Eastern fast food, basically made of chickpeas, garlic, fresh herbs and spices. They are usually deep fried so they get super crispy on the outside, and remain tender on the inside. My falafel recipe is not totally traditional, but it is delicious and easy to make at home!
This Vegan Falafel recipe only requires 7 ingredients, and they are all easy to find foods. You will need:
Canned chickpeas Garlic Cashews (a few tablespoons) Parsely Cumin Salt & Flour
You will also need a food processor (or you could probably mash the chickpeas by hand but it won’t quite be the same).
Traditional falafel are made with dried chickpeas that have been soaked but not cooked. To make things easier, I went with canned chickpeas that are drained, rinsed and patted dry. I also added in a few tablespoons of cashews, which help give some crumbly texture without having to use soaked but uncooked chickpeas. Just make sure you don’t over process the falafel mixture. You want it to be rather crumbly, but able to stick together.
How should I cook Easy Vegan Falafel?
You have two choices: I have done both, but went for pan frying here. I like the extra crispiness they get on the outside when pan frying, but they are pretty darn good baked as well. If you don’t have a quality non-stick frying pan, you will probably need a few tablespoons of oil to prevent the falafel from sticking. The oil also helps them get a delicious crisp. To avoid oil completely, just bake ’em. Both options are delicious.
How should I serve the vegan falafel?
Serve with pita or flatbread with fresh tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, lettuce, hummus and Dairy Free Tzatziki Sauce. You can also make a Falafel nourish bowl by serving over a bed of brown rice or farro, with all the same ingredients. Or make a Falafel salad!
If you make this recipe, let me know how it goes! Rate it, leave a comment and tag a photo @noracooksvegan on Instagram. Enjoy! Adapted from Minimalist Baker.
