Easy Bake Falafel (Gluten-free + Vegan)

Falafel is widely known as a Middle Eastern “street food” made with legumes, or most often with chickpeas that are ground with spices and herbs.

Although it’s typically deep-fried in oil, we’ve opted to bake this one out!
Rest assured, this recipe will still leave you with crispy falafels that are crunchy golden-brown from the outside and moist on the inside.
Simply add them to your wraps, burgers, salads, sandwiches, or just serve them as is – it pairs deliciously with almost any dip, sauce or chutney.

INGREDIENTS:-

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• ½ cup onion, roughly chopped
• 3-5 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup parsley
• ¼ cup cilantro
• ½ tsp black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp chilli powder or to taste
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp oat flour
• 2 tsp olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS :-

1. Soak dried chickpeas in a bowl of water overnight or for at least 10-12 hours. Once ready, wash & drain the chickpeas, pat them dry and set aside.
2. Add the dried chickpeas to a food processor, along with the onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, salt, cumin, pepper, turmeric and chilli powder. Pulse in the food processor a couple of times until it reaches a coarse texture.
3. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add in the oat flour and baking soda. Stir the mixture until well-combined.
4. Using your hands or a scooper, take about a tablespoon full of falafel mixture and shape into balls or patties.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the baking sheet with olive oil and place the patties in a single layer. Bake for about 10 minutes, flip the patties and bake for another 10 minutes or until the falafel turns medium brown and crisp.

Serve in pita bread with garnishes of tomato, onion, cucumber and top with hummus or any preferred sauces or dips.