Oven-baked Falafel

Written by Catherine
  • This is food that has not already been eaten

Although #ThisIsNotAFoodBlog, a few folks asked for this recipe so I’ll post it here so I can easily send the link in the future. With this and any future food posts, expect photography AS AWESOME as the one above.

Soak a bag of dry chickpeas over night.  You also start soaking them at 7AM and come back in time for dinner.  If you leave them more than 12 hours, change the water and then put them in the fridge or they will start to sprout and perhaps ferment. 

Once the chickpeas are soft, drain them and blend them up in a food processor or 300mL at a time in a smoothie blender.  They will turn into an uneven meal. Do not expect it to look like humus, but it should be fine enough to stick together. 


The following add flavour to the falafels, and any one could be omitted or substituted for your preference.  Add to the ground chickpeas:

  • Chopped parsley  – about 250mL or a lot more.  Could also add some cilantro and chopped mint.
  • Ground cumin – 10mL (almost a tablespoon)
  • Ground pepper to taste
  • Salt or herbamare -15mL
  • Tahini or peanut butter 50mL (about 3 tablespoons)
  • Juice of a big lemon
  • Olive oil – 50mL (about 3 tablespoons), could brush more on the logs before they go in the oven and they will get crispier

If they need help sticking together, could add a little ströbröd or chickpea flour.  It could also be that putting some of the chickpeas back into the blender to make them more pasty will help. 


At this stage, you could form them into balls, patties, or croquettes and fry.  For freezing, I usually form the into logs and bake them in the oven (175C or 340F) for about 20minutes.  They should be golden and fragrant, but not to dry.  If in doubt take them out early, since if you freeze them they will be getting more cooking when you heat them up. 


If they are already made in the freezer, it makes a really quick lunch or dinner. Falafels go great in a wrap or bowl with: 

  • diced tomatoes and cucumber
  • pickled onions
  • tzatziki or thick yogurt
  • squirt of lemon juice
  • spinach, lettuce, arugula, or some cabbage shreds

Enjoy!