This healthy falafel recipe is a nutritious mix of chickpeas, herbs, and vegetables combined in a delicious, moist ball that is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Though traditionally deep-fried, my falafel recipe is pan-fried in a shallow amount of avocado oil, making it a much healthier option. It is a great source of protein and fiber for your family.
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What is Falafel?
Falafel, once rarely known, is now one of the most common Mediterranean recipes cooked around the world. Ground chickpeas, the primary ingredient, are mixed with various seasonings, rolled into round balls, and then fried. My recipe for Falafel includes added vegetables and pan frying rather than deep frying for a healthy alternative. Falafel can be served with humus or other dips as a meatless substitute for burgers, pita sandwiches, and gyros. It's a great hit at tailgating parties, festivals, and family gatherings.
The Evolution of My Falafel Recipe
The evolution of my falafel recipe is a story in itself. When I visited Amsterdam in 2008, my brother-in-law introduced me to this popular street food. I had never heard about falafel pita sandwiches before, and on those cold January winter evenings, the warm falafels tasted divine. For the rest of our trip, falafel sandwiches continued to be our dinner choice.
Back in the USA, I tried falafels in different restaurants but was not satisfied with the taste. Then, I bought a pre-made box of falafel mixture at the store and tried to recreate the taste of my first falafel sandwich. I was still not convinced with the flavors, so I created a homemade falafel recipe using fresh ingredients, which was a game changer. Fresh parsley and cilantro added so much herby flavor to my falafels. Since that time, I've modified the recipe several times, and it's become a family favorite. If you're looking for a healthier falafel recipe, give this one a try!
What Makes This a Healthy Pan-Fried Falafel Recipe
Chickpeas are the main ingredient in falafel, so it can be a great source of protein and fiber when cooked in the proper manner. This falafel recipe is healthy since it contains vegetables for added nutrients and moistness. Rather than deep frying, which significantly increases the carbohydrate-to-protein ratio, I use a pressure cooker to cook the chickpeas and vegetables and then pan-fry them in a shallow amount of oil. The end result is a moist and nutritious falafel that's not deep-fried in a large amount of oil, making it a much healthier option.
Ingredients
This falafel recipe contains a variety of healthy ingredients, including chickpeas, almond flour, flaxseed meal, hemp seeds, and avocado oil. The addition of mixed vegetables, beetroot, ginger, and other spices and seasonings adds so much flavor and nutrition to the recipe.
From My Pantry
- Chickpeas/garbanzo beans – 1 cup dry washed, soaked overnight, and drained.
- Almond flour/Rice flour/bread crumbs/quick oats – ½ cup
- Flax-seed meal- ¼ cup
- Hemp seeds-¼ cup
- Avocado Oil - 2 teaspoon
- Spices:
- Salt – as per your taste
- Black pepper – 1 tsp
- Roasted cumin powder – 1 tsp
- Dry ginger powder- ½ tsp
- Onion powder-2 teaspoon
- Garlic powder-1 teaspoon
Produce
- Frozen mixed veggies- 1 cup
- Beetroot- 1 cup
- Onion – 1 medium-sized finely chopped
- Italian parsley – 1 cup roughly chopped
- Cilantro – 1 cup roughly chopped
- Green chilies – 2 or 3 chilies chopped
- Ginger – 1-inch piece finely chopped or grated
- Lemon juice – 1 tbs
How to Make Falafel
- Ensure you have soaked the chickpeas for at least 6 hours before starting with the recipe below.
- Boil soaked chickpeas, mixed frozen veggies, and chopped beetroots in a pressure cooker with water up to the top. Cook for 15 mins with natural pressure release. For stovetop pressure cookers, cook until the first whistle and let the pressure release naturally. Don't overcook the chickpeas.
- While the chickpeas are boiling, roughly chop the onions, cilantro, parsley, green chilies and ginger.
- Once the pressure is completely released, strain the chickpeas and the vegetables into a colander. Note: Don’t throw away the liquid; instead, save it to knead the dough or to make vegan aquafaba to replace the egg whites in the baking.
- Place the drained chickpeas, vegetable mix, and roughly chopped parsley, cilantro, onions, ginger, and green chilies in a food processor. Pulse using a chopping blade until a rough, coarse texture is achieved. Don’t over-process into a paste.
- Transfer the contents of the food processor into a mixing bowl. Then add all the spices and flour (salt, black pepper, roasted cumin powder, flax seed meal, hemp seed, almond flour, and lemon juice).
- Mix it to assimilate all the ingredients nicely.
- Now, use this mixture to make flat falafel patties or conventional round falafels. Tip: For even sizing, use an ice cream scoop or similar spoon. Portion out the whole mixture into patties or roundels.
- Place these falafel patties and/or roundels onto a lined baking sheet and refrigerate them for 30 minutes. Tip: At this point, freeze extra patties/roundels for later use.
- There are several ways to cook these falafels. You can grill, deep fry, bake, or shallow fry them. You can opt for baking or shallow frying if you want a healthier version. Among the healthy cooking methods, shallow or pan frying keeps them moist.
- For shallow frying, preheat and grease the appropriate pan. For pattie use a griddle, and for roundels, use an aebleskiver or takoyaki pan. Tip: Patties will soak up all the oil you put in, so be very conscious of the quantity of oil you add. Half a teaspoon of oil should be enough to brown them evenly.
- Place the patties and/or roundels on a preheated pan. Cook until golden brown from the bottom for a few minutes, and gently flip them. Use a chopstick or skewer to flip the roundels in an aebleskiver or takoyaki pan.
- Remove the cooked falafel patties or falafel balls on a cooling rack to avoid getting them soggy with the steam.
- Repeat the process until all the patties and/or roundels are cooked.
Falafel Serving Ideas
This falafel recipe is versatile since it can be served in a variety of ways to provide a healthy and nutritious main dish or appetizer.
You can serve falafel patties in a burger, on a mezz-style platter, tuck them into a fluffy pita bread, crumble them a bit on a wrap, or serve them as a snack/appetizer with tzatziki, tahini sauce, or your favorite hummus. The possibilities are endless!
Other Vegetarian Pan-Fried Patty Options
Recipe
Pan-fried Healthy Falafel Recipe
Ingredients
From My Pantry
- 1 cup Chickpeas washed, soaked overnight and drained
- ½ cup Almond flour or Rice flour/bread crumbs/quick oats
- ¼ cup Flaxseed meal
- ¼ cup Hemp seeds
- 3 tablespoon avocado oil
Spices:
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Roasted cumin powder
- ½ tsp Dry ginger powder
- 2 tsp Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
Produce
- 1 cup Frozen mixed veggies
- 1 cup Beetroot washed and chopped
- 1 cup Italian parsley washed chopped
- 1 cup fresh Cilantro washed and chopped
- 1 teaspoon Green chilies chopped
- 1 tbs Ginger grated
- 1 cup Onion chopped
- 1 tbs Lemon juice
Instructions
- Ensure you have soaked the chickpeas for at least 6 hours before starting with the recipe below.
- Boil soaked chickpeas, mixed frozen veggies, and chopped beetroots in a pressure cooker with water up to the top. Cook for 15 mins with natural pressure release. For stovetop pressure cookers, cook until the first whistle and let the pressure release naturally. Don't overcook the chickpeas.
- While the chickpeas are getting boiled, roughly chop the onions, cilantro, parsley, green chilies, and ginger.
- Once the pressure is completely released, strain the chickpeas and the veggies into a colander. Note: Don’t throw away the liquid ;instead save it to knead the dough or to make vegan aquafaba to replace the egg whites in the cooking.
- Place the drained chickpeas and vegetable mix with roughly chopped parsley, cilantro, onions, ginger, and green chilies in a food processor. Pulse it using a chopping blade until a rough, coarse texture is achieved. Don’t over-process into a paste.
- Transfer the contents of the food processor into a mixing bowl. Then add all the spices and flour (salt, black pepper, roasted cumin powder, flaxseed meal, hempseed, almond flour, and lemon juice).
- Mix it to assimilate all the ingredients nicely.
- Make flat falafel patties or conventional round falafels out of the mixture. Tip: Use an ice cream scoop or similar for even sizing. Portion out the whole mixture into patties or roundals.
- Place these falafel patties and/or roundels onto a lined baking sheet and refrigerate them for 30 minutes. Note: At this point, freeze the extra patties/roundels for later use.
- There are several ways to cook these falafels. You can grill, deep fry, bake, or shallow fry them. You can opt for baking or shallow frying if you want a healthier version. Among the healthy cooking methods, shallow or pan frying keeps them moist.
- For shallow frying, pre-heat and grease the appropriate pan. For patties use a griddle, and for roundels, use an aebleskiver or takoyaki pan. Tip: Patties will soak up all the oil you put in, so be very conscious of the quantity of oil you add. Half a teaspoon of oil should be enough to brown them evenly.
- Place the patties and/or roundels on the pre-heated pan. Cook for a few minutes until golden brown from the bottom, and gently flip them. Use a chopstick or skewer to flip the roundels in an aebleskiver or takoyaki pan.
- Remove the cooked falafel patties or balls on a cooling rack to avoid getting them soggy with the steam.
- Repeat the process until all the patties and/or roundels are cooked.
- Serve these falafel patties in a burger, serve them with a mezz-style plater, tuck them into a fluffy pita bread, crumble them little on a wrap, or serve them just like that as a snack/appetizer with tzatziki or tahini sauce or your favorite hummus the possibilities are endless.
Nicoll Ordoñez says
This recipe turned out super good. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Anana says
I made it today. Turned out very tasty. Will definitely make it again. Thank you.
Rupali Agarwal says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for sharing your feedback- Rupali