Crispy Baked Falafel Bites 🧆🇱🇧

Description

Little oven baked falafel bites with herbs and warm spices, perfect for dipping into tahini sauce or piling into soft pita for a quick snack 🧆

Hook

Crispy on the outside, fluffy and fragrant inside – these baked falafel bites give you all the Middle Eastern street food vibes without deep frying ✨

Ingredients

• For the falafel mixture
• 🧆 250 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained (1¼ cups / 8.8 oz)
• 🧅 80 g yellow onion, roughly chopped (½ medium / 2.8 oz)
• 🧄 10 g garlic, roughly chopped (3 cloves / 0.35 oz)
• 🌿 30 g fresh flat leaf parsley, leaves and tender stems (1 packed cup / 1.1 oz)
• 🌱 20 g fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems (¾ packed cup / 0.7 oz)
• 🌿 6 g ground cumin (2 tsp / 0.21 oz)
• 🌿 4 g ground coriander (1½ tsp / 0.14 oz)
• 🌶️ 2 g smoked or sweet paprika (½ tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🧂 7 g fine sea salt (1¼ tsp / 0.25 oz)
• ⚫ 2 g freshly ground black pepper (½ tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🌾 8 g baking powder (2 tsp / 0.28 oz)
• 🌾 20–25 g chickpea flour or all purpose flour, as needed (3–4 tbsp / 0.7–0.9 oz)
• For shaping and baking
• 🫒 30 ml olive oil (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🫒 15 ml olive oil for brushing the tray (1 tbsp / ½ fl oz)
• For serving (suggestions)
• 🥄 Silky tahini lemon sauce (from previous recipe)
• 🥒 Sliced cucumber and tomato
• 🥙 Warm pita bread or flatbread

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Soak the chickpeas
2. Place the dried chickpeas in a large bowl, cover with plenty of cold water (they will at least double in size) and soak for 12–18 hours. Drain very well and pat dry with a clean towel – they must not be wet when you blend them.
3. 2️⃣ Prep the aromatics
4. Roughly chop the onion, garlic, parsley and cilantro so they fit easily into the food processor. Remove any very thick stems.
5. 3️⃣ Pulse the mixture
6. Add the drained chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley and cilantro to a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the mixture looks finely chopped and grainy but not like a smooth paste. Scrape down the sides a few times so everything processes evenly.
7. 4️⃣ Season and bind
8. Add cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, black pepper and baking powder. Pulse again to combine. Sprinkle in 3 tbsp of chickpea flour and pulse a few more times. The mixture should hold together when squeezed in your hand but still feel light and slightly crumbly. If it is too wet or loose, add the remaining 1 tbsp flour and pulse again.
9. 5️⃣ Chill the mixture
10. Transfer the falafel mixture to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This helps the flavors meld and makes shaping easier.
11. 6️⃣ Preheat the oven and tray
12. Place a large baking tray in the oven and preheat to 220°C (428°F). Once hot, carefully remove the tray, brush it with 1 tbsp olive oil and set aside for shaping the falafel.
13. 7️⃣ Shape the falafel bites
14. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, form walnut sized portions of the mixture (about 20–24 pieces). Roll each portion into a ball and gently flatten into a thick disc about 3 cm wide (1¼ in). Place them on the oiled hot tray, leaving a little space between pieces.
15. 8️⃣ Brush and bake
16. Brush the tops of the falafel bites lightly with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Bake at 220°C (428°F) for 10 minutes, then carefully flip each piece and bake for another 8–10 minutes, until deep golden and crisp on the outside.
17. 9️⃣ Rest and serve
18. Let the falafel rest on the tray for 3–4 minutes so the crust sets. Serve warm with silky tahini lemon sauce, fresh vegetables and warm pita.

Total Time

⏱️ Prep: 25 min (plus soaking time)
🔥 Cook/Bake: 20 min
🛋️ Rest: 35 min
⏰ Total: 80 min (bez računanja noćnog potapanja)

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