Easy vegan falafel recipe | Jamie Oliver vegan recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why is my falafel not fluffy? ›

Falafel have to be crispy on the outside yet soft and fluffy in the inside. They have to have enough fresh herbs and onion. Too much onion and your falafel will have a bad after taste. Too little and they won't be as moist and fluffy as they should be.

Simply add chickpeas, parsley, shallot, garlic, salt, pepper, and spices to a food processor or blender and pulse the mixture until combined. All-purpose flour (or your flour of choice) is added to soak up some of the moisture.

Serving falafel with sauce is a must to keep them moist. We use hummus but feel free to have tahini or even tzatziki with it.

Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern “fast food” made of a mixture of chickpeas (or fava beans), fresh herbs, and spices that are formed into a small patties or balls. It's thought that falafel originated in Egypt as Coptic Christians looked for a hearty replacement for meat during long seasons of fasting or lent.

Canned chickpeas do not work for falafel. They're far too wet. If you try to use canned chickpeas instead of dried and soaked chickpeas, you'll end up with sad falafel pancakes. Some recipes try to counteract the wetness by adding flour, which significantly dulls the flavor and makes the texture more doughy.

Using dried chickpeas eliminates the need for flour or other binders, giving you falafel that is light and crisp. Letting the falafel dough rest after grinding allows starch to seep out, making it easier for the balls to retain their shape.

I recommend olive oil, canola oil or avocado oil. Ground flaxseed. This is the binding agent in this vegan falafel recipe. You can substitute 1 egg for the 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed.

Chickpeas. Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are the protein (and fiber) powerhouses that make up hummus. But you can also use them to make baked falafel, which is solid enough to serve as a meat-free patty.

Great news for plant-based dieters – almost all tahini is vegan tahini! Generally, tahini only contains sesame seeds and occasionally some vegetable-based oil and salt, all of which are perfectly safe for vegans to consume.

Baking soda and powder: Baking soda breaks down and softens the chickpeas as they soak. Baking powder, mixed in just before baking, makes the falafel light and airy. Fresh herbs: The tender leaves of parsley, dill, and cilantro bring fresh, herbal flavor and color.

What holds falafel together? ›

And the perfect binding ingredient for falafel is flour. Nothing fancy, just plain all-purpose flour. Add a few tablespoons at a time to your mixture, until you can press it easily into balls or patties. Just be sure you don't overwork the falafel batter.

If the mixture is too wet, the falafel has a tendency to fall apart when being fried so please pat dry the ingredients before using them. If you find the mixture is too wet, simply add little more breadcrumbs. The falafel mixture after prepared can be shaped by hand or with a tool called an alb falafel (falafel mold).

Is Falafel Vegan? Since falafel is prepared with chickpeas, herbs, spices and alliums, it is vegan. However, falafel is sometimes served in wraps which may not be vegan, or with yogurt- or dairy-based sauces, so be sure to seek out vegan-friendly accompaniments.

There are three types of falafel--Traditional falafel, baked falafel and lemon falafel. “Where the traditional falafel is the basic fried falafel comprising a mix of chickpeas, onions, garlic, herbs and spices, baked falafels are made using fresh herbs in the chickpea mixture,” says Chef Sati from Ophelia.

Whereas falafel is a complex carbohydrate, which contains fibre, vitamins and minerals that take longer to digest. Fibre slows down sugar absorption, which helps to control blood sugar levels. Soluble fibre – the kind that is in falafel – can also reduce levels of bad cholesterol.

Just be sure you don't overwork the falafel batter. Handle it as little as possible and use a scoop to form the balls and drop them into the oil. Specialty shops actually sell a falafel former but a cookie scoop will work just fine. Otherwise, you might end up with hard, dense nuggets instead of a crispy, airy bite.

A few rough bits are completely fine. If the mixture is too wet, the falafel has a tendency to fall apart when being fried so please pat dry the ingredients before using them. If you find the mixture is too wet, simply add little more breadcrumbs.

The trademark, “ideal” texture of falafel is coarse, crunchy, and yet still somehow light on the inside. Canned chickpeas are just too tender to hold their own against the blades of a food processor… They get pulverized into a dense, textureless paste at the very sight of the blade.

Traditional falafel is made from ground chickpeas or fava beans, herbs and spices. The mixture is then formed into balls or patties and deep fried for a texture that's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, sort of like a fritter.