These easy baked falafel patties are sturdy with bright, fresh herbs running through them. Perfect for stuffing into pitas and drizzling with this simple, creamy tahini sauce!
*** This post has been updated with new photos and notes and a small recipe tweak. It was originally published in February 2016. ***
My favorite restaurant in college was a hole-in-the-wall Mediterranean joint and I loved their falafel appetizer.
Even though it was fried... and so when I decided I just had to recreate my own version at home, I knew I wanted a baked version.
It just had to be every bit as flavorful!
So after much trial and error, I present these gorgeous homemade baked falafel patties.
They are super easy to make - just mix and form into patties - and they are sturdy and will hold together for you.
You should probably be careful not to burn your fingers as you reach for one on the pan straight out of the oven. I personally cannot resist.
These falafel are bursting with bright flavors from the fresh cilantro and parsley, and they pack a hefty, hearty flavor from all the meaty chick peas.
They have a crispy crust on the outside and a soft, creamy inside.
You are going to want to eat falafel forever!
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, I'll eat these any time of day. Doesn't get any better than those amazing flavors all smushed up together, if you ask me.
Oh and I should mention that they are vegan and gluten-free too.
OK, let's get cooking so you can enjoy them too!
Now, I've got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make falafel. Just tryin' to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Recipe Tips:
- Make small, thick patties. This makes them easier to flip. And then you get a big bite to sink your teeth into.
- Refrigerate the patties for a little while after you form them - this helps them firm up so they stay together when you are cooking them. This is also a great step for parties so you don't have to fuss with them right before the guests come. (You can freeze them in a little less time if you're too eager and want to speed things up. I know I'm impatient when it comes to falafel.)
- Spray the baking pan with cooking spray so the patties don't stick to the pan when you try to flip them.
- Flip carefully. If a couple start to crumble on you, just smush them back together. They will firm up in the second round of baking.
- Let the baked falafel cool slightly for a couple of minutes on the pan and then serve. Once they've sat out, they can be a bit crumbly. That goes for any leftovers, too. But no worries. You can still stuff the crumbly bits into some pita bread, or just sprinkle it over a bowl of hummus or on a salad.
Ready to eat? Me too.
Here's a few serving ideas, cause falafel really is very versatile!
Serving Ideas:
- Stuff into a pita with lettuce and tomato and drizzle with tahini sauce
- Serve dolloped with hummus (alone or in a pita or wrap)
- Serve over salads or grain bowls as a plant-based protein option
- Eat with scrambled eggs and salsa in the morning for a savory breakfast
If you're feeling particularly ambitious, I highly recommend a massive Mediterranean spread of this baked falafel along with my 5-minute homemade hummus, some tabbouleh, warm pita bread, a mix of olives and anything else you can scrounge up to go with it. ❤️
And if you need a meat option as well, definitely check out this slow cooker chicken shawarma. Unbelievably good.
ALL the delicious flavors in one place. This is the stuff dreams are made of.
Finally, here's what to do with any extras.
How to Store Leftovers:
- Leftover falafel patties can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheat in the microwave or in a toaster oven. (A toaster oven will help get some of the crusty edge back. So will an Air Fryer if you have one.) They may be a bit more crumbly, but still work great stuffed into pitas or crumbled over a salad or grain bowl.
- You can also freeze leftover falafel. Place the patties in a (labeled and dated) freezer-safe ziplock bag and freeze for up to 6 months.
- Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and then heat to serve.
Last thing: I have received some comments that these are too salty. I recently remade them and cut the salt back to 1 teaspoon. (It had been 1 ½ teaspoons.) They came out fine so I have revised the recipe card to reflect that.
Now, I did sprinkle some salt on a couple when I served them, but they may not need it depending on how you are planning to use them.
I also must emphasize that you have to rinse your canned chickpeas really well to get rid of the sodium-heavy liquid from the can.
Also, I use kosher salt. It has a different sodium level than iodized table salt, so they cannot be substituted 1:1 or you will get different results. OK, that's it!
I hope you give these a try soon to get your falafel fix.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Easy Baked Falafel and Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
For the falafel:
- 2 (14.5 oz.) cans chickpeas (or 3 cups crock pot chickpeas), rinsed and drained
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- ½ cup loosely packed cilantro
- ¼ cup loosely packed parsley
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, see notes
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
For the tahini sauce:
- ¼ cup tahini, see notes
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoons of water
- salt and pepper to taste
For serving (optional):
- Pita bread
- Lettuce and tomato
Instructions
- Combine the chickpeas, red onion, garlic, cilantro and parsley in a food processor. Process until broken down but still a little chunky.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients (through baking soda). Mix well.
- Form the falafel mixture into patties. I like doing small, thick patties - it makes it easier to flip them and they hold together better. Plus, you get a generous bite!
- Place the patties on a plate, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Or, you can stick the patties in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. This helps them set up so they'll hold together better.
- Preheat the oven to 400. Remove falafel patties and space them out evenly on a baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.
- Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, then flip carefully. If any of the patties fall apart a little, you can carefully use the spatula and your hand to smush them back together. They firm up by the time they are finished baking.
- Bake another 10-15 minutes, until well browned and firm.
- In the meantime, make the tahini sauce. Mix the tahini, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of water and a dash of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add additional water, a tablespoon at a time, if needed, to get the sauce to a drizzling consistency. (It will depend on the thickness of your tahini.)
- Once they are finished cooking and nicely browned, remove the falafel patties and let cool for a couple minutes on the pan. This helps them finish setting up so they hold together.
- Serve in the pitas with the tahini sauce, and enjoy!
Save This Recipe
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
swayam says
looks so delicious! Baked falafel is a total winner!
Kathryn says
Thanks! It's one of my favorites 🙂
Jay says
What is the serving size? I know the recipe makes 10 - 12 but how many for the 175 calorie...2 I hope
Kathryn says
Hi Jay! I just updated my recipe card to indicate that it's 2 patties to make sure it was calculating correctly. It now says that it's 134 calories for those 2 patties, plus the tahini sauce. Hope that helps!
Laura says
Mediterranean food is one of my favorites!! When I was pregnant with my son I ate falafel at a local restaurant at least one a week! Yikes! 🙂 I love eating them with tzatziki! 🙂 These look awesome!!!
Kathryn says
Thanks Laura! Once a week falafel sounds like a great idea, pregnant or not 😉 And yes, also so good with tzatziki!
Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs says
I love baked alternatives to usually fried snacks. Like you I try to avoid the fryer but falafel is one of my go-to bites for my lunch box - thank you for sharing a true healthy alternative!
Kathryn says
Thanks Emma! These would be lovely for lunching on - and yay to unfried versions of foods! 🙂
Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction says
These falafel patties look absolutely delicious! I wanna grab some and dip it in that sauce!
Kathryn says
Thanks Marsha! Dip, dunk, devour!
peter @feedyoursoultoo says
I have been thinking of making falafel. I love that you baked it and still got such a good crisp on it.
Kathryn says
Do it Peter! Everyone needs falafel in their life. 🙂 And yes- I finally got a good crust. Just follow the tips above and you'll be all set!
Tracy | Baking Mischief says
I'm all about reforming fried foods! These look great and I love the easy tahini sauce.
Good luck with the oven install. Breaking in new kitchen appliances is always fun. 😉
Kathryn says
Thanks Tracy! It's a good pairing. And I'm itching to get to know my new oven... just a few more days... 🙂
Sonal says
Love the baked version!
Kathryn says
Thanks Sonal! Same great flavor but not fried - woo hoo!
Shreyashi says
Hi Kathryn, talk about college food. Even for me, this dinky little shawarma joint was the stuff of legends. And I used to love their fried falafels too. I would be making this soon, as fried food at home is not my cup of tea. And I'd perhaps make a big batch, enough to feed a party, but squirrel it away in the fridge and bake and eat them all myself. Muhahaha 😛
Kathryn says
Love that we had the same go-to college food cravings 🙂 And that now we do it healthier and at home! I'm with you - make it all for you because you will not want to share! Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Ah, my weakness! Falafel and of course TAHINI!!! I could so eat this every day and be totally content!
Kathryn says
Me too Rebecca! Falafel forever!
Sherri @ Watch Learn Eat says
I have never made falafel patties before, but falafel is one of my husband's favorites. I'm so glad I found this recipe - I am definitely going to make this for (or with) him! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Kathryn says
Falafel is the best and this is a super easy recipe - just mix, form into patties and you're ready to go! I hope you give it a try and let me know what you guys think!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
I could definitely eat falafel forever! I loved your baked version, and they *do* look sturdy! Yum!
Kathryn says
Yay, I'm not the only one who wants falafel ALL the time 🙂
Lisa @ Chocolate Meets Strawberry says
Oh how I love falafel, and these remind me that I haven't had any in ages! I love that you've baked them instead of fried them, Kathryn - I do love the taste of the fried ones, but I can't bear standing over a pan full of hot oil. Usually by the end of it I'm just too hot and sticky to have a decent appetite. And you remind me that I miss all my college (well, here we call it uni!) eating spots, too. My favourite were burritos! So greasy but SO darn good!!
Kathryn says
You've got to try making it Lisa - you'll love how easy it is! And no oil splatters or burns with this baked version 🙂 We had a burrito place in college, too - can't beat a huge burrito for a college appetite!
Amy @ NomRecipes says
Thank you for this simple recipe! The photo looks amazing as well 🙂
Kathryn says
Thanks so much Amy!
Cathleen @ A Taste Of Madness says
I love falafel!! And baked? This sounds so perfect!
Kathryn says
Thanks Cathleen! Baked is SO the way to go 😉
Kate @ Framed Cooks says
You know, I just love falafel (and being surrounded by food trucks here in lower Manhattan I have easy access) but I've never tried making it myself - you have inspired me with this great step by step post. I can do it!
Kathryn says
Easy access to food trucks sounds so fun! But you can definitely do your own falafel Kate - it really is easy! Plus then you get to control the ingredients 🙂 Hope you give it a try!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
How did u know I am obsessed with baked falafels, haven't made them in way too long, ad was JUST talking about them the other day? It like you posted this just for me! Your falafels look faaaaabulous! And putting them on top of some eggs??! YES! Genius! Totally doing that! My favorite way to eat them is any way that involves stuffing my face, by the way. 😉 Yay to your oven arriving way sooner than anticipated! That's fantastic news! Cheers, my dear! <3
Kathryn says
Absolutely it's just for you Cheyanne! Had a feeling you were overdue for some 🙂 Glad, too, you don't think I'm crazy for eating them for breakfast! P.S. The oven is being installed as I type this - woo hoo!
Rahul @samosastreet.com says
I am a big fan of falafel, this healthy oven baked falafel looks great
Kathryn says
Thanks Rahul! I'm a huge falafel fan, too, and this baked version really holds up!
Keri @ Fashionable Foods says
These baked falafels look just perfect! And yum to that creamy tahini sauce!
Kathryn says
Thanks Keri! They do go so well together 🙂
Adina says
I love falafel but was never lucky enough to find a baked falafel recipe that I really really like. They were ok, but not as good as the fried ones. I am trying your version and really hope it works!!! It would be great to be able to eat falafel more often, I don't do fried either. 🙂
Kathryn says
Adina, I hope you try it and let me know what you think! I tinkered with this until I got it to where I liked it because I'm pretty particular about my falafel too 😉
Willow | Will Cook For Friends says
Mmm, I love falafel! I've never even attempted to make it from scratch, though -- for some reason I just have this mental block where I think I'm going to fail miserably, so I don't even try (so unlike me 😉 ) I think this is just what I needed to encourage me... they sound so good!
Kathryn says
You can do it Willow! You will be surprised how easy it is! (At least this baked version.) And then you can have falafel ALL the time 🙂
Kim | Low Carb Maven says
How fun that you had a great Mediterranean place to eat when you were in college, mmmm. We had a chicken wing place and a sub place. Okay, it was an epic sub place and in Rochester, NY all of the chicken wings are good....
I LOVE this recipe and have been hungering for some good falafel. My first low-carb attempt was an epic FAIL! I'll have to try these because they look majorly delicious!
Kathryn says
OK, yeah, you can't complain about subs and wings in Rochester - you were surrounded by good eats 🙂
I have had a few falafel fails myself but this recipe has worked like a charm. Would love to hear if you try it and what you think!
Marla Meridith says
These falafel look fantastic & I love that they are baked 🙂
Kathryn says
Thanks Marla! Baked is the way to go!
Sarah | Well and Full says
I love homemade falafels, and these look amazing!!
Kathryn says
Thanks Sarah! Hope you give them a try!
Debra @ Bowl Me Over says
Looks just delicious - can't wait to try these!! Stopped by to do some sharing from #FoodieFriDIY!
Kathryn says
Thanks so much Debra!
Carlee says
I have always wanted to make falafel, but I don't fry things. I will have to give these a try! Thanks so much for bringing them by Throwback Thursday.
Kathryn says
I'm the same way - no frying - but these baked falafel are just as great (and so easy!)