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!
Frugal Hausfrau
These look so marvelous and I love that they're baked and there's not all the hassle of frying! Not to mention the obvious healthier aspect! Great recipe, Kathryn!
Thanks for sharing this with us on Throwback Thursday~
Mollie
Kathryn
Thanks Mollie! Baking is definitely my method of choice for falafel 😉
Helen Fern
I love falafel - and you make it looks so easy! Thanks for sharing on the "What's for Dinner" link up~
Kathryn
Thanks Helen! It really is surprisingly easy 🙂
Aly
What's the best way to reheat these after you make them? They're in the oven now, but I already know I'm not going to be able to finish them all!
Kathryn
Hi Aly! I hope you loved the falafel! I store them in the fridge for a few days and reheat in the microwave, because I'm kinda lazy and inpatient. 😉 They tend to crumble a bit that way though so you could warm them back up in the oven or a toaster oven if you want them to stay intact. They also freeze great, too! Again, they may get somewhat crumbly but you can use them that way to stuff pitas or top salads. Hope that helps!
Aly
It was delicious! They did get very crumbly, but I just made a falafel-hummus soup and everything worked out!
Kathryn
That sounds so yummy! 😋
Daniela Enriquez
i tried this recipie but sadly it was a disaster. i followed every step but the falafels never stayed as a ball. They completely fell apart even if i tried to put them back together. they were just falafel crumbs :/
i have no idea why i had such a different end result than everybody else, but i'm really disappointed.
Kathryn
Hi Daniela, I'm so sorry to hear that! I'm not sure if they were falling apart before or after you baked them. If before, you may just need to refrigerate for longer - that really helps! If after, it may have been that they needed to bake longer before flipping, after flipping, or both. Regardless, sorry it didn't work for you!
Sara
Mine were way too salty. I would consider cutting the salt in half if you aren't a huge salt lover like me.
Kathryn
Thanks for noting that Sara! I usually use homemade chickpeas, which have way less salt than the canned variety. And depending on the brand and how well they are drained and rinsed, that could affect the salt content too. But a good point that people could reduce the amount of salt and maybe just sprinkle with some sea salt after baking if they want more.
Marie-Claude
I made them and its to salty and I think there is to much soda. Yuk. I ruined the recipe. You have to cut half of soda and salt please.
Kathryn
I'm sorry to hear these didn't work out for you! I haven't had an issue with the baking soda or the salt level, but that can certainly be affected by your chickpeas. If they aren't rinsed really well, they can retain a lot of the liquid from the can, which is high in sodium. But you can certainly try adjusting those two elements if you want to make them again.
Janey
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. I'm really pleased to learn how to make falafel. I got as far as "spray your pan with cooking spray" though. I've managed to live this long without ever buying "cooking spray". I just can't justify the land fill or expense. A little bit of olive oil, already on hand, will do the same thing.
Thanks again
Molly
Kathryn, I made these last night and they were awesome! The kids even gobbled them up.
Kathryn
Oh yay! I'm so happy to hear you all enjoyed them Molly! Thanks for sharing 😊
Katie
I have to try this recipe ASAP!
Kathryn
I hope you do Katie! 😊
Megan
Definitely going to try these the next time we do a Greek night.
Kathryn
Yay, I hope you do Megan!
Megan @ Megunprocessed
I love baking falafels! Healthy and delicious! These look delish!
Kathryn
Thanks Megan! 🙂
Trish
These are delicious! I add a bit more cilantro and parsley, (which just helps make them more fantastically tasty) - I also serve them with a yummy, garlicky tzatziki sauce and homemade turnip pickles.
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you loved them Trish! Love those pairings too - yum!
Joce
I made these today and they turned out crispy but were relatively inedible with the amount of salt. If using canned chickpeas, definitely omit the salt completely or lower the amount at the very least.
Kathryn
Hi Joce, I wonder if your canned chickpeas were extra salty for some reason. I have definitely used canned before for this recipe and the falafel were fine. The trick is rinsing the chickpeas really, really well to get all of the canning liquid off of them (that's where most of the sodium is). Sorry it didn't work this time but I hope you try them again!
Kristen Stokely
Hi there Kathryn,
It's only me in my household. I'd rather have these falafel made fresh. Would I be able to either refrigerate or freeze the extras before baking to make later?
Thanks!
Kristen
Kathryn
Hi Kristen, I've never tried that since we tend to use them up, but I think it would work. You would probably want to freeze them on a wax paper-lined baking tray until they firm up and then transfer them to a freezer bag until you are ready to use them. Hope that helps and would love to hear if you try it!
Melanie Ford
This is a good recipe and nearly exactly the way my Abuela from Zihuatanejo causes it to be I'm excited to try out some of the additional recipes Kristin! I really like your answers how everyone has gaps in their own kitchen and that you aren't scared to step outside the box. Keep this up! For your"women" who bashed; pity you! What happened to others!
Linda
The recipe had some nice flavor but, honestly, it needs a rework. Despite following all of the directions, tt was terribly crumbly and did not hold shape during the cooking process and fell apart into crumbles on our plates. It needs some sort of binding ingredients. I often use another 'baked' recipe that includes a bit of flour and an egg. In addition, as others have mentioned, it was way too salty, despite the fact that I only used 2/3 of your suggested amount. Beans were rinsed thoroughly, in case you're wondering.
Kathryn
Hi Linda, I'm so sorry you had trouble with this recipe. My patties always stay together great after they've chilled in the fridge, but there are so many variables that could have affected yours. You could definitely try adding an egg as a binder next time to see if that helps. Also, I've never found these too salty myself but I am going to revise that in the recipe card since you can always add salt but you can't take it away. Thanks for the feedback!
April
Could I freeze these after baking them? If so, how would I reheat them afterwards?
Thanks!
Kathryn
Hi April, yes, you can freeze the extras after you've baked them. I let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat them in the microwave or toaster oven. They tend to be more crumbly the second time around, but work great for stuffing into pitas or putting over a salad. I hope that helps!
A
I really must learn to read comments under a recipe before deciding if I'm going to try it. I encountered the same problems as others: Fortunately instinct told me to skip the salt. My mix was so crumbly that I couldn't form it into anything resembling a patty. So I added two eggs and when that didn't bind it enough I poured the whole lot into a baking tray and cut it into cubes after it was cooked. What I got wasn't really falafal, but it was still edible and yummy in a wrap with salad.
Kathryn
Hi there, I've actually revised the amount of salt in this recipe because of some of the comments from others, so hopefully that won't be an issue going forward. I'm sorry you had trouble with getting them to stick together. Did you refrigerate them according to the directions? That makes a big difference. (I have other tips in the post about how to get the patties to stay together and be sturdy, like mine are in the photos and video.) Regardless, I'm glad the flavor was good and you were able to enjoy them!
Melanie
Made these last night and love the recipe. Very easy! However, still too salty. I will definitely be making again but with half the salt amount.
Melanie
Note: I used canned chickpeas with no added salt, and I rinsed them very well before use.
Kathryn
I'm so glad you loved them Melanie! Sorry they were still a bit salty for you but happy to hear you'll be trying them again! 😊
Ali
OMG, just made the and they are soooo good!!
Added chopped jalapeño for some spice, otherwise followed your instructions, this was my first time making falafels, and won't be my last! I was just going to sample a tiny bit before putting them in the fridge but inhaled the entire thing.
Thank you for this recipe!!
Ali
Oh yeah, wanted to add we do the Slow Carb Diet, and this fits pretty well into that.
Kathryn
Oh I'm so happy to hear you loved them Ali! They are one of my very favorites! And love the jalapeño addition - yum! 😊
Jay
Can I make the patties a day or two in advance and leave them in the fridge until ready to bake?
Kathryn
Yes, that should work just fine! Hope you enjoy them!
Dawn Stangle
I am trying this recipe for the first time. However, where in the falafel patties is the baking soda called for in the ingredients list?
Kathryn
Hi Dawn! That's step 2 - "Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients (through baking soda). Mix well." Hope that helps and hope you enjoy them!
Dawn Stangle
I missed that part! The ones I made were very good, but very dry-I'm assuming because I simply left out the baking soda.
Kristina
Mine didn’t set 🙁 I’m super sad cause I was looking forward to them. What did I do wrong?
Kathryn
Hi Kristina, I'm sorry to hear that! I know it's disappointing when a recipe doesn't turn out. It's hard to say what went wrong... if the chickpeas weren't really well drained, that might have made the mixture too moist. Or if the patties didn't get well chilled in the fridge, that could cause them to fall apart. It could also be oven/cooking temperature, which can vary a lot. Or picking them up too quickly after they've baked - they need a few minutes to rest to set up all the way. I hope at least you can use the crumbles - they stuff into pitas and on salads great!
Divorced Kat
Tasty but crumbly. I cut the salt in half and used dried parsley. I wonder if nutritional yeast could work as a binder?
Kathryn
I'm sorry yours were crumbly! Mine always hold together well after I've let them set up in the fridge. Also, I think fresh herbs are key here but glad to know you still liked the flavor with the dried parsley. As for the nutritional yeast, that could possibly help as a binder if yours aren't holding together. It'll add a different flavor, but could be good!
Ruth
Hi,
The recipe is pretty tasty although pretty salty for my taste. Even cutting down on salt. Could it be because of the baking soda? In the end there is sodium in there as well
And do you need to use baking soda or baking powder? The video says one thing, the recipe another.
Kathryn Doherty
Hi Ruth, I'm sorry it ended up on the salty side for you. Also, the written recipe is correct; it should be baking soda. I haven't tried making it without that but it may work fine.