Baked Falafel with Canned Chickpeas
Learn how to make a baked falafel recipe with canned chickpeas, and enjoy all the taste and texture of traditional falafels with less fat and minimal prep work! Prepare a big batch to serve in salads, grain bowls, and pita pockets with all your favorite toppings and sauces.
What Is Falafel?
Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern fast food or street food. Consisting of chickpeas or fava beans, fresh herbs, and warm spices, falafel is shaped into balls or patties and typically fried in oil. As a result, it’s golden and crisp on the outside with a soft interior.
You can find falafel throughout Egypt in the Middle East. There are endless varieties, but it is commonly served in sandwich form with tahini or tzatziki and a cucumber and tomato salad.
The Best Baked Falafel Recipe with Canned Chickpeas
This recipe for baked falafel is a healthier alternative to the traditional fried Middle Eastern staple. It’s also a lot quicker and easier to make thanks to the use of canned chickpeas!
Most recipes require boiling raw, dry chickpeas and claim that you can’t use canned beans. However, I’ve tested this healthy baked falafel recipe both ways and found that both types of chickpeas work well.
Personally, I prefer to use canned chickpeas, because it cuts the prep time significantly, but the choice is up to you. The only thing you need to make sure to do is dry the chickpeas really well. Otherwise, the patties will fall apart.
Follow the recipe below, and you’ll have restaurant-worthy falafel patties with just a few simple steps in less than an hour!
Jump to:
- What Is Falafel?
- The Best Baked Falafel Recipe with Canned Chickpeas
- Canned Chickpea Falafel ingredients
- How to make Baked Falafel with Canned Chickpeas
- Baked Falafel Recipe tips
- Serving Baked Falafel
- How to store Canned Chickpea Falafel
- FAQs for Falafel with Canned Chickpeas
- For more easy recipes, check out my:
- More Popular The Fit Peach Recipes
- Recipe
- Reviews
Canned Chickpea Falafel ingredients
- Chickpeas - Also known as garbanzo beans, these form the base of the recipe. Be sure to drain them and pat them completely dry.
- Aromatics - Shallot and garlic cloves amp up the flavor of the falafel with a savory, mildly sweet taste.
- Fresh Herbs - Fresh parsley and fresh cilantro add bright, pepper notes that balance out some of the warmth of the spices.
- Flaxseeds - These continue to the mealy texture, helping the patties hold their shape. Plus, flaxseeds are a great source of healthy fats and fiber.
- Arrowroot starch - This acts as a binder holding the patties together.
- Lemon - You’ll need lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Spices - Cumin, coriander, paprika, black pepper, and salt create a bold, savory flavor with the perfect amount of heat.
- Baking soda - This helps keep the interior of this baked falafel recipe soft and fluffy. For the best results, make sure it’s fresh!
How to make Baked Falafel with Canned Chickpeas
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step One: Combine the ingredients. Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
Step Two: Chill. Transfer the falafel mixture to the fridge to firm up a bit. In the meantime, preheat the oven, and grease a baking sheet with oil.
Step Three: Portion. Use a small cookie scoop to portion the falafel mixture into 2 tablespoon-sized balls. Then, shape them into patties with your hands, and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
Step Four: Bake. Transfer the falafel balls to the oven, and bake until they’re browned on both sides, flipping them over halfway through.
Baked Falafel Recipe tips
- The chickpeas need to be bone dry before going in the food processor, or you will get dense mushy falafel. I like to drain the chickpeas, dry them off with a paper towel, and then place them on a baking sheet in the oven at 200 F for 6 minutes. This allows any excess water to evaporate. You just need to watch that the chickpeas don’t burn or cook in the oven. So, I don’t recommend keeping them in there for more than 10 minutes!
- Allow the mixture plenty of time to chill in the fridge. It should stick together when squeezed in your palm. You can even combine the ingredients the night before, and store them in the fridge until the next day!
- Don’t pack the falafel patties too tightly! They should hold their shape but not be dense or tough. Otherwise, they’ll turn out dry and hard once baked.
Serving Baked Falafel
I love to serve my baked falafel with canned chickpeas warm in pita bread or over a bed of rice or quinoa drizzled with tzatziki. I also have lemon dill yogurt sauce that is excellent if you're not a cucumber fan!
However, baked falafel is also great on top of salad, on a mezze board, or on its own with tzatziki, toum, or tahini for dipping.
How to store Canned Chickpea Falafel
Store the cooled falafel in an airtight container. They will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.
When ready to enjoy, I recommend warming them up in a toaster oven or in the oven at 400 F to get them nice and crispy. You can do this with frozen falafel without needing to defrost or thaw them first.
FAQs for Falafel with Canned Chickpeas
Falafel has a nutty, earthy taste with notes of warm spice.
If the mixture is too wet, your falafel balls will crumble and fall apart. Make sure the chickpeas are completely dry before you begin!
Of course, this depends on your definition of healthy. However, falafel is a great source of plant-based protein and fiber. This baked falafel recipe also uses far less oil than standard varieties, meaning it’s naturally lower in fat.
For more easy recipes, check out my:
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Recipe
Canned Chickpea Falafel
Equipment
- 1 Small Cookie Scoop
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas - rinsed, drained, and dried*
- 1 shallot - loosely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup parsley
- ⅔ cup cilantro
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
To Serve (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse a few times for 3 - 5 seconds each until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.1 can chickpeas, 1 shallot, 3 cloves garlic, 1 cup parsley, ⅔ cup cilantro, 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal, 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Place the falafel mixture in the fridge to firm up a bit and preheat the oven to 400 F. This is a great time to grease a baking sheet well with oil.
- Use a small cookie scoop to scoop the mixture into 2 tablespoon sized balls. Form them into a patty shape with your hands and place on the baking sheet. Repeat this step with remaining falafel mixture.
- Cook the falafel in the oven for 20 minutes then flip them over and cook for another 10 minutes until browned on each side.
- Serve the falafel warm with tzatziki sauce and enjoy!
Hi...I love that you can used canned chickpeas in this recipe. It looks so good. Can I leave the flax seed meal out or will it impact the recipe? It's not something I have.