Baked Falafel with Lemon Yogurt Sauce

Overview

Homemade Baked Falafel – So easy and delicious!

I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it’s the start of spring and the hope forwarmer weather, or maybe the fact I’m over heavy winter food for the time being, but lately I have been craving lighter food. But I also have been craving fluffy, delicious falafel. Kind of random, right? So the story goes…

One day, stories my mother told me about when she lived on a kibbutz in Israel years ago blasted through my head and I remembered how she told me she over-indulged on ice cream and falafel, and how those two items aren’t…how shall I put it… very nice to your waistline. Well, fast forward a few years ago when I went to my local Whole Foods and bought the prepared falafel. They were SO GOOD. And I haven’t really been able to stop thinking about them (is that weird?!).

Soooo, fast forward (because no reason to get wordy here), I decided to take a stab at making my own. However, I refused to fry them. The result was more of a patty then a ball, but the flavor is 100% there. Then I made them again, tweaked the recipe a bit, and here we are- delicious baked falafel at home! I serve my baked falafel with a lemon greek yogurt sauce, and they’re great for an easy lunch, a snack for the kids after school (my picky son sometimes likes these (if he’s “in the mood,” giant eye roll am i right? and my daughter loves them for her school lunches. You could also serve them as an appetizer at a dinner party. If you do serve them at a dinner party, try placing a dollop of that yogurt sauce right on top with a little sprig of parsley to make it look pretty.

Serves 12 appetizer portions or 4 meal portions (3 each).

Hi, I’m Jackie, Founder of Jackie Cooks and Drinks, and a BIG believer that cooking, creating and entertaining should be FUN.

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Shopping List

For the falafel

    • 1, 15 ounce can of no salt added garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed, and patted dry*
    • 1/2 cup of loosely packed curly parsley
    • 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
    • 1 shallot, roughly chopped
    • 1.5 tsp ground cumin
    • 1.5 tsp ground coriander
    • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
    • fresh cracked pepper
    • 1-1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (eye ball it)
    • 3 tbsp all purpose flour (you can sub out a gluten free, such as chickpea flour, or use spelt flour)
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp baking soda

    For the Lemon Yogurt Sauce

    • 1 cup of 0% Greek Yogurt, such as Fage
    • 1/2 a lemon, juiced
    • 2 tbsp chopped parsley
    • Kosher salt and pepper to taste

    * if you have the time, place beans on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes to help dry them up a bit more before adding them to the food processor!

    Method

    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
    2. Grab a food processor and add all of the ingredients except for the flour and baking powder and pulse until the mixture looks smooth; taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
    3. Add in the flour and baking powder and puree until smooth.
    4. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray, or line it with parchment paper.
    5. Using a tablespoon or a cookie scoop, scoop out 12 falafels, roll them into balls and place them about an inch or two apart on the pan, as they do expand a touch.
    6.  Place Falafel in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will help them puff up. If you skip this step, you may end up with falafel patties instead of balls!
    7. Bake for 13 minutes and then gently flip each falafel.
    8. Return to the oven and cook for another 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
    9. A few of mine got a little bit more crispy on the edges, so make sure during the final minutes you keep an eye out for that.
    10. For the yogurt sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir. Yes, it’s really that easy. Place that in the refrigerator while the falafel is baking.

      Then serve. Eat. Repeat. Hope you like them as much as I do!

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