Brazil Nut Free Baked Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Crispy on the outside, tender and herb-packed on the inside, these baked patties deliver everything you love about classic street-food falafel without a drop of oil in a deep fryer. Fresh parsley, cilantro, garlic, and a warm trio of cumin, coriander, and turmeric do the heavy lifting here, giving every bite serious depth and fragrance. The trick to getting that golden crust in the oven is patience — thoroughly drying the chickpeas and chilling the shaped patties before baking means they firm up beautifully and hold together rather than steaming into mush. Every single ingredient in this recipe, from the chickpea flour binder to the olive oil brushed over the pan, is naturally free from tree nuts, so there's no label-scanning or substitution anxiety involved. The tahini sauce comes together in minutes with just sesame paste, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and a little cold water whisked in until silky and pourable — it's the kind of condiment you'll want to drizzle on everything. Serve these straight from the oven with lemon wedges and a shower of fresh parsley, and they disappear fast.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the falafel
- 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 3 tbsp chickpea flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
For the tahini sauce
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- 3–4 tbsp cold water, as needed
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
- lemon wedges (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Spread the drained chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and pat thoroughly dry — excess moisture is the main reason falafel falls apart or steams instead of crisping. Let them air-dry for 10 minutes.
- 2
Combine the dried chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, black pepper, and cayenne (if using) in a food processor. Pulse 15–20 times, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is finely chopped and holds together when pressed — it should look like coarse, slightly damp crumbs, not a smooth paste.
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