Citric Acid Free Baked Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Crispy on the outside, tender and herb-packed on the inside, these baked chickpea patties deliver everything you want from a great falafel without a drop of oil hitting a deep fryer. The blend of fresh parsley, cilantro, garlic, and warm spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric makes the flavor genuinely vibrant — this is far from a bland health-food compromise. For anyone navigating a citric acid sensitivity, the tricky part with Middle Eastern-inspired dishes is often the hidden additives lurking in store-bought versions, from packaged mixes to bottled sauces, so making everything from scratch here is a real advantage. The tahini sauce comes together with just tahini, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt, and cold water — simple, clean ingredients you can verify yourself. Patting the chickpeas thoroughly dry and chilling the mixture before shaping are the two steps that make the difference between falafel that holds together beautifully and one that crumbles on the pan. A generous drizzle of that silky, garlicky sauce over the golden patties turns this into a dish that feels restaurant-worthy with very little fuss.
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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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