High Fructose Corn Syrup Free Baked Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Crispy on the outside, tender and herb-packed on the inside, these baked falafel patties deliver everything you love about the street-food classic without a drop of oil from a deep fryer. The ingredient list is refreshingly straightforward — chickpeas, fresh parsley, cilantro, warm spices, and a splash of olive oil — so there's no reason to reach for a store-bought version that might be hiding unwanted sweeteners in the mix. Packaged falafel mixes and bottled sauces are surprisingly common culprits for sneaky additives, but every component here is made entirely from scratch with whole, recognizable ingredients. The food processor does most of the heavy lifting, pulsing everything into a coarse, fragrant mixture that holds its shape beautifully after a quick chill in the fridge. Baking on an oiled parchment-lined sheet gives you that satisfying golden crust on both sides without any compromise on texture. The tahini sauce comes together in minutes — just tahini, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and a little cold water whisked until silky and pourable — and it's the kind of condiment you'll want to drizzle on everything. Whether you're serving these as a main, a snack, or tucked into a wrap, this is feel-good cooking that's as clean and wholesome as it looks.
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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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