Paraben Free Baked Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Crispy on the outside, tender and herb-packed on the inside, these baked chickpea patties deliver everything you love about street-food falafel without a drop of frying oil. The base is built entirely from whole, recognizable ingredients — canned chickpeas, fresh parsley and cilantro, warm spices, and a touch of chickpea flour — so you know exactly what's going into every bite. That matters a lot when you're navigating formulated sauces, spice blends, and packaged foods that can hide unwanted additives, because here there's simply nothing to hide. The technique of patting the chickpeas bone-dry and chilling the shaped patties before baking is what gives them that satisfying golden crust without any compromise on texture. The tahini sauce comes together in minutes with just tahini, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and water — silky, nutty, and bright in a way that store-bought dressings rarely manage. Drizzled over a platter of hot falafel with a squeeze of lemon, this is the kind of meal that feels special enough for guests but easy enough for a weeknight.
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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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