Rice Free Baked Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Crispy on the outside, tender and herb-packed on the inside, these baked falafel patties deliver everything you want from the classic street-food staple — without a drop of oil for frying. The base is built entirely from chickpeas, fresh parsley, cilantro, and warm spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric, so there's no grain or starch filler sneaking in. Chickpea flour does the binding work here, keeping every patty completely free of rice-based ingredients while still giving you that satisfying, cohesive bite. Patting the chickpeas thoroughly dry and chilling the mixture before shaping are the two small steps that make the difference between falafel that holds together beautifully and one that crumbles on the pan. The oven does the heavy lifting — a hot 400°F bake with a midway flip gets both sides deeply golden and firm without any babysitting. That silky tahini sauce, brightened with fresh lemon juice and a hint of raw garlic, ties everything together and is genuinely hard to stop drizzling. Whether you're serving these on a platter with lemon wedges or tucking them into whatever wrap or bowl you have going, this is the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in the weeknight rotation.
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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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