Yeast 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 secret to getting that golden crust in the oven is thoroughly drying the chickpeas and chilling the shaped patties before they ever touch the baking sheet — two simple steps that make a real difference in texture. Chickpea flour acts as the binder here instead of any leavening that could be a concern, and the small amount of baking powder keeps things light without introducing anything fermented. Fresh parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, and turmeric do the heavy lifting on flavor, so every bite is bright, earthy, and genuinely satisfying. The tahini sauce comes together in minutes — just whisk tahini with fresh lemon juice, grated garlic, and a little cold water until it's silky and pourable, and suddenly you have a condiment that makes everything taste better. This is the kind of recipe that works just as well for a weeknight dinner as it does for feeding a crowd, and it proves that eating around yeast doesn't mean eating around flavor.
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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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