Paraben Free Falafel Bites with Tahini Sauce

Total time1 hr 15 min

Prep time20 min

Cook time25 min

4.8

(7)

Paraben Free Falafel Bites with Tahini Sauce

Crispy on the outside, tender and herb-packed on the inside, these baked chickpea bites deliver everything you love about classic street food without a drop of oil hitting a deep fryer. The combination of fresh parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, and turmeric gives every bite a warm, aromatic depth that smells absolutely incredible as it comes out of the oven. Keeping things paraben-free is genuinely easy here because every single ingredient is whole, recognizable, and straight from your kitchen — no preservative-laden packaged mixes or store-bought shortcuts required. The food processor does the heavy lifting, and a quick chill in the fridge before shaping means the mixture holds together beautifully into those satisfying golden disks. That silky tahini sauce — just tahini, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and water — comes together in minutes and is the kind of condiment you'll want to drizzle on everything. Serve them on a platter with lemon wedges and a scatter of fresh parsley for a spread that looks impressive but is genuinely approachable for any weeknight.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the falafel

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp oat flour
½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

For the tahini sauce

⅓ cup tahini
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1 small clove garlic, finely grated
3–4 tbsp water
¼ tsp 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 them as dry as possible. Let them air-dry for 10 minutes — excess moisture will make the falafel mixture too wet to hold its shape.
2
Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush or drizzle 1 tbsp of the olive oil evenly over the surface.

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