Seed Oil Free Falafel Bites with Tahini Sauce

Total time1 hr 15 min

Prep time20 min

Cook time25 min

4.8

(7)

Seed Oil Free Falafel Bites with Tahini Sauce

Crispy on the outside, tender and herb-packed on the inside, these baked chickpea bites deliver everything you want from a great falafel without a single drop of seed oil touching them. Most restaurant versions and even store-bought frozen falafel are deep-fried in refined vegetable or canola oil, so making them at home is really the only way to stay in control of what you're eating. Here, extra virgin olive oil does all the heavy lifting — a light coating on the parchment-lined pan is enough to get that gorgeous golden crust in the oven. Fresh parsley, cilantro, garlic, and a warm blend of cumin, coriander, and turmeric make the flavor genuinely vibrant, not bland or one-note. The tahini sauce comes together in minutes with just lemon juice, garlic, and water, and it's the kind of creamy, tangy drizzle that makes you want to dip everything in it. Chilling the mixture before shaping is the small step that keeps these bites holding together beautifully through the bake. Whether you're serving them as an appetizer, tucking them into a wrap, or just snacking straight off the platter, this is a recipe that earns a permanent spot in the rotation.

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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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