Barley Free Vegan Falafel Bites

Total time8 hr 40 min

Prep time20 min

Cook time20 min

Crispy on the outside, tender and herb-packed on the inside, these little bites deliver everything you want from a great falafel — bold spice, fresh green flavor, and a satisfying golden crust. The base is built entirely from dried chickpeas, fresh parsley, cilantro, onion, and garlic, so there's no grain or gluten-containing cereal to worry about beyond a small amount of all-purpose flour used as a binder. That makes this a genuinely safe and delicious option for anyone navigating barley or other grain sensitivities without sacrificing any of the flavor. The overnight soak is the real secret here — it keeps the texture coarse and falafel-like rather than mushy, which is exactly what you want when they hit the hot oil. Pan-frying in a neutral oil like canola or avocado oil gives you that deeply golden, crackling exterior without needing a deep fryer. The tahini sauce — just tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and water — comes together in minutes and is the perfect creamy, tangy counterpoint to the warm, spiced bites. Serve them on a platter with lemon wedges and a dusting of paprika, and watch them disappear fast.

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Ingredients

6 servings

For the falafel

1 ½ cups dried chickpeas
½ medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
McCormick Gourmet Organic Ground Coriander, 1.25 oz Morton & Bassett Ground Coriander Badia® Ground Coriander 1.75 oz Spicely Organic Coriander Ground, 1 each Frontier® Organic Ground Coriander Seed
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½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
½ cup neutral oil (such as canola oil or avocado oil), for frying

For the tahini sauce

¼ cup tahini
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, finely grated
3–4 tbsp cold water
¼ tsp salt

For serving

pinch of paprika (optional)
lemon wedges (optional)

Instructions

1
Place the dried chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with at least 3 inches of cold water. Soak at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight, until the chickpeas have roughly doubled in size and are tender enough to pierce with a fingernail but still raw at the center. Drain and pat dry.
2
Combine the drained chickpeas, onion, garlic (for the falafel), parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts, 15–20 pulses total, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture resembles coarse, slightly damp sand — no whole chickpeas remain, but the texture is not a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl.

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