Chestnut Free Vegan Falafel Bites
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 herbs, and that satisfying golden crust. The base is built entirely from dried chickpeas, fragrant parsley and cilantro, warm cumin and coriander, and a touch of cayenne, so every bite has real depth and a gentle kick. One thing that makes this recipe work so well is starting with dried chickpeas rather than canned — soaking them overnight gives the mixture the right coarse, sandy texture that holds together in the pan and fries up beautifully without falling apart. The accompanying tahini sauce — bright with lemon juice and grated garlic — comes together in minutes and takes the whole platter to another level. Everything on the ingredient list is naturally free from tree nuts, so there's no need to scrutinize labels or worry about sneaky additions that sometimes show up in store-bought versions. Whether you're serving these as an appetizer, stuffing them into pita, or just dunking them straight into the sauce, they disappear fast. This is the kind of crowd-pleasing recipe you'll come back to again and again.
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Learn more →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
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ cup neutral oil (such as canola 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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