Coconut Free Vegan Falafel Bites
These crispy little bites pack serious flavor — fresh herbs, warm spices, and a satisfying crunch that comes from pan-frying soaked dried chickpeas rather than canned. The base is entirely plant-based, built from wholesome pantry staples like cumin, coriander, cayenne, parsley, and cilantro, so there's no need to scan labels for sneaky additives or hidden oils. Dried chickpeas are the real secret here: soaking them overnight and pulsing them in a food processor gives the mixture that coarse, almost grainy texture that holds together beautifully in the pan without falling apart. The tahini dipping sauce — bright with fresh lemon juice and a hint of raw garlic — comes together in minutes and takes the whole platter to another level. Whether you're cooking for a crowd or just want a satisfying snack, these bites are easy to scale and genuinely hard to stop eating. Serve them with lemon wedges and a dusting of paprika for a presentation that looks far more impressive than the effort involved.
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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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