Dairy Free Vegan Falafel Bites
These crispy little bites are packed with fresh herbs, warm spices, and the kind of satisfying crunch that makes it hard to stop at just a few. Starting with dried chickpeas — soaked overnight rather than canned — gives the falafel a coarser, more textured interior that holds together beautifully in the pan without falling apart or turning dense. The food processor does the heavy lifting, blending onion, garlic, parsley, and cilantro into a fragrant, herb-flecked mixture that smells incredible even before it hits the oil. Every single ingredient here is naturally free of dairy, so there's no swapping or substituting required — it's just clean, plant-based cooking from start to finish. The silky tahini dipping sauce comes together in minutes with lemon juice, grated garlic, and a splash of cold water, delivering a creamy, tangy contrast without a drop of butter or cream in sight. A dusting of paprika and a squeeze of fresh lemon over the finished platter turns a simple snack into something that genuinely looks as good as it tastes. Whether you're serving these as an appetizer, stuffing them into pita, or just eating them straight off the rack, they're the kind of 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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