Gelatin Free Vegan Falafel Bites
Crispy on the outside, herb-packed and tender within, these little chickpea bites deliver serious street-food energy right from your own skillet. The base is built entirely from dried chickpeas, fresh parsley, cilantro, and warm spices like cumin, coriander, and a kick of cayenne — nothing processed, nothing hidden, nothing derived from animal byproducts. That matters because gelatin has a sneaky way of turning up in pre-made falafel mixes and store-bought dipping sauces, so making everything from scratch here is genuinely the smartest move. The overnight soak is the real secret: starting from dried chickpeas (not canned) gives the mixture that coarse, slightly sandy texture that fries up golden and holds together beautifully without any binders you'd need to second-guess. The tahini sauce — just tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and water — comes together in minutes and is silky enough to drizzle or thick enough to dip, depending on how much water you whisk in. A dusting of paprika and a squeeze of fresh lemon at the end make the whole platter look like something you'd order at a restaurant. Whether you're serving these as an appetizer, stuffing them into pita, or just eating them straight off the rack, they disappear fast.
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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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