Ginger 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 — earthy cumin, bright cilantro and parsley, and a satisfying golden crust that comes from a proper pan-fry rather than a shortcut bake. The base is built entirely from dried chickpeas soaked overnight, which gives the mixture a coarser, more authentic texture than canned versions and helps each bite hold together beautifully in the skillet. A short rest in the refrigerator firms everything up so the falafel shapes cleanly and fries evenly without falling apart. The creamy tahini dipping sauce — just tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and a little cold water — comes together in minutes and adds a nutty, tangy contrast that makes the whole platter feel complete. Ginger doesn't appear anywhere in the ingredient list, so there's no need to swap or skip a thing; the spice blend of cumin, coriander, and cayenne does all the heavy lifting with plenty of bold, warming flavor. These are the kind of bites that disappear fast at a table, whether you're serving them as an appetizer, tucking them into a wrap, or just eating them straight off the rack with extra sauce for dipping.
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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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