High Fructose Corn Syrup Free Vegan Falafel Bites
These crispy little bites are built entirely from whole, recognizable ingredients — dried chickpeas, fresh herbs, warm spices, and a silky tahini sauce made from scratch. That matters more than it might seem, because packaged falafel mixes and bottled dressings are common hiding spots for high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners you never asked for. Here, every component is made by hand, so you know exactly what's going into the mix. The technique of soaking dried chickpeas (rather than using canned) gives the falafel a coarser, more authentic texture that holds together beautifully in the pan and crisps up to a deep golden brown. Fresh parsley and cilantro keep things bright, while cumin, coriander, and a touch of cayenne add real depth without relying on any processed flavor shortcuts. The accompanying tahini sauce — just tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and water — is sharp, nutty, and completely clean-label. Serve them straight off the rack with a squeeze of lemon and you've got a crowd-pleasing appetizer or snack that tastes indulgent but stays completely on track.
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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 oil 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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