Oats Free Vegan Falafel Bites
Crispy on the outside, herbaceous and tender within, these little chickpea bites are the kind of snack that disappears fast no matter who's at the table. The secret is starting with dried chickpeas soaked overnight rather than canned — that step gives the falafel its signature texture and keeps the mixture from turning mushy during frying. Fresh parsley and cilantro bring a bright, garden-forward flavor, while cumin, coriander, and a hit of cayenne add warmth and depth that make each bite genuinely craveable. The only binder here is a small amount of all-purpose flour and baking powder, so there's no grain-based filler to worry about — just clean, whole-food ingredients that happen to be completely plant-based. A quick pan-fry in neutral oil gets them deeply golden and satisfyingly crisp without needing a deep fryer or special equipment. The silky tahini dipping sauce — lemon-bright and garlicky — ties everything together and doubles as a drizzle if you want to go full mezze platter. 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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