Pescatarian Vegan Falafel Bites

Total time8 hr 40 min

Prep time20 min

Cook time20 min

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 turning dense or doughy. The food processor does the heavy lifting, blending parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, and a kick of cayenne into a fragrant mixture that smells incredible even before it hits the oil. A quick chill in the fridge firms everything up so each bite fries evenly, coming out deeply golden on the outside and tender at the center. The tahini sauce — just tahini, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and a splash of cold water — comes together in minutes and is honestly reason enough to make the whole recipe. Since every ingredient here is plant-based, pescatarians can dig in without any second-guessing or label-reading. Serve them as an appetizer, pile them into a wrap, or just dunk them straight into that sauce — no occasion required.

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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
McCormick Gourmet Organic Ground Coriander, 1.25 oz Morton & Bassett Ground Coriander Badia® Ground Coriander 1.75 oz Spicely Organic Coriander Ground, 1 each Frontier® Organic Ground Coriander Seed
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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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