Red Meat Allergy Friendly Vegan Falafel Bites
Crispy on the outside, tender and herb-packed on the inside, these little bites deliver serious flavor from nothing more than chickpeas, fresh parsley, cilantro, and a handful of warm spices. The entire recipe is built on plant-based pantry staples, so there's zero concern about any animal proteins sneaking in — no beef, lamb, or pork anywhere in sight. Soaking dried chickpeas overnight is the real secret here; it gives the falafel that signature coarse, almost grainy texture that holds together beautifully in the pan without turning dense or doughy. A quick chill in the fridge before frying makes shaping a breeze and helps each bite develop that deeply golden crust you're after. The tahini sauce — bright with lemon juice and a touch of raw garlic — comes together in minutes and is the perfect creamy counterpoint to the spiced, crunchy exterior. Serve them straight off the wire rack with lemon wedges and a dusting of paprika, and 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 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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