Rye Free 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 satisfying depth that only comes from starting with dried chickpeas rather than canned. The food processor does the heavy lifting, breaking everything down into a coarse, fragrant mixture that fries up golden and firm with a tender, herb-flecked interior. Because the recipe relies on chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, and a touch of all-purpose flour, there's no rye or rye-derived ingredient anywhere in sight — just clean, wholesome components you can feel good about. The creamy tahini dipping sauce, brightened with fresh lemon juice and a hint of raw garlic, takes the whole thing to another level and comes together in minutes while the falafel chills. Frying in a shallow skillet gives each bite that deeply golden crust without the fuss of a deep fryer, and working in small batches ensures every single one cooks evenly. Serve them on a platter with lemon wedges and a dusting of paprika for a spread that looks impressive but is genuinely approachable for any home cook. Whether you're feeding a crowd or just treating yourself, these are the kind of snacks that disappear fast.

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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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