Vegan Falafel Bites
Crispy on the outside, herbaceous and tender within, these little chickpea bites are the kind of appetizer that disappears from the platter before you've even sat down. The secret is starting with dried chickpeas soaked overnight rather than canned — it gives the mixture that coarse, sandy texture that fries up golden and holds together beautifully without any eggs or binders beyond a touch of flour and baking powder. Fresh parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, and a hit of cayenne make every bite fragrant and boldly spiced. The silky tahini dipping sauce — just tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and cold water whisked to a pourable ribbon — is the perfect cool, nutty counterpoint. Everything in this recipe is naturally plant-based, so there's no substituting or swapping required; it's just good food that happens to work for anyone avoiding animal products. This batch makes enough to serve six, whether you're feeding a crowd as a starter or building a full spread with pita and salad.
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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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