Gluten-Free Baked Falafel

Gluten-Free Baked Falafel

“Are falafels gluten-free?”

It was a good question. I had no idea. To be honest, falafels were one of those foods I’ve wanted to try for a while but I’ve never gotten while out because I’ve heard conflicting answers on whether it’s gluten-free or not.

Well, sadly they probably aren’t. Most of the recipes I’ve found online use flour as a binder, and if they’re fried in oil that’s also used for chicken fingers or other breaded items that would make them contaminated. The good thing I learned is that they’re incredibly easy to make gluten-free. I was considering making them with chickpea flour for a while and when I heard that reader Carolyn has had success with that, too, I felt good enough to try it out.

Gluten-Free Baked Falafel Serving

All you really need to make these are a food processor and an oven. I didn’t fry them mostly because that’s messy and I don’t like cleaning surfaces, you know? Also, they end up healthier this way—double plus.

I didn’t know what a falafel was supposed to taste like when I first ate a bite so I wasn’t sure how I’d know if it was a “good falafel”. Well, I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I think the fact that I went back to finish it off at 10pm when I’m usually not a savory person at all says something. I started off with this recipe and went from there. I would gladly make these again and maybe finish them off with a little oil in a pan to give them a brown crust.

Gluten-Free Baked Falafel

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 6 falafels):

  • 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 small clove of garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons oregano, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 3/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 2-3 Tablespoons chickpea flour

Gluten-Free Baked Falafel Sauced

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a food processor, blend the onion, garlic and olive oil until the garlic and onion are minced.
  3. Add in the chickpeas and lemon and blend until the chickpeas are pureed.
  4. Add in the parsley, oregano, salt, cumin, and coriander and continue blending to incorporate them in.
  5. Add the chickpea flour in a tablespoon at a time until the dough thickens enough that it can be shaped and won’t stick to your hands or a utensil.
  6. Form 6 or 7 balls of dough and place them on a lined baking tray. You can flatten them into patties if desired.
  7. Bake for 40 minutes until the outside starts to brown turning them halfway through.
  8. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Another good question: Is falafel the singular or the plural? or both?

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11 Responses to Gluten-Free Baked Falafel
  1. Danielle
    September 6, 2012 | 10:47 am

    These look great! Can’t wait to try them!

  2. Christine (The Raw Project)
    September 6, 2012 | 11:53 am

    This looks wonderful, I’ve never tried making falafel and need to with this recipe. Thanks!

  3. Christa @ Edible Balance
    September 6, 2012 | 12:02 pm

    Yum! I haven’t made falafels from scratch, and don’t order them in a restaurant either for fear of contamination. The only time I’ve eaten them is from a frozen package I bought at the healthfood store. I cooked chickpeas last night and have leftovers in the fridge waiting to be used, looks like I know what’s for dinner tonight!

  4. Hannah
    September 6, 2012 | 4:39 pm

    Chickpea flour makes more sense than normal flour, really, and I do adore falafel! These sound awesome, Evan.

  5. BroccoliHut
    September 6, 2012 | 5:46 pm

    Yum! Guess I need to pick up another bag of chickpea flour this week!
    I have no idea what the correct plural form of falafel is, but I usually say “falafel” for both singular and plural. Good question!

  6. Rachel Lacow
    September 7, 2012 | 4:26 am

    CANNED chickpeas?? Seriosly? … If you are serious about bring a chef (or just a great cook) you may want to rethink that! Fresh chickpeas are so easy to prepare and taste 1000 times better!

    • female71
      March 1, 2013 | 9:38 pm

      Canned chickpeas are just fine, especially if you have a little time at hand.
      By no means use dried peas, soak them over night and boil them if you have the time (I use both dried and canned, depending on my time and effort I want to put in, lol).

      A lot of good chefs and cooks use canned chickpeas for the convenience, because the taste is NOT that different. You use a lot of spices here, so using canned is really ok.

  7. The Candid RD (Gina)
    September 7, 2012 | 6:29 am

    Yep, this is what I will be making for my next vegetarian demo! With your name on it, of course, YUM! I love falafel, and it helps that this is gluten free. Perfect.

  8. Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers
    September 7, 2012 | 7:39 am

    Ohhh, they look yummy!!!

  9. janine hummel
    September 23, 2012 | 6:22 pm

    the plural of falafel is falafels. say that one twice.

  10. Ray
    January 28, 2014 | 5:05 pm

    Definitely going to try this one. These – http://allglutenfree.co.uk/products/gluten-free-falafel/ – are pretty good for ready made Gluten Free Falafel.