I'm in love with falafel, it was love at first sight. I think it's my favorite legume recipe and it has been so helpful for eating on the go because Turkish food is so popular here in Europe, so it's a great choice to enjoy a vegan meal in (almost) every city.
This is the third falafel recipe we share, the other ones were our gluten-free baked falafel and our falafel waffles.
I tried lentil falafel in a vegan restaurant in Málaga last year and I make my own version now. Have you ever tried lentil falafel? It's even better, less dry and also easier to digest because I use cooked or canned lentils (traditional falafel is made with raw chickpeas).
There are at least 3 ways to cook falafel, maybe more, but I haven't tried them. Traditional falafel is fried, but I prefer to bake it or use my waffle maker (it's so convenient!). Bon appetit!
Tips:
- Feel free to use any greens or herbs you want: cilantro, parsley, spinach, etc.
- Garlic and onion powder are also a great choice.
- Use chickpea flour or any flour of your choice instead of the oat flour.
- We used pardina lentils, which are quite popular in Spain, but any other type of lentil is okay (I prefer brown lentils).
Easy Lentil Falafel
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked or canned lentils
- 1 handful of fresh cilantro
- 1 handful of spinach
- 1 clove of garlic
- ½ onion
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup oat flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF or 200ºC.
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender (except the oat flour) and blend until well combined.
- To make the oat flour, we just blended some oats in a blender.
- Add the oat flour to the mixture and blend again. You may need to add more or less flour to get the perfect consistency.
- Make about 16 small discs, place them onto a baking sheet (we lined it with some parchment paper) and bake them for 10 minutes for each side or until golden brown.
- Serve the falafel with your favorite ingredients: veggies (we used lettuce, red bell pepper, tomato and carrot), pita bread, tortillas, vegan yogurt sauce or oil-free vegan yogurt sauce, etc.
Linda says
Can you tell me more about cooking them on a waffle iron? I have a little Dash one, would that work? Would I have to adjust the consistency with the oat flour? Please tell!
Adriana @ Simple Vegan Blog says
Hi Linda! I think it could work 🙂 As I haven't tried it myself, I'm not sure if you would have to adjust it, sorry!
Lisa says
Do I drain the canned lentils
Iosune Robles says
Hi Lisa! It is better to drain it 🙂
Nicola says
Hi, just discovered this recipe. I’m trying to cut down on meat and don’t like chickpeas (but I LOVE Middle Eastern flavours) so I will definitely be trying this out!
Iosune Robles says
Hope you like it Nicola 🙂
michelle says
looking forward to making this. My picky child loves falafel yet one of my kids is allergic to chickpeas.
Iosune says
Hi Michelle! Hope your childen and you enjoy it 🙂
Edina says
I forgot to blend the oats.. 😀 however it turned out to be very tasty and nice! Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Edina! You're so welcome 🙂 Have a nice day!
Niki says
Can I use anything else for oat flour? It needs to be a gluten free. Maybe buckweat flour or potato/tapioca starch?
Iosune says
Hi Niki! Use any gf flour you want. I'd use chickpea, buckwheat or brown rice flour 🙂 Maybe you'll need to add more or less. Have a nice day!
Sri says
Just made these - they are very tasty. Thanks for a great recipe!
Iosune says
Hi Sri! You're so welcome 🙂 Have a beautiful day!
Karyn says
OH my! This looks so amazing...I will be trying this tonight! Thank you as always for such an inspirational blog.
Iosune says
Hi Karyn! Thanks a lot 😀 Hope you like it!