Here's my all time favorite gluten-free baked falafel! It's amazing and I usually eat it with raw veggies and some vegan yogurt sauce on top, so delicious!
Cooking your our food is so rewarding, you can use the ingredients you like, for example, I make homemade yogurt sauce and I prefer to bake the falafel because I don't feel well when I eat fried food. This recipe is also oil-free, yay! The yogurt sauce is made with extra virgin olive oil, but you can remove the oil or use another sauce.
Falafel is usually made with bread crumbs or flours that contain gluten, but I use oats instead. I also use leafy greens instead of the pita bread, romain and collard greens are my favorite ones, but feel free to use any greens you want.
Some people use canned chickpeas, but I prefer to use raw chickpeas and soak them overnight. The more natural is your food, the healthier it is and as you don't need to pre-cook them, you don't save time using canned chickpeas. Here in Spain canned food is full of sodium, preservatives and other additives, so I try to avoid this kind of food.
Tips:
- You can use any other fresh herb instead of the cilantro, I also love parsley, mint and basil.
- To make the oat flour you just need to blend rolled oats in a food processor or a grinder, it's so easy and inexpensive.
PRODUCT I USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE (AFFILIATE LINK):
Gluten-Free Baked Falafel
Ingredients
- â…” cup raw chickpeas, soaked overnight
- 1 handful of cilantro
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ½ onion
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Black pepper and salt to taste
- 8 tablespoon oat flour
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas in water overnight.
- Add chickpeas to a food processor or blender and blend for a few seconds.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (except the oat flour) and mix to combine. Don't overblend, you want a chunky texture.
- Add the oat flour and blend just until it's mixed with the rest of the ingredients.
- Place the mixture in a bowl, cover and let stand in the fridge for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven 390ºF or 200ºC.
- Make about 20 small discs, place them onto a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake them for 30-40 minutes or until they're golden brown, flipping once at the halfway point for even cooking (the time may vary depending of the oven you're using).
- Serve with vegan yogurt sauce and your favorite raw veggies.
Nutrition
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
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Kate Jones says
HI I am thinking of making these as a finger food for my baby. Can they be frozen? if so is it best to do it before or after they have been baked?
Iosune says
Hi Kate! Yes, you can freeze them 🙂 I prefer to freeze them after they have been baked, but it's up to you. Have a nice day!
Dr Todd M Narson says
I have to tell you how much I looked forward to making this recipe in anticipation it tasting authentic. Especially since it was baked vs fried. To my surprise and delight, it was great without having to tweak the recipe. That doesn't happen often. It had great texture and great taste. I purchased some hummus, tahini and schug (middle eastern hot sauce) from the local pita grill, garnished with some diced cucumber and tomato and wrapped it in lettuce instead of a pita and it was absolutely fantastic.
Thank you for a great recipe! I will be making this on a regularly!!!
Iosune says
Hi! You're so welcome 🙂 So glad you enjoyed our recipe!
Deedee says
Can you use a gluten free flour mix instead of oat flour? Is the oat flour used to add flavor or simple used for binding/browning?
Iosune says
Hi Deedee! I've never used a gf flour mix, but I think it should work. Chickpea flour works amazing as well. The oat flour is to thicken the falafel dough. Have a nice day!
Mary says
Iosene, I love your blog and have made numerous dishes from it. All wonderful! That Roger guy was saying something obscene to you. Delete him.
Iosune says
Hi Mary! Thanks a lot 😀 Happy new year!!
Aerona says
Hello.
After soaking the chickpeas do you need to boil them also before you start to follow the recipe? Packets say they need to be boiled after soaking. The receipe sounds wonderful and chickpeas are soaking ready to try recipe out!
Thank you.
Iosune says
Hi Aerona! No, you don't. Just soak the chickpeas, blend them with the rest of the ingredients in your food processor and follow the recipe 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Roger! English is not my first language, so I don't understand what you want to say with "bang me", sorry!
Ruby says
Just found your blog and I am thrilled to try all of them! The recipes are so simple and sound delicious 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Ruby! Thanks a lot for your kind words 😀 I'm so glad you like our blog. Have a beautiful day!
Iosune says
Hi Shay! I've never made falafel using black-eyed peas, but you could try... Have a nice day!
Shay says
Could I sub black-eyed peas for the chick peas?
Marisa says
My coworker & i both made the falafel & were quite pleased with the results. my friend followed the instructions exactly where as i baked half & lightly fried half. Over all they were quick & very good.
Iosune says
Hi Marisa! I'm glad you liked it 😀 Have a nice day!!!
Barb@ThatWasVegan says
These look amazing, pinning right now!
Iosune says
Thanks a lot Barb!!!! Have a nice day 😉
Donna says
The 2/3 cup of raw chickpeas that is called for, how much does it come to if using canned? I would like to make these today instead of taking the time to soak the raw chickpeas. In the future, I'd definitely soak, but for now, what is the quantity after soaking?
Iosune says
Hi Donna! I'd use 1-15 ounce can (400g) 🙂