Raw Vegan, Fried or Baked Falafel

The choice is yours!

Falafel (/fəˈlɑːfəl/; Arabic: فلافل‎, [fæˈlæːfɪl] [listen]) is usually a deep-fried Middle-Eastern delicacy in the shape of a ball or small patty. Falafel is made from ground chickpeas and/or fava (broad) beans, commonly served in a pita or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa with salads, together with pickled vegetables, and tahine, or tahine-based or spicy sauce. 
Falafels may also be eaten as a snack or served as part of a Mezze, a plate containing little savoury Middle Eastern delicacies. 

Vegan Beetroot Falafel  

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 tsp coconut oil
1 onion (chopped) 
1 tsp cumin (ground)
1 tin chickpeas (~400g) (drained)
250 g raw beetroot (peeled, grated)
100 g fresh breadcrumbs
2 heaped tbsp linseeds
1/2 tsp tahini paste
Vegetable oil/sesame Oil (raw, for brushing or frying)
1 small Greek yoghurt (or your favourite alternative)


1. Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan and melt the onion gently. Do not colour. Add the cumin and cook for another minute also, then decante the mixture into a food processor along with the chickpeas, two-thirds of the grated beetroot, the breadcrumbs, linseeds (ground) and tahini. Blitz to a rough paste, then scrape into a bowl and stir in the remaining grated beetroot and season to taste. 

2. With damp hands, shape the mixture into about 10 balls or use a falafel press, and place them gently on a baking parchment-lined oven tray. Chill until ready to serve.

3. Heat oven to 180˚C. 

4. Brush the falafels with a little vegetable oil and bake for 20-25 mins until crisp and hot through. Alternatively, shallow fry until golden brown and crispy. Let to cool slightly. 

5. To serve, mix the tahini with the yogurt, and some spice mix or your choice of your choice (e.g. ground cumin, ground cardamom, chilli powder, or Nigella seeds). Serve as an amuse bouche or as a salad. alternatively, stuff a couple of falafels in a flatbread, with salad and the ingredients of your choice. Drizzle with the yoghurt dressing.  

Beetroots can be replaced by grated sweet potatoes,  kohlrabi, various radishes, carrots, celeriac, depending on how flavourful you want them and how spicy. 
​The choice is yours to experiment! 

N.B. It is possible to fry these exquisite falafels for the more traditional Middle Eastern dish you are used to; however, I would not recommend it if you prefer a lighter, healthier version. 

Raw Vegan Falafel 

200 g chickpeas (dry, soaked and sprouted - will double in volume and weight)
125 ml water
25 g ground almonds
2 tbsp red onion (roughly chopped)
2 tbsp tahine
2 tbsp coriander (finely chopped)
1 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
1 tsp cumin (ground)
1 tsp coriander (ground)
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper

1. Roughly blitz all ingredients in a food processor, scrapping the sides whenever necessary. When pressed the mixture should hold together.
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2. With damp (or oiled) hands, shape the mixture into about 10 balls (or use a falafel press). Place them gently on a parchment-lined tray or dehydrator mesh sheet. 

3. Dehydrate at 40--45˚c for up to 12 hours, depending how crunchy you want the end result to be. 

4. Serve as an amuse-bouche with a cumin-infused tahine-and-cashew-cream dip (1 handful of soaked cashews, drained, rinsed and blitzed with 1/2 tsp Tahine, and a pinch of ground cumin), as a main salad, or added to my fragrant cauliflower tabouleh.

These delicious falafels can safely be packed in a lunch box or eaten as a Paleo snack. 

N.B. If you prefer to bake these delicious falafel, then bake for 20-25 minutes at 180˚c, flipping them over half way to colour both sides. 

Falafel Press