Having difficulties with creating gluten free falafel? This is the recipe to try! This falafel is delicious, healthy and a fun Friday evening meal to make! I was struggling to create a falafel that stayed together when frying it and gluten free breadcrumbs were not helping. Who knew you didn’t need breadcrumbs to keep the falafel balls together? Let’s dive in!
Wanting to make garlic gluten free naan too? Click here!
Do I Need to Use Dried Chickpeas?
If you want to keep your falafel from falling apart, it is important to use dried chickpeas, not chickpeas from the can. When the chickpea is soaked, not cooked thoroughly, it helps with holding the falafel together. Also, it is best to soak your chickpeas overnight, but if you forget you can complete a quick soak on them.
- To do a quick soak, you place 6-8 cups of boiling water on 2 cups of chickpeas and boil for 2 minutes and then let sit for ~1 hour with the stove off. If you are cooking less than 2 cups of chickpeas, adjust water accordingly.
Instructions to Make Falafel
Place chickpeas in a bowl and cover with baking soda. Cover chickpeas well in lukewarm water and soak for 12 hours with a lid. *see note above if not pre-soaking chickpeas
Combine dill, diced cucumber and yogurt in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to eat
Chop parsley and onion
In a blender or a food processor, add in chickpeas, and mix until combined, add in onion, garlic, GF flour, parsley and oil and continue mixing. Refrigerate for 30 minutes-1 hour. Then create into 2 inch balls and ensure they are formed well, add more flour if needed to have them stay into balls.
In a frying pan, add 2 inches of oil and warm to ~350 degrees before placing falafel to make sure they will not come apart. Cook for ~5-8 minutes total, flipping throughout to cook all parts
Notes:
- I used olive oil to cook the falafel, but you can use peanut or corn oil which get hotter, giving it a decreased change of the falafel falling apart during the cooking process
- I would highly suggest using a food processor if you have access to one, it makes the process of combining the ingredients so much smoother. If you do not, I would recommend a larger blender where all the ingredients fit and use the pulse option as the contents tend to get stuck to the blades.
Falafel
Course: Dinner, Recipes, Vegetarian12
servings30
minutes30
minutes1
hourIngredients
1 lb dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 sweet onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp GF flour
1 cup parsley
1 tbsp oil
Oil for frying
Directions
- Place chickpeas in a bowl and cover with baking soda. Cover chickpeas well in lukewarm water and soak for 12 hours with a lid. *see note above if not pre-soaking chickpeas
- Combine dill, diced cucumber and yogurt in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to eat
- Chop parsley and onion
- In a blender or a food processor, add in chickpeas, and mix until combined, add in onion, garlic, GF flour, parsley and oil and continue mixing. Refrigerate for 30 minutes-1 hour. Then create into 2 inch balls and ensure they are formed well, add more flour if needed to have them stay into balls
- In a frying pan, add 2 inches of oil and warm to ~350 degrees before placing falafel to make sure they will not come apart. Cook for ~5-8 minutes total, flipping throughout to cook all parts
Notes
- I used olive oil to cook the falafel, but you can use peanut or corn oil which get hotter, giving it a decreased change of the falafel falling apart during the cooking process
- I would highly suggest using a food processor if you have access to one, it makes the process of combining the ingredients so much smoother. If you do not, I would recommend a larger blender where all the ingredients fit and use the pulse option as the contents tend to get stuck to the blades
