Baked falafel are naturally gluten-free chickpea patties served with labneh tahini dip. Use them to make your falafel wraps or healthy salad bowls.
I have included a quick labneh tahini dip recipe along with a vegan version too. In this post, I will be sharing only how to bake falafel, for the recipe to make falafel patties from scratch, do check the linked posts in this article.
The main difference between a baked falafel and vs fried falafel is the fat content from oil, therefore, the total calorie. So, it is safe to say it is better to bake falafel. Oven-baked falafel follows a similar process as baking samosas.
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FAQ
Apart from the fact that baking falafel patties are much easier and less messy than deep frying, the number one reason would be - low calorie than deep-fried. Yes, you can bake falafel and these are a healthier option than deep-fried falafel. Baked to golden brown and crispy on the outside with the tender delicious herby inside, these falafel patties contain significantly less fat than the fried version. Falafel, is naturally gluten-free, vegan and protein-rich food option, only gets better by baking instead of frying for those on diet or not.
Canned chickpeas are pre-cooked and so they are too soft to use in a falafel recipe. The falafel made with canned chickpeas will not hold shape while frying and may break and get too greasy. You may try baking but the dough would need a way more flour than orignal recipe to make it hold shape. And that would most defintely compromise on the taste.
The ingredients used in baking falafel is healthier than fried version. Serve baked falafel with some cauliflower rice-inspired tabbouleh and tahini sauce.
If you do have only canned chickpeas and want to try a middle eastern recipe, then go ahead and make my Fatteh Hummus! You will not regret it!
Ingredients
- falafel patties: Use my falafel recipe to make a batch. Shape them like patties and freeze.
- cooking oil: I have used olive oil, you may use any cooking oil.
- labneh: for the dip. You may use greek yoghurt or hung curd.
- tahini
- lemon juice
- salad items:
How to make it?
Make a batch of my winning, reader's favourite deep-fried Falafel recipe and ensure to shape them into patties instead of balls. Freeze until hardens. Line a baking tray with foil and brush the falafel patties individually with olive oil or any cooking oil of your choice. Bake in the middle rack of a preheated oven turning sides and brushing midway. Bake until golden and crispy edges. Check below for a detailed recipe.
These steps apply to both frozen and freshly made falafel. In these images, I have used my homemade frozen falafel. If using frozen falafel, do not thaw.
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking tray with foil or baking paper.
Place the frozen or chilled falafel patties on the foil and start brushing both sides with your choice of cooking oil. Bake in the middle rack for a total of 25 minutes but remove halfway to turn the patties.
Half baked.
Turn each falafel pattie and brush more oil if required. Continue to bake for the remaining minutes or until you see the edges brown.
Fully baked falafel.
Serving suggestions
You can easily serve falafel as an appetizer along with yoghurt or tahini-based dip. You can use them in a pita wrap or sandwich, crumble and add to salads, or make a bowl of your falafel salad ditching the pita for a low-carb version.
Falafel pairs well with any of the following ingredients:
- Pita (khubz)
- Boiled eggs
- Arugula (gerger leaves)
- Tomatoes
- Bell peppers
- Pickled veggies like cucumbers
- Red onion
- Yoghurt-based sauce or dips (like labneh, tahini, olive oil)
I cannot think of Falafel wraps without boiled eggs. That is how our go-to cafeteria back in Yanbu used to serve in the morning. Fridays in Yanbu always began with a takeaway of fresh falafel wraps with egg for me and a chicken liver sandwich for him. We eat in the car while driving to one of our usual spots - either the waterfront corniche or the sunrise spot at Yanbu Al Nakhl. So, boiled eggs will always be part of my falafel spread. 🙂 Funny, I still reminisce about Yanbu days even after 2 years of UAE life.
How to make falafel wraps?
I learnt recently to wrap shawarma and falafel neatly without any mess and guess who taught me? The Mr F 🙂
- Take a pita bread and carefully tear it open until you can open but the two sides are still attached.
- Place it flat on the board and spread the labneh tahini sauce that you have prepared on one side.
- Tuck the thinly sliced pickled cucumbers, leaves, and crumbled falafel and spread them along the length, place sliced tomatoes and boiled egg wedges, bell peppers, etc.
- Take the other side of the pita bread and tuck it to cover all the stuffings and carefully roll to finish the wrap. (I hope to make a video and share it next time I make it, insha'Allah! )
Prepare the tahini sauce with or without labneh (refer to recipe notes) close to serving time to keep the taste fresh and not bitter.
📖 Recipe
Baked Falafel with Labneh Tahini Dip
Ingredients
For baking falafel
- Falafel patties see notes
- olive oil or sunflower oil, melted ghee or butter etc.
For Labneh Tahini dip
- 1 cup full-fat labneh or Greek yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon tahini or as per taste
- 1 clove garlic cloves minced
- lemon juice to taste
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
For a salad bowl or wraps
- Arugula leaves
- Red onions sliced
- Tomatoes sliced
- Pickled cucumbers sliced
- Hard-boiled eggs optional
Instructions
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 200℃ Hot air and line a baking tray with foil or baking paper.
- Place the frozen or chilled falafel patties on the foil and start brushing both sides with your choice of cooking oil.
- Put the tray in the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for a total of 25 minutes flipping halfway through. Brush more oil if required and bake again for the remaining minutes or until you see the edges brown.
- Take the time to prepare your assortments of sliced pickled cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, sliced red onion, arugula, sliced hard-boiled eggs, and a bowl of labneh dip.
- Remove baked falafel patties from the oven and transfer them to a serving platter and serve as part of the mezze along with tahini sauce and salad.
Prepare the dip
- Add the labneh to a bowl and give it a good whisk to smoothen.
- Add tahini, minced garlic, lemon juice and salt and whisk well to combine. Taste and add more tahini or lime juice or salt as required.
- Stir in the extra virgin olive oil. Add water if you want a runny sauce. Serve immediately.
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