Easy Vegan Falafel

Easy, 10-ingredient falafel made with chickpeas and seasoned with parsley, cumin and garlic. A simple, flavorful, hearty plant-based meal.

Ingredients

• US Customary - Metric
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas (rinsed, drained and patted dry)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (or sub cilantro)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium shallots (minced // 2 shallots yield 3/4 cup or 65 g // or sub white onion)
• 2 Tbsp raw sesame seeds (or sub finely chopped nuts, such as pecans)
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin (plus more to taste)
• 1/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper (plus more to taste)
• 1 healthy pinch each cardamom and coriander (optional)
• 3-4 Tbsp all-purpose flour (or sub oat flour or gluten-free blend with varied results)
• 3-4 Tbsp avocado oil for cooking (or sub any neutral oil with a high smoke point)
• Panko bread crumbs for coating (optional // see instructions)
• Garlic Dill Sauce (for serving // found within the Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potato Recipe)

Instructions

1. Add chickpeas, parsley, shallot, garlic, sesame seeds, cumin, salt, pepper (and coriander and cardamom if using) to a food processor or blender and mix/pulse to combine, scraping down sides as needed until thoroughly combined. You’re looking for a crumbly dough, not a paste (see photo).
2. Add flour 1 Tbsp at a time and pulse/mix to combine until no longer wet and you can mold the dough into a ball without it sticking to your hands - I used 4 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
3. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. I added a bit more salt, pepper, and a dash of cardamom and coriander. You want the flavor to be pretty bold, so don’t be shy.

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