Gluten Free Falafel Balls with Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

Chickpeas and chickpea flour are high in protein and fibre, two things you want more of when you're on a gluten free diet. The rest of the family needs more fibre too but you don't have to tell them, just make good food.

• Dried chickpeas - All you do is soak these in water the night before or morning of. There is no long boiling time. After soaking they're simply chopped in a food processor.

• Onion & garlic - Important for the savoury goodness of so many dishes!

• Parsley & cilantro - Fresh herbs are essential for this recipe.

• Lemon juice and maple syrup (for the sauce) - These balance out the flavours.

• Cumin, coriander & cayenne pepper - Typical spices for Middle Eastern dishes.

• Chickpea flour - Highly nutritious and once you're got it in your pantry you'll find more ways for you to use it.

• Tahini - This is a single ingredient product; ground, roasted sesame seeds. It is sold in jars or tubs in grocery stores and Middle Eastern specialty shops.

See recipe card for complete ingredient list and exact amounts.

Instructions: Making Falafel

This recipe is easiest with a food processor but could be halved and done in stages using a blender. Chickpeas triple in size after soaking overnight so that turns into 6 cups of chickpeas making this a large recipe. Work in batches transferring the mixture into a large bowl before combining it all and shaping the falafel.

Instructions: Cooking

Shaping and cooking these is a great job for two people.

Deep-Fried: Falafel are traditionally deep-fried making crispy round balls that are moist inside. I know lots of you don't want to deep fry, or eat deep-fried foods or clean up the mess. Deep fry or air fry if you like.

Pan-Fried: It takes a bit of time to pan-fry these in small batches so work with two pans at a time. Balls are harder to pan fry so I measure the mixture with a portion scoop. They go into the pan flat side down, squishing each one into a patty with a small spatula.

Oven-Baked: Baking falafel in the oven is easy but they are too crunchy for me and too dry inside. Although the taste is fine I prefer to pan-fry mine.

Substitutions & Variations

Chickpeas - I've done the research and Middle Eastern cooks say canned chickpeas make soggy falafel balls. You can find a few recipes using canned chickpeas but I took the advice of many cooks before me. Just buy the bag of dried chickpeas and do it.

Edamame Beans - I have not tried this but I've seen recipes for falafel made using edamame beans. This would be easy and if I try it I'll come back here and let you know. If you haven't tried edamame beans and are now curious, check out my post Edamame Bean Snack for tips on buying and cooking them.

Chickpea flour has a distinct taste that contributes to the classic taste of falafel. I've never made these with another flour but I bet someone has.

Fresh cilantro and parsley are important elements in falafel so I don't recommend using dried. For the effort it takes just use fresh and you'll get the taste you expect.

Tahini Sauce - Serve with any or all of these options; any hummus thinned to desired consistency or the pomegranate tahini sauce I serve with my Falafel Bowls.

Sesame Free - Sesame seeds became the 9th top food allergen in recent years. If you must avoid sesame I suggest you substitute the tahini with a no-nut butter for a similar taste. These butters can be made from sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, soy beans, peas and more alternative ingredients.

Get The Tools

Every kitchen needs tools and it's hard not to keep collecting them.

• To get this job done I used my decades old food processor to coarsely grind the chickpea mixture.
• For the balls I used a small metal scoop with a thumb grip to make the job easier and make the balls all the same size. I recommend you buy a set of 3 sizes, you'll never regret it.

Storage

Falafel balls freeze well. Thaw them in the fridge or add them to for your lunch bag frozen and they'll be thawed by the time you eat. I like to make a simple version of my falafel bowl recipe or a classic Greek salad and add some falafel.

More Recipes with Chickpeas, Chickpea Flour and Tahini

If you bought tahini and chickpea flour here are some ways I use those ingredients. Plus, canned chickpeas are nutritious and convenient food that deserves a spot be in your pantry.