Baked Falafel with Canned Chickpeas

Baked Falafel with Canned Chickpeas, quick and easy to make, and so delicious too! The falafel is vegan-friendly, and low in calories, and can be served as a starter for any occasion. Or you can make it a main meal by adding it to a wrap with pickles and salad.

The Middle Eastern snack is so popular, I doubt it needs any introduction. When it comes to party food, falafel is a great choice. They are beautifully spiced, mess free, and they can be enjoyed by everyone, since they are vegetarian and vegan friendly too. 

Although traditionally they are deep fried, they can have the same amazing taste by baking them in the oven too. Not that I have a a problem with fried food, but with the frying process itself. Lots of oil wasted (which I refuse to re-use), and you end up proper stinking up the kitchen.

I know, the taste is great, as with anything fried, but trust me, baking is not only easier - just throw everything in the oven and job done, but also healthier, no greasy food, no fried oil smell, and you can have everything baked evenly at the same time.

For my homemade falafel, we only need a few simple ingredients: canned chickpeas, garlic, onion, fresh parsley (or coriander), ground cumin, salt and pepper. And that's about it!

Jump to:

• Ingredients needed
• Step-by-step photos and instructions
• Party food for every occasion
• Baked Falafel with Canned Chickpeas

Ingredients needed

• chickpeas
• small onion - peeled and chopped
• garlic - chopped
• fresh parsley - or coriander/cilantro
• cumin
• ground coriander
• salt & ground pepper
• cornflour -corn starch
• cooking oil spray

Step-by-step photos and instructions

Most recipes call for dried chickpeas to be used, which I suppose work out well if you have a large family or are cooking for a crowd. But that makes it a long process, soaking up the chickpeas overnight, then boiling them until they are tender, etc

So how about we make our life easier and use a good old can of chickpeas? They are already cooked, and really cheap too. Honestly, I can't see much of a difference, apart from the fact that everything is ready in about half an hour. So shortcut it is!

• open a tin of chickpeas, drain the liquid, and rinse the chickpeas well with cold water
• add them to a food processor together with chopped onion, garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, fresh parsley, cornflour, salt and pepper
• blitz to get a thick paste - you can go for very smooth or with a bit of a texture, it's up to you
• shape balls out of the mixture, I got 11, but you might get more or less depending on the size of the balls
• arrange them on a baking tray lined up with non-stick paper
• spray deliberately with cooking oil spray
• bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) for 25-30 minutes until golden

Party food for every occasion

With the New Year nearly knocking at the door, these falafel bites make a delicious choice for the big party, especially if partying this year has to be a big different. I know, what a year!

Or, how about you include them in your veganuary menu? I wasn't necessarily trying to make a vegan dish, but they happen to be so, and what a treat! You can add more spices to them if you wish, I am not particularly keen on lots of spices, but it's up to one's taste.

You can also shape them into patties or burgers, the baking time might differ slightly, but not by much, just keep an eye on them until they are nice and golden - the chickpeas are already cooked, we just need to get that lovely crispiness on the outside.

My Vegetarian Chickpea Patties with Broccoli and Potatoes and Creamy Hummus Recipe are another amazing chickpea treat, so do give them a go, you won't be disappointed!

If you’ve tried these BAKED FALAFEL WITH CANNED CHICKPEAS or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.