This Middle East Falafel Recipe is quick and easy to make, and it only contains 140 calories per serving and has 25% of the daily recommended amount of protein. Perfect with dips, sauces, or side dishes, this easy recipe is a must-try! Whip up this quick and flavorful meal and see why it’s a beloved classic.
The reason I love this middle eastern falafel recipe so much is that it is very flexible. You can add authentic flour to this recipe such as chickpea flour, or gluten-free all-purpose flour if you only have that available. But what I love to do best is to bind these falafels with plain vegan protein powder to increase the protein content. When you add protein powder as your flour you increase the protein content from 6g per serving using all-purpose gluten-free flour to 12.5g using protein powder. This is one of those easy ways to double your protein content in a recipe without it affecting the taste at all.
This falafel has a lovely herby taste and moist texture.
This recipe is that it only takes a few minutes of preparation time and just about double that time to finish cooking. So this recipe is one I use often on busy weekdays.
I managed to make this recipe so that it only contains less than 140 calories per serving and has 25% of the daily recommended amount of protein in that single serving.
In my BEST Falafel Side Dishes post, you’ll find a variety of recipes that all pair perfectly with this Middle East Falafel Recipe.
Try these falafels with yummy dips or sauces, like my falafel sauce or my simple but yummy No Oil No Tahini Hummus.
You can also try out my Easy Mediterranean Yellow Rice or Falafel Gyro Recipe to enjoy with some Russian Pickled Tomatoes.
For something a bit more unique, why not try out my Creamy Chickpea And Lentil Curry with the Falafel Over Rice Recipe and a side salad dressed with my Creamy Vegan Italian Dressing or my Falafel Platter?
With all these delicious options, you have plenty of choices to complete your meals.
Video Demonstration
If you’d like to see how easy it is to throw all this together, check out my video where I walk you through the recipe step by step. Click here to subscribe to my Youtube channel.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This recipe contains 137.2 calories per serving
- This recipe contains 12.5g of protein per serving
- One serving of this recipe contains 19% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C.
- This recipe is made from a combination of vegan protein, whole food sources of carbohydrates, vegetables, essential fats, and ingredients that make the dish extremely tasty.
- This easy recipe takes 5 minutes of active preparation time and 10 minutes of cooking time. You can use the cooking time to get on with other things.
- This recipe is made extra tasty by the addition of cumin and coriander.
- I have simplified this recipe by limiting the number of ingredients and using everyday, simple ingredients such as garlic and onion.
- This recipe and all recipes on my website are vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, lactose-free, free from refined sugar, vegetarian, and are based on whole foods.
- All of my recipes follow my own diet plan called the Plant Plate 400. In addition, my recipes also adhere to the following diets, the Mediterranean diet, the 1200 Calories a Day diet, Clean eating, the Macrobiotic diet, the Alkaline diet, the Ornish diet, the Daniel Fast, and the Starch Solution diet.
Ingredients
Ingredient Substitutions
- Chickpeas: You use canned beans instead but it won’t taste like falafel, it will taste more like bean balls.
- Flour: You can use any gluten-free all-purpose flour, chickpea flour, or plain vegan protein powder.
- Onions: You can omit the onions or replace them with a vegetable of your choice.
- Garlic: You can omit the garlic or replace it with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Sea salt: You can replace it with any salt you choose or 1 tablespoon of tamari.
- Ground cumin: You can use either ground coriander, chili powder, curry powder, garam masala powder, caraway seeds/powder, or taco seasoning.
- Ground coriander: You can replace this with ground cumin, caraway powder, garam masala, or curry powder.
- Basil/Cilantro/other fresh leaves: You can omit the fresh herbs or replace them with any fresh or dried herbs of your choice.
- Ground black pepper: Replace the ground black pepper with any herbs or spice blend of your choice.
The Structure Of A Plant Based Plate
Each of the recipes I create fits into my Plant Plate System. This system incorporates 5 food groups into every meal.
The 5 food groups are 1) Plant Protein, 2), Leaves, Fruit, And Veg, 3) Aesthetic Additions, 4) Nutrient Packed Carbohydrates, and 5) Taste
This recipe adds plant protein to any dish. It falls under the “vegan protein” category on the Plant Based Plate and is not a complete meal.
The diagram below helps you visually see how this element features on a Plant-Based Plate.
Click here to discover more about my Plant Plate System and some of the benefits of eating this way.
Here’s how this recipe is structured according to the Plant Plate System.
Adding each ingredient to the following categories helps you to easily see how to make substitutions. It also lets you know the exact reason why the ingredient is in the recipe.
Plant-Based Protein
- Plant-based protein powder
Leaves, Fruit & Veg
- Onion
- Garlic
- Coriander (cilantro)
- Parsley
Aesthetic Additions
- n/a
Nutrient Packed Carbohydrates
- Chickpeas
Taste
- Sea salt
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Black pepper
Recommended Equipment
Here are the main kitchen equipment tools I have used to create this recipe.
Food Processor
I used my food processor for this recipe. I love this food processor because it has some handy attachments like a grater, and the ability to slice vegetables very quickly. It also has a smaller compartment for making smaller batches of food.
How To Make This Recipe
Here is a brief summary of the steps needed to make the recipe. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full detailed instructions.
- Blend all of the ingredients together.
- Scoop out the mixture and roll it into small balls and bake in the oven or air fryer.
How To Serve
You can serve this with rice, or flatbread or just enjoy it with a dipping sauce.
Serving Sizes
Double or triple the ingredients to make a larger batch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chickpeas are the main ingredient used to make Middle Eastern Falafels.
How To Store Leftovers
This recipe keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. It also freezes well for up to 3 months. Defrost it before using it. Reheat it by warming it up gently in the oven or air fryer.
Ways To Use This Recipe
Here are some of my favorite ways to use this recipe:
- 2 Minute Falafel Hot Sauce Recipe
- Creamy Vegan Italian Dressing Recipe (Oil Free)
- Russian Pickled Tomatoes Recipe (EASY)
- No Oil No Tahini Hummus Recipe (48 Calories Per Serving)
- Easy Mediterranean Yellow Rice (Vegan)
- Falafel Gyro Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
- Creamy Chickpea And Lentil Curry Recipe
- Falafel Over Rice Recipe (Vegan Buddha Bowl)
- Falafel Platter Recipe (Vegan Mezze Plate)
- The BEST Falafel Side Dishes
Vegan Carbohydrate Side Dishes
Serve this recipe with any of the following carb side dishes which are all around 100 calories per serving:
- Crispy Homemade Baked French Fries
- Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
- Most Crispy Vegan Jacket Potato
- Easy Whole Baked Sweet Potato
- Perfect Long Grain White Rice
- Gluten Free Dough Balls
- Gluten Free Burger Buns
- Gluten Free Flatbreads
- Gluten Free Naan Breads
- Gluten Free Pita Bread
- Easy Mediterranean Yellow Rice
For more options, see all of my best vegan, gluten-free carbs side dishes.
Vegan Vegetable Side Dishes
Here are some vegetable side dishes that go very nicely with this recipe which are all under 100 calories per serving.
- Easy Vegan Cheesy Broccoli
- Vegan Zucchini Fritters
- Spicy Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
- Nacho Cheese Baked Kale Chips
- Easy Baked Mushroom Bacon
- Russian Pickled Tomatoes
For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan vegetable side dishes.
Vegan Dips
Here are some vegan dips or vegan sauces that go very nicely with this recipe, and are very quick to make. These are all under 50 calories per serving.
- Vegan Ranch Dip Recipe
- Creamy Edamame Guacamole
- Easy Vegan Tzatziki Sauce
- Creamy Hummus Recipe (No Garlic)
- Creamy Vegan Poppy Seed Dressing
- 2 Minute Hot Sauce Recipe
- Creamy Vegan Italian Dressing Recipe
- No Oil No Tahini Hummus
For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan dips recipes.
More Plant-Based Protein Side Dishes
Here are some more plant-based protein side dishes that go very nicely with this recipe. They are all under 150 calories per serving and are based on the highest sources of vegan protein.
- Vegan Zucchini Fritters
- Smoky Tempeh Bacon
- Spicy Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
- Creamy Edamame Guacamole
- Vegan Tofu ‘Egg’ Scramble
- Easy Baked Mushroom Bacon
For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan protein recipes.
🥬️🥭️ 7 Day Meal Plan
If you want to discover all of the benefits of eating a plant-based, gluten-free diet, grab a copy of my 7-day meal plan by Green Thickies.
My 7-day detox has been doctor and nutritionist approved and featured on a major national TV channel.
Thousands of people have had incredible results with this meal plan.
Click here to read more about it.
FREE Gifts
🥗 Free Smoothies (Drink And Shrink) Bundle
For A Limited Time, Grab Your FREE 260+ Page Smoothies (Drink And Shrink) Bundle From Green Thickies.
Click here to grab your copy FREE.
🎩 5 Magical Fruit Recipes Book
If you’re looking for some easy, raw, fruit-based, complete meal recipes, grab my free recipe book now.
Recipe
Middle East Falafel Recipe
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Oven
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1 medium onion (peeled and roughly chopped) or ½ cup frozen sliced onion
- 30g plain plant-based protein powder I used pea protein isolate OR 4 tablespoons of chickpea flour or other gluten free flour
- 4 teaspoons (cloves) minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander (ground cilantro)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 30g (a handful) of fresh coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
- 30g (a handful) of fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Blend all of the ingredients together in a food processor until it is all incorporated but don’t over-blend. The mixture should be chunky and you should be able to form it into a ball that sticks together. If it doesn’t stick together add 1 teaspoon more protein powder at a time until it is the right consistency.
- Use a spoon or a small scoop to scoop some of the mixture. Roll it into a ball.
- Repeat until all the mixture has been rolled into balls.
- Follow the instructions below to cook with your preferred equipment.
Air Fryer
- Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper or spray your basket with oil.
- Place the balls into the air fryer basket making sure none of them are touching each other. You might have to do this in several batches if they don’t all fit.
- You can also increase the crispiness of the falafels by spraying them with oil spray before baking.
- Bake at 200C/400F for 5-10 minutes or until the falafels are golden brown.
Oven
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper or spray a non-stick baking sheet with oil.
- Add the balls to the baking tray making sure none of the balls touch each other. You can also increase the crispiness of the falafels by spraying them with oil spray before baking.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
Now it’s your turn to make magic with food.
Leave a Reply