Green Baked Falafel

Falafel is a highly appreciated dish in the Middle East. It's typically made of chickpea or bean balls or croquettes that are fried and served with tahini sauce, hummus or pita bread. For a healthier version, this falafel is baked instead fried, and has green leafy vegetables for more nutrition.


Yields6 ServingsPrep Time10 minsCook Time30 minsDifficultyIntermediate

 

Ingredients

 1 ½ cups chickpeas, cooked
 4 cups green leafy vegetables (such as spinach, chard, or kale)
 3 cloves garlic, minced
 2 tbsp tahini
 2 tsp lemon juice
 ¼ tsp ground cumin
 ½ tsp salt
 1 cup whole wheat flour or oatmeal**You can make your own oatmeal by blending oatmeal into flakes until it reaches the consistency of flour.

Instructions

1

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.

2

In a food processor, grind the chickpeas, green leafy vegetable, garlic, tahini, cumin, juice lemon, and salt until it becomes a smooth paste.

3

Transfer to a bowl and add enough flour to make a mixture thick enough to make the balls.

4

Taste the mixture and add more salt or lemon juice if you like.

5

Roll into balls the size of a golf ball and bake until golden brown—about 30 minutes. Half way through baking, flip the falafel balls so they are evenly browned on both sides.

6

Serve with hummus, salad, pita bread, or rice if desired.

Nutrition Facts

6 servings

Serving size

3 falafels


Amount per serving
Calories117
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 3.1g4%
Saturated Fat 0.4g2%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 218mg10%
Total Carbohydrate 18.9g7%
Dietary Fiber 1.7g7%
Total Sugars 0.5g
Protein 4.3g

* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Ingredients

 1 ½ cups chickpeas, cooked
 4 cups green leafy vegetables (such as spinach, chard, or kale)
 3 cloves garlic, minced
 2 tbsp tahini
 2 tsp lemon juice
 ¼ tsp ground cumin
 ½ tsp salt
 1 cup whole wheat flour or oatmeal**You can make your own oatmeal by blending oatmeal into flakes until it reaches the consistency of flour.

Directions

1

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.

2

In a food processor, grind the chickpeas, green leafy vegetable, garlic, tahini, cumin, juice lemon, and salt until it becomes a smooth paste.

3

Transfer to a bowl and add enough flour to make a mixture thick enough to make the balls.

4

Taste the mixture and add more salt or lemon juice if you like.

5

Roll into balls the size of a golf ball and bake until golden brown—about 30 minutes. Half way through baking, flip the falafel balls so they are evenly browned on both sides.

6

Serve with hummus, salad, pita bread, or rice if desired.

Notes

Green Baked Falafel
Avatar photo
María Hummel

María José Hummel is a nutritionist, health educator, and a currently finishing a PhD in natural medicine with an emphasis on nutrition and natural remedies. María José has been certified by the American College for Lifestyle Medicine and has completed the plant-based nutrition certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell University. She is also an international speaker and author, with nearly two decades of experience providing dynamic presentations and education on nutrition, health, prevention, and vegetarian cuisine. She has appeared numerous times as a guest expert on cooking and nutrition shows on 3ABN, 3ABN Latino, and several other television and radio networks in California. María José is the author of three vegetarian cookbooks, a book about reversing diabetes, and maintains websites in English and Spanish, where she provides free recipes and health information.

2 Comments
  1. I’m just trying to wrap my mind around the nutrition label. 3 falafels are 770 calories? How is that possible?

    1. Thanks for pointing that out. There was a typo in calculating the nutrition facts. It’s been fixed now. Approximate calories from 3 falafels are about 117 according to the correct calculation.

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