Falafel or meat(less)balls have been one of the most challenging dishes I learned how to cook since I switched to a plant-based diet.

It’s just something about the percentage of beans/pulses to water (including the water content of different veggies) that will make or break your recipe. I lost count on the amount of times I had to throw away the mixture because it was not binding the right way. Or how many times my falafels turned into tiny burgers?

I made two big mistakes when I previously tried to make falafel:

• No refrigeration - I was looking for a quick win and I was craving falafel right now, not in a couple of hours (sigh). It seems that patience attracts… better falafels!

• Too much water - I did not believe the mixture would stick together, so I added way too much water.

As we usually have beans in our pantry and fridge, I decided to throw this recipe together with a small amount of ingredients to see if it works. I mixed everything together after breakfast, went for a walk and a couple of hours later, I baked the falafels. And surprise - it worked great and it was delicious!

A couple of tips before you go and bake your falafel:

• The mixture needs to be quite dry, but sticky so it holds together;

• If you find the mixture too grainy, add 1 tablespoon water and mix it well. If you add too much water, add an additional tablespoon of oat flour;

• The minimum time to refrigerate the falafel mixture is 1h; for best results, refrigerate it for at least 3-4 hours or over night;

• Bake the falafel instead of frying it, especially if you are looking for lower the amount of fat you eat for health reasons.

Baked Falafel

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, pulse a couple of times the chickpeas, onion, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, oil, salt, pepper (and chilli flakes, if using). Don’t mix it too well as, make sure that you can distinguish the ingredients a bit.

2. Add the mixture to a bowl, blending the oat flour and baking powder. You should have a mixture that is quite dry, but sticky. If your mixture is grainy, add 1 tablespoon of water and stir everything well.

3. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for a couple of hours (3-4 hours works great, but you can also leave it overnight).

4. Heat the oven to 200C fan. Cover a tray with baking paper.

5. Take the bowl from the fridge. Wet your hands and scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture into your palm. Roll it into a little ball and place it in the tray, flattening the top a bit. 

6. Put the tray in the oven and bake for 10min. Take the tray out, softly turn the falafels on the other side and bake them for 5-6min more. 

7. Your falafels are ready when they are crispy on the outside and a bit soft in the side. 

8. Enjoy them with lots of tzatziki in a pita bread or when you’re looking for a snack!

Ingredients: 

Yields about 20 pieces

• 300gr chickpeas, cooked (1 ⅓ cans)

• 1 small red onion

• 3 cloves of garlic

• Juice from ½ lemon

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 tablespoon oil (olive oil works best)

• 3 tablespoons oat flour (grinded oats)

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Optional: chilli flakes