Is there a better food than falafel? No, I say, there is not. Except maybe mashed potatoes. It’s a close call.
Finding gluten-free falafel out in the wild is hard. Making it at home is so easy, you won’t miss going out for this wonderful food at all. As a bonus, falafel makes a great vegan option for those times you need one.
One huge note, that I’ll repeat in the Notes section as well: do not use canned chickpeas when making falafel. They have absorbed too much liquid in the can, and will create a heavy, less fluffy falafel. You will thank yourself for soaking your garbanzo beans the old-fashioned way!
Gluten-Free Falafel
By Published: December 1, 2013
- Yield: 10 - 20 falafels, depding on the size (6 Servings)
- Prep: 30 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Ready In: 1 hr 2 mins
Falafel is one of my favorite foods in the world, and making a gluten-free version is super-easy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpeas soaked according to the Notes
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garbanzo flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or to taste
- oil for frying
- hummus for serving
Instructions
- Add the chickpeas, onion, parsley, garlic, flour, salt, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and cayenne to your food processor. You'll probably have to work in batches, so try to divide the seasonings among the batches as well.
- Pulse the chickpea mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl periodically, until you get a rough paste. The mix will be a bit sticky, but will still have tiny chunks of chickpeas. If you make the mixture too smooth, it will be more like hummus. Too chunky, and it won't hold together for frying. If the latter, you may need to add a bit more flour.
- Add to a bowl, and mix together with a fork one more time. Cover the bowl and put the mixture into the refrigerator for one to two hours.
- Heat about 1 1/2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven until about 350 degrees. Form the falafel mixture into balls, using about two tablespoons of mixture per ball. Or create patties. Or larger balls (they will take longer to fry, but this is your falafel!).
- Test fry one falafel -- if your oil is hot enough, it will brown on one side in about three minutes. Brown the other for another three minutes. If the oil is ready, fry the falafel in batches of 6 or so at a time. Do not crowd the pan.
- Remove the golden brown falafel from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven if not serving immediately.
- Serve with hummus on the side.
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Course: Entrée
- Skill Level: Moderate
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YUM I love falafels! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
Hope your week is great!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
My MIL is Lebanese and she taught me how to make falafels and your recipe is almost spot on. Try adding 1/4c cilantro as well. And we don’t add flour for binding. We add baking powder (1Tb). Cheers
Jen — Thanks so much for the suggestions. I never considered baking powder. Will definitely do that the next time!
i would serve these with tahini sauce, not hummus. hummus is kinda redundant. my husband likes them with tzatziki sauce, but that’s cause he eats them like that at the greek restaurant we go to. http://theshiksa.com/2010/01/20/tahini-sauce/
here’s the problem: i have a husband who buys hummus like i buy purses. or shoes. but tahini sauce is just about perfect with anything. and by anything, i mean, well all foods on this planet. except, i guess raspberries.
HAHAHAH… we just ate this with raspberries on the side. 😉