These vegan baked “falafel” are made with black beans which are even higher in antioxidants than chickpeas or garbanzo beans! [1] They also happen to be gluten-free and free of most common allergens like soy or nuts. Click here to skip the ramble and go straight to the printable recipe.
A little while ago, I had a hankerin’ for falafel. Unfortunately, on this day it was too freaking cold to go out. As in, the-air-hurts-my-face kind of cold. Generally, I take this as a sign that the universe is warning me against leaving the warm safety of home so I raided the cupboards to see what I could improvise. The result were these delicious baked black bean falafel balls!
They are ridiculously easy to make. Just mash the ingredients together, spoon onto a baking sheet, bake, and stuff your face! They have a nicely spiced exterior that is crunchy without being too heavy, a soft moist interior and that perfect falafel flavour. Have them in wraps, with rice pilaf, or on salad like I did here.
If you don’t have chickpea flour and aren’t concerned with gluten, you can substitute regular all-purpose flour.
Printable recipe for Vegan Baked Black Bean Falafel
Vegan Baked Black Bean Falafel
Easy to make vegan black bean falafel! They have a crispy crust with a soft savory interior with a real falafel flavour thanks to herbs and spice. Black beans make them even more anti-oxidant rich than your regular chickpea or garbanzo based falafel. They also happen to be gluten-free, soy-free, and nut free.
Ingredients
- 1 cup black beans; cooked, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour
- 1/2 cup onions, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro or parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (Canola, olive oil, etc)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F or 190 C.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Optionally, oil it to make a crispier crust.
- Combine all ingredients except the oil and mash until beans are mostly broken and the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
- Stir in the oil.
- Spoon out the mixture on to the baking sheet to form balls about 1 inch in diameter. Try to place them evenly, leaving about 1 inch of space separating each falafel.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Optionally, you can flip the falafel at the 15 minute mark to ensure they brown evenly.
- Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Oiling the baking sheet makes a slightly crispier crust. I find that they are fine without this step, but you might want to try it.
- If storing these for later, let the falafel cool to room temperature before putting them into an airtight container for the fridge or the freezer.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
4 falafelAmount Per Serving: Calories: 158Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 271mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 5gSugar: 2gProtein: 6g
Nutritional Information automatically calculated by a plugin and may not be correct.
[1]USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity May 2010.
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Mary, it was delightful to meet you last week at Dine-Out! These falafels look so good – I prefer black beans to chickpeas and when I saw this post, it was a “Why didn’t I think of that?!” moment. Love your posts – keep ’em up!
Thank you so much, Stephanie! You are so sweet. See you at the next meet-up I hope!
Mary, they look awesome and do simple! I can’t wait to try them. Black beans are my favorite 🙂
Thank you! I think you will love them. Too too easy!
These look fantastic. I’ve been on a black bean kick and when I try to fry falafel it tends to end up too greasy. Using a muffin pan and baking seems much smarter!
Thanks so much, Jay! Baking is really my lazy way. The less I have to stand there the better! The fact that the method results in a nicer, non-greasy falafel is just bonus 😉