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Vegan Baked Black Bean Falafel

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!

Three baked black bean falafel in bowl

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.

black bean falafel on green salad

If you don’t have chickpea flour and aren’t concerned with gluten, you can substitute regular all-purpose flour.

Ingredients for black bean falafels

Printable recipe for Vegan Baked Black Bean Falafel

Yield: 16 falafel

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.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

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

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F or 190 C.
  2. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Optionally, oil it to make a crispier crust.
  3. Combine all ingredients except the oil and mash until beans are mostly broken and the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
  4. Stir in the oil.
  5. 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.
  6. Bake for 30 minutes. Optionally, you can flip the falafel at the 15 minute mark to ensure they brown evenly.
  7. 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:

4

Serving Size:

4 falafel

Amount 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.

Did you make this recipe?

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[1]USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity May 2010.

Showing 6 comments
  • Stephanie
    Reply

    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!

    • Mary
      Reply

      Thank you so much, Stephanie! You are so sweet. See you at the next meet-up I hope!

  • Krystle
    Reply

    Mary, they look awesome and do simple! I can’t wait to try them. Black beans are my favorite 🙂

    • Mary
      Reply

      Thank you! I think you will love them. Too too easy!

  • Jay
    Reply

    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!

    • Mary
      Reply

      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 😉

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