Healthy Crispy Baked Falafel
Baked falafel crumbles because the mixture is not chilled and because people use cooked chickpeas. Use raw soaked chickpeas, never boiled, and rest the mixture in the fridge for an hour before shaping — then it holds together and crisps.
- Prep
- 75 min
- Cook
- 28 min
- Total
- 103 min
- Calories
- 180
Fried falafel is rich, and baking saves more than half the calories. The only problem is that it crumbles or comes out dry — and two steps solve both.
Method
-
1
Soak the chickpeas
Soak the chickpeas in plenty of water for 12 hours or overnight. Do not boil them at all — cooked chickpeas give a sticky paste that crumbles in the oven.
⏱ 15 min -
2
Grind fine
Drain and dry the chickpeas, then grind them with the parsley, coriander, onion and garlic in a food processor until they look like damp sand, not a paste.
⏱ 10 min -
3
Season
Add the cumin, ground coriander, salt and chickpea flour and mix. Do not add the bicarbonate yet — it loses its power if it sits.
⏱ 5 min -
4
Chill for an hour
Cover the mixture and refrigerate for a full hour. The cold firms the fats and lets the starch absorb the moisture, so the patties hold together.
⏱ 60 min -
5
Shape
Add the bicarbonate and mix, then shape small, flat patties 1.5 cm thick. Thick ones stay raw in the middle in the oven.
⏱ 12 min -
6
Hot tray
Heat the oven to 220°C with the tray inside, brush the tray and both sides of the patties with olive oil and scatter sesame seeds. The hot tray crisps the underside instantly.
⏱ 14 min -
7
Bake and flip
Bake for 15 minutes, flip, and bake another 10 minutes until both sides are browned. Serve with tahini and salad.
⏱ 26 min
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Tips that actually matter
- Raw soaked chickpeas, never boiled — the first rule of any falafel.
- An hour in the fridge before shaping — it stops the crumbling entirely.
- Flat patties 1.5 cm thick — thick ones stay raw inside.
- You need very little oil — two tablespoons for the whole tray is enough.
People also ask
Why does my baked falafel crumble?
The mixture was not chilled, or the chickpeas were cooked. Soak raw chickpeas for 12 hours and chill the mixture for an hour before shaping — together these solve it.
Can I use canned chickpeas?
Unfortunately not. Canned chickpeas are cooked and waterlogged, and give a sticky paste that falls apart. You need dried chickpeas soaked overnight, not boiled.
How do I get it as crisp as fried?
A 220°C oven with the tray preheated inside, oil on both sides, thin flat patties, and a flip halfway. It will not reach 100% of fried crispness but it comes very close at a quarter of the fat.
Cook mode
Healthy Crispy Baked Falafel
-
1
Soak the chickpeas
Soak the chickpeas in plenty of water for 12 hours or overnight. Do not boil them at all — cooked chickpeas give a sticky paste that crumbles in the oven.
-
2
Grind fine
Drain and dry the chickpeas, then grind them with the parsley, coriander, onion and garlic in a food processor until they look like damp sand, not a paste.
-
3
Season
Add the cumin, ground coriander, salt and chickpea flour and mix. Do not add the bicarbonate yet — it loses its power if it sits.
-
4
Chill for an hour
Cover the mixture and refrigerate for a full hour. The cold firms the fats and lets the starch absorb the moisture, so the patties hold together.
-
5
Shape
Add the bicarbonate and mix, then shape small, flat patties 1.5 cm thick. Thick ones stay raw in the middle in the oven.
-
6
Hot tray
Heat the oven to 220°C with the tray inside, brush the tray and both sides of the patties with olive oil and scatter sesame seeds. The hot tray crisps the underside instantly.
-
7
Bake and flip
Bake for 15 minutes, flip, and bake another 10 minutes until both sides are browned. Serve with tahini and salad.
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