After an intense desire for beet falafel, I was drawn to the kitchen and began to experiment with ways to incorporate this extremely nutritious vegetable into falafel.
This resulted in a magenta-colored falafel, which was crispy, garlicky, and zesty. It was also incredibly tasty. And only eight ingredients are needed!
Falafel: The Origins
It is a hotly contested topic. Others claim that it is a quintessential Israeli dish, while Palestinians insist it has Arab roots. Still, others say it was born in Egypt, Lebanon, or Yemen.
We may not be experts on the origins, but we love its rich flavor and crispy texture. Falafel, traditionally, is a fried patty or ball made of chickpeas or fava beans. What’s there not to like?
This inspired version includes shredded beet for color and chickpeas to form the base. If you want a more traditional falafel, try This Recipe by Tori Avey or This recipe by The Kat Chef.
How to Make Beet falafel
This recipe begins with baking the chickpeas in the oven for 10-12 mins to dry them and produce crispy falafel. This is a tip I learned years ago from a friend. It makes delicious vegetarian sausages and burgers as well as falafel.
Then, add the shredded beets, baked chickpeas, garlic, and parsley to the food processor. Cumin is added for a smokey flavor, and sea salt for an overall taste.
Tahini, lemon juice, and a few drops of water help to create a sticky dough. Be careful not to overmix, as you don’t want a puree. Refer to the photo below.
You can add more lemon juice or tahini if the dough is too wet. If it’s too wet, add some gluten-free or oat flour.
Once the falafel has reached the desired consistency, use a 1 1/2 tablespoon portion and form it into small patties.
You have several options for cooking:
- Bake This option is a hands-off method that uses little (or no oil) and requires minimal effort.
- Pan Fry is the best method for crisp falafel or when making a small amount at once.
- Pan Fry and Bake For an even crispier falafel, you can pan-fry it for a crisp exterior and then bake it for 5-15 minutes for an even firmer/crispier texture.
Falafels can be frozen between parchment paper layers. When ready, thaw the frozen falafel and then cook it as directed.
Ingredients
FALAFEL
- The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of chickpeas.
- Beets, shredded into 1 1/2 cups
- Remove the skins from 4 large cloves of garlic. This yields 2 Tbsp (12 g).
- Parsley, roughly chopped (some stems are okay), 1 1/2 cups
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 – 3/4 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 Tbsp tahini
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1-3 Tbsp oat flour (or chickpea flour or GF flour) (optional)
- 1-3 Tbsp avocado or olive oil (for cooking) (optional)
FOR SERVING optional
- Hummus (or store-bought // for topping)
- Garlic Dill Yogurt Sauce
- Tahini Sauce for Everything
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C), and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add rinsed and drained chickpeas to the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly cracked and dried out. Set aside. NOTE: Keep oven on if baking falafel or you want crispier edges!
- Shred beet using a box grater or grater attachment on the food processor, transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
- To a food processor, add garlic and parsley and pulse to chop into small bits. Then add baked chickpeas, 1 1/2 cups shredded beets (as the original recipe is written), cumin, salt, tahini, and lemon juice, and pulse for about 15-30 seconds. Be careful not to overmix — the mixture shouldn’t be pureed, just a tacky texture that forms easily when squeezed between your fingers. If it is too wet, you can dry it out with some oat flour (but we didn’t find it necessary). If it is too dry, add more tahini or lemon juice.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired, adding more salt to taste, cumin for smokiness, or lemon for acidity (just be careful not to add too much lemon, or the falafel will become too wet).
- Scoop out heaping one 1/2-Tbsp portion of falafel dough (we like this scoop), and use your hands to form them into approximately 1/2-inch thick patties. As written, the recipe makes ~16 small falafel or 8-10 larger falafel.
- NOTE: If not cooking all of the falafel right away, FREEZE uncooked falafel between layers of parchment paper and store in a container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Then thaw and cook as instructed!
- TO BAKE: Arrange falafel on the parchment-lined baking sheet from earlier. Spritz or brush with oil for a crispier texture (optional), and bake for 20-30 minutes or until crispy on the outside.
- TO PAN FRY: Heat a large skillet over medium / medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp oil (or lesser end of the range if adjusting batch size). Swirl to coat pan. Add only as many falafels as will fit comfortably in the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the underside is browned. Then flip carefully and cook for 2-3 minutes more. If you prefer them crispier, transfer them to the oven and bake for another 5-15 minutes.
- Enjoy as is or with a sauce of choice. These would be especially delicious with pita, on a salad, or in a bowl such as our Mediterranean Bowl.
- Store leftover falafel covered in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days and reheat in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven. See freezing instructions in step 6.
