Gluten Free Falafel Recipe
This gluten free falafel recipe adds a Mediterranean flair when you serve with your favorite dips, gf pita bread, or a salad.
Servings: 18 falafel
Equipment
- Food processor fitted with steel blade
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried chickpeas
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 small yellow or red onion peeled and quartered
- 6 garlic cloves peeled
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons gum-free gluten free flour blend (or chickpea flour, sweet white rice flour, tapioca starch/flour, superfine white rice flour), plus more as necessary
- 1 ½ cups fresh parsley leaves
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more as necessary
- Neutral oil for frying peanut, corn oil, or refined coconut oil work best
- Coarse salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the dried chickpeas. Sprinkle with the baking soda, and add enough lukewarm tap water to cover the beans by about 1 1/2 inches.
- Cover the bowl tightly and allow the beans to soak for at least 12 hours, and up to 18 hours. The beans should be edible and crunchy. Drain the soaking water, rinse the chickpeas, and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place the prepared chickpeas, onion quarters, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of the gluten free flour, then the parsley and cilantro leaves. The food processor will be quite full, so you may have to pack in the herbs with your hands, in bunches.
- Place the lid on the the food processor and process until the leaves of the herbs have been incorporated into the mixture. With the food processor still processing, stream in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and process until the mixture comes together in large clumps.
- Remove the lid of the food processor and stir the mixture to loosen and redistribute it. Close the lid again and process until you no big pieces of chickpeas remain.
- Transfer the mixture to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Cover the container and refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- After refrigerating the mixture, stir it and add up to another tablespoon of gf flour as necessary to hold the mixture together in a relatively uniform patty. Don’t add too much flour, or your falafel will be fluffy.
- Place about 2 inches of your cooking oil in a small but deep, heavy-bottom skillet or electric fryer and heat to 350°F.
- Shape the patties by scooping about 2 tablespoons of the falafel mixture and shaping with your hands into patties about 1 1/2-inches wide and 1/2-inch thick.
- Place the patties in the hot oil and fry for 3 to 5 minutes total, flipping a few times, until uniformly golden brown on the outside and firm to the touch. Be sure not to crowd the oil.
- Remove the finished patties from the hot oil, and place on paper towel-lined plates or baking sheets to drain. Sprinkle the falafel patties with coarse salt when they’re still warm.
- Serve as soon as possible on a salad, with gluten free naan or pita, or just with some hummus for dipping.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refresh before serving by sprinkling with water and placing in a warm toaster oven until heated through.
Video
Notes
Nutrition information is an estimate, per falafel, created using an online nutrition calculator. It is provided as a courtesy and should not be relied upon.
Nutrition
Serving: 1falafel | Calories: 107kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 267mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 499IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2mg