Featured comment
These were herbaceous bites of falafel heaven. Loved them baked. No grease or mess. Lentils were a nice twist. I added a pinch of cumin. Delicious!
Julie Mullin
Okay, guys.
I’m so super excited even though the picture suggests that I have lost my food mind. Here I am, after being gone for a few days (why does it take me like five years to recover from the workshop?!) and THIS is what I hit you with. That’s right – THIS.
This simple baked falafel that only requires five basic ingredients to throw together (featuring my one and only LENTILS) is really the only thing I could bring to you today – it’s all I’ve been thinking about in the food realm lately. ♡ It’s ultra-textured, just the right amount of spicy, and baked to soft perfection for all your lifelong falafel wants and needs. This baked falafel is my new favorite way to build a meal.
I mean…
Maybe it’s a little yellow-green. Maybe it looks like alien food I DON’T KNOW.
But it definitely, absolutely, for sure tastes very bomb.
If you’ve never had falafel before, first of all, 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱!
Secondly, okay. Breathe. Steady. Calm. We can be calm about this. Right now at this very second, google “best falafel in (name of your area)” and get out into the world and find yourself some good falafel. I’m serious. Leave this blog now and go get the job done. Also: call me, because I want to come with.
Once you’ve been introduced to the wonders of falafel, if there should come a day when I don’t want to go with you because I love wearing sweatpants and XL hoodies more than I love going out for falafel (I mean, weird, I don’t know, just throwing it out there) or even more shocking: YOU yourself don’t want to go out into the world for falafel (!!) but you still want to eat all its flavor-jolting plant-based goodness for weeks on end in rockin salads, over-the-top sandwiches, and… all the other stuff that people eat falafel in, then this recipe was made just for you and me and all the other simple recipe lovers of the world.
This baked falafel recipe = a handful of regular things.
lentils / cilantro + parsley / garlic / jalapeño / lemon juice / salt / olive oil all up in the food processor.
HOW TO MAKE OUR BAKED FALAFEL:
Speaking of food processor, do you have one? YOU NEED ONE. I love mine so much that I wrote a full post showing off 12 magical ways that I use my food processor. Must must must. Go now.
We’re going to get a little bit of flour in there to hold it all together, too, so technically we’re at more than 5 ingredients if you must get tech-ni-cal, but I always feel like things that 98% of my readers already have in their kitchen cabinets don’t need to count as full blown ingredients.
Just… quit.
Go locate some lentils and cilantro and jalapeños and get started.
Guys, girls, readers, frenz. I need you to know that have some really good, colorful, healthy and extremely satisfying things to come next week for which you will want your little falafels at the ready. And while you’re at it this weekend getting these all set for your fridge for weekly meal planning, go ahead and double the recipe – they freeze nicely and there is absolutely more than one recipe ft. these little weirdos on the food blog horizon.
And then also while you’re at it, go ahead and DEVOUR THEM. With tahini or hummus or magic green sauce. Somehow I even managed to find a way to eat a few of them with my leftover Thai massaman curry and pad see eiw and white rice combo. Awesome Thing #49 About Falafel: plays nice with other foods.
I feel a good, falafel-filled weekend coming on for you! 👋
It wouldn’t be weird to bring falafel to Friendsgiving, right?
**I really wish I would have thought to get a picture of the inside texture of these little guys, but somehow I missed that… for now, you’ll have to trust me that the insides stay deliciously moist without getting heavy or overly mushy. I’ll work on getting a picture in the next day or two and uploading it in the post for reference.**
Print
Simple 5 Ingredient Baked Falafel
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 9–12 falafel patties 1x
Description
Easy baked falafel at home in 30 minutes WITHOUT deep frying! Features lentils, herbs, garlic, lemon juice. Use in salads, sandwiches, healthy recipes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked lentils
- 1 huge handful (a cup or so) fresh cilantro leaves and stems
- 1 huge handful (a cup or so) fresh parsley leaves and stems
- half a jalapeño (if you like spicy – leave ribs and seeds!)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1–2 cloves garlic
- a squeeze of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1–2 tablespoons all purpose flour (sub a gluten free flour if needed)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pulse all ingredients except flour in a food processor until combined. The mixture should form semi-dry crumbles that stick together when you press them.
- Stir in the flour – just one tablespoon at a time, until it’s just dry enough to handle. Form into 9 patties and bake for 18 minutes. Remove from oven and use in salads, sandwiches, bowls, etc. Refrigerate for a few days or freeze.
Notes
Traditional falafel is made with chickpeas. I used lentils here because I’m more likely to have lentils on hand at any given time. Also: because I LOVE lentils. I have not tried this recipe with chickpeas.
For the lentils, lean towards just barely cooked. That will give you a better texture than overly wet, heavy, and mushy lentils.
If you don’t have a jalapeño, use red pepper flakes for heat.
Nutrition information is for one falafel patty.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keywords: falafel recipe, lentil falafel, baked falafel, lentil recipe
Frequently Asked Questions For This Baked Falafel
Yes, chickpeas would be a more traditional ingredient to use here and should work great!
Yes, the falafel would be delicious fried! You may want to make them a bit small or press the falafel balls into a flatter shape so they cook more evenly.
Omitting it or adding more parsley would be your best bet!
As long as they are thoroughly drained, canned should work.
Any other lentil besides red lentils should work.
Any type of dry thickening or binding agent should work! Start with the 1-2 tablespoons as written. If you feel it is too wet and needs more body, add another tablespoon until you’ve reached a consistency that feels good.
Yes, these should freeze great! They should keep for up to 6 months.
In a sandwich, in a bowl, swapped in for chicken for these pitas, or dipped right into some hummus or Magic Green Sauce!
PS. Thanks for all your feedback via Snapchat and the Facebook VIP team on the studio paint situation yesterday! I’ve enlisted the help of some trusty (read: fashionable) friends who are going to come and help me make sense of myself in this new, super cool but currently directionless studio space situation we’ve got going on. Good things ahead! XO
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our delicious lentil recipes page. Check it out!
Off topic, can I just say that I love your new profile pic. (I think it’s new or maybe I just noticed it.) So sweet! You two are so cute! 🙂
Thanks Lise! 🙂 hehe
haha, I’m happy to be hit with a delicious looking recipe like this! I love falafel a whole lot and this easy version sounds perfect!
Thanks Katrina! 🙂 Hope you like it!
Are you able to use a vitamix instead of a food processor?
Did you end up trying this with the vitamix and did it turn out ok? I don’t have a food processor so I also wanted to try it in my Vitamix.
I tried using my Blendtec, but had problems with the dough sticking underneath the blade. I’d add the cooked lentils in batches.
I used my vitamix and this came out great. I used canned, rinsed & drained, chickpeas instead of lentils though.
My Mama always said that and this is a direct quote “those who wear sweatpants in public have given up on life” And although I ardently disagree on the sweatpants, she also believes you must be 3 and under to be leggings. On some level, I’m with her on that way. Oh well. I’m making this falafel, um donuts? Can I call them that? These are the exact shape and size as TimBit Hole so I’m thinking my kids will goggle them down thinking they have donut quality. And healthy. Love your healthy recipes.
Leggings as Pants. It’s a dilemma, right? These are the important questions in life.
I am one of tose crazy people that has NEVER tried Falafel. I KNOW, you’re judging. I keep meaning to try it…and then I don’t.
BUT, I’ve been really <3ing lentils lately, so clearly I need to try these little alien balls of general health and deliciousness! Pinned!
Alien Balls of General Health. New post title. BRB.
I am too excited to try this recipe! Perfect timing to try it as I’ll be on break soon.
Thanks Kelley! Hope you like them!
Don’t hate, but how spicy are these? Will the taste suffer greatly if I just omit the Jalapeno? Trying to convince my 3 and 6 yo that falafel is grand. Thanks! Love everything you got going here!
We don’t think these are very spicy, especially if you take the seeds out of the jalapeño. If you’d rather, you can definitely keep the jalapeño out altogether.
I have never tried falafel, but you’ve got me excited to make it!
You did a beautiful job with the pictures! I find that color of green tricky to work with, but you did a great job of making them look very appetizing! yum!
Thank you Emily! Appreciate that!
Hey, I never thought that falafel can be so simple and healthy!
Using olive oil is a really nice touch, makes it so much healthier than the other falafel recipes.
Thanks for sharing!
Yeah – and I think all the falafel I’ve ever tried has been deep fried!
Falafel? Lentils?! You’re speaking my love language. Can’t wait to see all the yummy things you do with these! In the meantime I’ll be continuously shoving these in my face.
You and I both! Just finished an epic lunch…
Yum! I am making your baked falafel this weekend for sure. I enjoy a good falafel. I have only found one restaurant in my area that makes a good falafel, but it is not the healthiest option. I live this baked version and using lentils!
Agreed – they seem so healthy but then when they are deep fried, I mean, SO good but kinda bad. 🙂 But homemade + baked all the way!
Falafel is always ah-mazing. If someone showed up to Friendsgiving with a platter of these beauties I would probably steal them away before anyone noticed selfso I could eat them all my. I’m super intrigued by this recipe, with lentils over chickpeas.
Lentils FTW! (my life motto)
AHHH! I fell in love with Falafel on a 2wk trip to Israel with some folks from my church and I have made it many times sense! It has definitely been a while though, and this lovely (yes I actually think it is pretty ha) pic has me putting this recipe on the meal plan PRONTO <3 Love the addition of lentils!
Thanks Brittany! 🙂 So fun that you’ve had REAL falafel in REAL Israel!
Is there any meal I crave more than a plate full of falafel?????. Nope! Besides dessert, falafel is something I can get a craving for any time of day. These look so amazing! And I love that they’re baked!
Thanks Amanda! 🙂
These falafel look gorgeous! Love the fact that they are baked, much lighter and healthier for you. Fab photography too! ☺
Thanks Alida! 🙂
Awesome! I’ve been looking for a simple baked falafel recipe and I LOVE that you used lentils instead of chickpeas! I bet you can make this with any kind of legume really- great way to use up that random can of beans everyone has in their pantry 🙂 Pinned!
Right? haha – all about using up those extras!
I love falafel! Using lentils is a great idea!
Thanks Jill! 🙂
Lindsey, where have you found the best falafel in the Twin Cities? I’ve found some places for great shawarma but not falafel. 🙂
I’ve heard really good things about Foxy Falafel but haven’t actually tried it myself!
I love falafels! It’s nice to know that there’s a baked version out there. They are usually fried! Glad you recovered from the workshop – it took me a couple of days and I didn’t even teach!
It’s like coming down from a camp high or something. 🙂 Thanks for the comment Whitney!
I am terrified of frying things, so this recipe is right up my alley 🙂 Quick question – can you give us a size reference on the 9 patties? 2 Tbsp? the size of a ___?
I’ll have Lindsay get back to you, Kate! 🙂
Probably 1/4 cup of mixture to make one patty. So it ends up being about 3-4 inches wide depending on how much you flatten it. 🙂
awesome, thanks!
I’ve been wanting to make falafel for a while, but never wanted to because of the frying. I LOVE that these are made in the oven and with simple ingredients!
Dani | http://www.styledvariety.com
Thanks, Dani!
This sounds like such a great recipe, I especially love that it’s not made with chickpeas, as my husband cant eat them. Looking forward to giving these a try with the magic green sauce soon!
Awesome, Michelle! Enjoy. 🙂
Oh my goodness this looks so yummy! I can’t wait until I have my own kitchen to make these ^_^
Yes! I never have chickpeas but lentils are a staple. These little awesome green balls of goodness are exactly what I need to contradict the amount of cookies and brownies I have consumed.
Haha! I hear ya there! 😉
Yes! I can’t wait to make this. I never order this in restaurants because I just assume it has flower in it and I can’t eat it. But I’m so happy to see this is a GF recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Hope you like it, Emily!
I’m kind of a falafel FIEND and so I am seriously excited to try yours! I love that you used lentils!! What a genius idea.
Thanks, Lucia!
Lentils in falafel! Oh I soooooooo need to get on this falafel train.
I have some homemade hummus sitting in the fridge just waiting to be paired with something like this. I know what I’m doing this weekend
Great! Enjoy, James!