Chickpea Quinoa Falafel
With a crunchy fried exterior and a soft, cloud like interior, this chickpea quinoa falafel is such a tasty vegan recipe. So much so, that we often forget that it’s a great source of plant based protein as well as a delightfully crispy bite. In this recipe, some quinoa is added to put a spin on the traditional falafel and add an extra healthy component. The green herbs, garlic, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, black pepper and paprika make it extremely flavorsome. On the other hand, the baking soda creates that fluffy interior that goes perfectly with the crust.
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Chickpeas are a great source of plant protein, and they’re also full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. And quinoa is another ingredient full of health benefits. It’s gluten-free and also has protein, zinc, fiber, folate, and antioxidants. Incorporating both these into your diet is an easy way to improve your health.
Chickpea Quinoa Falafel Recipe Tips:
+ Serve these chickpea quinoa falafels on top of a delicious salad for a fully balanced meal. Some of our favorites are this Mediterranean salad, Moroccan Couscous Pasta Salad, and Baby Arugula and Sprout Salad.
+ If you don’t have cardamom in your pantry, you can substitute cinnamon or nutmeg.
+ You could also whip these up in the air fryer. Cook them at 375°F for 10 minutes, flip them and then cook for another 5 minutes.
Chickpea Quinoa Falafel
Ingredients
Falafels
- 1/4 cup quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups chickpeas, either canned or dried hydrated overnight (about ¾ cup dry)
- 1/3 cup green herbs like parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup white onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour, or chickpea flour
- neutral oil, for frying
Yogurt Sauce for Serving
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt, or vegan yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayo, or vegan mayo
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Cook quinoa in abundant salted water. Once cooked, strain the leftover water.
- Place the cooked quinoa, chickpeas, green herbs, white onion, garlic cloves, baking soda, ground cumin, ground turmeric, ground cardamom, black pepper, paprika, salt and flour in the food processor. Pulse the processor until you achieve an homogeneous mix, where the chickpeas have turned into small bits and pieces.
- Take off the processor and divide into 16 balls of about 1.5 inches of diameter.
- Preheat the oil to 350°F/180°C. When you have the right temperature, add the falafels and fry until they have a deep golden brown color.
- For the sauce, mix the yogurt, mayo, garlic powder and salt. Serve along the falafels and enjoy.
Notes
Thanks for pointing that out. It should be baking soda. I updated the intro to reflect that. :)
Hello, would love to try these except In your post you mention baking powder making it fluffy, but in ing list it calls for baking soda. Which one is the error?