This Pan Fried Falafel is a healthier twist on the classic recipe with fewer calories, but plenty of taste!
Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food where ground chickpeas are made into small patties or balls and deep-fried. It is usually served in a bread pocket, or pita, or in a wrap. Falafel is a popular street food and a satisfying vegetarian meal that can be made healthy if you pan-fry it and serve with salads and other vegetables. It is also very easy to make at home, but you will need some kind of food processor to grind the chickpeas.
Chickpeas are a popular Mediterranean legume and a nutrient-dense food (high in protein, dietary fiber, folate, and certain dietary minerals such as iron and phosphorus), but they do take a long time to cook. I suggest you take a shortcut here and buy pre-cooked chickpeas that will save you lots of time.
To make Pan Fried Falafel, add the ingredients to your food processor: first, the roughly chopped onion, whizz it up then remove. Add chickpeas, parsley and seasoning, grind it roughly, then add onions and crushed garlic cloves to the mixture, mix, add half the flour with baking powder, mix and then add the remaining flour as needed. At this point I continued mixing by hand, just to have a better feel about the mixture. Refrigerate for about an hour.
To make patties, use an ice-cream scooper or a regular spoon to scoop out the mixture and then form small balls or patties with your hands. If your mixture feels too wet and sticks to your hand, add some more flour. If you are pan frying your falafel, consider shaping it into patties, if you are deep frying either shape will work.
Add a few tablespoons of oil to your pan and heat up to a medium heat. The falafel will absorb the oil well, so add the amount you are comfortable with. When the pan has heated up, place your falafel patties into the pan and pan-fry them for a few minutes, until they turn golden-brown, then gently flip the patties over to the other side and brown them for another couple of minutes.
Remove the cooked falafel from pan and place on a paper towel-lined dish or cooling rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining falafel mixture.
Healthier Pan Fried Falafel {Vegan}
This Pan Fried Falafel is a healthier twist on the classic recipe with fewer calories, but plenty of taste. An easy 30-minute lunch idea!
Ingredients
- 400 g pre-cooked chickpeas, drained
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- 100 g plain flour
- 2 ts baking powder
- dash of salt
- ground pepper to taste
- dash of paprika
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to your food processor: first the roughly chopped onion, whizz it up then remove. Add chickpeas, parsley and seasoning, grind it roughly, then add onions and crushed garlic cloves to the mixture, mix, add half the flour with baking powder, mix and then add the remaining flour as needed. Refrigerate for about an hour.
- To make patties, use an ice-cream spoon or a regular spoon to scoop out the mixture and then form small balls or patties with your hands. If your mixture feels too wet and sticks to your hand, add some more flour. If you are pan frying your falafel, consider shaping it into patties, if your are deep frying either shape will work.
- Add a few tablespoons of oil to your pan and heat up to a medium heat. The falafel will absorb the oil well, so add the amount you are comfortable with. When the pan has heated up, place your falafel patties into the pan and pan-fry them for a few minutes, until they turn golden-brown, then gently flip the patties over to the other side and brown them for another couple of minutes.
- Remove the cooked falafel from pan and place on a paper towel-lined dish or cooling rack to cool.
- Repeat with the remaining falafel mixture.
- Serve the falafel patties in a pita bread with salad and a popular tahini sauce combination. Just combine 300 ml plain yogurt, 60 ml tahini (also known as sesame paste) and some freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 281Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 296mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 9gSugar: 7gProtein: 12g
Nutrition data is automatically calculated using Nutritionix and may not be accurate.
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You can serve the Pan Fried Falafel in a piece of pita bread or in a tortilla wrap. Try this easy Lemon Tahini Falafel Wrap!
And if you have any leftover falafel patties, try turning them into this simple and amazing Leftover Falafel Salad:
We also used them to make this tasty Vegan Hummus Chickpea Burger:
