Vegan Oven Baked Beet Falafel
I’ve been going thru my foodie bucket list with social distancing. One on my list, was a fun falafel recipe. I’ve made quinoa falafels years ago, but I’m hoping to revamp that one and offer a full section of falafel recipes as you can really mix up the flavors. I love your traditional falafel, but these beet falafels were just so fun and add such a vibrancy to any spread!
Fun fact, while in undegrad at NYU I would get falafel at my favorite spot on West 4th just about daily. It was cheap, quick, and the taste was always amazing!! Falafel has a reputation for being fried and greasy, but you can absolutely skip the frying and simply bake for a lighter version.
What’s wonderful about this recipe, is well, everything! It’s quick, easy, affordable, vibrant, oven baked, gluten free, features no oil, chickpea flour versus white flour, you can use oat flour if desired, packs flavor, is perf for spring, but great for any season, pairs well with the sauce, you can mix up the toppings, you can serve as an app, made into a sandwich, served on a salad, and the list goes on!
If you’re a lover of all things beets or falafel, you have to try this recipe for Oven Baked Vegan Beet Falafel!!
Why this recipe is great:
Quick
Easy
Affordable
No oil
Gluten free
Baked not fried
Vibrant
Vegan Oven Baked Beet Falafel
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 large 1x
Ingredients
Falafel:
- 1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, approx. 1 ½ cup
- 1 cup steamed beets, grated
- ½ cup yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup fresh dill or parsley
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- ¼ cup chickpea flour
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Tahini Sauce:
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/3 cup vegan sour cream or yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 squeeze lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Chop the tops off the beets and place in the water to boil until fork tender. Remove, let cool. Remove the skins with your hands. Take the beets to a cheese grater and make 1 cups worth of grated beets. You can skip the steaming and grate fresh beets, but this texture is more ideal!
- Add all the falafel ingredients to a food processor and pulse. I pulsed about 15 tims, scraping down the sides every so often. You don’t want mush, so don’t over process!
- Scoop about 1 ½-2 tbsp of mixture into your hands and form small patties. If the texture is too wet, simply add a lil chickpea flour to absorb residual moisture. If too dry, add a little more lemon juice 2 tsp at a time.
- Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and. and start forming falafel patties.
- Place the falafels on a baking sheet and bake for 30 mins.
- To make the tahini sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small shallow dish.
- To serve garnish with parsley, and serve with sauce. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 1 month
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
I do not understand the “steamed, grated beet part” Do you grate first then steam or steam first than grate? How do you steam them? I have only ever roasted or juiced beets. Thank you!
Absolutely! I’ll add more specifications in the recipe!