Baked Falafels with Chia and Pistachio

These naturally gluten free falafel taste super delicious and a little different to the classic version using canned chickpeas and incorporating chia and pistachios into the mixture. Plus they are baked instead of fried, making them perfect for those who don’t want to deal with deep frying in their kitchen. Serve them with yoghurt dressing or hummus and some seasonal salad. Alternatively, tuck them into pitta pockets with yoghurt dressing and coleslaw.

60 g Toasted, unsalted pistachios
4 tbsp Chia seeds
200 g Cooked chickpeas (drained weight)
2 Garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1 Onion, peeled and quartered
1 Small carrot, grated
10 g Mint leaves
6 stalk Cilantro
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
½ tsp Cayenne pepper
Sea salt and black pepper
5 tbsp Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp lemon juice

Finely chop half of the pistachios and mix together with 2 tbsp of chia seeds in a bowl. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 220C/430F.
Drain the chickpeas. Peel and quarter the garlic and onion. Clean, peel, wash and finely grate the carrot. Wash the herbs and shake dry. Set half of the mint aside.
Place the chickpeas, onion, garlic, carrot, herbs, spices, remaining half of pistachios and chia seeds in a bowl and finely puree using a hand blender. Season with salt and pepper.
Shape the mixture into 16 balls, roll them in the chia and pistachio mixture and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Spray the falafel with an olive oil cooking spray and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on the outside.
In the meantime, finely chop the reserved mint leaves. Mix the yoghurt, lemon juice and mint. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove the falafel from the oven, drizzle with the yoghurt dressing and serve.

30 comments:

DEZMOND 21/1/25 13:30: Those look good and you set the decor lovely. Cilantro is only good for one thing: garbage bin LOL There is a whole page on Facebook I hate Cilantro, I love their posts.
Lola Martínez 21/1/25 13:32: Son unos falafels distintos a los que conozco, pero muy ricos también, ya me gustaría probarlos, se ven preciosos.
Tom 21/1/25 14:18: ...Angie, you alway come up with fabulous creations!
Anonymous 21/1/25 16:31: Love falafels -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
Cocoa and Lavender 21/1/25 17:29: I know it's weird, but I do not like the texture of chia seeds! However, I have made about every other falafel recipe you have and LOVE them!
David 21/1/25 18:02: Hi Angie, I've never understood the appeal of falafel. Meatless meatballs? Just not my thing...but I guess if one was raised eating falafel or is avoiding meat, its something that they would embrace. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Królowa Karo 21/1/25 18:35: I made falafel recently, but yours is a more interesting version :)
roentare 21/1/25 22:24: This is so healthy
citu 21/1/25 23:40: Gracias por la receta. Tomó nota. Te mando un beso.
Cooking Julia 21/1/25 23:43: Those nice falafels look great Angie!
Lowcarb team member 22/1/25 00:08: Many thanks for sharing this recipe.

All the best Jan
Brian's Home Blog 22/1/25 00:37: Those look so good, I'll have some!
Granny Sue 22/1/25 00:40: They look so tasty! And sound pretty healthy too.
Anonymous 22/1/25 04:49: I much prefer baked felafel and these look so good.
Tandy (Lavender and Lime) https://tandysinclair.com
Stefania 22/1/25 07:26: Non ho mai mangiato i falafel ma gli ingredienti mi piacciono molto.
Mi sa tanto che li provo 😄
Margaret D 22/1/25 07:48: Looking lovely and full of flavour, Angie.
Teresa Isabel SIlva 22/1/25 14:22: Hummm que aspeto divinal!

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Balvinder 22/1/25 15:43: Angie, I love your creative twist of rolling falafal in a mixture of pistachios and chia seeds.
JoAnna 22/1/25 17:04: Hi Angie, how are you? I'm back on the blog after being sick. Greetings! I haven't eaten much for two weeks, but chia - always and everywhere tastes good to me!
ellie 22/1/25 19:29: Oh, I love these! YUM!
Ivy's Closet 22/1/25 19:29: Beautiful presentation!
Caitlin'nMegan 22/1/25 19:30: I would love to have these right now!
Raymund | angsarap.net 22/1/25 22:46: These pistachio and chia falafel sound like a fantastic twist on the classic! I love how you've swapped out the usual deep-frying for a healthier baked version and added a touch of sophistication with the pistachios
Ben | Havocinthekitchen 23/1/25 00:02: I love falafel, and the addition of pistachios is something new and intriguing to me. Loving it and beautiful photos, too!
foodtravelandwine 23/1/25 01:49: I love the idea of baking falafel!....I don't like to fry at all....the idea of adding pistachios sounds delicious!!.......Abrazotes, Marcela
DeniseinVA 23/1/25 07:01: I will look forward to trying this. Thanks Angie!
Javier 23/1/25 11:17: They look so tasty. I would love to taste them!
sherry 24/1/25 19:35: I love chickpeas and pistachios! I have read other falafel recipes that say to use raw chickpeas but i find that version a bit ... dry. Yours sounds delightful Angie.
sherry
Rainbow Evening 27/1/25 20:25: the recipe is good for me...
thank you for sharing
tigerfish 5/2/25 04:00: Like the idea of incorporating chia and pistachio into the falafels and love that these are baked. I usually prefer baking cos it's less mess (compared to frying) and fuss-free.