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I have officially cracked the code on the perfect healthy Vegan Falafel. These cute little falafels are made with chickpeas and quinoa flakes, and then flavored with all of the traditional seasonings of the Middle East (news flash: you already have them in your spice cabinet, I’m sure).
And although traditional falafels are fried, these are more nutritious because they are baked! Which also means less mess, because there is nothing worse than hot oil splashing everywhere.
The star of the show is the dipping sauce. Traditional tzatziki sauce is made with a yogurt/labneh base. Since my stomach seems to be sensitive to dairy these days, I made a delicious tzatziki sauce using cashews. I cannot wait for you guys to make this sauce, it’s UNREAL!
How to make the best ever vegan falafel
When it comes to dinner recipes, the number one requirement is that it comes together in under 30 minutes. This recipe fits that bill. To make the falafel, literally all you have to do is add the falafel ingredients listed below to a food processor. The texture should be thick and somewhat moist – so that you can then use a cookie scoop and easily form 16 patties.
Then, bake them at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then flip them to the other side and bake for another 5 minutes. The key is to not overtake the falafel, because doing so will make them dry! And no one wants dry falafel, no thanks!
Tips for making the best dairy-free tzatziki sauce
I personally think tzatziki is the best sauce ever, ever, ever. And just because this sauce is dairy-free, it doesn’t sacrifice taste. In fact, I think it’s better than a traditional dairy tzatziki sauce.
To make this one, the first think you need to do is soak the cashews for at least two hours. I usually do it much longer than that, like overnight, simply because the longer the cashews soak, the creamier the sauce becomes. That said, let’s say you only have 10 minutes to spare – that’s OKAY! Add the cashews to a bowl and pour boiling hot water on top, and let them soak for 10 minutes.
Once the cashews have soaked, add them to a blender, along with the water, salt, lemon juice and garlic, and blend until nice and creamy. Then, transfer the mixture to a bowl and add in the chopped/grated cucumber and the dill. At this point, I do a quick taste test, and add salt as needed. That’s it!
Other lightened up dinners you might like
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment + rating below! This helps other readers decide whether to give this recipe a try! And, since I practically live on Instagram, tag me in your creations so I can see them and repost on my IG stories! Enjoy! xx
I have cracked the code on the perfect vegan falafel. These falafels are made with chickpeas and quinoa flakes, and flavored with all of the traditional seasonings of the Middle East. And, these have a healthier spin because they are baked, not fried. And the dipping sauce? The most decadent and incredible tzatziki sauce, made with cashews instead of yogurt. You will enjoy this recipe for years to come!
Ingredients
Falafel:
- 2 cans (13 ounce) gabanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- ⅓ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ¼ cup quinoa flakes (if you can’t find these, just grind quinoa in your blender for 30 seconds until flakes form)
Tzatziki sauce:
- 1 ¼ cups raw cashews, soaked at least 2 hours
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- ½ cup english cucumber (or any cucumber), grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spray cooking oil evenly over the parchment paper.
- To make falafels, add all of the ingredients to a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds, making sure to leave some consistency.
- Use a cookie scoop and form 16 balls on the baking sheet.
- Lightly press them down with a spatula.
- Bake 10 minutes and flip.
- Bake for 5 minutes more and remove from oven.
- To make the tzatziki sauce, add all ingredients to a blender except for the grated cucumber and dill.
- Once a smooth sauce forms, transfer to a medium bowl.
- Mix in the cucumber and dill.
- Plate your meal and serve — I like mine in a pita or tortilla!
- Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see what you made - tag @kalejunkie
in your posts and I’ll re-share!
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WHAT DID YOU THINK?
Rate + Review
These were good, next time I will leave out the cayenne pepper. My husband and I liked it but it was too spicy for the kids.
I liked that baking them meant they were all done at the same time!
I made the dairy version of the Tzatziki Sauce on this website and it was soo good! I won’t be buying it again!