Baked Lentil Falafel – An easy, healthy alternative to the chickpea-based deep-fried balls, that are just as flavorful and crispy. Packed with vegetables for an added boost these patties make a great meal prep lunch too!
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I cannot with how obsessed I got with falafels from my last Mixed Vegetable Falafels recipe. Those things were so good, I just kept going at them.
And then of course one night I forgot to soak chickpeas.
Imagine how bummed I was!
Well thankfully turned out entirely possible to make falafels from lentils, and they’re a lot quicker since you don’t need to soak them overnight and such; Just cook the lentils and go ahead!
Ingredients for these Vegan Lentil Falafel:
- Dried Lentils – I used yellow, but green, red, any good lentils should be fine. If you have cooked ones, even easier!
- Broccoli & Carrots – Sneak in some vegetables in the falafels without having to taste them
- White Onion – Quite some flavor; Yellow should be okay as well.
- Cilantro – An essential
- Jalapeño Pepper – gives it a bit of spice. Be sure to de-seed if you want it less spicy
- Tahini – Maybe optional, so so good!
- Garlic – Minced or whole cloves work. Or even the ones from a jar!
- Cumin Powder
- Salt & Pepper
- Whole Wheat Flour – This is important! You can use another flour too, but you need the gluten to bind the falafel together or they will crumble when shaping after cooking too.
How these Falafel with Dried Red or Green Lentils are made:
- Cook the lentils: Boil water, add the lentils, bring it down to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Don’t forget to completely rinse them first. You could also use a pressure cooker if you’d like.
- Combine all the ingredients except flour in a food processor: lentils, broccoli, carrots, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, tahini, cumin, salt and pepper.
- Run the food processor, pulsing and scraping down the sides until the mixture is a little coarse-crumbly but not completely mushy/runny.
- Transfer it to a bowl, add in the flour, and mix.
- Shape lentil falafel mix into balls or patties using your hands or a spoon
- Bake!
Process 
Mix 
Shape 
Bake
How to cook Lentil Falafels in the oven:
Bake them at 400°F for about 25 minutes until they’re golden brown.
You can also get crispy “baked” lentil falafels by cooking the lentil falafel balls in an air fryer at 375°F for about 20 minutes.
For a quicker option – but not as healthy, fry them on a skillet over medium in hot oil (that’s at about 350°F) which is about an inch high.
What to pair with these Falafels with hidden Vegetables?
Hummus – this is a classic; Falafel and hummus go really well, especially with some warm pita chips.
You can also make lentil falafel wraps by just stiffing them in pita bread with some mixed greens, and a good sauce or just hummus.
If you’re looking for recipes, try my garlic hummus – it’s fat free and has mushrooms inside too. I’ve also got a super easy whole wheat pita recipe.
Or top it on some greens and just have a lentil falafel salad!
Make ahead and store?
Yes! You can keep the uncooked homemade falafel mix in the fridge for about a day or two.
For anything longer, shape them into balls, place them on a baking sheet and let them freeze. Once they’re frozen individually, transfer them to freezer-safe zipper bags. They should keep about 2-3 months. Just thaw them before cooking or baking and you should be all set.
More easy and healthy falafel recipes?
- Mixed Vegetable Falafel with Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce
- Turmeric Chickpea-Cauliflower Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce
Sneaky Baked Lentil Falafel
Ingredients
- ½ cup Dried Lentils, 100g dry, = 1¼ cup cooked
- 1 cup Broccoli Florets, 90g
- ½ cup Carrots, Chopped, 64g
- ⅓ small White Onion, Chopped, 35g
- ⅓ cup Fresh Cilantro, Chopped, about 15g
- ⅔ 3" long Jalapeño Pepper, about 10g, de-seed for less spicy
- 1 Tbsp Tahini
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic, or about 3-4 cloves
- 1½ tsp Cumin Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Whole Wheat Flour, or other
Instructions
- Rinse lentils in cold water until it runs clear. Boil in 1½ cup water in a small pot over medium heat, add lentils, bring to simmer and cook until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 400°F and lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Place all ingredients – cooked lentils, broccoli, carrots, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, tahini, minced garlic, cumin, salt and pepper – in a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Do not over-pulse – the mixture will be grainy.
- Transfer to a bowl, add the flour and mix well. Mixture should now hold together when shaped.
- Use your hands or a cookie scoop to shape falafel mixture into small balls or patties and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for about 25 until golden brown and crisp. See notes for alternative cooking options.
- Serve with hummus and a warm pita!
Notes
- Don’t skip on the flour, or the falafels will fall apart and not hold shape at all.
- Add flour even if they seem to hold shape, or they wil crumble after baking.
- Other cooking options:
- Air-fry for about 20-22 minutes at 375°F, shaking halfway.
- Fry on a skillet in oil about 1” high heated to 350°F for 2-3 minutes.
- Prep the dough and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw, stir the mixture, then shape into balls and cook.
- In the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Servings: 12 2” falafels | Serving size: 3 falafel
- Calories: 148kcal
- Fat: 3.1g | Saturated fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 23.3g | Fiber: 7.5g | Sugar: 3.6g
- Protein: 7.9g
hi – I’m wondering what colour lentils you use- red or green?