These vegan baked “falafel” are made with black beans which are even higher in antioxidants than chickpeas or garbanzo beans! [1] They also happen to be gluten-free and free of most common allergens like soy or nuts. Click here to skip the ramble and go straight to the printable recipe.

A little while ago, I had a hankerin’ for falafel. Unfortunately, on this day it was too freaking cold to go out. As in, the-air-hurts-my-face kind of cold. Generally, I take this as a sign that the universe is warning me against leaving the warm safety of home so I raided the cupboards to see what I could improvise. The result were these delicious baked black bean falafel balls!

They are ridiculously easy to make. Just mash the ingredients together, spoon onto a baking sheet, bake, and stuff your face! They have a nicely spiced exterior that is crunchy without being too heavy, a soft moist interior and that perfect falafel flavour. Have them in wraps, with rice pilaf, or on salad like I did here.

If you don’t have chickpea flour and aren’t concerned with gluten, you can substitute regular all-purpose flour.

Printable recipe for Vegan Baked Black Bean Falafel

Yield: 16 falafel Vegan Baked Black Bean Falafel Print Easy to make vegan black bean falafel! They have a crispy crust with a soft savory interior with a real falafel flavour thanks to herbs and spice. Black beans make them even more anti-oxidant rich than your regular chickpea or garbanzo based falafel. They also happen to be gluten-free, soy-free, and nut free. Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Total Time 40 minutes Ingredients 1 cup black beans; cooked, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chickpea flour

1/2 cup onions, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon cilantro or parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander, ground

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (Canola, olive oil, etc) Instructions Preheat oven to 375 F or 190 C. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Optionally, oil it to make a crispier crust. Combine all ingredients except the oil and mash until beans are mostly broken and the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Stir in the oil. Spoon out the mixture on to the baking sheet to form balls about 1 inch in diameter. Try to place them evenly, leaving about 1 inch of space separating each falafel. Bake for 30 minutes. Optionally, you can flip the falafel at the 15 minute mark to ensure they brown evenly. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan and serving. Enjoy! Notes Oiling the baking sheet makes a slightly crispier crust. I find that they are fine without this step, but you might want to try it. If storing these for later, let the falafel cool to room temperature before putting them into an airtight container for the fridge or the freezer. Nutrition Information: Yield: 4 Serving Size: 4 falafel

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 158 Total Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 7g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 271mg Carbohydrates: 17g Fiber: 5g Sugar: 2g Protein: 6g Nutritional Information automatically calculated by a plugin and may not be correct. Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

[1]USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity May 2010.