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Dark red falafel made with kidney beans (instead of the more common chickpeas) in a blender. Super quick to make and tasty to eat. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Homemade falafel
We eat a lot of falafel in our house.
It's a great replacement for cheese in sandwiches, wraps and pitta. I particularly like it in wraps with salad or in a toasted bagel with hummus and mango chutney.
I make my own hummus to serve with falafel, but I always buy ready made falafel.
I don't know why I've never made my own.
It's one of those things I always mean to make but never get round to like homemade pasta.
I thought they would be difficult to make, but it turns out it's super simple.
Why have I waited so long to make falafel at home?
For this recipe I decided to use kidney beans instead of chickpeas for a darker and less traditional bite and I added lots of lovely cumin to flavour them.
Of course, my first thought was "Can I make this in my blender.
Why have I waited so long to make falafel at home?
Red kidney bean falafel
For this recipe I decided to use kidney beans instead of chickpeas for a darker and less traditional bite and I added lots of lovely cumin to flavour them.
Of course, my first thought was "Can I make this in my blender.
You know the answer is going to be yes, don't you?
I'm continually amazed at how many things it can tackle and how much time it saves me. My power blender was really worth every penny.
These falafel are 98 calories each (if you make 10 and shallow fry in oil, it's less if you oven bake or air fry, see the recipe card below).
Reader's comment
Blending Falafel
Making falafel in a blender or food processor couldn't be simpler. just throw all the ingredients in and pulse until you have a thick paste.
Roll it into balls with a little flour and chill until you are ready to cook it.
You can bake them, but you will get the crispest results from air frying or shallow frying.
If you like things spicy, do feel free to add more chilli to the mixture.
I made mine mildly spicy with my little boy in mind.
Cooking falafel in the oven
Not everyone likes to deep fry or even shallow fry, so you can bake these in the oven.
It can dry them out slightly, but they are still pretty good.
Brush them with a little oil for a crisp finish and turn them part way though the back for an even finish.
Using your air fryer
You can also bake these bad boys in an air fryer.
Once again brush them with a little oil for a crisp finish and turn them during the bake for an even finish.
I have included notes for both in the recipe card.
Storing falafel
Once cool, you can store your homemade falafel in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Serve as they are or crisp them up again in the oven or air fryer.
Serving falafel
Add them to a wrap or sandwich with hummus, salad and dressing.
Or you could add them to a salad to make it more substantial or serve it mezze style with flatbread, hummus, beetroot, salad and pickled cabbage.
Alternatively, add them to one of my traybakes, like my easy sweet potato and falafel tray bake or my Middle Eastern harissa roasted carrot & falafel bake.
Kidney Bean Falafel Calories and Nutrition
These falafel are 98 calories each (if you make 10 and shallow fry in oil, it's less if you oven bake or air fry, see the recipe card below).
This would be lower if you baked them, but still nice and low calorie if you are watching your weight.
For a lower calorie lunchtime meal, cut two falafel in half and add to a wrap with lots of salad (generous handful of salad leaves, 4 slices of cucumber and 1 medium tomato, seasoned with black pepper) for only 264 calories.
Perfect if you are doing the 5:2 Diet. The new 5:2 diet allows 800 calories per day.
For a lower calorie lunchtime meal, cut two falafel in half and add to a wrap with lots of salad (generous handful of salad leaves, 4 slices of cucumber and 1 medium tomato, seasoned with black pepper) for only 264 calories.
Perfect if you are doing the 5:2 Diet. The new 5:2 diet allows 800 calories per day.
Yield: 10 falafel
Red Kidney Bean Falafel
Dark red falafel made with kidney beans instead of the more common chickpeas in a blender. Super quick to make and tasty to eat. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min
Ingredients
- 400g (14 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed
- ½ onion, cut into wedges
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tablespoons plain flour (or gram flour)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- a handful of fresh coriander (cilantro or parsley if you don't like it)
- 2 teaspoons flax seeds (also known as linseeds)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil plus 4 tablespoons of oil for shallow frying (to air fry you only need the 1 teaspoon of oil in the mixture and for best results in the oven, brush them with a little oil also)
- a good grinding of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Whizz up all the ingredients in a high power blender or food processor, with only 1 teaspoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of flour. Reserve the rest of the flour and oil.
- Spoon the mixture into a bowl and fold the other 2 tablespoons of flour into the mix and then pop in the fridge for half an hour to firm up.
- Heat the 4 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan or wok.
- Roll the falafel mix into balls with floured hands and lightly fry in the olive oil until golden in batches. You can bake these, but I wanted them ready quickly and to be super crisp. See notes for air frying or oven baking.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Oven bake - use 1 teaspoon of oil in the mixture and a little more to brush the falafel with before baking at 220c / 200 c fan / 425 f / gas mark 7 for 20 - 25 minutes until crisp.
- Air fry - you can brush with a little oil for a crispier finish and air fry at 200c / 400f for 15 - 20 minutes until crispy, turning after 10 minutes for a more even bake.
- Once cool, store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Shallow fry calories
8 falafel - 123 calories each
9 falafel - 103 calories each
10 falafel - 98 calories each
Less calories for oven baking or air frying, between 60 and 70 calories each.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
98Fat (grams)
6 gSat. Fat (grams)
0 gCarbs (grams)
9 gFiber (grams)
3 gNet carbs
6 gSugar (grams)
1 gProtein (grams)
3 gSodium (milligrams)
125 mgCholesterol (grams)
0 mgAll Rights Reserved Tinned Tomatoes
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