A zero-waste recipe that uses leftover chickpea pulp from my Chickpea Tofu recipe to make falafel. These falafel are delicious and versatile, can be served as a snack or main dish with a lemony tahini sauce.
Making Falafel from Chickpea Pulp
A few months ago, I made a recipe using dry chickpea to make tofu. As many people wonder what they should do with the leftover chickpea pulp, in this blog post, I will show you how I put it to make falafel. This is a easy and yummy way to reduce waste. By doing this, you get two meals when making chickpea tofu: chickpea pulp falalel and tofu.
Falafel are fried balls of chickpeas, herbs and spices commonly found in Middle Eastern cuisine. It is a versatile meal option that goes well with rice, wraps or pita bread. I have eaten a lot of falafel and some of my favorite version are when they blend a lot of herbs that not only results in a beautifully green color but also are so flavorful and fresh!
This recipe is soy-free, gluten-free and vegan.
How to make these Chickpea Pulp Falafel?
This recipe is super quick and easy to make. As the chickpea pulp is already blended when making the chickpea tofu, all you need is to blend these ingredients:
- A handful of coriander
- A handful of parsley
- Onion and garlic
- Olive oil
After blending, mix it with the chickpea pulp and add spices. Chill the mixture in the fridge for 20 minutes so that the falafel can hold up its texture when being fry. After chilling in fridge, shape the mixture into balls (this recipe makes about 12 balls), then fry until golden brown and crunchy!
Frying, deep frying and baking methods
The traditional method to make falafel is by deep frying. This results in the fried balls that super crispy on the outside while soft on the inside.
As deep frying can be messy, I opted for the shallow frying method. To do this, I fry them in about 2 tablespoon of cooking oil and flip them when the other sides are golden brown.
Alternatively, you can bake or airfry the falafel, and they will achieve a similar crunchy and satisfying result.
How to serve these Falafel?
You can serve this recipe alongside rice, wrap or as a snack. I have included details below for a 2-ingredient Middle Eastern-inspired tahini sauce that will be great for a dressing or dipping sauce for the falafel.
If you have tried my recipe, please let me know what you think by leaving me a review on this page or tagging me on Instagram @veggieanh. I would love to see your creations!
Print📖 Recipe
Chickpea Pulp Falafel
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 falafel balls 1x
Description
A zero-waste recipe that uses leftover chickpea pulp from my Chickpea Tofu recipe. These falafel are delicious and versatile, can be served as a snack or main dish with a lemony tahini sauce.
Ingredients
- leftover chickpea pulp from my chickpea tofu recipe
- ½ an onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp chili powder
- 1 handful coriander
- 1 handful parsley
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- oil for frying
Dipping sauce
- 2 tbsp tahini
- ½ a lime or lemon
Instructions
Shape the falafel
- Blend together the onion, garlic, coriander, parsley and olive oil in a blender or food processor.
- Combine the blend with the chickpea pulp and spices. Mix together and chill the mixture in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
- Shape the mixture into falafel-shaped balls and fry or deep fry in oil until golden and crispy. Alternative, you can bake the falafel in the oven.
Make the tahini sauce
- Mix together the tahini and lemon juice to make the dipping sauce for the falafel.
Notes
Feel free to mix up the herbs and spices. Add more or less oil depending on how the mixture sticks together.
Storage tip: The recipe keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Chloe says
Super clever idea to use the pulp from the tofu recipe!! Again super easy and can't recommend enough
Veggie Anh says
Thank you so much for your kind comments!
Theresa says
Made these today using the leftover pulp from your chickpea tofu and they were fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
Veggie Anh says
Awesome! Thank you so much for your review.
Adriana Gheorghiu says
This recipe looks delicious! I wonder if I can ommit or substitute the oil as I took it out of my diet. Thank you and wish lots if energy and fun to keep going with your projects!
Veggie Anh says
Thank you for your question. I haven't tried this yet, but if you do try let me know how it goes. You can use water instead.
Dab says
Great idea and recipe! Lunch is served. 😀
Veggie Anh says
Glad you liked it!
Linnea says
This sadly did not work for me😕 The mixture did not want to stick togheter and it was completley impossible to shape into falafels. I tried adding some aquafaba (chickpea water from canned chickpeas) but sadly it didn't help, so then I cracked an egg into it which helped alot. I ended up making some falafel patties but sadly they tasted a bit watery due to the aquafaba. I don't know what I did wrong but atleast I know for next time to crack an egg into it. Really creative recipe though and the chickpea tofu went really well!
Veggie Anh says
Hi Linnea, I'm sorry it didn't work. I will test the recipe again!
Mony says
Tried these and they came out so good! Is there a way to make them without having to do the tofu? I'd like to make these again on their own. Do you just not add as much water when blending?