Falafel Waffles (Oil-Free and GF)

Meet my latest waffle addiction: falafel waffles. A delicious way to make waffles with traditional falafel ingredients such as chickpeas and herbs. These falafel waffles are easy to make, ready in 15 minutes, crazy delicious and oil-free too!

Dit artikel is ook beschikbaar in het:

Nederlands

 

There are so many different kind of waffles around the world. There is the well-known Belgian waffle, but also the Brussels waffle, the Kempen and Liège waffle (all Belgian), the Dutch syrup waffle, the heart-shaped Scandinavian waffles,  the round Hong Kong waffles, the American waffle, the Italian waffle cookie (pizzelle). Did I miss a country? Is there actually a country with falafel waffles?

Who says waffles can only be sweet?

Waffle recipes are quite often sweet recipes. I think it’s safe to say that waffle recipes are almost always a dessert or breakfast recipe. Which I totally understand, there is nothing better than a sweet waffle. But your waffle maker can do so much more. You can make a delicious nourishing lunch or dinner with your waffle maker too. If you have a waffle maker, I invite you to experiment with savory recipes.

To eat more legumes: make waffles

We try to eat beans and legumes almost every day due to the many health benefits. Hummus is a favorite recipe here, but also stews and soups are a great way to eat more legumes. Once in a while I will make baked falafel, but sometimes I’m just too lazy to make the actual falafel balls. So I thought about a way to eat more of my baked falafel recipe, without making the actual falafel balls. And then my waffle maker called my name. And it totally worked! I used almost the exact same recipe as for my baked falafel balls and it was a success.

Which waffle maker do you need?

If you don’t care whether your falafel waffles are totally oil-free, you can use any waffle maker. Just grease the waffle maker with a bit of oil then. I personally use a non-stick waffle maker. This waffle maker is great since it’s not too big, it doesn’t cost a lot and I don’t have to use a single drop of oil and still get perfect waffles with all of my recipes, such as this sweet waffle recipe.

The reason why I love this recipe so much, is because it’s ready in 15 minutes flat. Those 15 minutes include me doing nothing and waiting for the waffle make to do the work.

How to make oil-free falafel waffles?

First, you will need a non-stick waffle maker. Just make sure to give your waffle maker some time to do its work. And also be careful not to scratch the surface of the waffle maker. I recommend using a wooden spatula to take the waffles out of the waffle maker.

This falafel waffle recipe is as whole food as it can get, without oil or processed white flour.

How to make crispy falafel waffles without deep frying

Quite a few questions may be popping up right now. I totally get it. Like, how to get them crisp without deep frying? And how to get them to hold together without a flax egg? What is the right balance of all the herbs and spices?

The first thing to remember is that direct contact with high heat will make these waffles crispy. And how do these waffles hold together? The flour will do that just perfectly fine. I use oat flour, because it’s easy to make myself (just blend rolled oats in a blender). But I also like to use chickpea flour as a binder.

Falafel waffle on a white plate with a fork topped with onion and sauce

Falafel waffles vs falafel balls?

I understand that falafel should officially not look like a waffle. But if I have to choose, I will go for the waffle version. Not only is it way easier to make, the crunch is amazing. Sure, you can bake falafels in the oven, but the dough is never going to get super crunchy (unless you burn it). That is because the heat is surrounding the falafel and is not in direct contact with it. So how do you create direct contact? Indeed, with  a waffle iron. A waffle iron uses high heat and comes in direct contact with the dough. Did I mention without any oil?

Don’t forget the extras

These falafel waffles are delicious and crunchy (yas!), but they are a bit plane without any toppings. I recommend serving these waffles with some extras, such as chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumber, and a sauce. You can use traditional falafel toppings, but on lazy days I’ll serve this with chopped onions and ketchup. For this recipe I served the falafel waffles with a Tzatziki sauce. You can find the recipe for this sauce here (also oil-free). Because let’s be honest, falafel is still at its best with a yogurt based sauce, right?

Some tips before you get started with the waffle maker

  • This recipe is of course not ready in 15 minutes if you are going to cook the chickpeas yourself. I use organic chickpeas from a glass jar and make sure to rinse them well before I add them to the food processor.
  • I use fresh parsley in this recipe, but other herbs are also a good option, such as basil or mint. You can choose whatever herb you prefer. I would recommend though to use fresh herbs for the falafel mixture though.  Dried herbs would technically also work, but I have not tried that yet.
  • With this recipe I can make about 4 medium sized falafel waffles, with the waffle maker I have. Depending on your waffle make, you may be able to make more (smaller) waffles or less waffles, but bigger.  

I would love to see your falafel waffle too! I’m also curious which toppings you would use for this recipe. Let me know in the comment section below if you give this recipe a try, rate this recipe or let’s connect on Facebook or Instagram #thegreencreator.

Subscribe newsletter

Falafel waffle on a white plate with a fork topped with onion and sauce next to a beige napkin

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Falafel waffle on a white plate with a fork topped with fresh herbs, onion and sauce

Falafel Waffles

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Bianca
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 medium sized waffles 1x
  • Category: snack, lunch, dinner, side, appetizer
  • Method: waffle maker
  • Cuisine: Belgian, American, Greek, Mediterranean, vegan, dairy free, vegetarian, plant-based

Description

A delicious way to make waffles with traditional falafel ingredients such as chickpeas and herbs. These falafel waffles are easy to make, ready in 15 minutes, crazy delicious and oil-free too!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 heaping cup /225 grams chickpeas, drained + rinsed
  • ½ cup / 55 grams oat flour– you can use any other (gluten-free) flour
  • 1½ teaspoon smoked paprika powder
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 onion
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 handfuls of fresh parsley
  • 1½ tablespoons tahini
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ginger powder
  • 1½ teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • dash of ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • juice of ½ lime
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic of choice
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • optional: yogurt (Tzatziki) sauce as in this recipe

Instructions

Preheat the waffle maker.

Rinse and drain the chickpeas.

Add chickpeas to a food processor along with the rest of the falafel ingredients and blend for a few seconds. Then pulse a few times.

Blend until you have a firm batter that is slightly grainy. A few chunks are also totally fine.

Since I’m using a non-stick waffle maker I use a wooden spatula to place the dough in the waffle maker. If you don’t use a non-stick waffle maker, use some oil such as coconut oil to coat the waffle maker.

Once the waffle maker is heated up, place the dough in the waffle maker. My waffle maker took about 8 minutes to give the waffles just the right consistency. They should be firm and slightly crunchy.

Serve with toppings that you like, such as:

  • Herbs
  • Chopped onion
  • Chopped tomatoes
  • Chopped cucumber
  • Avocado
  • Pickles
  • Roasted veggies
  • Yogurt based sauce

Notes

These falafel waffles can be kept in the fridge (without any toppings or sauce) for a quick lunch or dinner. They reheat up very well.

These waffles also freeze well. You can reheat them (after defrosting the waffles) in the waffle maker or oven.

I use this perfect sized Cuisinart waffle maker (mine is not available anymore, but this is a newer model and very similar) and this food processor.

Want to save this recipe later? Pin the recipe to your Pinterest boards:

Falafel waffle on a white plate with a fork topped with fresh herbs, onion and sauce

2 thoughts on “Falafel Waffles (Oil-Free and GF)”

  1. I made the falafel waffles…they were perfect! I served mine with roasted cherry tomatoes and vegan feta cheese. The seasonings are so fragrant and the flavor plus the lightness/crispness of the waffle made this beat any falafel i have ever had.






    Reply

Leave a Comment

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.