Vegan Richa

Vegan Food Blog with Healthy and Flavorful Vegan Recipes

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Popular Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch / Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Indian
    • Instant Pot
    • Burgers
    • Pizza
    • Recipe Index
  • Videos
    • Instant Pot
    • Dessert
    • Holidays
    • Easy Vegan Meals
    • All Recipe Videos
  • CookBooks
    • Vegan Richa’s Everyday Kitchen (Print & Digital)
    • Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen (Print & Digital)
  • Resources
    • How To Start A Food Blog
    • Resources for Food Bloggers
    • Vegan Subs & Resources
    • Our Vegan Journey and FAQs
    • Indian Pantry
    • Indian Dal / Lentil Names
    • About / Contact
  • Shop

Baked Lentil Split Pea Falafel Bowl with Tahini dressing. Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe

July 10, 2014 By Richa 70 Comments

Baked Lentil Falafels with lentils & split peas. They come together quickly without overnight soaking, served w/ Tahini dressing. Split pea falafel. vegan gluten-free

Jump to Recipe 

When driving out anywhere, we often end up at a falafel place and pick up a wrap filled with fresh warm falafels, pickles, lettuce and loads of tahini sauce. Tangy freshness and a very filling meal for the road. The falafel wraps and platters are usually vegan. 

Sometimes the falafels end up smelling a bit stale and sometimes smell meaty(shared oil?). The stale oil bothers me more than anything else and I always think of fixing some up at home. Its one of those things that are easily available, but really the home made falafels are tastier, fresher and healthier! These falafels are baked, crisp on the outside, moist inside, and delicious and can be frozen for use later. 

I use lentils and split peas in these falafels. What I like about lentil Falafels is that they come together really quickly and also cause less gas issues πŸ˜‰ . Chickpeas are wonderful if you cook them from scratch at home after an overnight soak. The canned chickpeas are notorious though, as are most canned beans. If you are wondering about the bloating because of all the beans and lentils you have been consuming, I will tell you, that this was not much of a problem back in India. We ate much more beans, lentils, split peas, every single meal. Everything got digested well mainly because of zero use of canned beans and lentils. Everything was always soaked overnight, always cooked from scratch and had ingredients to help reduce all the gaseousness, like Asafetida (Hing) or Carom seeds – Ajwain Seeds added during cooking. All the centuries of knowledge of eating beans and lentils is all there deep rooted in the way of cooking. solutions just need to be found and implemented. πŸ™‚

Baked Lentil Falafels!

Baked Lentil Falafels | Vegan Richa

More Mediterranean options on the blog
Chickpea and Split pea Falafels. use all chickpeas to make a chickpea Falafel. Also see step pictures on this post for the falafel mixture and pre and post baking pictures. 
Mediterranean thin crust Pizza with almond feta, olives, mushrooms.
More Bowls.
Herbed White Bean, garlicky collard, Pepita Parmesan Bowl
Quinoa cauliflower bowl with Almond butter Sriracha sauce



Falafels are very filling, allergen friendly and with lentils, practically ready in 40 mins. 

what is your favorite Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, or inspired meal?

MY LATEST VIDEOS
5 from 2 votes
Print
Baked Lentil Split Pea Falafel Bowl with Tahini dressing. Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr
 
Baked Lentil Falafels with lentils & split peas. They come together quickly without overnight soaking, served w/ Tahini dressing. Split pea falafel. vegan gluten-free
Course: Bowl
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Servings: 4
Calories: 290 kcal
Author: Vegan Richa
Ingredients
For the Falafels:
  • 1/4 cup lentils any brown lentils, whole masoor or spanish brown
  • 1/4 cup yellow or green split peas
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/3 cup chopped red onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1/4 packed cup cilantro
  • 1/4 packed cup parsley
  • 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds or coriander powder
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper/ or black pepper or to taste I also added 1/2 a Serrano chili pepper
  • 2 teaspoons oil optional
  • 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1-2 Tablespoons chickpea flour
For the Tahini Dressing:
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 2 tsp fresh parsley or 1/2 tsp dried
  • 2 to 3 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 to 4 Tbsp water
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • a generous dash of cayenne and black pepper
Other:
  • Long white Radish made into ribbons with a peeler or radish slices
  • Cucumber slices
  • Torn Lettuce
  • pickles optional
  • cilantro and sesame seeds for garnish
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Wash the lentils and split peas. Drain, add to a deep pan with 2 cups of water. Cook on medium-high heat for 18 to 19 minutes. (15 mins if the lentils and split peas were pre-soaked for half an hour)
  2. Drain and cool slightly. Add to a food processor. Add all the ingredients except chickpea flour and pulse to make a coarse mixture. Transfer to a bowl. Add chickpea flour as needed to make the dough less sticky. If the dough is too sticky. chill for a few minutes.
  3. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F / 200ΒΊc. Grease hands and shape the dough into 1 to 1.5 inch balls. Place on parchment lined sheet. Brush oil on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden crisp on the outside.

  4. Meanwhile, Prepare the veggies and make the Tahini sauce. Blend everything under Tahini dressing. Taste and adjust tang and salt. Add more lemon juice if needed.
  5. Assemble the bowl with lettuce, cucumbers, Radish ribbons and other veggies. Drizzle generous amount of tahini dressing. Serve with warm falafels. Garnish with black and white sesame seeds and cilantro(optional). Or make a wrap in a pita. Add lettuce, pickles, radish, falafels and tahini dressing and make a snug wrap to carry.
  6. The falafels can be stored for upto 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven if needed before serving.
Recipe Notes

Nutritional values based on one serving

Nutrition Facts
Baked Lentil Split Pea Falafel Bowl with Tahini dressing. Gluten-free Soy-free Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 290 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 26%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Sodium 497mg 21%
Potassium 459mg 13%
Total Carbohydrates 24g 8%
Dietary Fiber 9g 36%
Sugars 2g
Protein 11g 22%
Vitamin A 13.7%
Vitamin C 15.1%
Calcium 8.7%
Iron 18.6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Lentil split pea Falafels

Pin178
Share36
Tweet

Filed Under: gluten free, main course, mediterranean, nut free, soy free Tagged With: bowl, vegan

Get latest posts in your Inbox!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube

« Vegan Indian Chai Tea. Masala Chai. Gluten-free Recipe
Blueberry Hazelnut Chocolate Hemp Smoothie bowl with Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Snack bars. »

Comments

  1. girlgoesveggie says

    July 10, 2014 at 5:57 pm

    Yeah I need to make this pronto.

    Reply
    • Richa says

      July 10, 2014 at 6:18 pm

      awesome. use whole lentils Lynsi. I posted red lentils when i clicked publish. corrected that 15 mins after publishing, πŸ™‚

      Reply
    • girlgoesveggie says

      July 10, 2014 at 10:50 pm

      Good to know! Thanks!

      Reply
  2. Caitlin says

    July 10, 2014 at 6:10 pm

    these falafels looks so delicious, richa! i will definitely have to try lentils next time!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      July 10, 2014 at 6:19 pm

      i love lentils!

      Reply
  3. chris mcmahan says

    July 10, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    These look fantastic! I’m wondering if you expand a bit on the ingredients you mention to lessen gas? Are these available in Indian groceries and how much would you use?
    Love your recipes!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      July 10, 2014 at 6:43 pm

      both are available in indian store or online. I will link up the amazon links in the post. asafoetida is usually added to the tempering. Carom seeds can be added while cooking the beans in pan, pressure cooker or slow cooker. 1/8 to 1/4 tsp per cup of beans depending on the gas scale of the beans. more for kidney beans, less for chickpeas.

      Reply
    • Richa says

      July 10, 2014 at 6:46 pm

      added the amazon links. they will be cheaper in an indian store.

      Reply
  4. Kaitlin M says

    July 10, 2014 at 8:39 pm

    AH – I’ve seen falafel recipes all over the place, but still haven’t made them! They sound AMAZING! Pinned these and can’t wait to try them with my husband this weekend. Excited to jump on the falafel bandwagon!! πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  5. Ellen Lederman says

    July 10, 2014 at 10:34 pm

    Yay! Falafel without the guilt since they are baked. I am sure they will be more delicious than most restaurants since these have much more good stuff in them (why won’t restaurants season their food more?).

    My favorite Middle Eastern dinner is a combo plate of Muhambra (roasted red pepper puree), baba ghanoush, tabouli, hummus. I’ve not yet tried making grape leaves.

    Reply
  6. christine says

    July 10, 2014 at 10:57 pm

    I usually bake my falafels, far healthier that way, and just as tasty – but there used to be a fantastic falafel fast food van in Paris, on Rue des Haches, if memory serves me right, that we used to visit almost every night for supper, they were so good! Mind you, that was before I discovered I couldn’t eat wheat:) Yours look great. I didn’t realise asofetida was good for reducing gas issues – I buy it for the flavour!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      July 11, 2014 at 6:12 pm

      It is used for flavor and the gas management properties πŸ™‚ if you notice, it is largely used in beans and lentil Indian dishes and not much with veggies. πŸ™‚ though it definitely should be added to broccoli. πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  7. Anonymous says

    July 11, 2014 at 12:46 pm

    its almost like you were reading my mind as I have been searching to make lentil based burgers!!! I got to your website when you were a guest on Chocolate covered Katie and I must say, you have made me a cook for the first time in my life!!!!!!!!!! Your recipes are SO GOOD, so easy and best of all Vegan, gluten free. I have finally started eating well all thanks to you. THANK YOU! I will try this tonight as I have all the ingredients. THANK YOU!!!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      July 11, 2014 at 6:13 pm

      yay! so glad you discovered me in CCK! I am so happy you started cooking and are loving the recipes <3 xoxo

      Reply
  8. kayse says

    July 11, 2014 at 1:08 pm

    Yummmm! This looks amaaaazing!

    Reply
  9. Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen says

    July 12, 2014 at 3:10 am

    Falafels with lentils sound like a dream – I love it! I often prefer baked homemade falafels to the fast food kind!

    Reply
  10. flavourphotos says

    July 12, 2014 at 11:49 pm

    This look soooo good! I love Falafel. Really need to make them again.

    Reply
  11. bunnykitchen.com says

    July 14, 2014 at 9:41 pm

    Gorgeous Richa! Great to see you at the potluck πŸ™‚

    Reply
  12. Anonymous says

    July 15, 2014 at 7:18 pm

    Richa,

    Can I use brown whole masoor and chana dal?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Richa says

      July 15, 2014 at 7:41 pm

      yes, i you can. soak both for an hour before using. the chana dal takes too long to get tender and will taste raw and hard if you cook it just for the 20 mins.

      Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    July 16, 2014 at 9:50 am

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    Reply
  14. eValerie says

    July 21, 2014 at 2:59 am

    I cooked these for dinner for my family the other day. I think there’s a missing ingredient in the sauce recipe, because it came out really thick and globby and not saucy at all. But I added water to it, blended, and ended up with a yummy sauce. And the falafel came out great!! Thanks for the recipe!!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      August 6, 2014 at 6:27 pm

      oh yes, good catch. its missing 3 to 4 Tbsp water. thanks!

      Reply
  15. Corrin Radd says

    July 23, 2014 at 1:57 am

    I made these into burgers and served them on buns tonight. We loved them.

    Reply
    • Richa says

      August 6, 2014 at 6:25 pm

      sounds like one fabulous meal!

      Reply
  16. Anonymous says

    July 23, 2014 at 5:28 pm

    Doubled the recipe to last me a week. Mine came out very green because I added extra cilantro and parsley (didn’t want to waste it). I bought a ready made tahini sauce from Trader Joes and just added water and olive oil to it until it is more of a light salad dressing consistency. I serve the falafels warm over salad greens and use the tahini sauce as dressing. Really delicious and I will be keeping this recipe for future use to serve in pita sandwiches. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      August 6, 2014 at 6:25 pm

      awesome! i make them into pita wraps some days too!

      Reply
  17. octbbmsu says

    August 3, 2014 at 11:55 pm

    I made this tonight. The flavor was wonderful. My husband liked it better than the garbanzo bean falafel. Also I put 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in thr tahini and thought it could use the third teaspoon of lemon. I added it and it curdled. I added a little water and it was fine. All around delicious.

    Reply
    • Richa says

      August 6, 2014 at 6:24 pm

      awesome! maybe add a tsp or so more after the 2 Tbsp. i like it with 2 Tbsp, but hubbs likes it more lemony, so he just drizzles lemon juice before eating πŸ™‚

      Reply
  18. Anonymous says

    August 6, 2014 at 5:05 pm

    What brand of tahini do you use in your recipes? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      August 6, 2014 at 6:23 pm

      Achva brand, unsalted tahini.

      Reply
  19. Emma says

    October 12, 2014 at 2:11 pm

    These look delicious! Can you substitute regular flour for the chickpea flour? I would rather not buy a new bag of flour if I could use what I have instead! πŸ™‚

    Reply
  20. Emma says

    October 12, 2014 at 2:38 pm

    These look delicious! Is it possible to substitute regular flour for the chickpea flour? I’d rather not buy another bag of flour if I could use the flour I have already! πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Richa says

      October 12, 2014 at 5:06 pm

      yes you can use any flour πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Emma says

        October 12, 2014 at 7:52 pm

        Awesome πŸ™‚ I didn’t mean to post the same question twice!

        Reply
  21. Jessica says

    November 14, 2014 at 9:09 pm

    These turned out amazing! I went international with it and topped them with my famous guacamole. So good! Thank you for the recipe- will definitely be making these again.

    Reply
  22. Jessica says

    December 13, 2014 at 4:20 am

    Hi Richa,

    Would you freeze these before or after baking them?

    Best, Jessica

    Reply
    • Richa says

      December 14, 2014 at 2:40 am

      before baking. reheating them will continue to dry them out. they are best baked once.

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        January 15, 2015 at 11:45 pm

        Thank you! Love this recipe.

        Reply
  23. Kaitlin says

    March 20, 2015 at 6:22 pm

    Love your recipes! Quick question: how long will the tahini dressing last in a mason jar in the fridge?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      March 20, 2015 at 8:27 pm

      3 to 4 days.

      Reply
  24. Millie | Add A Little says

    June 13, 2015 at 10:10 am

    This looks amazing Richa – love falafel!

    Reply
  25. Krithika says

    November 22, 2015 at 9:34 pm

    Just tried this today with chana dal and moong dal, it was delicious! Made a fair amount with little effort. I have a big bunch sitting in the freezer for yummy dinners later this week!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      November 22, 2015 at 10:23 pm

      Awesome!!

      Reply
  26. Tom says

    January 19, 2016 at 5:18 pm

    Hi Richa,
    sometimes it’s hard to figure out which typ of lentils etc. are the right kind. But yellow split peas is obvious. So my question is, if you do have an idea why my yellow split pea package calls for 30-40min cooking time (without pre soak), while yours only need 18 to 19min?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      January 19, 2016 at 7:19 pm

      Hi Tom,
      Any brown lentils will do. Indian brown, spanish brown or other brown. they might need 5-10 minutes of cooking time here and there depending on the type and age of the lentils.
      For the falafels, the lentils and split peas are cooked to somewhat less than al dente and then blended and baked. Cooking them to al dente or till they are fully cooked, can end up making the fafafel balls pasty or mushy. This is same method often used to make regular chickpea falafels. Chickpeas and/or fava beans are boiled for about the 2/3 or 3/4 of the usual cooking time, then used to make the falafel. (traditionally, the chickpeas would just be soaked for 24 hours, drained and used. soaked chickpeas have the softness close to chickpeas cooked to 3/4 of the cooking time).
      You can cook the split peas and lentils till your preference. If either of the split peas or lentils are too soft, mash them with a fork instead of in a food processor.
      Hope this helps.

      Reply
      • Tom says

        January 20, 2016 at 9:13 am

        Thank you for this detailed answer! πŸ™‚
        One time I tried “traditional” chickpea falafel, but I’m sure they wasn’t tender enough after baking (ok, not so traditional because of baking then frying^^). When I try them again, should they be as soft after soaking, that I easy could crush them, right?

        Reply
        • Richa says

          January 20, 2016 at 10:55 am

          Baking will dry out the falafels more compared to frying. so the crust can be harder. Keep the mixture a bit more moist than the frying version and bake till just crisp. You can add some tahini to the mixture if it needs moisture.
          Yes the soaked chickpeas should be soft enough to get mashed with a little force within your fingers. 1 whole day soak is usually enough.

          Reply
  27. DHMiller says

    May 10, 2016 at 11:22 am

    Can you make these ahead of time and freeze?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      May 10, 2016 at 5:15 pm

      Yes, shape them and freeze in airtight container or ziplock. Thaw, pan fry or bake and serve.

      Reply
  28. Emily says

    May 14, 2017 at 7:26 pm

    Made this for dinner tonight! Came together easily and was delicious and filling!

    Reply
  29. Aarti says

    May 14, 2017 at 9:33 pm

    Looks amazing Richa!

    Reply
  30. Julie says

    September 17, 2017 at 7:30 am

    I made these recently and everyone loved them! Even my 15 month old. πŸ™‚ Just one issue we had was that the tahini dressing tasted bitter and I ended up just making hummus the following day so it didn’t go to waste. Any recommendations on how to balance that out when I make it again?

    Reply
    • Richa says

      September 17, 2017 at 10:15 am

      It probably depends on the tahini brand (tahini has an inherent bitter profile which is pleasing bitter in general, some brands have a more prominent flavor). it could also be garlic. sometimes the blending causes the garlic to get bitter. you can use 1/2 tsp garlic powder instead.

      Reply
  31. Saida says

    January 10, 2018 at 8:23 am

    What an amazing recipe! Thank you for sharing it. Just one question, how many falafels are included in be “one serving” chart? Just making sure I get my daily protein amount.
    Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Richa says

      January 10, 2018 at 10:10 am

      3 to 4 balls depending on the size.

      Reply
  32. Glory Simon says

    November 1, 2018 at 7:28 am

    Hi, do you ever substitute anything for the chickpea flour. I have a friend with a chickpea allergy that would love these? She’s also allergic to Potatoes and Fava Beans ( and she’s Indian and Vegetarian ironically.)

    Reply
    • Richa says

      November 1, 2018 at 10:18 am

      regular all purpose flour or any other grain flour will work, or breadcrumbs

      Reply
      • Glory Simon says

        November 1, 2018 at 3:16 pm

        Thank you. Ah I should have specified that I was hoping for a gluten free one. Would tapioca or almond work? Or do you think Oat is a better option?

        Reply
        • Richa says

          November 1, 2018 at 3:39 pm

          a mix of tapioca and oat would work better than almond.

          Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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

ORDER TODAY!

Vegan Richa's Everyday Kitchen Cookbook Now Available everywhere where Books are Sold | VeganRicha.com
Amazon // Barnes & Noble // BAM! // Chapter Indigo // International

Hi, I'm Richa! I create flavorful plant based recipes that are inspired by my Indian upbringing, including many gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free options. Read more about me and the blog...

Lets get Social! Join 1Million followers and friends

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Get Email Updates!

Vegan Richa 's Indian Kitchen Cookbook
Amazon || Barnes & Noble || BAM! || IndieBound || Details & International

Affiliate Links

All content on this blog is owned by Vegan Richa LLC. Some product links on some posts are affiliate links. Vegan Richa is monetized in part through the use of affiliate links. More Details

LINKSPOPULAR POSTSKEEP IN TOUCH
My Favorite ThingsBuffalo Chickpea PizzaEmail
Recipe IndexLentil Quinoa LoafFacebook
Advertise, Work With MeCrispy Orange CauliflowerInstagram
Privacy PolicyPumpkin Cinnamon RollsPinterest
Terms Of UseSweet Potato Peanut BurgersTwitter
Copyright and Disclaimers
Copyright © 2019 Vegan Richa LLC