Try Baked Falafel to Skip Calories, Not Flavor

Deep fried falafel not in your diet? Try it baked! Baked falafel is still crunchy on the outside and delicious on the inside.

Serving Baked Falafel

Baked falafel can be served the same way fried falafel would be served. Try it in a pita sandwich with tahini and veggies or on a platter with some hummus and a Middle Eastern salad. French fries are sometimes added to the pita with the falafel instead of vegetables.

Falafel can be served alone and is often accompanied by hummus, baba ghannouj, fresh pita bread, fries, and a salad.

McDonald's in Egypt serves the "McFalafel," a falafel version of the Big Mac. The secret sauce is replaced with tahini.

What is Falafel?

Falafel is traditionally a deep-fried ball or patty that is made from chickpeas or fava beans and spices. It is a vegetarian food and is one of the most widely consumed and recognized foods of the Middle East. 

Falafel is very popular in the Middle East as a fast food. It is most popular in countries like Israel, Egypt, and Syria, regarded as a "fast food" and sold like hot dogs by street vendors. Falafel is also the national dish of Israel.

As a main dish, it is served as a sandwich, stuffed in pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, and tahini. As an appetizer, it is served with a salad, or with hummus and tahini -- most of the time served with hot sauce. 

Falafel is a favorite among vegetarians. The spices are important and should be personalized to taste. This recipe is a traditional method of cooking falafel. It can be time-consuming because of having to soak the beans overnight.