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Who doesn't love buffalo sauce? But have you ever thought of tossing baked falafel in buffalo sauce and have it covered with blue cheese and served with some homemade naan. Well that's what you get with this buffalo falafel.
So for anyone following our blog, I'm sure you've quickly realized we are obsessed with Half Baked Harvest. Ironically that obsession began with me not even realizing it.
It was a little less than three years ago and I had just moved to Maryland to be with Lauren. We were wanting something healthier but different. I went to my old stand-by of scouring Pinterest and happened to fall upon buffalo falafel.
You might be like I was then, thinking "buffalo and falafel?" The more I looked at it the more interesting the recipe sounded. Plus the fact that there were sweet potato fries just put it over the top!
Really the kicker was the pictures just made it looked worth the try! So I made them and we loved them! I honestly didn't even pay attention to where the blog was from. I just knew the recipe was good.
Needless to say I started to look more closely at her recipes and looked a previous blog posts. I probably pinned a good 25-30 recipes that night and proceeded to make many of them in the next year. Now I check her blog every morning and just bought her first cookbook.
To this day we've never had a bad recipe of hers, and it all started with these buffalo falafel. One thing that really makes a difference is homemade naan, but I understand if time is a constraint so you can buy from the grocery store no problem.
Oh and if you're looking for a little more traditional recipe, you can't go wrong with this falafel wrap.
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Ingredient Notes
- Chickpeas - the base of any falafel recipe but you can also use white beans like cannellini beans if you prefer.
- Buffalo sauce - use your favorite buffalo sauce. I'm partial to Frank's but you can also make your own.
- Naan - I'm partial to naan for this buffalo falafel but you can also use pita bread or just a wrap.
Step-by-Step Photos
Place the chickpeas, onion, garlic, olive oil, flour, baking powder and spices in the food processor and puree until smooth. Add the cilantro and pulse a few times to combine.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out about 2 tablespoon of the falafel mixture and form into balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
FAQs
Traditional falafel is made from chickpeas and is seasoned with onions and spices like parsley, garlic, cumin and coriander. The cilantro makes this baked falafel recipe a little more unique.
Of course. I just liked the ease and how it is healthier. But if you want to fry, heat about 3 inches of oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven to 350°F and fry in batches for about 5 minutes.
Then you're like my wife! But seriously you can use ranch dressing and just some cheddar cheese for topping.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- The food processor is your friend when getting everything combined for the falafel.
- Use parchment paper when baking the falafel so it won’t stick to the pan. Otherwise you might have a difficult time getting it off the pan.
- If you have an ice cream scoop, use it to create consistent size falafel which allows for even baking.
- You want the baked falafel crisp, but not dry so bake until they are golden brown on top which should take about 30 minutes.
- If you want to mellow out your buffalo sauce, mix it with some melted butter.
Other Vegetarian Recipes
If you’ve tried this buffalo falafel or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.
Buffalo Falafel
Ingredients
- 2 (15.5 ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ medium sweet onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 cup buffalo sauce (I use Frank's)
- blue cheese dressing
- blue cheese
- 4 store-bought naan bread, warmed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large food processor, combine the chickpeas, onion, garlic, olive oil, flour, baking powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper and puree until smooth. Add the cilantro and pulse a few times until combined.
- Scoop out 1-2 tablespoon worth and form into small balls and place on parchment paper on baking sheet. It should make about 15.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. You want the top to be crisp and golden brown. Remove from oven.
- Place falafel in warm naan bread. Add buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing. Wrap up and serve with some fries.
Notes
- The food processor is your friend when getting everything combined for the falafel.
- Use parchment paper when baking the falafel so it won’t stick to the pan. Otherwise you might have a difficult time getting it off the pan.
- If you have a small ice cream scoop, use it to create consistent size falafel which allows for even baking.
- You want the baked falafel crisp, but not dry so bake until they are golden brown on top which should take about 30 minutes.
- If you want to mellow out your buffalo sauce, mix it with some melted butter.
Chris says
Buffalo and falafel? Who knew to combine those two!