Baked Carrot Falafel (Gluten-free, Vegan)

Try this baked carrot falafel recipe if you’re looking for a delicious vegan meal that’s loaded with veggies and free from gluten and grains. It’s crispy around the edges, soft inside, and packed with flavor.

Oh falafel, how I love thee!

I can never get enough of these crispy bites of heaven that happen to be highly nutritious when prepared the right way. Most falafels you get at restaurants are deep-fried in poor-quality rancid vegetable oils. So, unfortunately, they can be far from healthy. Baking, on the other hand, is one of the healthiest ways of preparing food with much less oil. However, baked falafels can often times turn out quite dry. After lots and lots of experimentation, I’ve finally figured out the best and healthiest way to prepare them. That is, baked with a little bit of unrefined avocado oil inside the batter and a little spread over the dish you’d be baking them in.

I’ve used the same method for my baked spinach falafels that are one of the most popular recipes with you guys! Recently I’ve been experimenting with adding carrots in the batter since it’s one of the vegetables I don’t consume enough of.

Health Benefits of Carrots

Carrots are best known for their rich supply of phytonutrient antioxidants such as beta-carotene. Antioxidants protect the body against free radical damage and prevent the onset of disease.

Beta carotene is a precursor of vitamin A (retinol), so it gets converted into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is crucial for healthy skin, bones, hair, and nails. It supports good night vision and eye health and promotes regulation of the immune system.

Carrots are also a good source of other nutrients such as biotin, vitamin K, molybdenum, fiber, vitamins B6 and C. So it’s a great idea to include them in as many meals as possible. Let’s start with these falafels.

Using a food processor is the fastest and easiest way to prepare falafels (this is the one I’ve been using for over 8 years). I like to attach the fine shredding disc first to grate the carrot, then add the remaining ingredients with the S-blade and pulse until a fine crumble forms. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a box grater or mandolin slicer with julienne blades to shred the carrots first. Then mix everything together in a bowl and mash with a potato masher, which can be a bit tricky since the chickpeas are raw.

Preparing the chickpeas:

Soaking the chickpeas overnight not only softens them up, but it also reduces antinutrients like phytic acid. These antinutrients can interfere with the proper digestion and absorption of minerals and lead to bloating. So if you suffer from digestive issues after having legumes, there’s a good chance that you’ll do just fine consuming these falafels, as long as you soak the chickpeas for a good 24 hours. Make sure to change the water after 12 hours to prevent the growth of bacteria or mold. It’s very important to discard the soaking water and wash them properly before use to get rid of the antinutrients as much as possible. If you still find them hard to digest after a day of soaking, you can try sprouting or cooking them for about 30 minutes until they soften up just a bit.

I love serving them on a bed of greens with some of my raw homemade sauerkraut, pickled onions, avocado, tomatoes, and a creamy lemon tahini sauce. They’re even more delicious served in a wrap with soft naan. But for a healthier gluten-free wrap, you can use collard leaves, lettuce, or grain-free cassava, chickpea, or almond flour tortillas.

Can’t wait for you to try this delicious baked carrot falafel! If you do, please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts. I always love seeing and sharing your photos, so make sure you tag me @nutriholist #nutriholist on Instagram and Facebook. Enjoy!