Oil-Free Vegan Lentil Falafel [gluten-free] (2024)

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Perfectly spiced lentil patties that are baked instead of deep-fried! This healthy, vegan alternative to traditional falafel is full of plant-based protein and FLAVOR. A traditional middle-eastern favorite with a delicious modern twist!

Oil-Free Vegan Lentil Falafel [gluten-free] (1)

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’ve been ALL about the savory foods lately. Sure, I still eat mostly sweet stuff for breakfast and snacks throughout the day…but for some reason, when it comes to snacks and meals, all I’ve wanted is food that’s savory, salty, and full of spices!

Oil-Free Vegan Lentil Falafel [gluten-free] (2)

That’s made for some interesting food combinations (hello toast with jam AND hummus…trust me, it’s delicious!) and a huge desire to share a bunch of savory things with you all as well! I guess I am trying to get everyone on the savory food bandwagon. ?

Today we’re taking a tastebud trip to the Middle East to chow down on my Vegan Lentil Falafel!

Oil-Free Vegan Lentil Falafel [gluten-free] (3)

Usually falafel is made from ground chickpeas and deep-fried, but my version is lighter and healthier! Instead of dousing them in oil that’s not made for high heat cooking, I baked my patties, flavored them with tons of spices from Middle Eastern cuisine, and made them completely OIL-FREE.

To good to be true? See for yourself!

Oil-Free Vegan Lentil Falafel [gluten-free] (4)

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Oil-Free Vegan Lentil Falafel [gluten-free] (5)

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★★★★★4.5 from 8 reviews
  • Author: Kaila Proulx
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 50 mins
  • Yield: 8 patties 1x
  • Category: Main Meals

Ingredients

Scale

  • 1 cup dry split red lentils
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped
  • ½ sweet white onion, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons oat flour
  • 1 tbsp flaxseed meal
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Bring water to a boil in pot. Add lentils and simmer until they are cooked through and water is absorbed. Drain lentils and squeeze out any excess water that they may be holding. (very important step!)
  2. In a food processor, blend lentils, carrot, onion, garlic, parsley, and lemon juice.
  3. In a large bowl, combine lentil mixture with flour, flax, and spices. Stir until well combined.
  4. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Divide lentil mixture into 8 even sized patties.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, flip patties, and continue baking for 10 more minutes.

Keywords: vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, main dish, dinner, lunch, lentils, falafel

These soft, flavorful patties are gluten-free, full of plant-based protein, and super easy to make. All you need is a blender or food processor and they come together in minutes. A great weeknight meal and perfect for topping with homemade tzatziki sauce.

Oil-Free Vegan Lentil Falafel [gluten-free] (6)

I am hesitant to pick a favorite cuisine (mostly because of my love of sushi!), but Middle Eastern food ranks near the top of my list. I just love all the spices and herbs. So many unique flavors and tastes in every dish! It’s so fun to cook with staples like olives, mint, parsley, dates, and chickpeas. And let’s not get started on my obsession with hummus, pitas, pistachios, and flatbreads!

Oil-Free Vegan Lentil Falafel [gluten-free] (7)

Oil-Free Vegan Falafel #HCLFvegan #oilfree #veganfood #falafel

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What’s your favorite savory food?

Do you think you’d be able to choose a favorite cuisine?

Are you a falafel fan?

Oil-Free Vegan Lentil Falafel [gluten-free] (8)
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85 responses to “Oil-Free Vegan Lentil Falafel [gluten-free]”

  1. These look great! My favorite cuisine would probably be Indian…if I HAD to choose. But I love so many types of food.

    Reply

    • Oh Indian food is AMAZING! The smell themselves! So many different spices and flavors. 🙂

      Reply

  2. Ooh I’ll definitely be giving these a try! All the falafels I have made in the past have soaked up the oil like crazy. If I was going to pick a cuisine I’d say Italian because give me all the carbs 😛

    Reply

    • YESSSSS. All the pasta for me too! AND bread. And cheese. LOL

      Reply

  3. Yum! These look SO good! If I had to choose a cuisine I think it would have to be Italian – but I don’t know if I could ever only eat just one!

    Reply

    • As an italian, I LOVE italian food too! LOL Never get in the way of me and my grandma’s homemade sauce! 🙂 YUM.

      Reply

  4. I love to make my own falafel too but have not tried it with lentil yummy yum! Thanks for joining us for Meatless Monday today

    Reply

    • Welcome Deborah! Let me know if you try it! It’s such a fun twist with the lentils!

      Reply

  5. Falafel is one of my favorite foods EVER! This recipe looks delish.

    Reply

    • Thanks Pragati! Let me know how you like them!

      Reply

    • Thanks Annmarie!

      Reply

  6. […] GET THE RECIPE […]

    Reply

  7. They look great, I love falafels! (I hate deep frying stuff at home, so this is a really useful recipe.)

    Reply

    • Thanks Dave! Definitely give them a go!

      Reply

  8. I love falafel and I have a huge bag of red lentils sitting in my pantry that I don’t know what to do with. This would be a perfect use for them!

    Reply

    • Awesome! Let me know if you try them!!

      Reply

  9. Need to make these ASAP! Loving your website! Keep it up!! xo

    Reply

    • Thank you so much Amber!

      Reply

  10. Mmmm, falafel, one of my favorites. I love that this is oil-free! 🙂

    Reply

    • Thanks Courtney! Let me know if you try them!

      Reply

  11. That pic with the stack of falafel on the plate in the front and the parsley in the background from like a 45 degree overhead angle, I love that shot! They are just glowing with eat me I’m super delicious vibes! (that was really specific and weird I know, but I had to say it :D) I love all these photos actually! And believe it or not I’ve actually been on a more savory kick lately too 😮 There I said it! But these are totally appealing to me right now, and of course you know I love that they are vegan and oil free! Pinning these for when my stomach can handle legumes better 🙂 And I’m excited about this flatbread you have coming too! Fave cuisine: japanese. Fave savory food: mashed potatoes. Am I a falafel fan: heck yeah! Phew sorry for this monstrous comment, feel free to just reply with a smiley face and get back to school work or whatever you are busy with 🙂

    Reply

    • Omg this comment totally made my day! For the VEGAN QUEEN to say that my photos look nice!!! Thank you so much! I am in awe of your photography skills so getting a compliment on mine from you is amazing. Thanks so much, love! And YES to mashed potatoes! AND monstrous comments! LOL

      Reply

  12. I love split red lentils cause they’re so fast to cook! Love this idea to use something other than chickpeas:)

    Reply

    • Same here! Done in minutes! 🙂

      Reply

  13. Wow I love the sound of these and especially that they aren’t deep fried…I’ve recently been diagnosed as gluten-intolerant so am always happy to come across new foods X #TastyTuesdays

    Reply

    • Thanks Lins! Let me know if you try them!

      Reply

  14. These sound really great. Will they work with green lentils as well? We’re big fans of falafels in our household. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

    • I am not sure! I haven’t tried it with anything other than split red lentils. But you could give it a try! I would just make sure they are VERY well cooked and soft.

      Reply

  15. Hi Kaila…these look outstanding and I’m pinning to make soon. This is my first time to your site and I’m forwarding ti to my daughter who sounds like she could be your twin…almost 20 college with similar habits, hobbies and challenges.
    Have a great Wednesday.

    Hugs, Lynn

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for stopping by Lynn! I appreciate you passing my blog along! 🙂

      Reply

  16. These look like a great healthy alternative to the greasy patties we used to make ( I stopped making them because they were so unhealthy !)

    Reply

    • Yay! Now you can have falafel again!

      Reply

  17. I LOVE falafel… pinned and definitely will have to make this! Thanks for linking up. 🙂

    Reply

    • Thank you so much!

      Reply

    • Thanks Jen!

      Reply

  18. This looks so so good! I love lentils and falafel. 🙂

    Reply

    • Me too! Had to combine the two!

      Reply

  19. These look amazing! It’s so hard to find good oil-free vegan recipes. Thanks for posting! 🙂

    Reply

    • So welcome! Enjoy it!

      Reply

  20. I love falafel, and to know that this is oil free too?! Too good. Cannot wait to make this.

    Reply

    • Good to hear! Let me know how you like it!

      Reply

  21. I love the vegetarian/vegan recipes you link up at #bloggerspotlight, as a veggie myself I love seeing new things to try. I just wanted to let you know that you put regular post links in the #pinit party portion, meaning they are ineligible to be featured in the #pinit party as this is reserved just for pinterest links. You posted four links I believe and I just wanted to make sure you knew this 🙂 The first linky party is for blog posts, the second is for pinterest links. I added this to our group board, thank you so much for linking up with us!

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for letting me know! I think I corrected it!

      Reply

  22. I’m adding this to my vegetarian food Pinterest board. Looks yummy!

    Reply

    • Thank you so much! I really appreciate the share!

      Reply

  23. Once again, girl you have schooled me. I love lentils, but the only time I have used them is in soup or in a rice and beans mixture. I have a bag of lentils in my pantry, and this might be just the recipe to use them in. I love that I always learn something new each time I visit!

    Reply

    • I am so glad to hear that!! Let me know how it goes! 🙂

      Reply

  24. These look great, cheap,and tasty. I will try with chickpea flour first, but I whizz up all my dried beans for flour at some point just to try them out! I mix up with leftover soup!
    I love lentils too. I whizz up 2 cups and throw about tbsp psyllium husk in there and loads of spices, mix well, add water and maybe a couple of tbsp oil, sit o/n. Then I just ladle it out on hot oiled pan and make tasty flatbread or pizza! I whizz up all my dried beans and give them a go too. Sometimes with a bit of coconut milk or hemp milk and spread hummus and load on salad = dinner.
    These look great and I will use chickpea flour, cheap and protein too. A burger with all my salads and flatbreads!

    Reply

    • LOOOOOVE making pureed lentil soups! I like your idea for making lentil flatbreads though too! Very cool.

      Reply

  25. Your Vegan Lentil Falafel looks awesome! Hope you have a very special week and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Miz Helen

    Reply

    • Thanks Helen!

      Reply

  26. We love some falafel! Thanks for the recipe! Yum! Thanks for linking up to Merry Monday! Sharing on G+! Have a great week!
    Kim

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for sharing!

      Reply

  27. You had me at falafel. But I LOVE that you made them out of lentils. Way to pack that protein in on these golden, delicious patties. So good! This is definitely making it into my bookmarks to try out soon =)
    Thanks for sharing at HVF! I’m pinning & sharing!
    “chocolate tamarind cupcakes”
    ???? I’m intrigued Kaila!

    Reply

    • Oh you will LOVE that recipe!! I can’t wait to share it! Let me know how you like the falafel in the meantime.

      Reply

  28. I love falafel, so yummy! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Savoring Saturdays gluten free linky party. Hope you’ll join us again this week.

    Reply

    • Thanks Emily! Let me know if you try it!

      Reply

  29. yum, these sound good. I like making falafel but haven’t used lentils before. #freefromfridays

    Reply

    • Definitely give them a try! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

      Reply

  30. Hi there! These look delicious. I only have French lentils on hand – do you think the recipe would work if I use them instead of red lentils?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • I don’t think those would work…they usually cook up too hard! The red lentils yield a softer texture!

      Reply

  31. Hi! I am so looking forward to making these tonight! I am currently almost 8 months pregnant and looking for nutritious things to store in the freezer for when the baby arrives. How do you think these would freeze?

    Reply

    • They freeze very well! I’ve made them and frozen the batch before! 😀

      Reply

  32. Hi Kaila! I am so excited to be making them tonight! I soaked red lentils yesterday and have been wondering what to cook them with… And here it is – your beautiful recipe! Wish me luck xx

    Reply

    • Awwww this makes me so happy! Let me know how you like them!!!

      Reply

  33. I made these, and they were so watery I had to make them in a muffin tin because they wouldn’t form any sort of patty, and I had to bake them for over an hour. 2 cups of water is way too much.

    Reply

    • The water is just for cooking the lentils. You’re supposed to cook them until all the water is absorbed.

      Reply

  34. […] theseOil-Free Vegan Lentil Falafelfrom Healthy Helper in pitas filled with veggies and your favourite tatziki […]

    Reply

    • Do you have a recipe for potato rosti?

      Reply

  35. […] Oil-Free Vegan Lentil Falafel [Gluten -Free] – Healthy Helper Blog […]

    Reply

  36. Hi! I must have done something wrong…? although I followed the instructions carefully. At the end of the 20 minutes that I had to flip them over, they were not at all ready for it (too much moisture). I had to continue baking them for double the time in order to be able to handle them. In the end, they were falling apart. ….???

    Reply

    • Did you follow the direction to cook the lentils until all water is absorbed? Then you also drain the lentils and squeeze out any extra liquid. These steps are KEY.

      Reply

      • Thank you!

        Reply

        • So welcome!

          Reply

  37. I made these for my husband’s lunches this week and they turned out great! I used what I had on hand: half moong dal (green gram lentils) & half chana dal (chickpeas). I added a tbsp of harissa to make it a little spicy. They turned out delicious! We’ll definitely be making these again, thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Kris!! I am so happy you made these and enjoyed them!! Your additions to the recipe sound delicious. 🙂

      Reply

  38. Yum! Lentils are the best!

    Reply

    • Thanks Briana!! Enjoy.

      Reply

  39. These look delicious!! I like that they are healthy, too. And after reading this post, I am now craving toast with jelly. 🙂

    Reply

    • Thanks Jeanine!! Hope you try these!

      Reply

  40. What could be good swaps for the oregano and pepper in this recipe?

    Reply

    • You could do just a basic italian seasoning or basil….and omit the pepper or swap it for smoked paprika! 🙂

      Reply

  41. […] Oil-Free Vegan Lentil Falafel (dinner)from Healthy Helper Blog […]

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