Did you know you can make green falafel by adding collard greens? These falafel are made using canned chickpeas and they're pan-fried in the pan for super quick falafel!
I've always loved the green Falafels one could get at Maoz, but somehow whenever I made Falafel at home I never used enough parsley or cilantro to get them to have a green color on the inside. So I thought I'd step up the game and add in some of the green collards I had in the fridge. And yeesss... finally... green Falafel! :)
Collard greens are an amazing source of vitamin A, C, K, calcium, and manganese. So they are the perfect addition to protein-rich falafel.
In contrast to previous Falafel recipes (Huge Batch of Falafel, Oil-Free Cilantro Falafel), this time I've used canned chickpeas. The Falafel are even quicker to make because they don't require the dried chickpeas to soak overnight. Yeah to spontaneous Falafels! ^.^
If you have a food processor, these Green Falafels are super easy to make. Just blitz up the green collard leaves & chickpeas, mix in the spices & chickpea flour, form little patties & pan-fry them. Easy as that! What I really like about this recipe is, that you don't have to decide a day ahead if you're making falafel because the chickpeas don't require soaking.
Serve Green Falafel with ...
I've had the Green Falafel in a simple lamb's lettuce salad with tomatoes and a hummus dressing (hummus mixed with water & lime juice) and it was delicious! The Falafel would be also great in wraps (especially with homemade tortillas), pita bread, on couscous, or simply to snack on their own (I may or may not have done that...).
Vegan & gluten-free Green Falafel
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large green collard leaves
- 17 oz canned chickpeas
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon lime juice
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons besan/chickpea flour
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Instructions
- Wash the green collard leaves and remove the stems, roll it up and blitz it in the food processor until fine.
- Drain the chickpeas (save the water for some Aquafaba magic, if you like) and add them to the food processor and blitz until broken up.
- Transfer the mixture into a large bowl, add in the salt, garlic powder, lime juice and give it a good mix.
- Add in the chickpea flour into the mix until you can form little patties (I've added 2 tablespoons).
- Heat a large pan with the canola oil (the bottom should be coated) and add in the Falafel once the oil is hot. Let it pan-fry (on medium to high heat) for about 7 minutes on each side. They should be crispy on the outside and soft but not mushy on the inside.
Marina says
My, my , my! I LOVE this idea! I try to add different greens to so many recipes , it's so fun finding out what combinations work! I cannot wait to try these!
Bianca says
adding more greens is always a good idea. I hope you enjoy them! :)
Leeanne says
Can these be baked in the oven, like your other falafel recipe? I'd rather not use oil. Have you tried them baked? TIA
Bianca says
Yes, you can absolutely bake these falafel, Leeanne! I'd bake them for 30 minutes at 350°F (180°C), flipping them once after 20 minutes.
Emily says
Can these be frozen?
Bianca says
yep, they are freezer-friendly!
Gursimrat kaur says
Hi Bianca, your blog is awesome. I have fallen in love with your blog. I tried these falafels and they turned out to be perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
Bianca says
Thanks for the awesome review! Glad you enjoyed them! :)
David Dror says
Hi Bianca,
I love your blog. Keep it up, please,
When I soak chickpeas, I soak more than the amount that I need and freeze in bags of half a kilo (dry) each. It seems to me that soaked and frozen chickpeas cook up sooner and softer.
Bianca says
Oh! That's a good trick! Thank you for sharing, David!
And thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate it! :)
Athelene says
can they be frozen after frying or uncooked in freezer for later use..
Cheryl Mae says
I added fresh garlic and a little onion to the food processor and eliminated the powdered garlic. I cooked them in an Air Fryer at 360 degrees for 15 minutes spritzed with a little avocado oil and flipped halfway through. The collard greens were a little strong. I may sub some of this with a little parsley next time. They were very good. Thanks.
Patricia Salomone says
That sounds exactly what I would do. I’m going to try that. Thank you one and ALL 🤗
Cindy says
Delicious recipe! I added about 1/4 cup of parsley also. I love these. Thank you so much. Will try the baking method next time.
FYI if you have an Indian market near you the chick pea flour is called Gram Flour and is so much less expensive then other stores.
RiaSunflower says
I added frozen spinach after first defrosting and sautéing out the water. Fresh garlic in the food processor and a little dried garlic with paprika. Held it's shape well and was very tasty. Great easy, economical recipe you could play around with. Will keep this one.
Thank you.
Nada says
Can I use aragula instead of green collard leaves?
Sue says
Yes look great! I've got pre-cut collards. Any idea how much to use to get approx 3 leaves?
Beverly Sallade says
I just made these and they are delicious. I didn’t use oil but replace it with some of the aqua faba from the chick peas. Plus I used fresh garlic because I am out of garlic powder. I had a hard time not eating it before they were baked. It would be great on chips as a snack. LOL. They turned out wonderful. Thanks for the recipe!
Cathy says
Turned out okay. Will make it again soon.
Heidi says
So good! I've added these to my tried & true recipes, thanks!
Diana says
This is a great recipe for kids who are lazy to eat vegetables! I will apply immediately to improve their meal t rex game