So it’s two for one day over here at IBIH! Why are you getting a bonus post today? Because I just couldn’t sit on it for another day, that’s why!
Recently I posted this low carb hummus recipe, and in the post I mentioned having an idea for a cauliflower-based falafel. Well I had so much cauliflower in my fridge that I finally decided to start testing it out this afternoon.
I wasn’t really sure how I was going to go about it, just had a few theories on what might work and what wouldn’t. I figured I’d at least start today, but never dreamed that it would turn out as well as it did on the first try!
This cauliflower-based low carb falafel recipe is so good that it was all I could do not to burst into song like a Disney princess when I took the first taste of it.
I wanted the crunchy texture of a chickpea-based falafel so I started with raw cauliflower, first roughly chopped, and then ground in the food processor. I was worried that it would be too mushy when it cooked, so to keep the chickpea-like texture, I thought maybe ground almonds might do the trick.
I used the slivered almonds you can buy in the baking section of most grocery stores and ground them to a still slightly chunky texture in my magic bullet. To that I added the classic flavorings of falafel, a little heavier on the cumin to hide any cauliflower flavor.
To help bind it I used coconut flour and eggs.
When I formed them they held together well, but I never dredged them and I worried that they wouldn’t brown. As you can see by the picture they DID and perfectly!
Super crunchy like falafel should be! And the interior texture was so good – the slight crunch of the nuts mimicked the chickpeas unbelievably well! The real test though, was whether or not I could get them by my husband and four year old son. Hungry Jr. pronounced them “delicious” and Mr. Hungry never even tasted the cauliflower!
This is a major win for me because he HATES cauliflower and can sniff out even a hint of it like a cadaver dog in a cemetery. So when he got home from work I’d already cleaned up the evidence and had him taste one. He thought they were great except for the slight crunch of the nuts which is a weird thing he has.
Never caught the cauliflower though and was surprised when I told him. YYESSSS! In your FACE!!! (LOL, just kidding! I didn’t really say that but I did think it and do a mental victory dance!) They really are THAT good!
I can’t wait for you guys to try them and tell me what you think! If you like falafel, I think you’ll really enjoy them. If you’ve never tried falafel, then you’ll really REALLY enjoy them! Heck if you have a mouth, you are going to enjoy them!
Low Carb Falafel with Tahini Sauce (Gluten Free)
- Yield: (8) 3" patties
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cauliflower, pureed
- 1/2 cup ground slivered almonds
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1/2 Tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 3 Tbsp coconut flour
- Tahini sauce:
- 2 Tbsp tahini paste
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, more to taste if desired
Instructions
- For the cauliflower you should end up with a cup of the puree. It takes about 1 medium head (florets only) to get that much. First chop it up with a knife, then add it to a food processor or magic bullet and pulse until it’s blended but still has a grainy texture.
- You can grind the almonds in a similar manner – just don’t over grind them, you want the texture.
- Combine the ground cauliflower and ground almonds in a medium bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until well blended.
- Heat a half and half mix of olive and grapeseed (or any other light oil) oil until sizzling. While it’s heating, form the mix into 8 three-inch patties that are about the thickness of a hockey puck.
- Fry them four at a time until browned on one side and then flip and cook the other side. Resist the urge to flip too soon – you should see the edges turning brown before you attempt it – maybe 4 minutes or so per side. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain any excess oil.
- Serve with tahini sauce and a tomato & parsley garnish if desired.
- Tahini sauce: Blend all ingredients in a bowl. Thin with more water if you like a lighter consistency.
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Falafel
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 patties
- Calories: 281
- Fat: 24g
- Carbohydrates: 5g net
- Protein: 8g
Anna Roberts says
Help! I tried this recipe from the cookbook (which is beautiful and inspiring!) but I ended up with a plate-full of oil-soaked falafel mush. Tastes delicious but zero patty shapes! I am not sure where I went wrong- I’m am a trained chef but keto cooking is still very new to me and many of the tried and true methods I’ve come to rely on just don’t seem to work. My mixture was very soft and a bit spongy, not too wet to form a patty shape, but I wonder if I used too much cauliflower? My oil foamed up (I tried two different oils) and the patties just seemed to dissolve before my eyes. I know the oil was hot enough and I had beautiful browning, but both times once I flipped the patties I had a pan full of foam and mush. I thought about just scrambling the mixture and using it as a salad topper but it soaked up ALL of the frying oil so I’m sure it’s off the charts with fat, even for Keto.
Andie says
I haven’t tried these yet, but am drooling with anticipation. I have hemp hearts but not almonds – has anyone tried using hemp hearts instead of almonds? AND there was a question about making these in a waffle iron instead of fried pucks. I wonder the same. Frying is a pain in the neck & SO messy.
Larissa says
I love this recipe so much ! I have it everyday , however I am trying to lose weight and want to decrease the amount of calories ; can I use more cauliflower instead of 1/2 cup almonds ?
★★★★★
Katie says
AAAACK!!!! These were SO spicy, I had to throw the whole batch out!
What did I do??
Mellissa Sevigny says
The recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper which is barely noticeable in the finished product. If yours was unbearably spicy maybe you used 1/2 tablespoon instead?
Sheetal Shah says
Just made these and they were absolutely delicious. So happy to finally find a low carb version of falafel that Tastes like the real thing. Thank you!
★★★★★
Dana says
These were amazing!
I fried them in coconut oil 👍🏻
I’m wondering … do the macros listed above include the oil they are fried in? And how much oil shall i use? A cup total or less?
Maureen Luchejko says
I am a professional recipe developer. I’ve also been keto for two years. I’ve spent so much time & money looking for good keto recipes. Many have been disappointing — especially baking recipes. I love falafel but miss not being able to have it. I thought I’d try to find a keto version and boy did I luck out with this recipe. I just tested this and it’s delicious! An excellent keto version of falafel that doesn’t taste like fried cauliflower. I love it and will be making this for myself tonight along with an Israeli salad. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Maureen, that’s really high praise and means a lot! I hope you enjoy the rest of my recipes just as much!
Carmen says
I doubled the recipe. I baked half at 350 for 20 minutes and fried the other half. The fried falafel turned out moist and delicious but the baked falafel were too dry for my taste. I definitely recommend trying them to retain moisture. Great Recipe! Thanks!
★★★★★
Wendy says
Hoe many grams is one cup of cauliflower rice? I bought a bag of pre-grinded cauliflower rice of 400 grams but can’t find a converter from cups to grams for cauliflower rice
Julie Horning says
I made the cauliflower hummus on Thursday and my non Keto husband tasted and then kept wondering why he didn’t get any of it :) Tried these today – they are great – instead of frying – i did spritzed them with a little coconut oil and cooked them in my air fryer. Next time i will add a bit of tahini to the mix first – they don’t have enough fat when they aren’t fried in oil – my fault tho no fault of the recipe. I got exactly 8 patties – used a medium ice cream scoop and then shaped them – they held together great. Thanks Melissa.
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Definitely need to try these in the air fryer, thanks Julie!
Kristen says
This was amazing! The proportions were on point. My family loved it. Do you know a good substitute for the eggs so that it could be vegan friendly?
Dana says
Can i use cauliflower rice and blitz it a bit in the food processor?
Annabel says
I did this last night, worked perfectly. I forgot to defrost the rice though…not sure if that plays into why they worked so well ?♀️
★★★★★
Adriana says
Has anybody done these chaffle style?
Miriam Gholl says
I’m new to keto (hence the late comment), but I had to tell you how excellent this recipe is! I served them to my Lebanese hubby tonight and he and I both LOVED THEM! The only change I will make the next time I make them (tomorrow?) is to use 1/2 almond flour and 1/2 coconut flour. My hubby didn’t mind the sweetness from the coconut flour, but since going off sugar, everything tastes very extra sweet. I only used about a 1/4 head of cauliflower and it came out to a cup, and I made 5 patties. Have you ever frozen them? That’s what I’m going to try tomorrow – great go-to dinner! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Susan says
I freeze these….they defrost fine!
Cheryl Caplan says
While I enjoyed the combination of ingredients and the flavor, I simply couldn’t get the individual “hockey pucks” to stay together while they browned in the oil. I added an extra egg but that didn’t help. My medium head of cauliflower delivered more than one cup of pureed cauliflower. Perhaps the proportions were off.
★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
The recipe calls for the 1 cup of cauliflower – if you had more than that from your head of cauliflower you should have reserved it for another recipe, not used it all. That would have definitely thrown off the proportions – sorry if the instructions weren’t clear.
Paula says
You nailed it. These are outstanding! I made a tazikki sauce to go with them. Yum!!! Thank you.
★★★★★
Dee says
Seriously I could not believe how fantastic these were! The only change I made was instead of using tahini sauce I put a healthy sized tablespoon of tahini right in the mix. Really fantastic. Thank you for the recipe. I am off to buy more cauliflower now :)