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This Vegan Falafel Recipe Uses Nut Butter For The Best Consistency

Author:

Jamie Schneider

January 14, 2020

Former Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Editor

By Jamie Schneider

Former Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Editor

Jamie Schneider is the former Senior Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in Coveteur, The Chill Times, and Wyld Skincare.

Woman Setting Down a Plate of Falafel on a Dining Table

Image by Tatjana Zlatkovic / Stocksy

January 14, 2020

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While chickpeas themselves are high in protein, this falafel recipe has a secret ingredient to add even more vegan protein to the mix: nut butter. That's right, adding a creamy nut butter (be it peanut butter, almond butter, or even tahini) to this recipe raises the protein content while keeping those original fragrant flavors and chewy consistency. Because who likes dry, crumbly falafel?

With this recipe from Sally O'Neil's The Fit Foodie Meal Prep Plan, you'll have an easy, nutritious vegan meal on your hands. Be sure to check out the three flavor combinations below to make your falafel unique and tasty.

Nut Butter Falafel

Makes about 18

Ingredients:

14 oz. (400 g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup chopped cooked pumpkin
½ cup (50 g) almond meal or other flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons natural peanut butter (almond butter and tahini also work—whatever you have in the cupboard is fine)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Mix all of the ingredients together in a blender or food processor until they're well combined.
Add your choice of flavors to the mixture in the blender (see below for some suggestions).
Roll the mixture into balls with your hands. If the dough is a little wet, add more almond meal or flour, a little at a time.
Place the balls on a silicone baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Store in the fridge for five days, or freeze for up to two weeks.

Here are some different combinations to spice up the flavor profile. No matter which combination you choose, you'll have a protein-packed, fragrant dish on your hands (or you could just make them all and assemble them beautifully on the plate—problem solved!).