Falafel | Simple, Healthy and Delicious Recipe | The Oven Light Dinner (2024)

FAQs

Are falafels healthy for weight loss? ›

Falafel is low in calories and fat. When eaten as part of a healthy diet, it can aid with weight loss or weight maintenance. One of the healthiest ways to eat falafel is in a buddha bowl with plenty of healthy greens and veggies.

Featuring foods such as with lettuce, a side of fries, the falafel sauce, pickled vegetables, radish, mint, parsley, onion, tomato and hummus. Toum (a famous Lebanese garlic sauce) can also be served. Part of a mezze, which is a spread of small share plates.

Go with the falafel. The gyro has more saturated fat, more calories, and (usually) more sodium than the falafel—or chicken or vegetable sandwich fillings—on most menus. Take Daphne's, a "California-fresh" West Coast chain with 56 restaurants that lists calories on its menus and Nutrition Facts on its Web site.

Turns out that dried chickpeas are essential to good falafel. See, canned chickpeas have already been cooked. Starch molecules within them have already burst and released their sticky contents, much of which get washed away in the cooking liquid, leaving the remaining chickpeas with very little clinging power.

That said, falafel is traditionally deep-fried in oil, so falafel purchased at restaurants can be high in fat and calories. Falafel contains a variety of important nutrients, but it's traditionally deep-fried in oil, which can make it high in fat and calories.

Falafel's Nutritional Profile

It tends to be relatively low in cholesterol, low on the glycemic index scale, and high in protein. Also, it's full of complex carbs and fiber, which are good for a healthy gut and regular bowel movements, adds Zozos.

It can be eaten daily but in moderation, if not in some people it may cause bloating an abdominal discomfort. Is falafel a healthy protein source? Falafel is a plant-based protein champ, filled with proteins from chickpeas or fava beans. It's a fitting choice for vegetarians or vegans.

A binding ingredient can help keep it together, especially if you are using canned beans instead of dried. And the perfect binding ingredient for falafel is flour. Nothing fancy, just plain all-purpose flour. Add a few tablespoons at a time to your mixture, until you can press it easily into balls or patties.

There are three types of falafel--Traditional falafel, baked falafel and lemon falafel. “Where the traditional falafel is the basic fried falafel comprising a mix of chickpeas, onions, garlic, herbs and spices, baked falafels are made using fresh herbs in the chickpea mixture,” says Chef Sati from Ophelia.

Search for garlic shrimp souvlaki, gyro plate or even falafel plate; decide on food varieties with sound fats like olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds; make sure to arrange bunches of products of the soil; and go for lean meat, turkey, chicken or fish.

What is healthier falafel or chicken? ›

In essence, the ingredient profile of falafel is in the least unhealthy. In fact, compared to other counterparts of the food, including chicken shawarma, falafel tops the list to contain the healthiest amount of all ingredients that are required by the body.

Falafel is also a good source of soluble fibre, the type that helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Chickpeas are made up of oligosaccharides, sugars that are also found in other foods like rye, onions, and garlic. Since they are highly concentrated in chickpeas, a lot of it has to pass through our system, causing longer and more severe bouts of bloating or uneasiness.

What Is It? Aquafaba is the thick liquid that results from soaking or cooking legumes, such as chickpeas, in water for an extended period of time. It's the translucent viscous goop you probably rinse down the drain when you open a can of chickpeas.

It's called aquafaba, and it's (basically) free! When we refer to aquafaba (as we often do in our cookbook on vegan cooking, Vegan for Everybody), we're talking about the liquid in a can of chickpeas. (We're not talking about the liquid in a can of any other beans.

Carbs. A falafel patty contains a little more than 5 grams of carbohydrates, the majority of which come from the chickpeas or fava beans. The food is high in complex carbohydrates and soluble fiber—the type of fiber that helps lower LDL cholesterol (known as the "bad" cholesterol).

An easy keto falafel recipe made without chickpeas is a delicious snack or appetizer. But it's also a perfect addition to a low carb salad or a paleo wrap for lunch.

A 100-gram serving (about 3 to 4 falafel patties) of frozen premade chickpea falafel has: 321 calories.