Can I make "falafel" with different beans?

Can I make "falafel" with different beans? - Crop unrecognizable tattooed painter spraying blue paint from can on multicolored wall with creative graffiti while standing on street in city

I grow several types of beans in the garden, but the growing season is too short for chick peas. If I use a different bean - e.g., kidney, navy, cannelini, turtle (black) beans - do I need to make changes to a "standard" falafel recipe?

beans


Best Answer

Yes, you can, however if you want to use red kidney beans, or white kidney beans (cannellini), please boil them at least 30 minutes at 100 °C, otherwise you might suffer from food poisoning. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytohaemagglutinin

Regarding taste, in the original recipes there is no need for eggs as an binding agent, so you can taste as you go. Go with the usual onion, garlic, fresh parsley, coriander, cumin and flour (+ obvious salt and pepper to taste), but you can add also a bit of mint and/or rosemary that goes nicely with the beans.

Also, you can do test ping pong ball sized specimen, fry em up, and taste which one is the best, then season accordingly the whole batch before frying.



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Can you substitute other beans in falafel?

Green lentils are a good replacement for chickpeas in falafel. There are many recipes available online for such a substitution. Like chickpeas and unlike many other beans, lentils do not require boiling (you can just soak them for a long time) to make falafel.

What can I use instead of chickpeas for falafel?

If you want to make falafel but don't have chickpeas, you HAVE to make these Homemade Baked Falafel Balls!...Falafel Wraps:
  • 1 cup raw almonds.
  • 1/4 cup hemp hearts.
  • 2 garlic cloves.
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder.
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder.
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
  • 1 egg.


    • Can you use mixed beans instead of chickpeas?

    Try to mix your Cannellini beans with your salsa or cook them slightly and season them as a side dish with your roasts, they will balance the other ingredients in your recipe. Thanks to their velvety texture, they will be perfect as a substitute for chickpeas in hummus.

    Can you substitute canned chickpeas for dried in falafel?

    You can also make falafel with fava beans, which is how it was originally made; or from both chick peas and fava beans. Dried Chickpeas, not Canned are best for making Falafel.


    How to Make Falafel - Crispy Fried Garbanzo Bean/Chickpea Fritter Recipe



    More answers regarding can I make "falafel" with different beans?

    Answer 2

    I know this question has been answered but I wanted to add that Akara is Nigerian dish similar to falafel and is made with black eyed peas instead of chick peas. There are also regional variations across Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean with different names.

    Recipes for Akara in addition to those for falafel may help you come up with some better ways of using the beans and lentils you have available to you.

    Answer 3

    Green lentils are a good replacement for chickpeas in falafel. There are many recipes available online for such a substitution. Like chickpeas and unlike many other beans, lentils do not require boiling (you can just soak them for a long time) to make falafel. I can also confirm from personal experience that green lentil falafels usually taste great.

    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

    Images: Felicity Tai, Felicity Tai, Mathias Reding, David Bares

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