Baby Falafel | Recipe (2024)

FAQs

When can babies eat falafel? ›

Recipe notes

This is going to quickly become your favourite baby falafel recipe for toddlers, kids and babies over 12 months old! We have included tahini in our sweet potato falafel recipe, which is a paste made from ground sesame seeds.

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.

If the mixture is too wet, the falafel has a tendency to fall apart when being fried so please pat dry the ingredients before using them. If you find the mixture is too wet, simply add little more breadcrumbs. The falafel mixture after prepared can be shaped by hand or with a tool called an alb falafel (falafel mold).

Being free from common allergens means they are suitable for the lunch box. Hands up if your child likes hummus! Well, falafel is another way to offer chickpeas. Whole chickpeas are a choking risk for young children, so falafel (and hummus) are a more suitable way to offer chickpeas to babies and young toddlers.

2. When can kids eat hummus? Hummus can generally be introduced to babies around the 8 - 9 month milestone as long as it is bland to begin with. Babies' intestinal systems are not fully developed at this stage, and they may have trouble digesting certain spicy ingredients.

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.

Falafel was made popular in Israel by Yemeni Jews in the 1950s. They brought with them the chickpea version of the dish from Yemen and introduced the concept of serving falafel balls in pita bread. And the way the Israeli falafel is served is, in my opinion, the main reason why Israeli falafel is truly, well, Israeli.

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.

Since falafel is prepared with chickpeas, herbs, spices and alliums, it is vegan. However, falafel is sometimes served in wraps which may not be vegan, or with yogurt- or dairy-based sauces, so be sure to seek out vegan-friendly accompaniments.

Healthy falafels (such as baked falafels) could be a dieting ally due to their high protein, fiber, vitamin, and mineral content. But remember the fat and calorie content and eat in moderation. Is falafel healthy even though it's fried? Fried falafel can have higher calories and fat than ideal.

What ethnicity eats falafel? ›

Falafel is usually made with fava beans in Egyptian cuisine, where it most likely originated, with chickpeas in Palestinian cuisine, or just chickpeas or a combination of both in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria and the wider Middle East.

Baking soda — It may seem odd to add baking soda to a savory recipe, but it helps keeps the interior texture of the falafels fluffy.

As you know Falafel is made from soaked raw chickpeas, which is indigestible to the human body causing stomach pain, gas, and other adverse symptoms. Raw chickpeas have antinutrients and toxins that can harm your digestive system, from discomfort to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Falafel, hummus and tabbouleh

This is a great dish for vegan nibbles at a dinner party. The tabbouleh adds some super-fresh tasting ingredients and you can eat these with your fingers, dipping the falafel into the hummus and tabbouleh, or with a knife and fork.

You can offer any type of pasta noodles to your baby… egg or rice noodles, edamame pasta, veggie pasta, chickpea pasta, etc. They're all great options to offer your baby! But, when buying traditional pasta noodles, you'll typically be choosing between white or whole wheat.

6 months old +:

Smash or blend cooked chickpeas into a textured mash or paste and serve in a bowl for baby to scoop. The thin skin on each chickpea is not a choking hazard, but it can cause some gagging if it sticks in baby's mouth, so feel free to remove them or leave them on.

Hummus is a great weaning food to give your baby from about six months old. Both shop-bought hummus and homemade hummus are totally fine for babies. It's safest to wait until around six months before giving your baby any solid food, because younger babies may not be able to sit up and swallow well.

6 to 12 months old:

Sprinkle ground hulled sesame seeds on other food, such as avocados, warm cereal, or yogurt or mix in tahini to applesauce, warm cereal or yogurt.