Baked Sweet Potato Falafel

Name: Baked Sweet Potato Falafel
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: sweet potatoes; chickpea flour (gram flour); Instant Oats; parsley, finely chopped; ground cumin; ground coriander; garlic granules; bicarbonate of soda; salt; sesame seeds; chickpeas; cooked, peeled beetroot; tahini paste; lemon, juiced; garlic, peeled; salt; shallot or small red onion, thinly sliced; apple cider vinegar; mixed salad leaves

with silky beetroot hummus & pickled shallots

60 min

By Izy Hossack
December 21, 2022

Why trust us?

Crispy sweet potato & chickpea falafel, rolled in sesame seeds for a crispy crust, and baked or air-fried for a healthier falafel option. This is a great way to use up leftover roasted or mashed sweet potatoes – mixing them with chickpea flour and instant oats gives them a fluffy texture when baked. If you’re starting with raw sweet potatoes, you can quickly ‘roast’ them in the microwave (or roast as usual in an air fryer or oven). A vibrant beetroot hummus goes so well with these – you can either dip the falafel straight in or spread onto a tortilla with some quick-pickled shallots for a homemade falafel wrap!

Ingredients

4 Persons

Sweet potato falafel:

300 g

sweet potatoes
100 g

chickpea flour (gram flour)
50 g

Instant Oats
20 g

parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp

ground cumin
1 tsp

ground coriander
1 tsp

garlic granules
1 tsp

bicarbonate of soda
0.25 tsp

salt
40 g

sesame seeds
a few sprays

spray oil

Beetroot Hummus:

1 x 400g tin

chickpeas
100 g

cooked, peeled beetroot
2 tbsp

tahini paste
1

lemon, juiced
1 clove

garlic, peeled
1 pinch

salt

To serve:

1

shallot or small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp

apple cider vinegar
50 g

mixed salad leaves
4

wholemeal tortillas

Preparation

1

Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Either microwave on high for 8-10 minutes until softened or wrap in foil and air-fry/bake at 180C for 30-40 minutes until soft.
2

Peel and mash the cooked sweet potatoes. Stir in the chickpea flour, instant oats, parsley, cumin, coriander, garlic, bicarbonate of soda and salt to get a sticky dough. Take heaped tablespoons of dough and roll into balls (you should get around 16 balls). Roll each ball in sesame seeds.
3

Spray the basket of an air fryer with spray oil (or, if using an oven, spray a baking tray with a light layer of oil). Add the sesame-coated falafel to the air fryer basket or baking tray. Spray with more oil on top. Air fry at 220C for 10-15 minutes, flipping the falafel over, until golden and crisp. If baking them, bake in an oven preheated to 220C for 15-20 minutes until golden.
4

For the hummus, tip the chickpeas and the liquid from their tin into a small pot. Warm on a medium heat on the stove until steaming. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chickpeas from the pot to a blender or food processor. Add the beetroot, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Blitz together, adding splashes of the warm chickpea cooking liquid (you probably won’t need all of it), until you have a smooth, spreadable paste.
5

Combine the thinly sliced shallot/red onion and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl with 2 tbsp hot water. Set aside to pickle for at least 10 minutes.
6

Serve the falafel and hummus with the pickled shallot, salad leaves and tortillas.
1

Enjoy!