Spicy Cauliflower Falafel With Beetroot Dip (2024)

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by Sneh | 30 comments
PUBLISHED 30 Sep '15 | UPDATED 19 Nov '21

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These incredible vegan cauliflower falafels made with wholesome spelt flour and almond meal are a party-stopper. Always make extra as these disappear very fast and everyone asks for the recipe. Served with a made-in-minute beetroot dip and salad greens, these falafels make the perfect canape platter.

Falafels are the next big thing, I tell you. With recipe enthusiasts getting more creative with plant-based, time-tested classics; I predict that this is the year of the falafel - whatever is left of it. At least for me. After binging on this incredible green falafel recipe for many weeks, I started experimenting with different beans, nuts and veggies to create amazing flavour combinations for the mighty falafel. The inspiration for this can-it-be-more-delicious cauliflower falafel came from a recent Donna Hay magazine. After deciding that the recipe stated would be quite bland in terms of taste and would not hold its shape while frying, I put my falafel thinking cap on and got falafel-ing.

I have used organic wholemeal spelt flour (my flour of choice at the moment). It adds a degree of wholesome rustic to the falafel. You could substitute with regular plain flour or buckwheat flour (I have tried this as well!) for a gluten free end result. I have a small 1.2 litre capacity Scanpan saucepan half filled with oil ready for my frying needs. If oil is kept for too long and repeatedly used for frying, it develops harmful trans fats. If used a maximum of 2-3 times, you wont have that problem. The deep frying is mainly to create that lovely crust and it is my belief that a deep fried treat once in a blue moon never harmed anyone. Having said that, only one in four of my falafel escapades are deep fried. I usually bake them in the oven the rest of the time. Baking them is healthier and produces almost similar results - almost.

The beetroot dip is a version of a gorgeous roasted garlic and beetroot dip from my book, this being the even more express version. It literally comes to "dips" in 5 seconds. And it is the most perfect accompaniment to the falafel. I serve this with greens or my raw broccoli tabouli or this classic pantry tabouli. Don't forget to rate the recipe below when you leave a comment and tag me with #cookrepublic if you share on social media. Cheers!

Recipe

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SPICY CAULIFLOWER FALAFEL WITH BEETROOT DIP

4 from 1 vote

Golden brown, perfect little vegan snacking falafels are made with a cauliflower base and wholesome spelt flour. Served with a super fast beetroot dip and salad greens, this delicious recipe is great for brunch or packing away in your lunchbox for work. Disappears faster than you think.

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Author: Sneh

Course // Canape, Lunch

Cuisine // Mediterranean, Sugar Free, Vegan

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 20

Calories: 190.1kcal

Ingredients

for the falafel

▢ 300 g cauliflower florets
▢ 400 g can butter beans, rinsed and drained
▢ 1/2 cup (35 g) flat leaf parsley
▢ 1/2 cup (60 g) almond meal
▢ 80 g wholemeal spelt flour
▢ 3 garlic cloves
▢ 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt flakes
▢ 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

for the beetroot dip

▢ 1 can, 450g whole baby beetroot, rinsed and drained
▢ 1 garlic clove
▢ 50 g toasted pinenuts
▢ sea salt flakes and black pepper to taste

salad leaves to serve

Instructions

Place cauliflower, butter beans, parsley, almond meal, spelt flour, garlic, chilli, cumin, salt and baking powder in the jug of a food processor and process until coarsely chopped and mixed.
Shape the mix into 20 golf ball sized balls.
Heat sunflower or vegetable oil in a small saucepan on high (oil height in pan at least 5-6 cm).
Carefully drop 3-4 falafel balls in the oil and fry for a minute or two until cooked and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat for remaining balls.
To make the beetroot dip, place all ingredients in a small food processor and blitz for a few seconds until smooth.
Serve falafels on a bed of greens with beetroot dip and/or tabbouli.

Notes

For detailed frying instructions, visit super green falafel recipe.

Oven Method - Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place rolled uncooked falafel balls on baking tray. Spray with cooking oil and bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes turning the balls once to ensure even baking. Falafels are done when they are dark and golden all over.

Freezing - Cooked falafels will freeze well in a freeze safe container for up to a month.

Nutrition

Did you make my recipe?I'd love to hear how you went! Tag me on Instagram @cookrepublic

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Hi, I'm Sneh!

I share delicious, everyday recipes packed with big flavours. I believe that cooking and eating fresh wholesome food can be easily achieved by anyone. You just need a bit of practice and planning. I have been blogging for 20 years, have authored a cookbook Tasty Express and write a Substack Best Selling Newsletter - Live More Veg

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COMMENTS

30 Comments

Breeon September 14, 2022 at 1:14 PM
Hello, I am looking forward to trying this recipe. Just wondered if you think it would be suitable to cook in an air-fryer? If so, any hot tips? 🙂 Thank you
Reply
Caroleon November 7, 2021 at 3:57 AM
Hi Sned, these falafel sound awesome, can’t wait to try them. I have one question about the beet root dip, if I make it ahead of time would I be able to freeze it? Thankfully Carole
Reply
- Snehon November 13, 2021 at 2:30 PM
  Hello Carole, hummus doesn't really freeze well in my opinion, especially beetroot hummus as it has a higher liquid content. Beetroot hummus can be made ahead and will keep well in the fridge for at least 3-4 days.
  Reply
Kim Allisonon April 4, 2021 at 7:39 PM
Made this combo for friends today and went with the oven cooked option. Soooo good!! Love the simplicity of the beetroot dip.
Reply
Barbon January 2, 2020 at 9:12 AM

Thanks so much for the recipe...I’m clearly a little slow to find your blog! I made these two nights ago and they were delicious despite over doing it with the food processor (I turned around and before I knew it they had become a purée!). So I deep fried them (a rarity for me) and they were amazing (even the carnivorous other half loved them). Had a texture not unlike a croquette. So today I’m remaking them, but I’ve pulsed the cauli to a consistency more in keeping with felafel, and them added the other bits, gently “pulsing” the processor until they’re a felafelly consistency. They’re oven baking now...looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Reply
Mariekeon March 18, 2018 at 2:48 PM
This looks incredible! I was just wondering, is 400 g the drained or undrained weight?
Reply
- Snehon March 18, 2018 at 3:16 PM
  That would be undrained weight. Here in Australia we get standard 400g cans of beans, lentils etc. I think the drained weight would then be anywhere between 200g-300g.
  Reply
Sarahon January 31, 2017 at 11:29 PM
Love the look of these! Could you suggest another ingredient instead of butter beans to make them lower carb? Thanks! Sarah x
Reply
- Snehon February 5, 2017 at 8:45 AM
  Sarah, this is what I found on butter beans http://www.livestrong.com/article/248233-butter-beans-nutrition-facts/ They are considered as containing one of the lowest carbs amongst beans. 1/2 cup has about 17g carbs. This recipe calls for a 400g can drained which amounts to 240g beans (about 1 cup) so carb content would be approximately 24g. I couldn't really find an alternative that has lower carbs than that. Normally a falafel would have chickpeas as the main binder, but chickpeas are quite high in carbs compared to butter beans. The only thing I can think of to create that kind of binding viscosity if you din't want to use butter beans was to increase cauliflower content, skip the beans but add an egg. But suddenly it resembles a falafel even less 🙂
  Reply
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Sophiaon January 3, 2017 at 6:03 AM
Hi, these look amazing! Is there any way I can cook them without deep frying them? Also how many does it make? I know it says serves 20 so is one serving one falafel?
Thanks so much!
Reply
- Snehon January 3, 2017 at 9:30 AM
  Sophia, yes it makes 20 falafels. You could lightly spray them with cooking oil and bake in a moderate-hot oven (180-190C) for about 30 minutes. The result wouldn't be the same as a deep fried version but delicious nevertheless. x
  Reply
  - Sophia Kostichon January 7, 2017 at 4:20 AM
    Hi, thank you so much for your help! I've made them and they are truly delicious! I'm having some problems with the consistency however. When I cook them they are a bit runny - could this be because I am overdoing it with the food processor as mine are quite smooth in texture? Thanks, Sophia x
    Reply
    - Snehon January 9, 2017 at 8:43 AM
      Sophia, there can be a few factors to why the falafels are a bit soft in the middle. Water content of the cauliflower being the main. Make sure your beans are throughly drained after rinsing (I like to leave them in a colander for about 20 minutes). Increase the quantity of spelt flour till you feel the mix has the right consistency (like in the pictures). If you are frying them, make sure you are doing so on medium-low heat so they cook slowly from outside all the way in. Frying on high heat will brown them quickly on the outside but they won't cook all the way through. x
      Reply
Josieon December 18, 2016 at 12:41 AM
Hi Sneh
These looks great!
Would it be possible to sub out almond meal for coconut flour?
Thanks!
Josie
Reply
- Snehon January 3, 2017 at 9:31 AM
  yes, absolutely. You just need a binder. Coconut flour dries out things much faster than other flours so use sparingly maybe? x
  Reply
Angeon April 11, 2016 at 9:48 PM
Hey Sneh! I'm so going to cook these guys this week - can't wait! Cheers for sharing! Also I have finally subscribed (why has it taken me this long?!?!?!?!). Looking forward to being exposed directly to your wondrous food!
Ange x
Reply
- snehroyon April 12, 2016 at 6:49 AM
  Thanks Ange! Hope you enjoy them. don't forget to read through the comments above for some very helpful troubleshooting, tips and tricks 🙂 x
  Reply
Kristyon April 10, 2016 at 2:39 PM
The first 4 balls I cooked were great and taste amazing, but then balls disintegrated while cooking in the oil. The balls were quite soft.. Any tips? Thanks Kristy
Reply
- snehroyon April 10, 2016 at 8:13 PM
  Kristy, happy that the first 4 turned out great. yay!! Now I can think of two things. Oil temperature is the first thing that comes to mind. I find that adjusting it throughout the cooking process helps to get best results. Things will disintegrate if the oil becomes too hot. The softness could be due to the outside cooking quickly and the inside staying raw or the oil permeating the inside. The oil has to be the right temperature and with steady heat, it can go on climbing higher and higher unless you manually reduce it to even it out (like making pancakes, I find adjusting temperature gives fluffier, thoroughly cooked pancakes). My tip is to cook a batch, then gauge if the temperature is too hot (rapid boiling of oil, acrid smell, a tiny ball of test batter dropped in will whoosh to the top very quickly). If these things happen, reduce it slightly. Do another batter drop test. You want your oil to be bubbling around the edges, but quite calm. The batter dropped in will sink and take a second to slowly resurface and start bubbling and cooking. Hope this helps! xx
  Reply
- snehroyon April 10, 2016 at 8:44 PM
  Oh second thing! Forgot to mention, if you feel the balls are soft and falling apart then a little extra flour might help. The coarseness and texture of flour is different from brand to brand so extra flour always helps falafels. x
  Reply
JRCon November 28, 2015 at 8:39 PM
Hi Sneh
Great recipe! Very creative. Can't wait to give it a go this weekend. You're pictures are marvelous too. Keep up the great work.
~JRC
Reply
plasterer bristolon October 26, 2015 at 6:02 PM
This sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
Reply
All That I'm Eatingon October 6, 2015 at 9:12 PM
I love the sound of this, it's just my kind of food!
Reply
Debs @ Wilde Orchardon October 1, 2015 at 7:03 AM
My husband asked me why i bought three litres of oil today. ???? I told him we would be making these falafels all weekend long. ???? Gorgeous recipe, and that dip... wow!
Reply
Torion September 30, 2015 at 8:48 PM
Looks amazing! I love the beet dip served with them, sounds delicious!
Reply
Rosaon September 30, 2015 at 7:06 PM
A great combo! Really mouthwatering and surely mighty flavourful.
Cheers,
Rosa
Reply
Camilla Ferraroon September 30, 2015 at 1:10 PM
Secretly wishing I could eat legumes right now!
Reply
Martyna @ Wholesome Cookon September 30, 2015 at 12:48 PM
Love these! Cauliflower is one of my favourite veggies. That, and beetroot. Saving this to the list of things to try 😀
Reply
Laura (Tutti Dolci)on September 30, 2015 at 11:11 AM
Such tasty bites and the beetroot dip is so striking!
Reply
Sarah // The Sugar Hiton September 30, 2015 at 11:11 AM
i could eat a dangerously large number of these - they look freaking amazing.
Reply