Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes Falafels

Name: Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes Falafels
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients: 400 g of Sweet Potato; 1 tsp of Cardamom Pods; 1 tsp of Cumin Seeds; 1 tsp of Coriander Seeds; 240 g of Black Beans (cooked); 0.5 tsp of Cayenne Pepper; 0.5 tsp of Black Pepper; 0.5 tsp of Salt; 1 Lemon; 5 g of Fresh Parsley; 5 g of Fresh Coriander; 50 g of Onion; 2 Garlic Clove; 3 tbsp of Buckwheat Flour; 1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Vegan

Dairy-Free

Eggs-Free

Nuts-Free

Gluten-Free

Nutrients

Nutrient	Grams	RDA
Carbs	54g	18%
of which Sugars	16g	17%
Fats	5g	7%
of which Saturates	1g	4%
Proteins	8g	17%
Fibers	9g	34%

Nutrients Proportions

carbs 72%
sugars 21%
fats 6%
saturates 1%
proteins 10%
fibers 11%

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Falafels are traditional Egyptian fritters made with chickpeas or fava beans mixed with herbs and spices.

They are usually served with hot sauce or tahini sauce as a tasty appetiser dish, but if you use them as stuffing for pita bread or wholemeal wrap with a green salad, they can also make for a delicious and balanced meal.

Today we want to propose a healthy and nutritious variation of the classic recipe: Oven Baked Sweet Potato and Black Beans Falafel.

Black beans are high in fibre, iron, folate, and antioxidants; while sweet potatoes provide a source of vitamin A which supports your immune system. We also added in cumin and coriander seeds for extra taste, vitamins and minerals.

Unlike the original recipe where falafels are cooked by deep-frying, here we just coat them in a little olive oil and then bake them in the oven, making them low in fats.

They are also vegan and gluten-free, making them suitable for almost everybody! For more allergen and diet friendly recipes, be sure to check out our free Smart Search tool.

Ingredients

Print Recipe

Sweet Potato	400 g
Cardamom Pods	1 tsp
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
Coriander Seeds	1 tsp
Black Beans (cooked)	240 g
Cayenne Pepper	0.5 tsp
Black Pepper	0.5 tsp
Salt	0.5 tsp
Lemon	1
Fresh Parsley	5 g
Fresh Coriander	5 g
Onion	50 g
Garlic Clove	2
Buckwheat Flour	3 tbsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil	1 tbsp

step 1

Bring water to a boil and cook the sweet potatoes with the skin on for 15 minutes or until you can easily insert a skewer through them.

Drain and allow to cool down. Then, peel the sweet potatoes, transfer them to a clean bowl and mash them with a fork.

step 2

Heat a pan over medium heat and dry toast the cardamom pods, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds until they become very fragrant (1).

Allow to cool down and remove the seeds from the cardamom pods.

Grind the seeds with the help of a mortar and pestle or with a spice grinder (2).

step 3

In the blender bowl, add drained black beans, cayenne pepper, black pepper, ground seeds, salt, lemon zest, parsley, coriander, chopped onions, and crushed garlic (1).

Pulse the ingredients just until you have a chunky dough rather than a smooth mix (2). This way, the falafel will better hold together during cooking.

step 4

Next, combine the mashed black beans with the sweet potatoes and mix well to incorporate the ingredients (1).

Add buckwheat flour as needed until the mix is not too sticky (2).

Cover with a clean cloth and refrigerate for 10 minutes. This will make it easier to work the dough into falafel balls.

step 5

To make the falafels, pinch off a small amount of dough, roll it into a ball in the palm of your hands, and place it in a baking tray greased with vegetable oil (1).

Repeat until you have used all the sweet potato and beans mash.

Bake in the oven at 200°C (392°F) for 15-20 minutes flipping halfway through cooking time (2).

Before serving, drizzle the falafels with tahini sauce and enjoy with a tomato and cucumber green salad.

Foodacious Tips

If you don't have buckwheat flour, and would like to keep this recipe gluten-free, you can use coconut, almond or oat flour.
For perfect falafels, the dough should be a bit sticky and chunky.
Add nutritional yeast to the sweet potatoes mash for a healthy boost and extra flavour.