Sweet Potato Falafel

Sweet Potato Falafel

The website the original recipe came from cautions that these are not your typical falafel. There is a lack of crunch and texture found in a traditional falafel. However, the flavor is there and the potatoes add a nice sweetness.

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
2 big handfuls of fresh cilantro/coriander, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup chickpeas (This is my modification. The original recipe called for 1 cup of chickpea flour which I did not have on hand.)
olive oil
sesame seeds
salt and pepper


Preheat the oven to 425F degrees (220C) and roast the sweet potatoes whole until just tender - 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the oven, leave the potatoes to cool, and then peel.
Cook the chick peas in a small pot with some of the canning liquid until soft. Then add to a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Put the sweet potatoes, cumin, garlic, ground and fresh coriander, lemon juice and chickpea mixture into a large bowl. Season well, and mash until smooth with no large chunks. Stick in the fridge to firm up for an hour, or the freezer for 20-30 minutes. When you take it out, your mix should be sticky rather than really wet.

Reheat the oven to 400F. Using a couple of soup spoons (put a well-heaped spoonful of mix in one spoon and use the concave side of the other to shape the sides) create 1 inch balls of the mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, until the bases are golden brown. I turned mine about 1/2 way to caramelize more than one side.

Served with pita bread (naan in my case) arugula and yogurt sauce.