Pink Falafels
Pink falafels are classic chickpea falafels turned bright magenta with roasted beetroot, then baked instead of fried for a lighter result. You blend cooked beetroot with chickpeas, garlic, onion, parsley, and cumin, shape small patties, and bake them until firm. They taste like the falafel you know, with a gentle earthy-sweet note from the beet and a color that makes any plate look festive.
Falafels are one of my favorite foods in the entire world. Over the years I’ve made the classic vegan falafel, mini falafels, falafel in a pan, falafel wraps, and even falafel made of quinoa, so my love for these tiny bits of heaven is pretty clear. But believe it or not, I didn’t think about making beetroot falafels before. I tried this recipe some weeks ago and I just fell in love with the result. The color, the taste, the nutritional benefits… I love everything about these beetroot falafels, or, how I like to call them, pink falafels! This recipe combines two of my lifelong loves: falafel and beetroot.
What goes into pink beetroot falafels
The ingredient list is short, which is exactly why each one matters. Canned chickpeas, drained, are the base and keep this quick, since there’s no overnight soaking. One roasted beetroot gives the color and a mild sweetness. A whole head of garlic and a chopped onion carry most of the savory flavor, so don’t be shy with them. Fresh parsley (about six tablespoons, finely chopped) brings brightness, and a teaspoon of ground cumin adds that unmistakable falafel warmth. Season with sea salt and ground pepper to taste. That’s the whole cast, plus tahini sauce, salad leaves, and fresh veggies for serving.
One thing worth flagging: don’t use more beetroot than the recipe calls for. Beet holds a lot of moisture, and too much of it will make the mixture soggy and change the texture completely. One beetroot is the sweet spot for color and taste without turning the batter wet.
How to roast the beetroot so the falafels hold
Roasting is the step that makes or breaks these. Rinse the beetroot, pat it dry, wrap it in aluminum foil, and bake until a fork slides in easily, about an hour. Roasting instead of boiling keeps the beet from soaking up extra water, which is what you want for a mixture that shapes into patties rather than slumping. It also concentrates the sweetness. Let the beet cool before you peel and cube it, then add it to the food processor with everything else and pulse until well combined. I recommend spending a bit more time on the roasting if you want the best possible result for these pink falafels.
Baked, not fried
For a healthier result, I bake these instead of frying them. Scoop about a tablespoon of the mixture into your hands, press it into a small patty, and set it on a baking tray. Baking gives you a firm exterior without any of the oil a deep fry would soak up, and it keeps the color vivid. If you pulse the mixture just until combined (rather than fully smooth), the falafels hold together better and keep a little texture. Want them tiny and party-ready? Combine this with my mini falafels approach and make mini pink falafels.
What to serve with pink falafels
I personally love serving these pink falafels with some greens, fresh veggies, and a yummy tahini sauce, because I like to keep things classy. Falafels and tahini are a match made in heaven. When I want to spice things up, I whisk tahini with lemon juice and just enough water to loosen it into a drizzle. If you’re building a bigger meal, make a platter with roasted vegetables, a tabbouleh or a creamy cucumber salad, some crunchy wraps, and that tahini sauce. As a pink drink to go with a pink plate, my pink ginger beet lemonade keeps the theme going.
Storing and making ahead
These keep well, so they’re worth making in a batch. Once baked and cooled, store the falafels in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days and reheat in the oven to bring back the firm edges. You can also freeze them: freeze the baked patties in a single layer first, then transfer to a container so they don’t stick together. If you’d rather prep ahead, roast the beetroot a day early and keep it in the fridge, then blend and bake when you’re ready. For more ways to use up a can, browse my other recipes with chickpeas, and if you love this style of cooking, there’s plenty more in my Middle Eastern recipes.
If you make these, I’d love to know how the color turned out and whether you went full-size or mini. Rate the recipe below and leave a comment with your tahini tweaks or any twist you tried.
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Pink Falafels
Ingredients
- 1 beetroot
- 1 head garlic
- 400 g chickpeas canned, drained
- 6 Tbsps parsley finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
For serving:
- Tahini sauce
- Favorite salad leaves
- Fresh veggies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250C.
- Rinse the beetroot, tap dry.
- Wrap the beetroot into aluminum foil and bake it until easy insert fork. About an hour.
- Let it cool, peel, cut into large cubes, and set aside.
- In a food processor, add the cubed beetroot and all the rest of the ingredients.
- Pulse until well-combined.
- To form the falafel, scoop a Tbsp of the mixture into your hands and press to shape small patties.
- Place patties on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
- Serve with greens, fresh veggies, and tahini sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Pink falafels are fully plant-based: chickpeas, roasted beetroot, garlic, onion, parsley, cumin, salt, and pepper, served with tahini sauce and fresh veggies. There’s no egg, dairy, or honey, so they’re vegan as written.
The color comes entirely from one roasted beetroot blended into the chickpea mixture. Roasting deepens the beet’s natural pigment and sweetness, giving the falafels their bright magenta look without any food coloring.
This recipe is written for canned chickpeas, drained, which keeps it quick with no soaking. If you prefer dried, soak and cook them until tender first, then drain well before blending so the mixture doesn’t turn wet.
The most common cause is too much beetroot, which holds a lot of moisture. Stick to one beetroot, roast it (don’t boil it) so it doesn’t absorb extra water, and pulse the mixture just until combined rather than fully smooth.
The recipe bakes the patties on a tray for about 20 minutes, which is the lighter option and keeps the color vivid. You can pan-fry or deep-fry falafel in general, but baking is how this version is designed and it needs no added oil.
Keep baked, cooled falafels in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days, and reheat in the oven to firm up the edges. To freeze, freeze the patties in a single layer first, then move them to a container so they don’t stick together.
Extremely gorgeous and delicious as well! 🙂
How many oz is a 400 g can? And by “head” of garlic, do you mean all of the several cloves that are in a head? That seems to be quite a large amount of garlic. And what fahrenheit is 250C?
Thanks,
Sandra