Baby Falafel | Recipe (2024)

FAQs

When can babies have falafel? ›

This is going to quickly become your favourite baby falafel recipe for toddlers, kids and babies over 12 months old! We have included tahini in our sweet potato falafel recipe, which is a paste made from ground sesame seeds.

And the perfect binding ingredient for falafel is flour. Nothing fancy, just plain all-purpose flour. Add a few tablespoons at a time to your mixture, until you can press it easily into balls or patties.

Falafel have to be crispy on the outside yet soft and fluffy in the inside. They have to have enough fresh herbs and onion. Too much onion and your falafel will have a bad after taste. Too little and they won't be as moist and fluffy as they should be.

If the mixture is too wet, the falafel has a tendency to fall apart when being fried so please pat dry the ingredients before using them. If you find the mixture is too wet, simply add little more breadcrumbs. The falafel mixture after prepared can be shaped by hand or with a tool called an alb falafel (falafel mold).

Hands up if your child likes hummus! Well, falafel is another way to offer chickpeas. Whole chickpeas are a choking risk for young children, so falafel (and hummus) are a more suitable way to offer chickpeas to babies and young toddlers. Be sure to read on for why I don't recommend offering these before 12 months.

Chickpeas, when modified to reduce the risk of choking, may be introduced as soon as baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age. Chickpeas originated in the lands around the Mediterranean Sea in ancient times, and today they are a staple food for cultures around the world.

Using dried chickpeas eliminates the need for flour or other binders, giving you falafel that is light and crisp. Letting the falafel dough rest after grinding allows starch to seep out, making it easier for the balls to retain their shape.

Don't pack your patties too tightly.

Form the falafel balls gently, and if your mixture isn't holding together, pulse it a bit more in the food processor until it sticks together. If it's still too crumbly, pop it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before shaping and baking the patties.

Its the deep frying in oil that should cook the beans. The moisture in the pre cooked beans make the falafels soggy and fall apart whereas frying the uncooked chickpeas makes them crispier.

Soaked dried beans are much firmer and have starch in them so they add texture to the falafel, don't turn mushy, and hold together without extra binders (like flour or egg).

Why do you put baking soda in falafel? ›

Baking soda — It may seem odd to add baking soda to a savory recipe, but it helps keeps the interior texture of the falafels fluffy.

The problem is that canned chickpeas have too much moisture. The result is a dough that doesn't quite stick together, and tends to spread or flatten out in the pan. This is sad falafel and we don't want that.

2. When can kids eat hummus? Hummus can generally be introduced to babies around the 8 - 9 month milestone as long as it is bland to begin with. Babies' intestinal systems are not fully developed at this stage, and they may have trouble digesting certain spicy ingredients.

Chickpea for Baby-Led Weaning

Mashed or Hummus – 6+ months: great for babies 6+ months or just starting on solid foods. It's best to start your baby with mashed chickpeas that baby can scoop or in hummus (make sure sesame is not an allergen) and spread on toast, teething crackers, or soft veggies so baby can self-feed.

Hummus is a great weaning food to give your baby from about six months old. Both shop-bought hummus and homemade hummus are totally fine for babies. It's safest to wait until around six months before giving your baby any solid food, because younger babies may not be able to sit up and swallow well.

The official advice on when babies can have jelly

It's safe to give your baby jelly from about six months. But be wary of raw jelly cubes, which can be a choking hazard. Although jelly is safe for your baby to eat, it isn't a great weaning food.