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    Festive Vegan Falafel with Cranberry Pear Dip

    Published: Dec 22, 2015 · Modified: Sep 26, 2020 by Sina · This post may contain affiliate links · 44 Comments

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    Festive Vegan Falafel with Cranberry Pear Dip

    Do you guys already know what food you’re having for Christmas? I got tons of recipes for vegan festive desserts and can’t really decide which one I like best, but probably I’ll go for the gingerbread avocado chocolate mousse because it’s super easy to make. For the main course, we’ll have the lentil walnut loaf with vegan gravy I posted a couple of weeks ago for Thanksgiving. But instead of pumpkin and sweet potato mash, we’ll have it together with mushrooms and pasta. So that’s all covered! But I also wanted to have something little to start with like a vegan appetizer sort of thing. I mean salad is great, but I wanted something else for a change, so I came up with these festive vegan falafel with cranberry pear dip. Who knew falafel could be this festive?!

    Festive Vegan Falafel with Cranberry Pear Dip

    I wanted the falafel to be super quick and easy to make (I mean cooking is awesome, but you don’t want to spend the whole day in the kitchen during the holidays, right?), so this was the first time I used canned chickpeas instead of dried ones. I wasn’t sure if this was working, but they came out pretty good! I also added chopped walnuts, lots of fresh parsley, garlic, cumin, and cilantro. I really love the addition of walnuts in these easy falafel; I think it goes really well with the cranberry dip.

    Festive Vegan Falafel with Cranberry Pear Dip 10

    Put all of the ingredients (except the walnuts) into a food processor and blend until smooth. Only use half of the parsley. I wanted to still have some bigger parts of the parsley in the falafel, so I roughly chopped it up with a knife and stirred it in once the falafal mixture was blended. I then also added two tablespoons of spelt flour to make it easier to form little balls. If you don’t have spelt flour, you can also sub it with whole wheat flour. Then just season the falafel mixture with salt and pepper and form little balls. I ended up with about 15 chickpea balls.

    Festive Vegan Falafel with Cranberry Pear Dip

    Festive Vegan Falafel with Cranberry Pear Dip

    Once they’re rolled, heat some olive oil in a pan and pan-fry them until golden brown. Make sure to use enough oil and flip them over several times, so they don’t get burned. They’re supposed to be a bit crunchy on the outside.

    Festive Vegan Falafel with Cranberry Pear Dip

    For the cranberry pear dip, cut the pears into medium-sized cubes. Put them into a small sauce pan together with the cranberries.

    Add some water and brown sugar and cook for about 15 minutes until the cranberries are popped and the pears are soft.  Instead of the brown sugar you can also use coconut sugar if you want. The sauce is supposed to thicken to a jam-like consistency. Once it’s cooked, put the mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth.

    Festive Vegan Falafel with Cranberry Pear Dip

    Festive Vegan Falafel with Cranberry Pear Dip

    Serve the falafel together with the cranberry pear dip and you got a great and easy vegan appetizer for the holidays. If you got some leftovers, the falafel are also great in a pita with some lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and yogurt sauce.

    Festive Vegan Falafel with Cranberry Pear Dip

    I hope you all have some great and relaxed days with your loved ones! Oh, and let’s not forget about all the yummy food we’re all gonna have!  :-)

    Happy holidays everyone!!

    Talk to you soon. xx

     

     

    Festive Vegan Falafel with Cranberry Pear Dip

    Festive Vegan Falafel with Cranberry Pear Dip

    Yields 15 falafel
    2.50 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Arabian, Mediterranean
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 15 mins
    Total Time: 25 mins
    Author: Sina

    Ingredients

    For the falafel:

    • 3 cups canned chickpeas
    • 1 clove of garlic
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    • 1 handfull fresh parsley (blended together with the chickpeas)
    • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped (added later on)
    • 1/2 heaped cup walnuts, chopped
    • 2 tablespoons spelt or whole wheat flour
    • salt, to taste
    • black pepper, to taste

    For the cranberry pear dip:

    • 1 cup cranberries
    • 2 pears, cut into medium-sized pieces
    • 2 tablespoons brown sugar or coconut sugar
    • 3/4 cup water

    Instructions

    • Put the chickpeas together with the garlic, the cumin, cilantro, and one handful of fresh parsley in a food processor and blend until you got a smooth mixture.
    • Put it in a bowl and stir in the chopped parsley, the walnuts, and the flour and season it with salt and black pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.
    • Form about 15 balls and set aside.
    • Then make the cranberry pear dip. Put all ingredients into a small sauce pan and cook for about 15 minutes. The sauce is supposed to thicken to a jam-like consistency. Once it's ready, pour it into a blender and process until smooth.
    • While the cranberry sauce is cooking, heat some olive oil in a large frying pan. Make sure to use enough oil, so the falafel get crispy on the outside. Pan-fry them for about 5 minutes, flipping them over several times.
    • Serve the falafel together with the cranberry dip.
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    Previous Post: « Vegan Potato Kale Soup
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Howie Fox

      December 28, 2015 at 10:23 am

      Wooaah!! The dip sounds absolutely delicious, Sina!! I’m sure this was a Christmas hit at your home!! :-)

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:54 pm

        Thanks, Howie! :-) Yes, they were gone super fast!

        Reply
    2. The Food Hunter

      December 28, 2015 at 1:01 am

      Love the dipping sauce

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:54 pm

        Thanks! :-)

        Reply
    3. Vegan Family Recipes

      December 27, 2015 at 10:23 pm

      I love a good falafel and dipping it in a fruity sauce sounds so delicious! Great recipe, Sina!

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:51 pm

        Thanks, Vanessa! I’ve always loved falafel, even before I became vegan. They’re just sooo good! :-)

        Reply
    4. mel@avirtualvegan.com

      December 27, 2015 at 6:56 am

      I love the idea of the cranberry pear dip with those lovely falafel!

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:50 pm

        Thanks, Mel! :-)

        Reply
    5. Hedi Hearts

      December 25, 2015 at 11:15 am

      Falafels are my favourite, but never thought of adding cranberries! How creative Sina !

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:50 pm

        Thanks, Hedi! I wanted to make something easy and yet festive and as a kid I always had Swedish meatballs with cranberry sauce, so I thought I could just sub them with falafel. :-)

        Reply
    6. Kathy Hester

      December 25, 2015 at 1:39 am

      I love the cranberry pear sauce for the falafels!

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:48 pm

        Thanks, Kathy! :-)

        Reply
    7. Manali @ CookWithManali

      December 24, 2015 at 6:07 pm

      I love the cranberry pear dip, sounds fantastic! Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas Sina!

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:48 pm

        Thanks, Manali! Glad you like it! I hope you enjoyed the holidays with your loved ones and have a great new year!! :-)

        Reply
    8. Sophia @veggies dont bite

      December 23, 2015 at 7:46 am

      This sounds so yummy! And that sauce?! Holy moly!

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:47 pm

        Thanks, Sophia! :-)

        Reply
    9. The Vegan 8

      December 23, 2015 at 3:06 am

      I love falafel and make mine all the time! These look so festive! My mom used to make a cranberry sauce just like this one growing up, so it brought back memories! Everything looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:47 pm

        Thanks, Brandi! We always had cranberry sauce together with Swedish meatballs when I was a kid, so this also brought back memories for me. :-)

        Reply
    10. Kelly @ TastingPage

      December 23, 2015 at 2:59 am

      Did you say cranberry pear dip?? Yum! I would eat that on its own, but it sounds perfect with these falafel balls. What a great meal!

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:45 pm

        Glad you like it, Kelly! We had some left over dip and I ate it the next morning with yogurt and granola, which was pretty yummy too! :-)

        Reply
    11. Jenn

      December 22, 2015 at 10:45 pm

      I love this creative and festive combo! And that sauce is just gorgeous!

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:44 pm

        Thanks, Jenn! :-)

        Reply
    12. Becky

      December 22, 2015 at 10:39 pm

      What a fun flavor combination!

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:44 pm

        Glad you like it, Becky! :-)

        Reply
    13. Natalie | Feasting on Fruit

      December 22, 2015 at 6:24 pm

      You are making falafel out of things I would never dreamed could be turned into falafel! Fantastic idea Sina, I never would’ve imagined falafel could be so festive :)

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:43 pm

        Thanks, Natalie! :-) I love that they’re so easy to make.

        Reply
    14. Bianca @ ElephantasticVegan

      December 22, 2015 at 4:43 pm

      Love these falafels with a festive twist! :) The cranberry-pear dip looks gorgeous! What a vibrant color and I bet it tastes sooo good with the falafel :)

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:43 pm

        Thanks, Bianca! :-) We had some leftover cranberry dip and I had it with soy yogurt the next morning, which was pretty yummy too! :-)

        Reply
    15. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine

      December 22, 2015 at 2:21 pm

      That dip is genius!!! That must taste so good with the beany beans <3
      I've been dieing for some good falafel too! Must make!

      Reply
      • Sina

        December 31, 2015 at 2:58 pm

        Thanks, Rebecca! :-) Let me know if you give it a try.

        Reply
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    Sina-Veganheaven

    Hi, I'm Sina and this is my recipe blog where I share heavenly simple and sinfully delicious vegan recipes.

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