These keto falafel are so tasty - you won't believe they are made with cauliflower! Seriously, cauliflower falafel taste just like the real deal: crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and packed with plenty of flavour from spices and fresh parsley. This vegetarian recipe works well as a lunch or dinner with a salad or serve as a keto appetizer with the tahini dipping sauce.

Falafel is one of the fast foods I have been missing since I've started eating a keto diet. When I lived in Berlin, there was a Middle Eastern food truck close to my house, which had the most amazing chickpea falafel. They were super crispy and served in a pita bread with salad and lots of tahini dressing.
I am so happy that I finally got around to making a cauliflower falafel recipe. Cauliflower really is a superb low carb alternative to chickpeas.
My kids are pretty critical when it comes to keto versions of their favourite foods. This falafel got the thumbs up from everyone. It really is that good - definitely on a par with my spinach balls! Plus, it's low in net carbs. Win-win!
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Authentic flavor
- Light, fluffy texture
- Naturally gluten-free
- Nutritious and packed with veggie goodness
- Only 15 minutes prep
- 4.8g net carbs
Ingredients

- Cauliflower - The fresher, the better!
- Onion - finely chopped.
- Egg - I used large eggs.
- Almond flour and sesame seeds - I'm using ground almonds, which is equivalent to regular almond flour in the US. Super-fine almond flour will also work.
- Parsley and coriander - both flat leaf or curly parsley are fine. Don't substitute this with dried.
- Garlic and spices - Fresh garlic will lend better flavour than garlic powder. But if powder is all you've got, don't sweat it! Also essential are cumin, pepper and oregano.
Instructions
(This section contains step by step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. Find the recipe card with ingredient amounts and nutritional information at the bottom of the post.)

Step 1: Place the cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulse to a rice consistency. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Step 2: Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a muslin cloth, fine tea towel or strong kitchen roll. Squeeze out as much water as possible.

Step 3: Heat olive oil in a non stick frying pan. Fry the onion on a medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant.

Step 4: Add the cauliflower and onion mix to mixing bowl along with all the spices, seasoning, lemon juice, eggs and olive oil. Mix to combine.

Step 5: Roll / press into balls and place on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with a good covering of olive oil.

Step 6: Bake until golden on the outside and soft in the middle and to your liking. (Start checking from about 15 minutes. The size of your falafel will determine how long they take.) They will also firm up as they cool.

Tahini Sauce
Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix with a hand balloon whisk. This will stop the tahini splitting.
Recipe tips
Squeeze all liquid out of the cauliflower. This means - squeeze, squeeze, and when you think you're finished, squeeze once more! This is important to make the falafel more robust.
Check your dough. If you find that it is too wet to work with, add 1-2 tablespoons more almond flour. This could happen if you squeezed less water out of the cauliflower than I did.
Be generous with the olive oil. Make sure you drizzle over plenty of olive oil before baking. This will keep them nice and moist and makes them super tasty.Â

FAQ
Yes. Pan-frying makes the falafel nice and brown all over, but they are a little more fragile than the ones made in the oven. Also, you'll need a generous amount of oil for the pan. To make the batter sturdier for pan-frying, increase the amount of almond flour to â…” cup / 70g.
Cauliflower falafel would be perfect for air frying. Put them on parchment paper just like in the oven so they don't stick. This should take a little less time than in the oven.
Use the same amount of sesame flour or 3 tablespoons coconut flour.

Serving suggestions
I served my low carb falafel on a bed of cauliflower tabbouleh for lunch. This Middle Eastern salad is light and fragrant and takes only 15 minutes to prepare. The combo was delicious!
You could also go for a simple green salad or even a Greek salad with olives and feta cheese. Not quite authentic, but the flavours mingle well.
The third option would be to serve the falafel as an appetiser with the tahini dipping sauce on the side.
Or go for the Berlin Food truck option and put them in a low carb pitta bread with salad and sauce!
Storage
Refrigerator: Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Option to freeze the falafel for up to 3 months. Re-heat in the oven or gently pan-fry.
Related recipes
Here are more keto cauliflower recipes to try:
- Cauliflower Tortillas (4 Ingredients!)30 Minutes
- Low Carb Keto Sushi Rolls (cauliflower rice)40 Minutes
- Creamy Keto Cauliflower Risotto Recipe21 Minutes
- Keto Cauliflower Fried Rice12 Minutes
- Keto Paella With Cauliflower Rice20 Minutes
- Creamy Keto Cauliflower Soup36 Minutes
- Keto Rice Pudding (Cauliflower, Low Carb)30 Minutes
- Keto Cauliflower And Broccoli Mac and Cheese1 Hours
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Recipe

Low Carb Keto Falafel (Cauliflower Recipe)
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1 small cauliflower 350g florets / 3 cups cauliflower rice
- ¼ cup of each / 15g each fresh parsley and fresh coriander chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small onion ¼ cup / 40g, finely chopped
- ½ cup / 50g almond flour
- ½ tbsp each ground coriander and sesame seeds (cilantro)
- ½ tsp each cumin, dried oregano, pepper
- â…“ teaspoon cayenne or turmeric
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 eggs large
- 1 tablespoon olive oil + 2- 3 tablespoon for drizzling before baking
Tahini sauce
- 2 tablespoon tahini
- 1 garlic clove small
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon ice cold water
- Pinch of flaked sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 400 F.
- Place the cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulse until a rice consistency.
- Transfer to a heatproof bowl and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a muslin cloth, fine tea towel or strong kitchen roll and squeeze out as much water as possible. This is important to help the falafel stay tougher.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non stick frying pan. Fry the onion for 2 - 3 mins on a medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and fry for 1 more minute until fragrant.
- Add the cauliflower and onion mix to the mixing bowl along with all the spices, seasoning, lemon, eggs and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix to combine. Roll / press into balls and place on a greaseproof lined baking tray. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle or brush over a good covering of olive oil.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden on the outside and soft in the middle and to your liking. (Start checking from about 15 minutes as depends how big you make your falafel as to how long they take.) They will also firm up as they cool.
Tahini Sauce
- Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix with a hand balloon whisk. This will stop the tahini splitting. Drizzle tahini over the falafel before serving or serve on the side.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Leah
I love these, think they taste better than the original falafel. They are great with yogurt when I am too lazy to make the tahini sauce, thanks for the great recipe
Katrin Nürnberger
So glad you like the recipe!
Rosa
Hi,
I love all your recipe I post your site everywhere
Just a quick question is the tahini sauce counted in the nutrition ?
Thank you
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Rosa, thanks for asking. I've added it in the recipe: including the tahini sauce it's 5.9 net carbs per serving.
Rachel Buckley
Falafels were delicious. The Tahini sauce wasn’t to my personal taste. Will definitely be cooking the falafels again.
Katrin Nürnberger
Glad you liked the falafels! If you are not a fan of tahini, you could eat them with a yoghurt sauce instead.
Clare Allan
This looks amazing. Any tips on cooking the cauliflower if you don't have a microwave? (I can see I'm going to have to get one, but not sure I can wait for this!)
Katrin Nürnberger
I would steam them. Or, if you don't have a steamer, use only a little water in your pot and cook with the lid on.
Clare
Thanks, Katrin, I just made them and they turned out really well. I steamed the cauliflower for a few minutes in a sieve over simmering water. These are great falafel with really good flavour and texture. And that tahini sauce is completely delicious too.
Katrin Nürnberger
Glad you liked them!
S
Absolutely delicious!!!! I only had coriander, so I doubled that and didn’t put in the parsley, but that was the only change I made. Really tasty on a salad bed for lunch. Not as dry as your regular falafel. Perfect!
Katrin Nürnberger
So glad you liked the falafel!
Susan
Thanks for this recipe! It’s amazing served with this keto tabouli made from hemp hearts!
https://twosleevers.com/keto-tabouli-recipe/
Try it, so good!
Suzanne
Will it taste as good without the sesame and tahini? One of us is allergic and not just an intolerance.
Katrin Nürnberger
Of course. You could serve it with a yoghurt based sauce.