Recipe: Falafel Waffles (#putaneggonit)

Waffle makers are made for so much more than just plain waffles. How about a Falafel Waffle? Crispy and savory, and oh so good with a runny egg on top.

Continuing the trend of using my waffle maker for making everything but normal waffles, next up was a batch of Falafel Waffles. I’ve seen a few iterations of these and since one of our favorite local falafel places closed up shop a year or two ago, I’m always on the hunt for delicious falafel.

Even better when they come from my own kitchen.

And what I’m finding out from cooking more and more with my waffle maker?

That you can put pretty much anything in it and you can’t go wrong.

Mix up the batter, pour it in, and let the waffle maker do its thing.

Perfect for a quick beat-the-heat meal when you just can’t bear to turn on your oven.

Using many of the ingredients that are typically found in more traditional waffles, you can feel slightly better about eating these because they’re not fried (like their more common counterparts).

So win/win.

You can get all sorts of creative with toppings for falafel waffles, and certainly go the more typical route of hummus or tahini dressing, tomatoes, lettuce, and what have you, but I had an avocado begging to be used and then I thought … a runny egg. Of course.

I was making something else for the kids (an abbreviated version without the falafel waffle) when Nick wandered into the kitchen.

“What smells so amazing?”

Falafel waffles, wanna try?

I didn’t think he would, but he did, and then proceeded to eat an entire one.

Coming from a kid that won’t try a regular falafel, this is high praise indeed.

Let’s dig in.

Hungry for more “out of the box” waffle ideas?
Rainbow waffles make a fun dinner or a perfect sleepover breakfast. And heck, they’re just pretty to look at.
Pizza Waffles were a crowd pleaser, and got a huge thumbs up from the kids. No surprise there.
And for a unique breakfast alternative, give these Bacon, Egg, and Spinach Waffles a try.

Link to the waffle maker I use > here.

Falafel Waffles
Recipe courtesy of Cate O’Malley

Ingredients
1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing waffle iron
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley (or 2 tablespoons fresh)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large egg whites
2 cloves garlic, halved
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

Directions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (to keep cooked waffles warm).

Combine the oil, flour, parsley, baking powder, parsley, cumin, salt, egg whites, garlic and chickpeas in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Lightly brush the top and bottom of the waffle iron with oil. Fill the waffle iron about three-quarters of the way full (some waffle iron should still be showing). Close the lid gently and cook until the falafel is golden brown and firm in the center, 6 to 10 minutes. Keep the cooked falafels warm in the oven or covered with foil on a plate while you make the remaining falafels.

Top with whatever sounds good to you. I went with sliced avocado and then a runny egg. So many combinations, so little time.