Falafel

How to serve falafel by age

6 months+

Soft baked falafel fingers

Make falafel at home from canned or fully cooked chickpeas mashed smooth, shape them into fingers instead of balls, and bake them so they stay soft, as in our Baked falafel fingers recipe. Leave out salt. Offer them once your baby has had chickpeas on their own, and sesame (tahini) and wheat if you use them.

Size

Finger-shaped falafel about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in), or a soft falafel squashed flat.

Check before serving

Break one open and squash it between your thumb and finger. It should be soft and moist inside, with no whole or half chickpeas and no crisp crust.

US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.

9 months+

Small soft pieces

Cut soft baked falafel into small pieces for pincer-grasp practice, or crumble it into mashed vegetables. A little smooth hummus (once your baby has had sesame on its own, as it usually contains tahini), or plain yogurt once dairy has been introduced, helps if it's dry.

Size

Pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Check before serving

Each piece should squash flat, with no crisp edges.

12 months+

Falafel pieces with dips

Serve soft homemade falafel in small pieces with soft-cooked vegetables, and smooth hummus or plain yogurt once your baby has had sesame and dairy. Shop-bought and restaurant falafel is usually fried, with a hard, crisp shell, and it's salty: if you share it now and then, peel off the crisp outside and break the soft middle into small pieces.

Size

Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch).

Check before serving

Squash a piece: no hard, crunchy bits.

18 months+

Falafel in soft wraps

Offer falafel in a warm soft pita or wrap with hummus and soft vegetables, cut into narrow strips or small pieces. Squash or crumble falafel balls rather than serving them whole, keep removing very crisp crust, and skip whole sesame seeds sprinkled on top.

Size

Bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), or a soft wrap cut into narrow strips.

Check before serving

No whole falafel balls, no hard crust and no whole sesame seeds.

Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.

How to prepare falafel

1. 1

   Use no-salt-added canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed under running water, or dried chickpeas soaked and boiled until very soft, as on our chickpeas page.

2. 2

   Blend or mash them smooth with a squeeze of lemon juice, a little oil and, once sesame has been introduced, tahini. Bind the mixture with chickpea (gram) flour, or wheat flour once wheat has been introduced. Don't add salt, and don't taste the raw mixture: raw flour can carry germs.

3. 3

   Shape fingers for your baby and balls for the rest of the family, and bake them, turning once, until lightly golden and hot all the way through. Our Baked falafel fingers recipe has the full method.

4. 4

   Let them cool, trim any crisp edges, and squash, cut or crumble them for your baby's stage.

5. 5

   Offer falafel only once your baby has had chickpeas, and sesame and wheat if you use them, each on its own. First time? Pick a day your baby is well, at home, when you can watch them for a couple of hours afterward.

How much to offer

Start with one or two soft fingers. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Once sesame is in your baby's diet, keep offering it regularly.

Common mistakes

Questions parents ask

If your baby refuses falafel

• Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
• Try another form: falafel crumbled into mashed vegetables, or the chickpea mixture as a smooth mash.
• Serve it with a dip your baby already eats, such as smooth hummus or plain yogurt.
• Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.

Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.

Buying and storing falafel

• Cool cooked falafel quickly and refrigerate them within 2 hours.
• Cooked falafel keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
• Cooked falafel can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Reheat them only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool and check they're still soft before serving.
• Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).