Falafel is a classic middle eastern delicacy. Chewy, tender, crispy, fresh, and bright, these vegan meatless morsels are a total home run. Incredibly easy to make, crispy on the outside and insanely flavorful!
Falafel
I am completely hooked on falafel lately, it’s so light and packed full of zesty bright flavors, and did I mention it’s vegan? It has that perfect chewy texture on the inside and a great crispy crunch on the out, but how feasible is it to make these meat free morsels at home? Surprisingly it’s easier than you’d expect!
Falafel is typically packed with fiber thanks to all the chickpeas it’s loaded with. We’re also using lots of fresh parsley and cilantro, tons of fresh garlic, and some perfectly zippy seasoning. It’s one of my favorite things to order at a Middle Eastern restaurant but nothing beats homemade falafel!
What Is Falafel?
First things first I suppose, and that’s answering the most basic question of all: what exactly is falafel? This middle eastern dish most likely originated in Egypt and is popular world wide nowadays, with good reason. It’s base is a dough typically made from either chickpeas or fava beans, packed full of fresh herbs and spices and formed into a patty or small ball before being fried.
Ingredients In Falafel
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Chickpeas – Rinsed and drained, don’t worry about removing the skin from your chickpeas.
- Herbs – Fresh parsley and cilantro. If dried is all you have on hand just keep in mind that 1 teaspoon dried equals 1 tablespoon fresh.
- Garlic – We’re using lots of fresh cloves. If jarred minced is all you have on hand keep in mind that 1 1/2 teaspoons equals 1 fresh clove.
- Onion – You can use any kind of onion you’d like! I recommend either red or yellow.
- Flour – This will bind and help form our little falafel balls, if you’re gluten free however feel free to sub this out for chickpea flour.
- Lemon juice – Fresh is always best, the juice from approximately 1 lemon.
- Baking powder – To make the falafel light and airy.
- Spices – We’re just using ground cumin today.
- Seasoning – Salt, pepper and a bit of ground cumin.
- Oil – A light neutral tasting vegetable oil like canola.
How To Make Falafel
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. I’ve also included instructions below on how to bake your falafel.
- Form the base: Add chickpeas, cilantro, parsley, onion, garlic, flour, lemon juice, baking powder, cumin, salt, black pepper and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture reaches a coarse crumb texture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The mixture should not be overly mushy. Transfer mixture to a sealed container and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until chilled. To speed up this process, you can transfer it to a freezer for 30 to 45 minutes until chilled.
- Form into patties: Lay a large sheet of parchment paper on a work surface. Using a spoon or a medium cookie scoop, measure out 2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball with your hands. Place the ball on the parchment paper, and gently flatten it slightly with your hand so that it is about 1/2-inch in thickness. Repeat with the remaining mixture until all of the falafel disks are prepared.
- Fry the falafel: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully transfer 4 or 5 falafel disks to the hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes per side, or until both sides of the falafel are browned. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining falafel, adding extra oil to the pan if necessary.
- Serve: Serve them up immediately while they are warm and crispy.
How Do I Serve Falafel?
You can’t just eat these little morsels on their own, okay well I guess you can, but you shouldn’t have to! Try turning it into a little pita sandwich with the ingredients below and you’ll never look back, believe me.
- Pita bread
- Chopped lettuce
- Sliced red onion
- Sliced tomatoes
- Tzatziki sauce
- Tahini sauce – you want to look for tahini sauce that is pourable, not hard like clay.
- Hummus, I’ve got a few recipes for it here on the blog so test till your heart’s content!
- You can pop these on top of salads or anywhere else that you’d like to add a little flavor and protein!
Want To Bake Your Falafel?
If you’re looking to cut out calories or fat, I’ve got great news for you. Falafel is great baked as well or even air fried. Here’s how.
Oven
Bake in a preheat oven at 375 F degrees for 30 minutes on a greased baking sheet, flipping once halfway through.
Air fryer
Spray the falafel with non stick cooking spray and allow to bake at 350 F degrees for 20 minutes.
Using Dried Chickpeas?
You can definitely use dried chickpeas rather than canned, some even prefer to use dried for all that flavor it gives. To do this you’ll need to soak your chickpeas, at least over night. Place them in a large bowl and fill with water till they’re all covered and allow to soak for 12 – 24 hours.
What Does Perfect Falafel Look Like?
Look for the green – no, really! When you cut open a perfect little falafel ball, the interior should be fluffy and green thanks to all of our fresh herbs. The exterior should be crispy and brown. Believe me it’ll taste amazing regardless of how strange the visual outcome.
Can I Make Falafel Ahead?
Fridge
You can store these treats in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days, lots of time to cook up different and fun dishes to incorporate them into!
Freezer
Falafel can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Just allow to thaw at room temperature before warming back up to temperature in the oven.
More Middle Eastern Dishes To Try:
- Best Ever Hummus
- Tabbouleh Salad
- Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma
- Moroccan Style Roast Chicken and Potatoes
- Baba Ghanoush
- Baklava
- Hummus
Craving More? Follow Along:
Falafel
Ingredients
- 15 oz chickpeas rinsed and drained, (1 can)
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves tightly-packed
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion diced, red or yellow
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
For serving
- pita bread
- chopped lettuce
- sliced red onions
- sliced tomatoes
- tzatziki sauce
- tahini sauce
- hummus
Instructions
- Form the base: Add chickpeas, cilantro, parsley, onion, garlic, flour, lemon juice, baking powder, cumin, salt, black pepper and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture reaches a coarse crumb texture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The mixture should not be overly mushy. Transfer mixture to a sealed container and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until chilled. To speed up this process, you can transfer it to a freezer for 30 to 45 minutes until chilled.
- Form into patties: Lay a large sheet of parchment paper on a work surface. Using a spoon or a medium cookie scoop, measure out 2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball with your hands. Place the ball on the parchment paper, and gently flatten it slightly with your hand so that it is about 1/2-inch in thickness. Repeat with the remaining mixture until all of the falafel disks are prepared.
- Fry the falafel: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully transfer 4 or 5 falafel disks to the hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes per side, or until both sides of the falafel are browned. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining falafel, adding extra oil to the pan if necessary.
- Serve: Serve them up immediately while they are warm and crispy.
Tips & Notes:
- You can store these treats in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 - 4 days, lots of time to cook up different and fun dishes to incorporate them into!
- Falafel can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Just allow to thaw at room temperature before warming back up to temperature in the oven.
Rosa says
Hello Jo,
In Egypt we do the falafel differently
We use dry fave beans,we don’t use flour,we use 1 zucchini and one potato, we also add dill,, Dey and fresh coriander,cumins, dry mint, green onion
You should try it you’ll love it
Joanna Cismaru says
Sounds great, will definitely have to try it!
Roxanne says
I don’t like the taste of cilantro – can I omit it or replace with more parsley?
Joanna Cismaru says
Sure, you can do that.
Sheila Goldberg says
Sounds great..I am in for certain