Homemade Crispy Falafel Recipe
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These crispy and flavorful Falafel balls are a delicious vegan street food, popular in Middle Eastern cuisine. Made with chickpeas and aromatic spices, they’re a perfect high protein lunch or light dinner.
Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern food, made usually with chickpeas or broad beans, and flavored with a delicious mix of spices. They’re commonly fried and served with freshly baked pita bread, but it’s also possible to bake or air-fry them for a lower-fat option. Instead of single balls, you can also turn them into a Falafel Burger.
Video Recipe 📹
Watch the full video recipe to learn how to make the best crispy Falafel recipe.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- ⭐Popular and Loved: This Falafel recipe has almost 3 million views, over 600 comments, and 30k likes on YouTube!
- 🥚Simple Ingredients: You only need a handful of main ingredients and spices to make this homemade falafel recipe.
- 👨🏻🍳Versatile: You can serve falafel with a light salad, or pita bread for a more traditional meal.
- 🙌High Protein: Chickpeas are high in protein and nutrition, making falafel a perfect high protein meal.
What is Falafel
Falafel is a deep-fried ball made of chickpeas, herbs, and spices, common in Middle-Eastern cuisine. It’s usually served with salad or pita bread, and topped with pickled vegetables and sauces.
Falafel is eaten throughout the Middle East and is a common street food. Falafel is usually made with fava beans in Egypt, with chickpeas in Israel and Palestine, or either just chickpeas or a combination of both.
Substitutions and Variations
While this is the traditional recipe for falafel, you can make some variations to customize it.
- Different Legumes: While chickpeas and fava beans are the popular choices, you can also try them with lentils, or black beans.
- Gluten-free: If you want to make gluten-free Falafel, use chickpea flour instead of flour and breadcrumbs.
- Spices: Try a different combination of spices, such as turmeric, sumac, or even harissa for a spicy version.
- Herbs: Add more herbs, like mint, or tarragon, for another boost of flavor.
- Stuffed: Stuff the falafel with a bit of Feta cheese or goat cheese for a cheesy stuffed version.
How to Make Falafel
- Put the chickpeas in a large bowl over them by about 2-3 inches of cold water. Let soak overnight, then wash and drain.
- Put washed and drained chickpeas into a food processor, add garlic cloves, onion, parsley, cilantro, baking soda and spices. process until smooth but crumbly.
- Remove falafel mixture from the fridge and using wet hands shape into 1-inch balls.
- Fry the falafels in batches, 4-6 at a time. Until golden brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel.
Can I Use Canned Chickpeas to Make Homemade Falafel?
It is not recommended to make homemade falafel with canned chickpeas because they are too soft and can cause the falafel to fall apart when frying. Traditional falafel is made with soaked but uncooked dried chickpeas, which give it the right texture and crispiness. If you must use canned chickpeas, drain them well, add flour or breadcrumbs as a binder, chill the mixture before shaping, and consider baking or pan-frying instead of deep-frying. However, for the best results, stick to soaked dried chickpeas.
Why Not Use Canned Chickpeas?
- Too Soft – Canned chickpeas are already cooked, making the falafel mixture too wet and mushy.
- Won’t Hold Together Well – The falafel might fall apart when frying because the starches that help bind it are already broken down.
- Texture & Taste – Traditional falafel has a crispy exterior and a fluffy, slightly grainy interior. Canned chickpeas can make them dense and pasty.
Troubleshooting
- If your falafel falls apart while frying, the mixture may be too wet. Add more flour to make the dough more compact.
- If your falafels are too dry, there might be too much flour or chickpeas might be overcooked. Add a little water or tahini to the mixture to get the right consistency.
- If falafels don’t get crispy, perhaps the oil is not hot enough. Use a kitchen thermometer to get the oil to the right temperature before frying.
- If your falafels taste blend, adjust the seasonings of the mixture to taste.
Make Ahead and Storage
You can prepare the falafel mixture in advance and fry them at the last minute before serving. Don’t fry them too long in advance or they’ll lose the crispiness. They’re also better served warm and should not be reheated in a microwave.
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you want to freeze them, I recommend freezing before frying.
Common Questions
Falafel is made of chickpeas, herbs (cilantro and parsley) and a mix of spices to give them their characteristic flavor.
Traditionally you need to deep-fry falafel to get the crispy exterior, though you may also try to bake or air-fry falafel.
Yes, you can bake falafel instead of frying! Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25–30 minutes, flipping halfway. They won’t be as crispy but will still be delicious.
More Recipes
If you enjoyed this Falafel recipe, you’ll also like these other Middle-Eastern recipes:
Homemade Crispy Falafel
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups (400 g) Dried chickpeas don’t use canned or cooked *read notes
- 1 Onion small
- 4 Garlic cloves
- ⅓ cup Parsley
- ½ cup Cilantro
- 4 tablespoons (30 g) Flour/breadcrumbs or chickpea flour for a gluten-free version
- 1¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- Oil for frying
For serving:
- Pita bread
- Fresh salad
- Tahini sauce
Instructions
- Put the chickpeas in a large bowl over them by about 2-3 inches of cold water. Let soak overnight, then wash and drain.
- Put washed and drained chickpeas into a food processor, add garlic cloves, onion, parsley, cilantro, baking soda and spices. process until smooth but crumbly.
- Transfer to a large bowl, add breadcrumbs and mix until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Heat oil to 360˚F (180˚C).
- Remove falafel mixture from the fridge and using wet hands shape into 1-inch balls.
- Fry the falafels in batches, 4-6 at a time. Until golden brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel.
- Serve as is or in a pita bread with salad and tahini sauce.
Video
Notes
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- Don’t use canned chickpeas to make falafel. Here’s why.
- If your falafel falls apart while frying, the mixture may be too wet. Add more flour to make the dough more compact.
-
- If your falafels are too dry, there might be too much flour or chickpeas might be overcooked. Add a little water or tahini to the mixture to get the right consistency.
-
- If falafels don’t get crispy, perhaps the oil is not hot enough. Use a kitchen thermometer to get the oil to the right temperature before frying.
-
- If your falafels taste blend, adjust the seasonings of the mixture to taste.
Can I cook these in an air fryer?
Yes, you can cook them in an air fryer!
To do it:
* Preheat your air fryer to 375°F (190°C).
* Lightly brush or spray the falafel balls with oil.
* Air fry in batches for about 12–15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy.
They won’t be as deep-fried crispy, but still delicious and healthier!
I love this recipe. making it few times a year.
If I can’t get the dry chickpeas cn I use those in tins?
No, you can’t use canned chickpeas as they are cooked. If you fry cooked chickpeas they will fall apart while frying.
Perfect and a fabulous recipe. It comes out soft n moist
I used a different recipe but yours looks better. Trying next time.
Can these be cooled on the airfryer and if so, what temperature and for how long?
ICan I add boiled chickpeas? Can I bake in an airfryer? For how long and at what temperature?
For traditional falafel, I don’t recommend using boiled chickpeas. Authentic falafel is made with soaked but uncooked dried chickpeas. If you use boiled chickpeas (or canned), the mixture will usually turn out too soft and pasty, and the falafel can fall apart or become dense instead of fluffy inside.
As for the air fryer, yes, you can definitely use it. Lightly brush or spray the falafel with oil, then air fry at 190°C (375°F) for about 12–15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crisp on the outside. The exact time may vary slightly depending on the size and your air fryer model.
They won’t be exactly the same as deep-fried (a bit less crispy), but they still turn out delicious and much lighter 🙂
I can’t eat chickpeas for health reasons. Can any other bean be substituted for chickpeas?
fava beans?