Sink your teeth into this classic Middle Eastern delicacy! This vegan Falafel is chewy and tender on the inside, with a crispy fried exterior to create the perfect bite. These meatless morsels are easy to make and pack a ton of flavor!
If you’ve never had falafel before, you’re in for a treat! This meatless morsel is one of my favorite things to order at a Middle Eastern restaurant, but you know I always say: nothing beats homemade! Hosting a fluffy, herbaceous interior, with a crispy brown outer crust, it’s the perfect vegan bite.
This Falafel is packed with fiber, thanks to all the chickpeas it’s loaded with! Combined with plenty of fresh parsley and cilantro, amplified with an abundance fresh garlic, and a sprinkle of simple, bright seasoning.
Why This Falafel Recipe Works
- Easy To Make
- Fresh And Flavorful
- Vegan
- Simple Ingredient List
- Make Ahead And Freezer Friendly
Incredibly easy to make, crispy on the outside and insanely flavorful! What more could you ask for? It’s light, fresh and packed full of zesty bright flavors, and did I mention it’s vegan? Because it is! It has that perfect chewy texture on the inside and a great crispy crunch every time you take a bite. Falafel for the win!
Ingredient Notes
Falafel
- Chickpeas – Canned chickpeas or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained. You can use dried chickpeas, you’ll just have to soak them overnight in water and a little bit of baking soda to soften them.
- Herbs – Fresh parsley and cilantro, roughly chopped. Other herbs you can use is fresh dill.
- Garlic – Fresh is best, also use as much as you like.
- Green Onions – Roughly chopped. You can also substitute with regular yellow onions or even red onions.
- Spices – Ground cumin, salt and pepper.
- Baking Powder – Baking powder will make the falafels fluffier and more moist inside.
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour because I find it works best.
For Frying
- Olive Oil – Substitute canola or vegetable oil.
How To Make Falafel
- Pulse Ingredients: Add all the falafel ingredients to a food processor and process until finely chopped and mixture holds together.
- Chill: 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.
- Shape Into Patties: Shape into patties of your preferred size. Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop out some of the mixture, roll it into a ball then flatten it a bit in between your palms to resemble a patty. Repeat with remaining mixture.
- Fry: Heat the ¼ cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties, but do not over-crowd and fry 2 to 3 minutes per side or until browned. Repeat with remaining patties. Transfer the patties to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Serve: Serve with pita bread, tzatziki sauce and tabbouleh salad.
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
This Middle Eastern dish originated in Egypt, but is popular world wide nowadays, for good reason! It’s base is a mixture typically made from either chickpeas, garbanzo or fava beans, loaded with fresh herbs and spices and shaped into a patty or small ball before being fried.
This can happen if the mixture is too wet, or you haven’t refrigerated the mixture. Make sure you pat dry the chickpeas as much as possible. The flour also aids in keeping the falafel intact, so if you find the mixture is still to add add a bit more flour or even breadcrumbs.
If you’re looking to cut out calories or fat and want to avoid frying, falafel is great baked or made in the air fryer!
OVEN: Bake in a preheat oven at 375°F 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 for 20 minutes.
Absolutely! These can be made days or months in advance. Scroll down to “leftovers/freezing” sections below for full instructions.
Important Tips
- Do not over-crowd your pan when frying! We want to ensure they cook evenly and have room to breathe.
- Make sure to refrigerate the falafel mixture for at least an hour or overnight, this will aid in shaping the falafel, ensuring they keep their shape.
- Don’t worry about removing the skin from your chickpeas. It isn’t necessary. But DO make sure to rinse and drain completely.
- If you don’t have any fresh herbs and dried is all you have on hand, just keep in mind that 1 teaspoon dried equals 1 tablespoon fresh.
- You can definitely use dried chickpeas rather than canned, some even prefer to use dried for all that flavor it gives. For this to work, you’ll need to soak your chickpeas for at LEAST 12 hours. Place them in a large bowl and fill with water till they’re all covered and allow to soak for 12 – 24 hours. *Overnight soaking is best.
- Don’t skip the baking powder, this will make the falafel fluffier on the inside.
How To Serve
My favorite way, it may be the only way but, I always, ALWAYS serve my falafels on flatbreads, with tzatziki sauce and tabbouleh salad for a true mediterranean inspired meal. Please note, once you serve it this way, it’s no longer vegan.
Storing Leftovers
You can store these treats in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days, which leaves lots of time to cook up different dishes to incorporate them into!
Freezing
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. You can also freeze uncooked falafel patties. Simply place the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flash freeze them for 1 hour, then place them in freezer bags and freeze for up to 1 month. Cook directly from frozen.
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Falafel
Equipment
Ingredients
Falafel
- 15 ounce chickpeas (garbanzo beans) 1 can, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
- 1 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 green onions roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper ground
- 1 teaspoon cumin ground
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
For Frying
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Pulse Ingredients: Add all the falafel ingredients to a food processor and process until finely chopped and mixture holds together.
- Chill: 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.
- Shape Into Patties: Shape into patties of your preferred size. Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop out some of the mixture, roll it into a ball then flatten it a bit in between your palms to resemble a patty. Repeat with remaining mixture.
- Fry: Heat the ¼ cup of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties, but do not over-crowd and fry 2 to 3 minutes per side or until browned. Repeat with remaining patties. Transfer the patties to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Serve: Serve with pita bread, tzatziki sauce and tabbouleh salad.
Recipe Notes
- Recipe yields about 24 falafel on the smaller size. Nutritional information is for 3 falafel.
- Do not over-crowd your pan when frying! We want to ensure they cook evenly and have room to breathe.
- Make sure to refrigerate the falafel mixture for at least an hour or overnight, this will aid in shaping the falafel, ensuring they keep their shape.
- Don’t worry about removing the skin from your chickpeas. It isn’t necessary. But DO make sure to rinse and drain completely.
- If you don’t have any fresh herbs and dried is all you have on hand, just keep in mind that 1 teaspoon dried equals 1 tablespoon fresh.
- You can definitely use dried chickpeas rather than canned, some even prefer to use dried for all that flavor it gives. For this to work, you’ll need to soak your chickpeas for at LEAST 12 hours. Place them in a large bowl and fill with water till they’re all covered and allow to soak for 12 – 24 hours. *Overnight soaking is best.
- Don’t skip the baking powder, this will make the falafel fluffier on the inside.
- OVEN INSTRUCTIONS: Bake in a preheat oven at 375°F for 30 minutes on a greased baking sheet, flipping once halfway through.
- AIR FRYER INSTRUCTIONS: Spray the falafel with non stick cooking spray and allow to bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
- You can store these treats in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days, which leaves lots of time to cook up different 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. You can also freeze uncooked falafel patties. Simply place the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flash freeze them for 1 hour, then place them in freezer bags and freeze for up to 1 month. Cook directly from frozen.
This recipe is a keeper! Loved by my whole family. YUM
Amazing. Two of us “ate the whole thing”.
I’d never made falafel before and this recipe was super easy and delicious. I made the tomato cucumber salad from your chicken souvlaki recipe with your tzaziki (made from your homemade yogurt recipe). Better than a restaurant. Jo, you’re the best!
So happy to hear this!
I’ve made Israeli falafel with rehydrated dried garbanzo beans.
To use your recipe, what is the recommended weight or measurement for the soaked beans? You recommend a 15 oz. can of chickpeas and liquid but not the net weight of the beans.
You need a 15 oz can, drained, that’s all.