Every chickpea dreams of being transformed into a falafel! Ultra crispy on the outside, moist and fluffy on the inside, everybody loves them but few know how easy they are to make. This is an easy to follow falafel recipe with step photos AND a recipe video!
The best part is breaking open the golden brown balls to reveal the dazzling green insides. Dip them in tahini sauce and pop them straight in your mouth, or make wraps!
Falafel recipe
There are many things I do not know, but I do know this: Falafels are the highest and best use of chickpeas.
Perhaps not the most common use – hard to beat a batch of creamy hummus whipped up in mere minutes using a can of chickpeas. But if you’re after the best use of chickpeas, falafels win every time.
And if you’re a falafel fiend like me, you’re going to be blown away how easy it is to make falafels at home!
This falafel recipe takes me back to my travels through the Middle East, where I enjoyed freshly made falafels almost every day!
Canned chickpeas don’t work!
In the falafel world, canned chickpeas are not only illegal, they flat out don’t work. Reason: falafels are made with dried chickpeas that are soaked but not cooked before forming the falafel balls.
Other than the dried chickpeas rule, there’s nothing unusual that goes into falafels. Baking powder is the only point of contention – you won’t see it in all recipes and it’s not endorsed by Kenji over at Serious Eats, one of our references for this recipe.
But it’s a trade secret we managed to extract from Hijazi’s Falafel in Earlwood, one the best falafel joints in Sydney. So we tried it with and without, side by side, and the baking powder version was noticeably more fluffy – and moist.
So it’s in. Fluffy insides to the max!!!
Falafels MUST be made with soaked dried chickpeas that are NOT cooked. Canned chickpeas don’t work!
Frying is not optional!
It’s rare that I say frying is mandatory, but for falafels, it is. It’s the only way to get the signature super crispy dark crust and keep the inside moist.
For this falafel recipe, I deep-deep fry them in the video, using enough oil so they’re mostly submerged. But you don’t need to – you can use far less oil than I did and they can be shaped like discs rather than balls which will mean even less oil required for frying.
Speaking of discs – you can unleash your wild side when it comes to shaping falafels. I chose balls because for me, that’s the shape that first comes to mind. But other common shapes include: disc shape (slightly flattened ball), dome (ball with underside flattened) and torpedoes (evil looking shape, like a football).
How to make falafels
I promise you this falafel recipe is straightforward, and I did not exaggerate! Here’s how to make falafels:
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Soak dried chickpeas overnight (seriously, remembering to do this is the hardest part!)
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Blitz with herbs, spices, garlic, flour and a touch of water
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Form balls, refrigerate to firm up
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Fry until deep golden brown and super crispy
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Devour as fast as humanly possible. Falafels are at their absolute peak straight out of the fryer!
How to serve Falafels
The thought of having a whole bowl of freshly cooked falafels to dunk into sauce and pop straight into my mouth is certainly appealing – though not the most nutritious meal option!!
So to serve Falafels as a meal, I like to either make falafel plates or wraps using pita bread, or falafel rolls using Lebanese or other large flatbreads (like the Falafel rolls sold at Kebab shops in Australia).
In all 3 of these options, I use: tabbouleh and/or shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato and onion slices and drizzle the Falafels with Tahini Sauce. Hummus also makes an appearance 99% of the time – a very big dollop of it!
Falafels also make a terrific gluten free meal by making falafel plates using a flavoured rice instead of bread – such as Mejadra (Middle Eastern Lentil Rice).
Falafel sauce options
A sauce is a must for falafels – you need the wetness. Tahini Sauce is the standard, but it’s also terrific with a simple yoghurt-lemon sauce or even a thinned down hummus. Recipes for all these options are in the recipe below.
Making ahead
Falafels are one of those foods that are truly at their best fresh out of the fryer, when they’re super crispy on the outside and the inside is piping hot and moist.
Once refrigerated, the crust softens and the inside loses moisture. But! The good news is that they can be resurrected to a near freshly-cooked state using a combination of a microwave (gets the insides moist again) and a hot oven to recrisp the surface.
They’re good for 5 days in the fridge – probably longer.
Imagine that! Getting your falafel fix day after day after day….. – Nagi x
PS Couple more things homemade falafels has going for them: they’re super economical compared to store bought (dried chickpeas are the main ingredient and they’re super cheap!) and you can control the saltiness – I find that even the best falafel stores are often too salty.
Falafel recipe
Watch how to make it
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Falafel
Ingredients
Falafels:
- 225 g / 8 oz dried chick peas (Note 1)
- 1 cup parsley leaves , roughly chopped
- 1 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , roughly chopped
- 6 scallions/shallots , white and light green part only finely chopped (Note 2)
- 2 cloves of garlic , minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder (Note 3)
- 4 tsp flour (plain/all purpose) OR chickpea flour
- 5 tbsp water
For frying:
- 500 ml / 2 cups+ vegetable oil (Note 4)
Tahini Sauce (Other Sauces Note 5):
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
Serving (Note 6):
- Pita bread or other flatbreads
- Tabbouleh (recipe below)
- Hummus (optional extra)
- Shredded lettuce, tomato slices, sliced red or white onion
Instructions
Falafel:
- Place chickpeas in a large bowl and pour over plenty of cold water. Leave to soak 12 + hours (even 2 days is fine).
- Drain chickpeas well. Place in food processor, add remaining Falafel ingredients.
- Blitz for 2 to 3 minutes on high, scraping down sides as necessary, until the chickpeas are very small grains. Mixture should look like smooth guacamole from the outside (see video).
- Scoop up heaped tablespoons and shape into balls (or dome, disc or torpedo), place on a tray. Should make around 20, about 2.5cm / 1" wide.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Pour oil in a skillet or large pot - at least 1.7 cm / 2/3" depth (Note 4). Heat on medium high to 180 - 190C / 355F (or drop a bit in, should sizzle energetically).
- Place a ball in a large spoon (or tongs) and slide ball in. Cook in batches for around 4 minutes, using 2 forks to roll, until deep golden and super crusty on the outside.
- Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining falafel.
- Serve fresh out of the fryer with Sauce of choice! Make falafel wraps or plates with tabbouleh, tomato, onion, and Sauces of choice. See Notes 5 and 6.
Tahini Sauce:
- Combine tahini and lemon juice, and mix well. The mixture will stiffen.
- Stir in the water 1 tbsp at a time and it will loosen again. The final consistency should be like a thick drizzle sauce (see video). Season to taste with salt.
Recipe Notes:
* Falafel wraps / rolls - Use large or small flatbreads. Smear a good dollop of hummus or yoghurt (or Yoghurt Lemon Sauce, below) down the middle. Top with tabbouleh and/or lettuce, tomato, onion and falafels broken in half. Drizzle with Tahini Sauce or other sauce of choice (I love adding hot sauce). Either roll or fold and devour!
* Falafel plates - with tabbouleh and/or shredded iceberg lettuce with tomato slices, onion (red or white), Tahini Sauce with optional hummus with pita breads on the side. I love hot sauce too! A spiced pilaf like Mejadra (Middle Eastern Lentil Rice) is a terrific addition as well (and GF option). Tabbouleh: 2 tbsp Bulgur soaked in 3 tbsp boiling water then fluffed. 2 cups roughly chopped parsley, 1/2 cup roughly chopped mint, 1/2 red onion finely chopped, 2 large red tomatoes, deseeded & chopped. Dress with lemon juice and sprinkle of salt - adjust to taste depending on what you're serving it with. For falafel, I use very little salt and lots of lemon juice. Serving size: 2 - 3 halved falafels in pita pockets, 3 - 4 halved for a large roll, 4 to 5 for a plate. 7. Reheating: Falafel is one of those foods that's truly best served fresh out of the fryer. But the best way to store / reheat cooked falafel is in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days (really!). Microwave to reheat (really!) THEN spray with plenty of oil and bake at 200C/390F for 5 minutes just until the surface is crispy again. Make Ahead: Balls can be rolled then kept uncooked in the fridge for 24 hours OR frozen. If frozen, fry from frozen - just add another 1 or 2 minutes to the frying time. 8. Nutrition per falafel:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
He really thought there was something tasty buried in that prickly bush – he was snuffling around in there for ages!!
Wow!!This falafels are delicious.My family loved it.They said no more restuarant falafels.Thanks Nagi👍
Wahoo! That’s great Nadeemah!
YUM! I had to stop frying them as I was eating them all 😋
I know this problem all too well 😂
I made falafel for the first time yesterday, and this recipe is AMAZING!!! They turned out just perfect – I will be making them again and again!
Thank you!
YESSSSS! Great Jelena!
You just became my favourite recipe site.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Your recipes have made eating vegetarian and low carb diets sooo much better.
The falafel was amazing! My daughter never liked it until tasting your recipe today.
We are big fans of middle eastern food and these falafel were by far the best i have ever tasted!!!
You are amazing 🙂
That’s the best compliment ever! Thanks so much Robyn ❤️
Hi Nagi.I absolutely love your recipes,tried and cooked many of them already.
Do you thing it would be possible to bake that falafels in the oven instead of deep frying them?
Hi Nella, I talk about this in the blog post – you really need to fry these to get that perfect crust 🙂
Thank you very much Nagi for all your recipes .I enjoy cooking with your website
I HATE coriander. Is it absolutely necessary?
Hi Janelle, just substitute with more parsley 🙂
Hi Nagi,
Just wondering if you’ve put up your garlic sauce recipe yet? Wish it was tomorrow already! Then my chickpeas would be ready. Can’t waaiiit!
Cathy
I will!!
Question re the dried chickpeas – I’ve tried making them with uncooked chickpeas before and as others have commented, have trouble having the mixture hold together enough to form into a ball and to STAY formed. Query is – do you remove the skins from the chickpeas before grinding everything together? I didn’t and wonder if that was the ‘fail’. Would love to make these as I haven’t had a dud from you yet!! x
I don’t remove the skins Alimak – they are quite soft so you do need to be gentle when forming the balls – N x
Love your receipes but had trouble with the falafel. The mixture was very wet and kept crumbling I put more flour in it
but not much better. Any idea what went wrong?
Hi Helen, yes the mixture is quite wet – was it similar to the video?
Wow, it REALLY doesn’t work with tinned chickpeas does it! I ignored the very clear instruction to only use dried, but I was desperate to try this recipe and thought ‘what could go wrong’. Haha! Anyway, the flavour is amazing and I can’t wait to make them again… properly next time! x
You definitely need dried for this one sorry!!
No problem, I’ll be less impatient next time and I’ve definitely learned to trust the notes! 😀
Falafel is now a regular on our menu. Finally a great recipe that (may) be better than the falafel I had at my favourite Lebanese Restaurant in Adelaide before the owners retired. Play around with the spice mix to suit your taste but stick to the main recipe. Thankyou Nagi.
Woah what a great compliment, thanks so much Paul!!!
I love falafel and this is the ONLY recipe that has worked. Have now made it heaps of times. It’s my go-to snack 😊
Wahoo – and they are perfect to freeze too!
Never had a falafel out and after having these at home I see no reason to ever try. So YUM!
They wont compare to homemade I promise!!
These are delicious but I have lots of trouble making the mixture hold together enough to roll into balls or even hold together for disc shapes. Any ideas?
Nagi, I made these tonight and they were incredibly delicious and so quick and easy to make. (So was the tahini sauce!) As you say, soaking the chick peas is the hardest part. And I now have some in the freezer for another night. Thank you!
Made these today and they were absolutely delicious! Will definitely make these again in the future. Thanks!
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Sara!
Soaking the chickpeas now to make this tomorrow. The packet of dried chickpeas says to boil them for a bit after soaking. Is this not needed? I’ve never used dried chickpeas before.
Hi Jo, no it’s not necessary, just follow the recipe! I hope you love them – N x
Lot of work, but awesome!
Family just finished a batch using fresh cilantro, green onions and parsley from my garden!
They’re so worth it! And you can always make a big batch and freeze them for later – N x
These are my favorite falafel! They’re the best fried, but I successfully baked them and used much less oil. Question: can you freeze the uncooked falafel balls? I would love to be able to have these on hand for easy weeknight dinners
Hi Anna, I’m so glad you loved them! Yes you can freeze these uncooked, then thaw and cook – N x
Loved these. Your website is my first point of call. Thanks Nagi! x
Thanks so much Suna!