What is falafel?
You may be wondering… what is falafel? Falafel is a flavorful mixture of chickpeas (or fava beans) fresh herbs, chilies, spices, onion and garlic, that are shaped into little balls and fried. Falafel is typically served pita sandwich along with tahini sauce, tzatziki, tomatoes, cucumbers and pickled turnips. They are also often served as part of a mezze platter. *Traditional falafel is made with dried chickpeas (or dry fava beans) that have been soaked in water overnight. This is what gives falafel its unique texture.
How to make Falafel! | 60-sec video
Falafel Ingredients
- Dry chickpeas (not canned) – Authentic falafel is made with dry chickpeas that have been soaked but not cooked. Using cooked or canned chickpeas will result in mushy falafel- with no texture.
- Cilantro (or parsley)- Falfels have a greenish hue to them because they are loaded with herbs!
- Onion and garlic- both add great flavor and depth!
- Green Chili Pepper (jalapeno peppers, serrano, or sub cayenne) add fresh “heat”. Feel free to go light or make them more spicy.
- Spices: Coriander, coriander and salt.
- Baking soda
- Olive oil
How to make Falafel (Step-by-step Instructions)
STEP ONE: Soak dry chickpeas overnight in a bowl of ample cold water for 10-24 hours, until they more than double in size. Drain them well, and pat dry. I often just spread them out on a sheet pan and let dry completely.
STEP TWO: Place the chickpeas and the rest of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse repeatedly (do not blend), pulse -pulse- pulse, scrape down sides, and pulse again, until combined, but not overly smooth. Don’t over blend- you want to be granular, not smooth like hummus… and should look something like this below. You must pulse, scrape sides, and repeat a few times to achieve this.
STEP FOUR: Cook the falafel. Heat a skillet, with high-heat oil, over medium heat. Without crowding, carefully place falafels in the warm skillet, pressing down to flatten slightly. TIP: Do not move them or fuss with them; just let them develop a crust. Letting them develop a golden crust, will allow them to naturally release themselves from the pan. This goes for almost anything you are searing or frying.
See recipe notes for BAKING the Falafels or air frying them!
How to Make a Falafel Sandwich!
How to Make a Falafel Salad
The Best Falafel Recipe
- Prep Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 12 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 1x
- Category: vegan, main, gluten-free
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Diet: Vegan
Description
How to make the best authentic Falafel from scratch using soaked chickpeas (not canned) with Homemade Pita, Creamy Tahini Sauce, Pickled Turnips, and Cucumber Yogurt Sauce *Chickpeas need 10-24 hours of soaking time. I recommend making a double batch. See notes for an air-fryer or baked falafels.
Ingredients
Falafel Recipe
- 3/4 cup dry chickpeas (yields 2 cups soaked), soaked 10-24 hours
- 1 cup cilantro, packed (stems ok) or sub-Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup white or yellow onion, rough chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 1/2 of a jalapeno, seeds ok (add the entire thing if you want a little kick)
- 1 tablespoon ground Coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2– 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt (add more to taste)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- high heat oil for frying, or spray oil for baking
Instructions
- Soak: Cover the dry chickpeas in a bowl of ample cold water on the counter for 10-12 hours or up to 24 hours in the fridge. They will swell into 2 cups. Place in a strainer, drain well, pat dry with a towel for extra dryness. (Wet chickpeas will be more difficult to fry.)
- Blend: Place onion, garlic, cilantro, and jalapeno in the food processor and pulse 10 times until chopped. Add the 2 cups of the soaked, raw chickpeas, salt, spices, and baking soda, pulse again 10 times, scrape down sides, then add the olive oil, and process 10 seconds, until it is well blended but still coarse like sand. Don’t overwork it- this should not be smooth but coarse and granular for the best texure. Place the falafel dough in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 400F.
- Form: Using damp hands, form round, golf ball-sized balls in your hands, compressing them tightly, slightly flattening them. The dough will feel damp, and this is OK- the compression with your palms will help bind them. If they feel incredibly wet, feel free to lightly dredge in flour if you absolutely must- but I don’t even when wet.
- Pan sear: In a non-stick pan or well-seasoned cast iron skillet, heat a ¼ inch of “high-heat” oil on med-high heat until it sizzles when a pea-sized portion of falafel is dropped in. Turn heat to medium. Place them carefully in the hot oil, (they are fragile but should hold together just fine) slightly press down, and do not move them until they develop a deeply golden crust (this crust will ensure they naturally release themselves from the pan). Using a thin metal spatula, carefully turn them over. Lower heat if necessary. Sear the other side. Each side will take about 3-4 minutes. Cook in batches, not overcrowding. Place falafels in the oven while you cook the remaining falafels to cook them through. Keep them in a warm oven until ready to serve.
- Falafels can be cooked ahead, frigerated, and reheated in the oven. Alternatively, the falafel “dough” can be made ahead, refrigerated, and used throughout the week.
- Serve with our pita bread, tahini sauce, or tzatziki, or make pickled onions.
Notes
Do not use canned or cooked chickpeas- not the same.
Try Fava Beans: Feel free to use soaked fava beans- or a combo of both- also delicious!
Baked Falafels: heat oven to 375 F. Place falafel on a greased parchment-lined sheet pan. Brush or spray the tops with olive oil. Bake 12-15 minutes, flip and bake 10-15 more minutes or until golden. These can be cooled and frozen.
Air Fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 380 F. Place falafels on a greased grate and spray with spray olive oil. Airfy 6 minutes, check, add another minute or so if needed.
Meal Prep: The falafel mixture can be kept in the refrigerator and pan-seared “to order”. For example, I’ll often make a double batch and just store the bowl of falafel mix (covered) in the fridge for the week, pan-searing as needed.
Pickled Turnips: Peel and thinly cut turnips and use the pickled veggies recipe. Add a tiny sliver of beetroot to get a lovely pink color!
Tahini Sauce: To make your tahini sauce even creamier- stir in a couple of tablespoons of yogurt.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 falafels
- Calories: 246
- Sugar: 4.7 g
- Sodium: 510.1 mg
- Fat: 2.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 47.9 g
- Fiber: 5.9 g
- Protein: 11.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Can these be frozen before cooking? I’ve made falafel many times before, but this is the first time I’ve added baking soda. The fresh falafels were wonderful – crispy outside and light as a breeze inside – not dense at all. So so good. I’m thinking this is due to the baking soda. If I freeze them before cooking, am I defeating the purpose of adding that ingredient?
Possibly? Truthfully I’m not sure. I have frozen after searing but not before.
Amazing recipe. Followed every step! Delicious! Thanks so much! (Cheated and bought pitas – maybe next time)
How do i reheat leftover falafel? Microwave?
I usually bake at 350F to reheat.
Thank you – I actually just ate one cold right out of fridge dipped in tahini and tsziki -..so tasty. I will forever make this recipe! New vegetarian—-love this!
Very delicious sauces for the Felafel for I used a mix which was OK and consisted of Fava beDebans as well as chick peas. Next time Ill make from scratch,
Perfect Deb!
Hi, could I use cooked chickpeas to make the falafel?
You can… but it won’t be quite as good. 🙂 Not the same texture.
This was an amazing recipe like every other one of yours I have tried. We have been plant based for 8 months and I continue to find the most delicious recipes on your site. You have made this lifestyle change so much easier for me and my family. Thank you!!!!
Awwww thanks so much Christine!!!
Thank you for explaining the recipe in detail, specially the sauces.
Thanks~ glad you enjoyed!
A perfect recipe . Glad to follow it
It indeed is feasting at home
Yayyyyyyy! I feel the same about this one. Glad you liked it. It was my growing up food and it was always a feast.
best falafel ever. had it with tahini sauce and your amazing jalapeno crema.
YAY!!!
Thank you , amazing falafals & best pita bread . The notes are so detailed & helpful that the entire process is a pleasure
This recipe is amazing – thank you, Sylvia!! I was hesitant to bake the falafels rather than fry them because I didn’t want to be disappointed by the outcome… but I ended up just spreading a couple of tablespoons of avocado oil on the parchment paper in my baking pan and then followed your baking instructions and…I’m not sure that I would have even known the difference – the falafels were crispy on the outside and deliciously soft on the inside! The pickled turnips were so easy and amazing too! Thank you!!
These are outstanding. The texture is much better here using soaked chickpeas vs. using canned chickpeas.
The BEST!
First try at falafel. Awesome! Moist. Fluffy, and also structural.
So, so, so easy! Half a jalapeno was just right.
Yay! Perfect!
How long do I leave them in the oven for?
Did you pan sear first or just baking?
A good recipe with great tips. The 6 of us loved it! Served it with your tzatziki and tahini sauces. Hello from Singapore – it’s the Easter weekend and all of us are staying at home because of Covid 19. Stay safe and healthy, Sylvia.
The flavor and texture of these falafel were excellent, really the best I’ve had. The tahini sauce finished them perfectly. I’m so happy to know how to make an excellent falafel in my own kitchen; thank you! My husband, who is a staunch cilantro “hater,” LOVED them and I don’t have the heart to tell him that cilantro features prominently. However, when frying, they didn’t hold their shape too well. Does this mean I should process just a bit more to a slightly creamier texture?
I’ve tasted falafel once before (at a potluck) and was not impressed. THIS recipe was excellent!! I read the instructions too fast and missed the crucial step of getting the chickpeas dry..but I muddled thru and even though some of them crumbled apart, I ate every last crumb over 2 days! This was a real treat..I paired it with salad in organic non-gmo corn tortillas because I was too lazy to make the pitas but I made the vegan tahini sauce and creamy herby dressing to drizzle (smother) on top. A new favorite for sure! Thank you for all of these awesome vegan recipes.. I just might succeed in making it past the 2 week mark of a WFPB diet!! 🙏
Good for you! Glad you liked them!
Delicious!! We have never had falafel before and love it now!
Oh cool! One of my favorite things to eat! Glad you enjoyed!
Can these be deep fried?
yes!
Can these be deep fried?
Yes, or even air fried. 🙂
Hello! I’ m so much in love with your cooking! Do you think i can bake the falafel in the oven ? For healthier version ?maybe 20 mins by 200-220 Celsius ?
Hi Romana- Yes, bake at 375F on a greased, parchment-lined sheet-pan,for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through! Brush or spray the tops with olive oil before baking.
Hello. I tried baking and they came out hard and dry on outside and inside. I made them into patties instead of balls. I’m thinking I may have patted them too thin and ended up baking too long? Any tips? Have more soaking for another try.Thank you
I always have better luck pan searing these. Did you spray with spray olive oil? That might help, also flip half way through.
My dad and I lay them out on newspaper! The recipe was amazing and the pita was fantastic also.
These are the best falafels I’ve ever made. Thanks for the recipe!
So concise and had all the info I needed.
Great to hear!
Awesomeness!