Falafel
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Learn the secret to perfect, crispy falafel with my simple recipe—no deep-frying required! The crucial ingredient? Dried chickpeas; canned chickpeas simply won’t cut it for truly authentic falafel.
Falafel, a popular vegetarian street food throughout the Middle East, are deep-fried patties made from ground chickpeas (or fava beans), herbs, and spices. Traditionally, they’re stuffed into pita or served as part of a mezze platter with Israeli salad, hummus, tabbouleh, baba ganoush, and tahini sauce.
Making falafel at home may seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite simple—almost like making meatballs, and you don’t even need to deep-fry. The key, and I can’t stress this enough, is to avoid using canned chickpeas. Many recipes call for them, but I can tell you from experience that they just don’t work well (unless you want a mushy disaster on your hands!). The best falafel is made with dried chickpeas that have been soaked overnight but not cooked. If you’re short on time, you can use the quick-soak method, which only takes about an hour.
“I was a culinary goddess when I made this falafel recipe. The falafel was as good as or better than any I’ve had in a restaurant and was pretty easy. Just toss the ingredients into a food processor and fry up the patties…Really delicious!”
What You’ll Need To Make Falafel
- Dried Chickpeas: The base ingredient for falafel; they provide the structure and texture. Soaking them overnight (or using the quick-soak method) ensures they are soft enough to blend but firm enough to hold together during cooking. Do not use canned chickpeas!
- Scallions: Add a mild onion flavor without overpowering the mixture, contributing to the aromatic base of the falafel.
- Parsley and Cilantro: These herbs add a fresh, vibrant flavor and a bit of color to the falafel.
- Garlic: Provides a sharp, pungent flavor that complements the earthiness of the chickpeas, spices, and herbs.
- Cumin and Cinnamon: These spices add warmth and depth, giving the falafel a distinct, mildly spiced flavor profile typical of Middle Eastern cuisine.
- Vegetable Oil: Used for pan-frying the falafel, giving them a crispy exterior while keeping the interior moist and flavorful.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by soaking the chickpeas: Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with water by about 4 inches. Soak for 24 hours, adding more water as necessary to keep the chickpeas covered (they will double or triple in size).
Alternatively, if you’re short on time, you can use the quick-soak method: place the beans in a pot and cover with water by about three inches; bring to a rolling boil and boil for five minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and let stand for one hour.
Drain the chickpeas and add to a food processor along with the scallions, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and spices. Process until the chickpeas are finely minced, scraping the bowl as necessary, a few minutes. The consistency should well-moistened and able to bind together. If the mixture doesn’t hold together easily when shaping into patties or seems too crumbly, continue processing until it binds properly. This step is crucial for ensuring the falafel doesn’t fall apart during cooking.
Form the mixture into patties.
Heat about 1/4-inch of oil in a nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Pan-fry the falafel in batches, flipping once, until golden brown all over, 4 to 5 minutes total. (Before frying your first batch of falafel, you can ensure the oil is the right temperature by frying one patty in the center of the pan. If you notice that the outside of the patty is browning before a total cook time of 4 to 5 minutes, reduce the heat a bit.)
Drain on paper towels.
Serve warm with tahini or yogurt sauce. If you have leftover cooked falafel, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days; reheat in a 325°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, falafel can be made ahead of time. You can prepare the mixture and form the patties up to a day in advance. Store the uncooked patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to cook, fry them directly from the fridge.
Yes, falafel can be frozen. After forming the patties, place them on a baking sheet and freeze them until solid. Then transfer the frozen patties to a freezer bag or airtight container. They can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. When ready to cook, you can fry them directly from frozen, just allow a little extra time to cook through.
Falafel can fall apart during cooking if the mixture is too dry or hasn’t been processed enough to bind together. It’s crucial to use dried chickpeas that have been properly soaked and to process the mixture until it can easily form patties without crumbling. If the mixture seems too crumbly, continue processing until it holds together properly. Ensuring the patties are compact when formed is also key to preventing them from breaking apart.
No, canned chickpeas are too soft and contain too much moisture, which can prevent the falafel from achieving the proper texture and can cause them to fall apart during frying. Dried chickpeas, when soaked and processed correctly, provide the right texture and binding quality needed for authentic falafel.
Leftover falafel can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, bake them in the oven at 325°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through. Falafel can also be frozen; place them on a baking sheet to freeze individually, then transfer to a freezer bag or container. Reheat directly from frozen in the oven.
Video Tutorial
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Falafel
Learn the secret to perfect, crispy falafel with my simple recipe—no deep-frying required! The crucial ingredient? Dried chickpeas; canned chickpeas simply won’t cut it for truly authentic falafel.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas, rinsed and picked over
- 8 scallions, light and dark green parts, from 1 bunch, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas: Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with water by about 4 inches. Soak for 24 hours, adding more water if necessary to keep the chickpeas covered, as they will double in size. For a quicker option, use the quick-soak method: place the beans in a pot, cover with water by about 3 inches, bring to a rolling boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.
- Prepare the Mixture: Drain the chickpeas and place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the scallions, parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, and cinnamon. Process until the chickpeas are very finely minced, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, a few minutes. The consistency should well-moistened and able to bind together. If the mixture doesn't hold together easily when shaping into patties or seems too crumbly, continue processing until it binds properly. This step is crucial for ensuring the falafel doesn’t fall apart during cooking.
- Form the falafel: Using heaping tablespoonfuls, form the mixture into patties about ½ inch thick and 1½ inches wide. The mixture should be compact and able to hold together well when shaped. If it feels too crumbly, process it a bit more. If the mixture sticks to your hands, moisten your hands with a bit of water to help shape the patties.
- Cook the falafel: Heat ¼-inch of oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add half of the falafel to the pan (the falafel should sizzle immediately when you drop it in the oil; if it doesn't, wait another minute or two for the oil to heat up.) When the first side is golden, flip and cook a few minutes more until golden all over. The total cook time should be 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the falafel to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Cook the second batch, then serve warm or room temperature with tahini sauce or yogurt sauce.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: You can prepare the mixture and form the patties up to a day in advance. Store the uncooked patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in the refrigerator. When you're ready to cook, fry them directly from the fridge. The uncooked falafel can also be frozen. After forming the patties, place them on a baking sheet and freeze them until solid. Then transfer the frozen patties to a freezer bag or airtight container. They can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. When ready to cook, you can fry them directly from frozen; just allow a little extra time to cook through. Leftover falafel can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, bake them in the oven at 325°F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until warmed through. Falafel can also be frozen after cooking; place them on a baking sheet to freeze individually, then transfer to a freezer bag or container. Reheat directly from frozen in the oven.
- Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately 2 tablespoons of the oil are absorbed into the falafel when frying.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 2 falafel
- Calories: 153
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Sodium: 111 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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This recipe worked perfectly and was delicious. I also made the Israeli Salad and Taziki Sauce and stuffed it all into warm pitas. Wow! Half recipe made 10 falafel, enough for two meals for my husband and me. Reminded me of great meals at Zahav in Philadelphia.
Hi Jenn,
I’ve made this recipe before and it worked out well for me. I was just wondering how far in advance can I make the falafel mixture without frying it? I like to prep things ahead of time when I have company coming over, so I was hoping to just fry them up the day after.
Thanks!
Hi Catherine, Prepping the falafel a day in advance should be just fine. Hope everyone enjoys!
I have to admit defeat on the falafel. I am not sure that all dried chickpeas are created equal, because I bought a large bag of dried ones and soaked them for 24 hours as per the recipe. When I drained them into the colander they were still quite hard and didn’t really crush that well, so I boiled them for 5 minutes and then left to cool for an hour. After they had been in the food processor for about 4/5 minutes I tried to get the mixture to make a patty, but it was too dry and crumbly. I added an ounce or two of water and processed again for a couple of minutes. I could then form the patties, but as soon as I put them in the hot oil they just turned to mush. I tried with hotter oil, then with cooler oil but the result was the same. I cooked a few in the oven and they tasted great, but were too dry.
I find it very hard to give a rating for the recipe because the taste was good, but the falafel just didn’t turn out as it should. I’m thinking that if they were deep fried in very hot oil they would probably have less chance of breaking up, but that is just a guess.
Dinner was saved by the fact that Jenn’s tabouleh and tzatziki came out perfectly.
In case anyone else was thinking of trying it, this does not work in a blender! You need a food processor! I ended up doing about 10 small batches, pushing down the sides every few seconds to process everything which was slow and a bit messy. The end result was very tasty, though some of them fell apart while frying. If I were to try again, I would mash the chickpeas with a potato masher and then finely chop the rest of the ingredients and then stir together.
Hi Jen
What could I have done wrong if the falafel balls fell apart while pan frying them?
I love ALL of your recipes- I cooked your recipes every day during this crazy year!!! Thank you!!
Glad you like the recipes, but sorry you had a problem with these! You may just need to process the mixture a bit more until it gets moistened and pasty; it takes a few minutes. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn, I’ve made falafels using another recipe from an egyptian lady’s food blog (before I ever knew about this blog), it also has raw soaked chickpeas and essentially similar seasonings as this recipe, and when I was afraid they would fall apart— my food processor is small and not that powerful so it was had to grind them properly— I stuck them in the freezer on a plate while the other batch was cooking, and it helped them survive the first few seconds of frying when the crust has to form. Seems to me these mixtures need that balance of hot oil and being packed firmly, handled delicately, and left alone for the first instants of frying. You think it is going to fall apart but if you set it gently in the oil and let the crust form (hot oil is essential), they set. And the freezer helps that by firming them up a bit, making them easier to handle. You can also make them ahead and freeze them solid and then cook them, adjusting the cooking time. Looking forward to trying this version, I really like the nutty taste and texture of the soaked raw chickpeas, and I think this is the authentic way of preparing them.
Hi Jenn!
I made the falafel on my new Air fryer and the result was amazing!
I also made the tahini sauce but instead of 3/4 cup of tahini I mixed 1/4 tahini and 1/2 greek yogurt, also amazing And finally, the pink turnips, who would’ve thought that they were so easy to made!
Thank you so much for your recipes, tips and tricks!
Falafel needs to be balanced just right so the balls come out of the oil still a bit moist. Finding the right balance in the 3 to 5 minutes pan-fry step is key. I see others have commented they left the balls in too long and they got cooked instead of fried. The pan-fry stage is key.
I’ve made these falafels 3 tunes now and they are delicious! I love the cilantro and parsley so this last time I actually measured how much I put in…about double what the recipe called for and they still turned out great! One thing I have learned is to shake out as much water as possible from the chickpeas.
Beautiful Recipe ~ I never go back to any other Falafel or Hummus ~ Worth the effort ~
Very user friendly ~ My husband enjoyed very much ~ and so did I ~
This is far and away the best Falafel recipe I have tried. It comes out perfect every time and literally takes only a few minutes to prep (as long as you remember to set your chick peas in water the night before) It is on our dinner rotation bi-weekly. We have even turned some of my daughters teenage friends into Falafel lovers having them try them for the first time!