The Best Falafel Recipe

The best falafel recipe is a tender Middle Eastern chickpea fritter that's crispy on the outside, and brilliant emerald green on the inside!

Prep time: PT15M

Cook time: PT5M

Total time: PT20M

Rating

3.57 stars (343 reviews)

Keywords

beans, garbanzo, healthy, meatless, Middle Eastern, vegan, vegetarian

Ingredients

3 cups (500 grams) soaked chickpeas Note: use dried chickpeas that have been soaked overnight, but do not cook them. See instructions for soaking chickpeas below.
1/2 medium red onion, peeled and cut in quarters
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 small hot chile pepper, sliced (I used a Serrano)
a large handful of parsley, tender stems are ok, this will be about a packed cup.
a large handful of cilantro, tender stems are ok. This will be about a packed cup.
the zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp all purpose flour, or chickpea flour
vegetable oil for frying
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch salt
water for thinning

Cuisine

Middle Eastern

Steps

Measure out 3 cups (500 grams) of soaked and drained chickpeas. Note: you are starting with dried chickpeas that have been soaked, but not cooked.
Put the soaked beans, fresh herbs, onion, garlic cloves, hot pepper, lemon zest and juice, spices, salt, baking powder, and flour in the bowl of a full sized food processor. Your machine will be full. Note: if your machine is smaller, do this in batches.
Pulse the machine repeatedly to break everything down.
Stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Run again until the mixture is evenly blended but still has some texture, like coarse sand. It should hold together when you squeeze it between your fingers, but also fall apart easily. It should have a texture similar to wet sand. Note: you can refrigerate the mixture at this point for up to 2 days ahead of time.
Using your hands or a small cookie scoop portion out the mixture and roll into balls or form patties. The mixture will be delicate, so use a gentle touch.
If you are using a deep fryier or a deep pot for frying, heat your oil to about 340F. Use a thermometor to check the temperature. Your oil should be at least 3 inches deep. Note: You can also shallow fry patties in a pan on the stove.
When the oil is hot, gently lower the balls or patties into the oil with a slotted spoon. Work in batches so you don't crowd your pan. Fry the falafel for about 2 to 3 minutes, until they are a nice deep brown on the outside and fluffy inside. If they are getting too dark, lower the temperature of your oil. If they are not turning golden within a minute, turn up the temperature a bit.
Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with tahini sauce.
Make the tahini sauce by mixing the tahini, lemon juice, salt, and enough cold water to make a sauce. Taste to adjust the lemon and salt. Note: be sure to stir your jar of tahini thoroughly before measuring, as it separates.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 572 kcal
Carbohydrates: 71 g
Protein: 24 g
Fat: 24 g
Saturated Fat: 8 g
Sodium: 625 mg
Sugar: 11 g

Reviews

Sage on 2025-03-23 (5 stars):
Hi Sue, I opted to make these for my 1 year old daughter and they were delicious. However I did run into my falafel mixture not holding together well when forming the patties so I added a bit more flour which helped. I felt they ended up very crunchy which was fine but I wanted it a bit less crunchy. Perhaps frying them for less time? I also want to try the baked method as well as a healthy alternative for my daughter. Thank you for such a simple delicious recipe.
Kathryn on 2024-04-02 (5 stars):
Hi Sue. I’m dying to make these right now but only have canned chickpeas. Can I use them somehow?
Mon Bowy on 2022-04-01 (5 stars):
I am so glad that I found this recipe!!!! I make mine without the pepper because my kiddo can't handle spicy things yet. We really enjoy garlic so I do throw in extra cloves. Lastly, I have recently tried my air fryer to cook the falafel and the results were outstanding! Here is what I did. Set air fryer to 400° (we have a French door air fryer, and I do not know if that will make a difference) place falafel balls on a greased air fryer pan. Air fry for 18-20 minutes.
Kim on 2021-11-03 (5 stars):
Great recipe and easy to make. I lost my old falafel recipe and I’m kinda glad now! These do stay together a lot better with the soaked bean method and I like all the added cilantro and parsley. I halved the recipe because there’s only 2 people in my household…made enough for 2 plus pita sandwiches each. I add garlic and cilantro to the tahini sauce too.
Deb on 2021-07-30 (5 stars):
First try and they came out perfecto! Thank you for the recipe and great instructions!
Rachel on 2021-05-26 (5 stars):
This recipe is amazing!! I am never buying falafel from the shops again! Amazing tip to use dried chick peas. I am so thrilled to be able to make amazing falafels at home!
Alexandra on 2021-04-22 (5 stars):
This is a great recipe Sue and the lemon juice gives a spring time note! I made falafel with all the trimmings the other day on my birthday. It was such a treat! I did all the preparations the day before including tzatziki . It was so easy to fry them and serve . Thank you!