Homemade Falafel Recipe

This Homemade Falafel recipe packs chickpeas, fresh herbs, and spices into a flavorful, Middle-Eastern-inspired patty that's quick, easy, and delicious.

Recipe by Beth Moncel on February 7, 2025

Prep time: PT90M

Cook time: PT10M

Total time: PT100M

Rating

4.52 stars (89 reviews)

Keywords

Falafel Recipe

Ingredients

2 15 oz. cans chickpeas (see notes, $1.72)
¼ red onion ($0.26)
1 handful fresh parsley (about ¼ bunch, $0.26)
1 handful fresh cilantro (about ¼ bunch, $0.17)
4 cloves garlic ($0.12)
1 tsp salt ($0.01)
½ tsp cayenne pepper ($0.13)
1 tsp ground cumin ($0.08)
1 tsp baking powder ($0.04)
½ cup flour (see notes, $0.07)
¼ cup neutral cooking oil (for frying, $0.22)

Cuisine

Middle-Eastern

Steps

Rinse and drain the chickpeas in a colander. Add the chickpeas to a food processor with the red onion, parsley, cilantro, salt, cayenne, garlic and cumin.
Process the mixture until it forms a chunky paste. A little texture to the mixture is usually desirable. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to make sure the mixture is an even texture.
Place the mixture into a bowl and add the baking powder. Begin adding flour, 2 Tbsp at a time, until the mixture becomes cohesive enough to form into patties and not stick to your hands. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend.
Using a small measuring cup or scoop (about 1/8th cup or 2 Tbsp), form the mixture into small patties.
If freezing the patties for later, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet so they can freeze without sticking together. The patties can be transferred to an air-tight container or freezer bag for long-term storage once they have frozen through.
To cook the fresh or frozen patties, heat oil in a skillet (or pot if deep frying) until very hot and shimmering, but not smoking. Cook the patties on each side until deep golden brown and crispy.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 108 kcal
Carbohydrates: 14 g
Protein: 4 g
Fat: 4 g
Sodium: 148 mg

Reviews

Michael Townsend on 2025-09-27 (5 stars):
So I was super lazy when I made this and substituted: 1 tsp garlic powder for the cloves 1 tsp onion powder for the onion 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley for fresh 1/2 Tbsp dried cilantro for fresh Despite all those changes it still came out great. Highly recommend these.
Kayla on 2025-07-24 (5 stars):
Wow, these are SO good!! And easy to make! I'm not the best at pan frying, but even if I mess that up a bit, these turn out delicious. I serve with homemade vegan tzatziki, cucumber, and couscous. Thanks for the recipe!!
Nicole on 2025-05-27 (5 stars):
Love these! Not complicated and very delicious. I do not own a food processor so I tried in the blender the first time I made it and that was a slow, frustrating experience. This most recent time I just finely chopped the herbs and onion, added the chickpeas, stirred well and then mashed everything together using a pestle. It was a pretty chunky mixture but the patties stayed together well and the flavor was spot on. If you have a food processor, I'm sure it's all a breeze 😅
Stephany on 2025-02-07 (5 stars):
These are the most delicious falafel! I have yet to find a restaurant/food truck that has falafel this good. I'm so spoiled with these, I am always disappointed when I order them out!
Jax on 2024-01-31 (5 stars):
Great recipe! A have a smaller food processor so I split it up into three smaller amounts. Worked out really well. I ended up using 6 tbsp of flour and they did not fall apart. Have made it twice since trying it the first time!!
Denise on 2024-01-03 (5 stars):
These were very tasty my friend made them for New Years Eve and I think I ate six of them.
Ava Norberg on 2023-09-22 (5 stars):
Love them! Thank you for another great recipe!
judy on 2023-08-18 (5 stars):
I made this exactly as written. The flavor was spot on. Served the falafel with couscous and homemade tzatziki with lots of cucumbers. It was very enjoyable AND budget friendly. Thanks!
Maddie on 2023-02-19 (5 stars):
These came out amazing. One of the few recipes that will become a staple for me. Thank you!
Kathryn on 2022-08-29 (5 stars):
I made these yesterday and they were so easy! It was quick to come together and I could tell the resting in the fridge really helped the flavor. The first few I cooked got a little too crumbly, so I added more flour to the rest of the batter to hold them together better, this was a good call, they cooked up so well after that. The flavor is delicious! I served them on a salad with some homemade tzatziki (another budget bytes recipe!).