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Falafel is a traditionally Arab food. The word falafel may descend from the Arabic word falāfil, a plural of the word filfil, meaning “pepper.” These fried vegetarian fritters are often served along with hummus and tahini sauce (known as a “falafel plate.”) They’re also great served with toum, a Middle Eastern garlic sauce. So just what is the history of this tasty little fritter? According to The Encyclopedia of Jewish Food by Gil Marks, “The first known appearance of legume fritters (aka falafel) in the Middle East appears to be in Egypt, where they were made from dried white fava beans (ful nabed) and called tamiya/ta-amia (from the Arabic for ‘nourishment’); these fritters were a light green color inside. Many attribute tamiya to the Copts of Egypt, who practiced one of the earliest forms of Christianity. They believed that the original state of humankind was vegetarian and, therefore, mandated numerous days of eating only vegan food, including tamiya.”
When falafel is made the traditional way, is indeed a vegan food; it’s a great source of protein for people who have cut meat out of their diet. It’s relatively low in fat and has no cholesterol if you fry it in heart-healthy grapeseed oil. And if you top it with veggies in a pita, it becomes a filling and nourishing meal! Sure beats a Big Mac, if you ask me.
In Israel, falafel has been adopted from Arab cuisine and the version made with chickpeas is wildly popular. Falafel stands are as numerous and plentiful in Israel as fast food restaurants are here in the U.S. Falafel is also fast and easy, but more nourishing and better for your heart than burgers and fries. The idea of stuffing falafel into pita pockets is actually an invention of Yemenite Jewish immigrants to Israel. The introduction of pita sandwiches made falafel portable, which expanded its popularity and made it into the number one “fast food” in Israel.
On my trip to Israel this past summer, one of the last stops we made was for a falafel pita. I asked our friend Hagai to take us to his favorite falafel joint, Mana Mana, on Yehuda Hamaccabi street in Tel Aviv. At that time it was run by a three-generation family—grandfather, father, and son. The young son ran the cash register with the confidence and authority of a 40 year-old. Apparently the restaurant has changed management since then, so I can’t vouch for the food now, but at the time they made a truly delicious falafel—crispy on the outside, hot and fluffy on the inside, with fresh toppings grown on local kibbutzim.
My favorite way to make a falafel pita… start with a layer of hummus deep inside the pocket, then add the falafel, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. Top with a thin layer of tahini sauce. Okay, I’m making myself hungry! 🙂
Here is my recipe for falafel, along with a few variations you can try. Falafel was originally made with fava beans and continues to be made this way in Egypt and other Arab countries, but Israeli falafel is almost universally made from chickpeas. This is because many Jews have a medical deficiency called G6PD, a hereditary enzymatic deficiency that can be triggered by fava beans. I have included an Egyptian falafel recipe variation at the end of the blog if you would like to try making it that way. It’s greener and spicier than the Classic Falafel.
You will need to soak dried chickpeas overnight for your falafel to turn out right; canned beans are too tender and contain too much moisture to achieve the right consistency. Don’t cook the beans, because this will result in a mushier and denser falafel, which is not the proper texture. I’ve also included instructions for constructing your own falafel pita. As they say in Israel, Bete’avon!
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Falafel
Ingredients
- 1 pound (about 2 cups) dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans - you must start with dry, do NOT substitute canned, they will not work!
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 3-5 cloves garlic (I prefer roasted)
- 1 1/2 tbsp flour or chickpea flour
- 1 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- Pinch of ground cardamom
- Vegetable oil for frying (grapeseed, canola, and peanut oil work well)
You will also need
- Food processor, skillet
- Pour the chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them by about 3 inches of cold water. Let them soak overnight. They will double in size as they soak – you will have between 4 and 5 cups of beans after soaking.
Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans well. Pour them into your food processor along with the chopped onion, garlic cloves, parsley, flour or chickpea flour (use chickpea flour to make gluten free), salt, cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom.
Pulse all ingredients together until a rough, coarse meal forms. Scrape the sides of the processor periodically and push the mixture down the sides. Process till the mixture is somewhere between the texture of couscous and a paste. You want the mixture to hold together, and a more paste-like consistency will help with that... but don't overprocess, you don't want it turning into hummus!
Once the mixture reaches the desired consistency, pour it out into a bowl and use a fork to stir; this will make the texture more even throughout. Remove any large chickpea chunks that the processor missed.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.- Note: Some people like to add baking soda to the mix to lighten up the texture inside of the falafel balls. I don’t usually add it, since the falafel is generally pretty fluffy on its own. If you would like to add it, dissolve 2 tsp of baking soda in 1 tbsp of water and mix it into the falafel mixture after it has been refrigerated.
- Fill a skillet with vegetable oil to a depth of 1 ½ inches. I prefer to use cooking oil with a high smoke point, like grapeseed. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat. Meanwhile, form falafel mixture into round balls or slider-shaped patties using wet hands or a falafel scoop. I usually use about 2 tbsp of mixture per falafel. You can make them smaller or larger depending on your personal preference. The balls will stick together loosely at first, but will bind nicely once they begin to fry.
- If the balls won't hold together, place the mixture back in the processor again and continue processing to make it more paste-like. Keep in mind that the balls will be delicate at first; if you can get them into the hot oil, they will bind together and stick. If they still won't hold together, you can try adding 2-3 tbsp of flour or chickpea flour to the mixture. If they still won't hold, add 1-2 eggs to the mix. This should fix any issues you are having.
Before frying my first batch of falafel, I like to fry a test one in the center of the pan. If the oil is at the right temperature, it will take 2-3 minutes per side to brown (5-6 minutes total). If it browns faster than that, your oil is too hot and your falafels will not be fully cooked in the center. Cool the oil down slightly and try again. When the oil is at the right temperature, fry the falafels in batches of 5-6 at a time till golden brown on both sides.
Once the falafels are fried, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon.
Let them drain on paper towels. Serve the falafels fresh and hot; they go best with a plate of hummus and topped with creamy tahini sauce. You can also stuff them into a pita.- Troubleshooting: If your falafel is too hard/too crunchy on the outside, there are two possible reasons-- 1) you didn't process the mixture enough-- return the chickpea mixture to the processor to make it more paste-like. 2) the chickpeas you used were old. Try buying a fresher batch of dried chickpeas next time.
SESAME FALAFEL VARIATION: After forming the balls or patties, dip them in sesame seeds prior to frying. This will make the falafel coating crunchier and give it a slightly nutty flavor.
HERB FALAFEL VARIATION (GREEN FALAFEL): Add ½ cup additional chopped green parsley, or cilantro, or a mixture of the two prior to blending.
TURMERIC FALAFEL (YELLOW FALAFEL): Add ¾ tsp turmeric to the food processor prior to blending.
EGYPTIAN FAVA BEAN FALAFEL: Use 1 lb. dried fava beans instead of chickpeas; cover them with cold water, soak them for at least 24 hours, then drain, rinse and peel them. You can also use a mixture of soaked fava beans and chickpeas if you wish; just make sure the weight of the dried beans adds up to 1 lb.- After the beans are soaked and rinsed, add the Classic Falafel ingredients to the processor along with the following ingredients – 1 leek, cleaned, trimmed, and quartered; ¼ cup chopped dill; ¼ cup chopped cilantro; and an additional ¾ tsp cayenne pepper. When mixture is processed to a coarse meal, pour into a bowl. Stir 2 ½ tbsp sesame seeds into the mixture with a fork until it’s evenly dispersed throughout the mixture. Refrigerate and proceed with frying. If mixture seems too “wet” when making the falafel balls, add additional flour by the teaspoonful until the mixture sticks together better. Continue with frying.
HOW TO MAKE A FALAFEL PITA: Making a falafel pita is actually really simple. The two main ingredients are pita bread and falafel.- Cut the pita bread in half to form two “pockets.” Each pocket is a serving size. Stuff the pocket with falafel, as well as any add-ons you fancy.
- Here are some traditional add-ons that can be added to your pita; these are the ingredients most widely available at falafel stands throughout Israel:
- Tahini sauce
Shredded lettuce
Diced or sliced tomatoes
Israeli salad
Onions
Dill pickles
Hummus
Tabouli
French fries - Here are some less traditional add-ons that are also tasty:
- Sprouts
Cucumber slices
Roasted peppers
Roasted eggplant slices
Sunflower seeds
Feta cheese
Yogurt
Tzatziki
This is a great recipe! I’ve made falafel before, but never thought it was supposed to be done with uncooked chickpeas. Such a great taste and so easy to make! The whole family loved these and I will definitely make these regularly now. Thank you!
This was life changing, our first attempt turned out to be a success and will make this at least once a month. Absolutely delicious!!!
Hi I’m wanting to make this for a 21st party this weekend and wondering if you can refrigerate or freeze the mixture and cook it a day or two later? Or if you can cook a batch of the falafels then freeze them and warm them up on the day?
No need to freeze for just a day or so. You can just put it in the ‘fridge. That said, for longer storage this freezes just fine.
I was pleasantly surprised that the falafels were as delicious as the ones I love at my favorite Mediterranean restaurant. I was concerned about using raw chickpeas because they didn’t seem to be soft even after soaking 48 hours. I brought them to a boil and cooked them for only about 20 minutes. I did add 1 egg and refrigerated the mixture overnight. I added baking soda right before cooking and they fried perfectly and were incredibly fluffy! I served them with homemade tzatziki sauce. I’d never made anything like this, but am a vegetarian and had fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, garlic and parsley in my garden. This turned out to be a great way to use them all! Thank you for the detailed instructions!
Where do you find the raw chick peas?
Judi, I’m assuming you mean dried chickpeas, which are sold in bulk bins or in bags near other dried beans.
Fantastic recipe! I make these every Sunday for all my neighbors.
Hi Tori! Have you ever or anyone you know ever use an air fryer to cook falafel???
Nope, that’s a new one to me 🙂
I’m soaking my chickpeas now so I’ll be making the falafel tomorrow .. I will let you know how they turned out w/ the air fryer 😉 I don’t have any ground coriander .. will that be something I can skip??
OHHHMYYGAHH!!!!! My air fried falafel came out SO yummy!!😀😀😀 I added some turmeric & fresh cilantro since I didn’t have parsley. I also didn’t have any coriander either. After soaking the beans longer than overnight.. I didn’t need to cook them at all. Was I suppose to cook them?? I just sprayed a tad of olive oil on 4 falafel and set my air fryer to 300 degrees for 15 min. On my plate I put 2 TBSP of Trader Joe’s Tzatziki Cucumber Yogurt sauce & 1 TSP Trader Joe’s Organic Tahini sauce. Yummy!!😋😋 The batch I made created 2 dozen falafel balls. I’m putting the rest of the uncook batch in the freezer for later use😉 I wanted to post a photo but we can’t 😔 THANK YOU for your recipe!! This was my first time ever making them at I am quite surprised at myself🤓
Awesome Elvia! No you’re not supposed to cook the beans, only soak them for best results. 🙂
GREAT! B/c I didn’t cook them and the mixture was perfect! 😀
Never tried making Falafels before, and when I found out the chickpeas were raw I wasn’t too sure. I have a love/hate relationship with chickpeas. Love them in hummus and a few other dishes, but don’t like the taste of them on their own so much. But WOW was this recipe good! The mixture tasted good. And, they came out perfect and delicious.
I noticed that you use grapeseed oil rather than olive oil. Which oil is most commonly used in the Middle East? Is olive oil too strong as flavour for falafel?
Thanks,
AD
Hi AD, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. Tori uses grapeseed oil more often for frying because it has a higher smoke point than olive oil.
Olive oil burns fast at low temp
Can these be frozen for future use?
…and of course 5*****
If you are adverse to frying follow the recipe but fully cook the chickpeas before blending the mix then make it into patties and bake it for 25 minutes. Works really well, especially if topped with some halloumi
How would you cook the chickpeas? Boil them?
Laura Lee, yes, soak them as mentioned above, rinse and use fresh water and then boil them.
this is one of my favorite foods and recipes ever top ten !!
Finally…a falafel recipe that worked!! Thanks Tori…this was a particular sore point in my culinary arsenal.
Do you have a recipe for tahini sauce
Yes! Here you go: http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2010/01/tahini-sauce/
How do you make the garlic sauce to go with the falafels?
Hi Debbie, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. Here’s the recipe for the garlic sauce: http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2015/03/toum-middle-eastern-garlic-sauce/
I made these for new year, and I just made them again for my niece’s birthday at the request of the whole family. They were a major hit and they flew off the plate! Thanks so much for the troubleshooting steps, that saved me a lot of stress.
The green version are still made and eaten in the Eastern part of Sinai, especially in El Arish and Sheikh Zuwayed. They are less spherical, more like cookie shaped, but still delicious! Wrap in a warm flat-bread with some salad and fil-fil (pickled chilli or fresh) for a sustaining breakfast.
Can you use gluten free flour as a substitute to make the dish vegetarian and gluten free??
I use chickpea flour and they turn out just fine.
I have made this recipe gluten free. Use an all purpose gf flour and add an egg (possibly two) to make up for the protein loss from no gluten. If it fails to hold together when you are frying, you can always bake the falafel. I would recommend heating stoneware prior to placing the falafel into the oven. It helps to create a slightly crisper texture.
Of course I’ve used gluten freeflour all the time. Can add some flax seed flour to make them sticky too
I used almond flour and it worked! Did end up using more eggs than the recipe called for – i.e 4 eggs
I used coconut flower and “chia & flax eggs” (I.e. just the ground seeds soaked in water) to replace the wheat flour and chicken eggs, it worked out perfectly and was delicious!
Also tried making them both ways – fried and oven baked, both work and are equally enjoyable!
I have never, NOT ONCE, used any flour in falafel; you just don’t need it. Waiting a few minutes gives the starch from the peas time to bind. I’ve made thousands of falafel. Also, depending on air pressure and humidity, egg can help (I never have, but my SIL always does). Use only the white, though. Whole egg makes them too dense and doughy. We make Aleppo style– nothing green, but very spicy. A grinder, not food processor is really the appropriate kitchen appliance for good consistency, though.
I made these again tonight..probably my 3rd time with the recipe. I soaked the beans for 2 days–48 hours–and rinsed them and changed the water about every 8-10 hours. I added Italian parsley, coriander, cardamon, minced garlic. I put it into my Vitamix and added a little of the preserved lemons I put up earlier this year. Perfect. They look perfect, they tasted terrific! I had saved some of the beans to make humus. Best dinner ever! I think Torey’s site has great ideas and I appreciate the time and testing she has done. My family is Italian and from the East Coast, but my friend from Iraq says they are as good as hers. Thank you!
I used to go out for falafel and say “mmmm that’s so tasty!” Then I made these falafel at home. Now when I go out for falafel and I say “eh, my falafel is better.”
What flour do you use?
Hi Mitzi, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. We use all-purpose flour.
I made this recipe and it turned out great for me!
I would now like to try to cook the falafels in the oven rather than frying them, and I’m wondering if anyone has tried that — I’d like to know if it works and if there are tweaks or tips you can share.
Thanks!
Falafel will bake just fine in the oven, but the texture is more dry and dense. Brushing them with oil before putting them in the oven helps a little bit. Try baking them at 375F for 10-15 minutes, flip them over, and then another 10-15 minutes. Good luck!
Have you tried baking them? I tried them once and was very impressed. They were tasty so I am just making a triple batch to freeze but would prefer to bake them. How long at what temperature did you do, if you tried it? Thanks
Thank you for your answers!
I need to go buy garbanzo beans and try it 🙂
I will report back with my experience
Reporting back – yes I did try baking them for my second time making the recipe, turned out perfect!
I baked at 350F, they didn’t take very long, maybe 20 min but i didn’t check the time. Just check on them regularly.
I wish I could add photos to this comment.
This time I also replaced the eggs with “flax and chia eggs” to make it vegan and it was great, they did the job of holding the paste together perfectly.
I also always use naturally gluten free flours and it’s no problem at all
I loved how thorough you were in your description. Thank you.
Best felafel ever ?
Recipe was easy to follow and the falafel tasted superb…I doubt my family is ever going to ‘buy’ their favourites anymore !
Well try this. process the raw but soaked chickpeas and add lemon juice roasted garlic and a good portion of tahini. ( you can add tumeric, curry or any of the other spices mentioned above. Blend it all togther and you end up with a thick hummus like paste. Take a desert spoon of the paste and drop it into hot oil, pat it gently flat and fry it both sides until it is golden brown on both sides – delicious hot or cold.
All the balls disolved in the oil on the pan while frying after a while! Where did I go wrong? I added the flour as described.
🙁
Paul, did you use chickpeas from the can? That is the most common mistake that leads to the issue you are describing. The chickpeas should be soaked but not canned or cooked.
I just did the same things and mine dissolved. I didn’t think I would have time to soak them so I left them in the slow cooker for a couple of hours instead of soaking. 🙁 I tried to fry them and they just dissolved.
I have used this recipe when I had more time and it worked fantastically. At least can see my mistake.
it could also be that you needed to add a little more flour. 3 tbsp worked for me
I love these recipe, I made it for my boyfriend’s birthday but instead of chickpeas I used lentils (because I used the chickpeas for the hummus) and it worked pretty well. He loved his birthday meal!
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe,
Irma
México
I use the same recipe basically. 1pound Fava beans, 1pound Chickpeas, same spices, instead of tumeric I use curry, but once processed I add one cup of bulghur #2 to the mix… it makes it crunchier. I chop one large onion, 3/4 cup of chopped parsley, caramelize the mixture in Arabic infused ghee, and stuff the felafel croquettes with the mixtrure. Try it 🙂
Is your bulghur cooked?
Beautiful, thanks!
Delicious! I have made it twice. The second time, I used the quick-soak method outlined on the website, and found that initially, my falafels were just turning into hot mush. So I added a whole lot of flour (and extra spices to make up for it) and tried frying them again, and they turned out delicious — much softer on the inside than the first time, actually!