Falafel! It’s one of my all-time favorite snacks. This homemade falafel recipe has hundreds and hundreds of positive reviews. Why? Because it’s just that delicious!
Making authentic, traditional falafel is an interesting process, and it may be brand new to you. Never fear! I am here to walk you through each step, so you can achieve crispy, tender, tasty falafel every single time.
What is Falafel?
Falafel are crisp and delicious deep-fried legume fritters made with beans, spices, onions, and herbs. Legumes are well-soaked, then ground up and mixed with other ingredients. Next, the mixture is formed into small balls or patties, then fried in hot oil. The pre-soaked legumes are cooked during the frying process.
Most falafel today is made with chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans). However, in Egypt and other areas of the Middle East, fava beans are the legume of choice. It is often served alongside other popular regional Mediterranean recipes like hummus, as well as shawarma made from lamb or chicken.
The History of Falafel
This Middle Eastern food has a very long history. The word falafel may descend from the Arabic word falāfil, a plural of the word filfil, meaning “pepper.” Legume fritters, including versions made with fava beans and lentils, have existed in the Middle East for thousands of years.
According to The Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, written by my friend 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.”
Likewise, the Torah, the Song of Songs, the Mishnah, and the Talmud all mention deep-fried lentil fritters, known as “ashishim.” This means early forms of falafel were enjoyed in this region since biblical times, at least. That’s some pretty ancient falafel!
Ingredients and Notes
Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the complete details!
- Chickpeas – I use chickpeas because they’re easy to find, and they’re tasty! Follow my tips to cook and soak dried chickpeas. Do not use canned chickpeas; they will not give you the proper result – you need to start with uncooked chickpeas. If all you have on hand are canned chickpeas, try this very delicious and falafel-like spicy panko chickpea patties recipe instead!
- Onion and Garlic – These ingredients add a pungent, sweet, savory taste. I like white onion, but yellow onion will also work. Then, I use roasted garlic cloves for extra depth.
- Herbs and Spices – Fresh parsley, salt, ground cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and ground cardamom create the warm, savory flavor found in falafel recipes all over the world.
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour or chickpea flour to keep this recipe gluten-free. This absorbs any excess moisture and helps the falafel balls hold their shape.
- Leaveners – I use baking soda in the soaking water for the chickpeas to help soften them. You can also add baking powder in the falafel balls. This helps to create super tender, fluffy falafel.
- Oil – Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point for frying. I prefer avocado oil, but grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, and peanut oil all work.
How to Make Authentic Fried Falafel Balls
Homemade falafel can be a little time-consuming. So, make sure to read through the entire recipe and plan ahead accordingly!
- Soak the chickpeas. Submerge the chickpeas in cold water, and add baking soda. Cover the bowl, and chill in the fridge for at least 12 hours or ideally up to 24 hours. This helps soften them, making them easy to blend.
- Combine and blend. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Then, add them to a food processor along with the other ingredients. Pulse until a rough, coarse meal forms. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure all the ingredients are well incorporated. Be careful not to overprocess! The mixture should have a paste-like consistency, but shouldn’t be so smooth that it turns into hummus.
- Chill. Transfer the chickpea mixture to a bowl, and stir with a fork to remove any remaining chunks. Then, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Fry. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. In the meantime, portion the falafel mixture into equal-sized balls or slider-shaped patties. Then, fry on each side until golden brown, working in batches as needed. Drain them on a paper towel-lined plate, and enjoy!
Tori’s Tips for the Best Crispy Falafel Recipe
- Divide the mixture. If you have a small food processor, divide the falafel ingredients in half before pulsing.
- Use a deep fry or candy thermometer. The ideal temperature to fry falafel is between 360 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit. The best way to monitor the temperature is to use a deep fry or candy thermometer to check the oil before frying.
- Portion evenly. I like to use a tablespoon or a falafel scoop to portion the falafel balls into equal-sized pieces and roll them between wet hands.
- Test a single falafel before frying the rest. 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.
- Add flavor. I like to dip my falafel balls in sesame seeds before frying for a little extra crisp and nutty taste. However, I’ve also tested different flavor variations, adding chopped parsley or fresh cilantro or turmeric, and they all taste great. (See the recipe card below for details!)
Serving Ideas
My favorite way to serve homemade falafel is as a falafel sandwich. To do so, I use flatbread or slice warm pita bread in half to form two “pockets.” Then, I stuff them with the falafel balls and add-ons such as tahini sauce, Israeli salad, hummus, baba ganoush, or tabouli, and vegetables like shredded lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and dill pickles.
Sometimes I also like to add sprouts, cucumber slices, roasted peppers, roasted eggplant slices, sunflower seeds, French fries, feta cheese, and yogurt or tzatziki for extra taste and texture.
Or, start with a large bowl and a base of lemony saffron couscous, cauliflower couscous, quinoa, or saffron rice, then add fresh veggies and all your favorite toppings.
Falafel balls are also great to serve as an appetizer or side dish with dips and main courses. Or, add them to a mezze platter for a party spread.
Falafel
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) – you must start with dry, do NOT substitute canned, they will not work!
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 3-5 cloves garlic (I prefer roasted garlic cloves)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon flour or chickpea flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Pinch of ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (optional – makes the falafel more fluffy)
- Vegetable oil for frying – avocado oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, and peanut oil all work well (I prefer avocado oil)
Instructions
- One day ahead: Pour the chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them by about 3 inches of cold water. Add 1/2 tsp of baking soda to the water and stir; this will help soften the chickpeas. Cover the bowl and let them soak overnight in a cool, dark place or chill in the refrigerator. The chickpeas should soak at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours, until tender (change soaking water for fresh water after 12 hours).
- They will double in size as they soak – you will have between 4 and 5 cups of beans after soaking.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas 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. Note: if you have a smaller food processor, you will want to divide the ingredients in half and process the mixture one batch at a time.
- 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 until 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 over-process, 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.Fill a skillet with oil to a depth of 1 ½ inches. Use cooking oil with a high smoke point (oil suggestions can be found in the ingredient list). Heat the oil slowly over medium heat. The ideal temperature to fry falafel is between 360 and 375 degrees F; the best way to monitor the temperature is to use a deep fry or candy thermometer. After making these a few times, you will start to get a feel for when the oil temperature is "right."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 should 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 until 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.
- 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.
- 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: tahini sauce, shredded lettuce, diced or sliced tomatoes, Israeli salad, onions, dill pickles, hummus, tabouli.Here are some less traditional add-ons that are also tasty: sprouts, cucumber slices, roasted peppers, roasted eggplant slices, sunflower seeds, french fries, feta cheese, yogurt, tzatziki.
NOTES
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
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FAQs
This recipe is best served right away. However, you can store cooked leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
I’ve never tried freezing this recipe, but some readers have had good luck with freezing both the uncooked chickpea mixture and the cooked falafels.
Personally, I don’t like baking this recipe, finding that it tends to dry out. However, if you want to give it a try, prepare and shape the falafel dough into patties as usual.
Then, arrange them on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, and brush the top of each falafel patty with extra virgin olive oil. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden. If you read through the comments, you’ll see tips from some readers who have tried this method with some success.
I followed your recipe for “green” (extra parsley and cilantro) falafel exactly, however I omitted the flour completely (we are on the anti-Candida diet) and decided I would try to bake rather than fry the falafel, and used no oil – I placed the falafel balls on a pyrex baking dish and baked at 400F for one hour – and they came out crunchy and delicious! They tasted even better than the NYC Halal street carts’ falafel. We dipped them in home made tahini sauce – bake 1/2 cup sesame seeds at 350F for ten minutes, mill the seeds into paste in a burr grain mill, mix in 2 Tbsp of good extra virgin olive oil, and thin out with 1/2 cup of filtered water. Thanks again for the great falafel recipe!
Great to hear Kenneth!
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderfull recipe! We loved it so much. We followed the recipe exactly and it was so amazing! We ate the falafel with: naanbread, homemade garlic sauce (amazing!), lamb’s lettuce, cucumber and zucchini (well, Anna did..I didn’t 😉 ). Thank you! Love.
Wonderful Karlijn and Anna! Thank you for writing. 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! This was my first time making homemade falafel and I am a big fan of falafel when it is done well. I did end up having to add two eggs as well as some flour to the batter so that it would form balls that stayed together. I also left out the cardammom as I did not have any ground. They ended up being a huge hit! I may try adding some fresh cilantro to the mix next time for flavour, and perhaps some baking soda to see if it results in a fluffier centre. They did have a nice, crispy exterior which is what I look for in falafel. Overall, great recipe. Thanks again!
Thank you for this recipe! I just finished frying some up and they are SO good. I did use canned chickpeas because I’m impatient/lazy, and I used coconut oil to fry them in, but either way, so delicious. I have to restrain myself from eating them all tonight. Thanks again!
I would like to make amba, the pungent sauce without which falafel is incomplete. You can find it throughout Israel, and at one kosher restaurant I’m familiar with in NYC.
Here are links to a couple of recipes I found online:
http://www.food.com/recipe/amba-a-spicy-and-savory-mango-condiment-280255
http://food52.com/recipes/17424-sour-sweet-hot-and-salty-amba-mango-condiment
I also have a recipe in a cookbook called The Food of Israel.
Here’s my canning question. I have canned fruits from recipes that specified that the prepared mixture should be put in sterilized jars which are then boiled for a period of time, and that’s what seals the jars.
The recipes above just say to put the mixture in the jar and “seal” – what does that mean? Just close the jar without the water bath?
Thanks!
If you want to keep the mixture for an extended period of time, you should follow a sterile canning process, including a water bath. I am assuming when it says “seal” it means via a water bath, but because these are not my recipes I cannot say for certain… best to ask the recipe authors themselves. Good luck!
Hi there.
I’m looking to have a cheap week so was looking for a good, clear recipe and ended up here. Thanks very much. They’re great. As is the lovely picture of the smiling woman holding the pitta. Cheered my Sunday up no end!
Grym.
Thanks Grym!
OMG! These are the best falafel ever. Better than any I’ve ever purchased commercially. I’ve never made falafel before. I followed your recipe as closely as possible (I only had olive oil, no parsley and I cut the recipe in third because it’s just me), and they came out so delicious. Thank you! It was like heaven in my mouth!
Beautiful! The recipe is perfect and the balls hold together exactly as they should. Just place them gently in the oil rather than dropping them off a spoon and you should have no trouble!
THANKYOU!
You can roll them and freeze them then cook from frozen it works well for us and we do add eggs
Hello. thanks for the recipe. Iam going to try it for a party. Is it ok to refrigerate the ground mixture for 2 nights and then fry then fry them up on the day of the party ? thanks.
Hi KG– the trouble with keeping the mix in the fridge that long is that it will dry out and crumble when you try to fry it. If you don’t mind adding an egg or two to the mix, you can do what you’re asking– just stir the egg into the mixture to help it bind/hold together before frying. Otherwise, I do not recommend refrigerating the mixture so far in advance (up to overnight is fine). Also, if this is the first time you’re making the falafel, I would suggest a test run prior to the party– they can be a bit tricky to master the first time or two you make them, so best to do a trial before you have guests over. Good luck!
these are wonderful eaten with sour cream and applesauce if you are not eating bread. a side of cucumbers and tomatoes. yummie
Hello. I made your falafel last night. I followed the recipe to a tee. Except, I used tinned chickpeas. Couldn’t understand why were so mushy until I looked at the comments posted. We still ate them as they tasted delicious. Will do again soon using raw, soaked chickpeas. Is it ok if I fry them in coconut oil instead of grapeseed? Or oven bake them on oiled tray?
Probably the best thing Egyptians invented! I love falafel!!! Thanks for this.
Thanks. I thought it would be kosher ingredient-wise and since I guess the product was manufactured in a kosher sensitive environment there would not be any cross contamination either. I expect the certification just adds that extra guarantee for the truly observant.
Precisely! 🙂
Love falafel but so far have only eaten the middle eastern Arab version so will give this recipe a go to see how they compare. Bought some ready made frozen falafel from the kosher section of a supermarket but wonder why falafel need to be kosher. What might they contain to make them non-kosher?
Kosher certification is obtained in order to show that a food product was produced under strict kosher standards, so that there is no potential for contamination from non-kosher sources. Traditional falafel does not contain any non-kosher ingredients (treyf), but strictly kosher Jews will look for a symbol called a hechsher to show that their food products were produced under kosher supervision. More info about kosher here: http://theshiksa.com/keeping-kosher/
I’m so delighted I found your blog, and this recipe in particular! It was *delicious*. I prepped beans for a full recipe (came out to about 800 g), then made half (it’s just two of us!) and made few adjustments for our tastes (more parsley, cayenne, garlic and cumin!) and shallow fried them in a wee bit of oil. Unfortunately the pita in the freezer turned out to be whole wheat tortilla, and so I served them on lettuce leaves with a dollop of garlic yogourt and tomato. So yummy! They didn’t need anything to lighten them up – they came out nice and ‘fluffy’ – not too heavy at all. Though the rest were supposed to be for tomorrow, we’ll probably have a couple alongside tonights quinoa, mango, mint and chive salad – I think they’ll go great! Thank you for sharing your recipes and tales.
Fabulous! Thanks for reporting back Holly. 🙂
i am lovin it
This recipe looks delicious! I just wondered is there no need to parboil the chickpeas before hand? Will they not still be hard?
Hi Shiksa,
Made falafels from your recipe. Was delicious. I added a bit of flour and they did not fall apart at all. They stayed together perfectly. Thank you!
I made these yesterday using your recipe and they were fabulous! My family loved them. Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much for the inspiration. My husband was in love with falafels made from a little shop downtown the city we live, and he was challenging me to try to make better falafels. I tried your recipe, served it with tarator sauce, yogurt sauce and israeli salad. It was amazingly delicious.