I was so excited, so drawn in, so salivating when I saw this recipe for falafel from Living The Pie Life a few weeks ago. The only problem was that I didn’t have a food processor. But somewhere in the back of my mind, a little voice was telling me, “you WILL get a food processor for Christmas… just be patient, Beth.” Sure enough, my parents bought me this food processor as an early Christmas and graduation present. I’ve been using it non-stop ever since.
What is Falafel?
If you’ve never had falafel before, they are a little patty made of mashed beans (fava or sometimes garbanzo) along with tons of fresh herbs and spices. Traditionally they are fried which gives them a wonderfully crispy exterior with a soft warm center. I have an irrational fear of deep-frying, so I shallow-fried my falafel in a skillet. My version of this tasty treat is definitely not authentic, but if you’d like to try your hand at making authentic falafel or read more about the culture and history behind them, check out these recipes:
- Lebanese Crispy Falafel from Feel Good Foodie
- How to Make Falafel from The Mediterranean Dish
- Falafel (The Crispy Traditional Way) from Chef Tariq
Can I Bake Them?
I always get questions about whether you can bake falafel and I really wouldn’t suggest it. You won’t get that nice brown crispy exterior like you do with frying and they will probably get quite dry. If anything, use just a small amount of oil in a non-stick skillet to at least brown them up some.
Are They Freezer-Friendly?
I froze most of my falafel uncooked and will probably shallow fry the rest of them. Leftover cooked falafel are also great as an addition to salads or to make sandwiches with, so cooking them all at once isn’t a terrible idea.
See this recipe used in my weekly meal prep.
Easy Homemade Falafel
Servings 7 2 falafel eachIngredients
- 2 15oz. cans chickpeas ($1.58)
- 1/4 red onion ($0.25)
- 1 handfull fresh parsley (about 1/4 bunch) ($0.25)
- 1 handfull fresh cilantro (about 1/4 bunch) ($0.25)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.05)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- 1 tsp baking powder ($0.03)
- 1/2 cup flour* ($0.07)
- 1/4 cup neutral cooking oil for frying ($0.16)
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas in a colander. Add the chickpeas to a food processor along with the red onion, parsley, cilantro, salt, cayenne, garlic and cumin (all ingredients except baking powder and flour). 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 stir in the baking powder. Begin adding flour, 2 Tbsp at a time, until the mixture becomes cohesive enough to form into patties. Chickpea or garbanzo bean flour gives the best flavor and texture, but all-purpose can be used in it’s place. 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 falafel dough 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.
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Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Falafel – Step By Step Photos
Rinse and drain two 15oz. cans of chickpeas (or about 3 cups if cooked from dry) in a colander. Add the chickpeas to a food processor along with a large handful of parsley, a large handful of cilantro, 1/4 of a red onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne, and 1 tsp salt.
Pulse the mixture until you have a chunky paste. Chunks add great texture but too many will keep the mixture from holding it’s shape in a patty. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
Stir 1 tsp baking powder into the chickpea mixture. Then begin adding flour, 2 Tbsp at a time, until the paste is dry enough to form patties and not stick to your hands. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour to let the flavors blend.
Scoop the falafel into about 2 Tbsp portions and shape into small patties. If you’d like to freeze your falafel, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment, then place them in the freezer. Once frozen solid you can transfer them to a freezer bag for long term storage.
I got 15 falafel with a 2 Tbsp scoop. I cooked some immediately and froze the rest.
To cook the falafel, add enough oil to a skillet to completely cover the surface (one of my favorite pans). Heat over medium until the oil is hot and shimmering. Add the falafel and cook on each side until brown and crispy. Let them drain on paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
And that’s it! If you’re a garlic lover, you’re going to LOOOVE these homemade falafel!
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Tip to others – make sure to add the minimum flour!
I’ve made these a few times before with great success. However, this last time I felt the mixture was holding together nicely with only 1.5tbsp of flour. However, when I went to fry they they completely disintegrated into the pan.
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!!
These were very tasty my friend made them for New Years Eve and I think I ate six of them.
Love them! Thank you for another great recipe!
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!
Could you bake or air fry these?
We have not tested those methods, and can’t comment. But it sounds like a great experiment!
We bake them for our baby. 375 for 10-12 minutes on each side.
These came out amazing. One of the few recipes that will become a staple for me. Thank you!
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!).
Can you substitute dried parsley and cilantro for fresh?
I wouldn’t suggest it for this recipe, unfortunately.
Hi there! Could you use freshly cooked chickpeas for this recipe the same way you would canned? And if so, would this equate to about 3.5-4 cups of cooked chickpeas?
Hi! While I haven’t tried freshly cooked chickpeas, they would probably work. One 15oz. can is usually somewhere around 1.5 cups of chickpeas, so I would aim for about 3 cups. That being said, I’d really need to test it before offering any concrete suggestions.
I accidentally blended the mix for too long, so the patties aren’t as meaty as they should be, but it still is incredibly delicious! I need a new blender lol. I added more onion, garlic, and spices because I like the flavoring to be a bit stronger.
I made these a couple of months ago and have been eating them out of the freezer as needed using the thaw then cook in oil method… and I always found it unpleasantly oily. Today I forgot to take my falafel out of the freezer in the morning so it would be thawed at dinner time so I just threw it in the dry skillet still frozen and let it cook until I could see that it was mostly thawed. I then flipped it, added a few tablespoons of water, and smashed it down. The water helped it get nice and crispy on the bottom as it evaporated. Then I flipped it over again and added water and smashed again to get it crispy on the other side. I enjoyed it much more than cooking it in oil when cooked this way!
We have made this a million times and loved it. In the latest iteration, we used chickpea flour instead of regular flour. Not sure if we did something wrong but it resulted in a big old miss. The falafel disintegrated in the pan and gave it a much grainier texture when done.
Would chickpea flour do that?
It’s possible, since chickpea flour has a different composition from wheat flour, so it might not be quite as “gluey.” How about everything else, was it minced as finely? I can see larger pieces of the other ingredients causing it to not hold together as well.
Same here! Using almond flour