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.
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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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Equipment
- Food Processor
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!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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Can I make these without letting them sit for an hour? I don’t usually have that kind of time when making dinner.
You might be able to get away with reducing the rest time some, but it definitely needs a little time for the flour to absorb moisture and set.
Wow 🤩! So good and easy. My first time making them cause I really don’t like store bought ones. I replaced cilantro with more parsley and used all purpose whole wheat.
So I make this recipe all the time and I love it! However about every 4th time I make it, it completely fails and I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. As soon as the falafel hits the oil the whole thing disintegrates and it will not fry up at all. Even the disintegrated bits wont fry.
My best theory is that I am overmixing the “batter” or that my chickpeas are too wet when they are getting blitzed up and the excess moisture is affecting it.
Any one have any ideas? I lost an entire batch of falafel last night due to this problem.
Hmm, I’m not sure, but the chickpeas being too wet would be my first guess. I think overmixing would actually help it stick together because flour tends to get more gluey when mixed (thanks to the gluten).
Maybe you’re not getting the oil hot enough before adding the patties?
I made these a few weeks ago and froze them uncooked. Today I defrosted and cooked them at 350 for 15 min in the air fryer, flipping midway. AMAZING.
I’m excited to try these! At what temperature, and for how long would I cook these in the air fryer?
Is there anything I can sub instead of the egg to make this vegan?
Off the top of my head I don’t know of anything because I’d really need to do some testing with any substitutes to make sure they work okay before offering them as a suggestion. You might try Googling “vegan falafel” to see if there are already some recipes developed specifically to be vegan or to just see what those recipes use as a binder and then try that in this recipe.
I don’t see egg in the recipe or instructions—am I missing something?
Hahaha, no, looks like I just had a brain fart and was thinking of a different recipe. The falafel recipe does not contain egg. 🤦♀️
One of the best recipes I’ve made! It tasted like restaurant-quality!
I served the falafel in pitas with your tzatziki sauce, lettuce, cucumber, and feta with frozen waffle fries and your cauliflower salad recipe for dinner, then made falafel bowls for lunch :))
I’ve always avoided making falafel because I didn’t want to buy chickpea flour and I assumed they had to be almost deep fried. This was so delicious. In case anyone else thinks their patties are making a cohesive mass without flour, they will, but you’ll have slumping, falling-apart-in-the-pan chickpea crumbles. Use the flour!
Also I must have a small food processor; I should have processed it in two batches. Even still the ones I added flour to turned out beautifully. I served it with za’atar topped naan, cucumbers, feta and olives.
These turn out great every time! So easy and super tasty. I’m trying them air fried today so wish me luck!
This is my new favorite vegetarian recipe. It is pretty quick and easy as most everything is mixed in the food processor. The flavors are wonderful. I serve mine in a lettuce cup with a slice of tomato, avocado and topped with some tzaziki sauce. (I know I got that spelling off) 😱
Hi, Can I in any way make them in the oven, or is it only possible in a skillet??
I don’t suggest baking them. Check out the paragraph above the recipe titled “Can I bake My Falafel” for a more detailed explanation. :)
I want to cook some of these that I froze… would you recommend letting them fully that first or does frying them frozen work?
letting them fully THAW** first
I would probably thaw them first just for good measure. They’re pretty small, but they are pretty dense, so they might not fully cook through if fried from frozen. :)
This is delicious! I found the mixture was too much to put in my food processor all at once, so I did it in two batches and just made sure to mix everything properly once I transferred it to the bowl. I’ve made this twice and both times I only needed about 2 tbsp of flour, as it was nearly the right consistency right away. Turned out perfect! I really enjoyed these in a soft tortilla, with either Lebanese toum (garlic sauce) or sour cream.
Also, I had too much cilantro and parsley left over from the first recipe, so I just put the leftovers in a ziploc bag in the freezer till I made another batch, and that worked great.
I made these tonight and they were SO good!! Thank you for the recipe!
I really wanted this to work! But from the beginning it never came together- the mix was a nightmare in the food processor- I had to do 4 batches. And then my first attempt completely fell apart in the pan- literally just burnt crumbs. So I added half as much flour as before and a hand full of bread crumbs, this time I only lost about 30% crumbles in the oil. Added another full cup of bread crumbs and I finally have something that will hold together but the middle is completely soft! Giving up on these and I’m so bummed! I normally love all budget byte recipes. At least it’s a cheap fail!
I had a similar experience; fell apart and burnt crumbs in the pan, thought it was due to not enough flour but my raw patties seemed perfect. The edible parts were delicious but the frying process involved a lot of swearing and the finished product definitely did not turn out pretty