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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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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do you think itd taste similar with a green onion stalk instead of the parsley?
Just made these, and they’re amazing! They’re even better than ones I’ve gotten from restaurants — much more moist and flavorful.
I finally got around to making these today! I made the falafel, pita, and tzatziki sauce. DELICIOUS!
made these today for dinner and I loved the fact that they weren’t deep fried. This recipe is a keeper for me, thanks for sharing :)
My whole family loves this recipe! My “super picky eater” 15 year old says this is his new favorite food. Thanks!
Ok, so my first ever falafel experience was as L’As du Falafel in Paris, which purportedly has the best falafels in the city. That set the bar awfully high. I have tried making my own a couple times in the past, with fairly miserable results. Then, last night, I made these. Sweet jeebus. They were A.MA.ZING. Little patties of chickpea wonder. *pauses to wipe drool from chin*
I made them almost exactly to your recipe, except I used 5 cloves of garlic, and I added 1/2 a jalapeno that was staring at me in the freezer. I served them in a pita with shredded romaine slathered in my favorite yogurt dill sauce and a couple tomato slices. My husband and I could only stare at each other and nod vigorously over the tops of our pitas, because we couldn’t stop chomping long enough to speak.
So anyway, yeah, they were pretty good. ;P
Thanks for an awesome blog, btw. We’re new vegetarians, and your recipes have made the transition an absolute pleasure. We don’t even notice the meat is gone! (And that’s really saying something for husby.)
I lived in Egypt for a couple of years & have traveled to Greece ….. and I have to say these falafels are so yummy!
This recipe made enough to freeze & my kids (3 and 1) love them!
Yeah for a meatless dinner-
I HAVE MADE THESE (AND THE DELISH YOGURT SAUCE) THREE TIMES IN THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS AND OOOHhhHhhHH so good. I am serious. Such a delicious, healthy, simple meal. :)
How about making these with sprouted beans? From dried beans? Even cheaper!
Made this for our meatless monday dinner tonight…OMG, sooooo good! Thanks for sharing, I will definitely make this one again and again and again!
Hi Beth,
I found you through a post on ‘Food Inc.’
I’ve not tried this recipe yet but I will as I’ve made these before and they’ve not held together well. My guys RAVE about the flavor! Even my teenager loves them : )
You can reduce the cost of this fabulous recipe even more if you buy dried garbanzos. I soak them until they sprout and then simmer on low about 20 minutes until just tender. Mush better flavor than tinned beans.
I love how you break down the cost of each recipe. This is a real contribution. Thanks so much for this post!
oh yea.. and I added some other goodies into the recipe as well – 1 grated carrot, 2 green onion stalks and half a baked potato… just because I needed to use it up in something! :)
Super delicious!!
I’ve made your recipe once before and everyone gobbled them down (I didn’t tell the kids WHAT was in them.. just urged them to try a bite! lol)
I made a double batch tonight and was having the hardest time getting the patties to brown up.. Finally I just took the whole bowl’s worth and poured it out onto a pizza pan and popped it in the oven on 375. I thought, surely this will do the trick!
Well it never puffed, it never browned noticeably so I just figured no worries, I’ll use it as a dip for carrots and cucumbers and cut up the pitas instead.
It was about an hour after dinner when I realized … DOH! I completely forgot to add in the baking powder and the flour!!! heh
Just wanted to let you know this works really well as a dip too when you happen to forget some of the essentials! :)
Thanks!
Hmmm, I wonder if the gluten in the flour helped mine stay together. A couple other people had problems with theirs falling apart too, though. That’s definitely a bummer because the crispy exterior with warm interior is quite heavenly. I’m glad you were able to make it tasty anyway!!
I just made these tonight for dinner, only change was to use rice flour. Tried to find chick pea flour so it would be gluten free and authentic but no dice.
Flavour is amazing, but when I tried to fry them in good hot oil, they slowly dissolved and all I could hear was ‘I’mmmmm meltiiiiiing’ lol /sigh
I resorted to a non-stick skillet dry cook and they were still wonderful. No, not crispy fried in oil wonderful, but the ingredients and the flavour punch these little cakes had made up for it.
I also made your pita recipe sans gluten :-)and ate it pretty much like your picture, even some very garlicky tzatziki stuffed inside.
Hubby enjoyed it too, even after I told him it was a gluten free, vegetarian, low fat meal lol
Ty again Beth, keep it up!