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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Hi, Beth.
I really hope you read this!
Falafel is so easy to make, but is not made from cooked chickpeas. The chickpeas need to be raw, and soaked from the night before until they are rehydrated. You also don’t need flour in the falafel because the chickpeas meal will hold together if made properly. The result is falafel, is creamy and green on the inside and super crunchy on the outside. Don’t get me wrong, these patties look delish and for sure they are delicious, but they are not falafel.
These are delicious! Pretty fiddly to make but absolutely worth it. Thanks, Beth!
I was wondering if I could bake them instead of frying them??
I don’t suggest it. Unfortunately it just kind of dries them out and doesn’t create that nice crispy crust on the outside.
Can I use almond flour instead of regular flour?
Unfortunately I’ve never worked with almond flour, so I’m not sure how it would work out in this recipe.
I tried it and they were really good except it dint hold well while frying . Any suggestions on this ? I used dry chickpeas soaked them overnight and then cooked and processed it .. is tht how we do while using dry chickpea .. thank you for this amazing recipe
Hmm, I’ve never made them with dry chickpeas so I’d probably have to test and troubleshoot it to see how to make them hold together better. It’s hard to guess without having tried it.
I made this recipe last week and had never attempted making falafel before so I was a little nervous, but OMG it was so easy and the falafels turned out perfectly! I made a lemon dill greek yogurt sauce to pair with them, because I didn’t have a cucumber to make tzatziki and the flavors were great together. My husband loved it too!
When you freeze these, do you thaw them before cooking?!
I don’t. :) They’re so small that they heat through really quickly even from frozen.
Can these be grilled? I am avoiding all oils and would prefer not to cook them in oil. Thanks.
I don’t know that they would hold up over the open grates. They may also stick because they are quite moist, which is why the oil is helpful.
should we boil the chickpeas before processing …thank yuo
I used canned chickpeas, so they are already cooked and don’t need to be boiled. :)
These were fantastic! A few notes on my go of things: I used King Arthur all purpose flour; everything other ingredient was exactly as listed. I put them in the freezer straight away before cooking. Several weeks later, they served their exact purpose, which was to provide a healthy, fast, and tasty dinner on a work night when my energy and motivation for starting dinner from scratch is generally zero.
They were indeed a bit on the wet side. I’m not sure if this would have been the case if I had not frozen them first. My remedy was to skillet fry per the recipe until they were nicely browned on each side, then I moved them to a cookie sheet and baked in a 350 F oven for about 15 minutes. (They held their form just fine for this process, despite being on the wet side.) The result was crispy hot goodness!
My tired self and my finicky hubby were both delighted with these for our 8pm dinner. Will certainly be making these again…I wonder if adding in some ground flax seed might help bind up the wetness? Regardless, thanks again for a winner of a recipe in our house. I so appreciate your creativity and easy-to-navigate website.
Wow… another smashing success. Thanks a ton.
Wonderful flavor and perfect with some hummus or tzatziki and pita. However, the texture is quite soft so they’re missing that crunchy classic falafel taste. They were a bit difficult to fry and too smooth in the middle. I think canned chickpeas are too moist to make a good coarse, crunchy falafel. Next time I’ll try soaking the chickpeas overnight and using them uncooked, as many other falafel recipes suggest. Besides the texture, the flavor was good and these make decent leftovers for lunch.
Hi, I posted a comment about the mix being too wet, I was looking forward to any suggestions on how to fix it. Any ideas on how to fix that would be greatly appreciated. I used cooked chickpeas instead of canned.
Many thanks.
Adding chickpea flour may help. You don’t want to add too much all-purpose flour or it can start to taste pasty, but chickpea flour will help absorb extra moisture without changing the flavor. I’ve never done this with home cooked chickpeas, so I’m not sure how that might have affected it.
Thanks so much for taking time to reply. I totally forgot to add that I did use chickpea flour. Yikes.
I’m going to try to dry up the chickpeas a bit next time. Truly hoping they’ll stay together during the shallow pan frying process.
These falafels are outstanding!
The flavor was a 10. Had cold left overs the following day and they predictably
lost the crunch but also that fresh flavor. Will try to reheat under the broiler as others posted or just freeze and fry what is needed for the moment.
I also probably used less flour than in the recipe so they were a bit soft.
These falafels were way above what I get at local ME restaurants.
Thanks, Beth!
I went to a local Mediterranean inspired fast food place last night and tried a falafel pita. I loved it and want to try making my own. I will definitely try your recipe! I need to get myself a little food processor.