Easy Homemade Falafel

$3.01 recipe / $0.43 serving
by Beth - Budget Bytes
4.50 from 85 votes
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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.

A stack of four cooked falafel with one broken in half and leaning on the side.

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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:

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.

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Easy Homemade Falafel

4.50 from 85 votes
A popular Middle-Eastern street food, falafel pack beans, fresh herbs, and spices into a flavorful patty. Enjoy as an appetizer, on a salad, or stuffed into a pita.
Falafel are an ultra flavorful Mediterranean bean patty packed with fresh herbs and spices. Enjoy as an appetizer, on a salad, or stuffed into a pita. BudgetBytes.com
Servings 7 2 falafel each
Prep 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
Total 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 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)
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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

*chickpea flour will give the best flavor and texture, but all-purpose flour can be used in its place.

Nutrition

Serving: 2falafelCalories: 110kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 1gFat: 8gSodium: 395mgFiber: 1g
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How to Make Falafel – Step By Step Photos

Top view of Falafel Ingredients in blender
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.

Top view of ingredients blended in blender
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.

Baking Powder and Flour added to chickpea and herb mixture in mixing 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.

Shaped Falafel on pan lined with parchment paper

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.

Leftover Falafel in ziplock bag ready to freeze
I got 15 falafel with a 2 Tbsp scoop. I cooked some immediately and froze the rest.

Top view of Three Falafel in pan frying
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.

A stack of homemade falafel with one broken in half.

And that’s it! If you’re a garlic lover, you’re going to LOOOVE these homemade falafel!

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  1. These are hands down the best falafels I’ve ever had! They’re easy to make, crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside and taste fantastic! I also made your hummus & Greek yogurt sauce to go with them. Stuffed a pita with falafels, hummus, fresh greens and topped with the sauce, All I can say is Wow! Thank you!!

  2. I loved these! I think next time I will add a couple more cloves of garlic and tad more cilantro. They ere very easy to make and I learned the oil HAS to be hotter than when I dry tortillas or it makes an explosion and I have to wait for the mess to get crispy enough to fish out before continuing. Unfortunately I think it was too much flavor 2 of my kiddos but that means more for me!!!! :D

  3. Hands down the best falafel. I make a batch every week. Not even kidding, every week. We eat it as fast snack, take it with us on the go. There is never a left over for a salad or pita wrap. Thank you for posting it. Plus itโ€™s baked, as I donโ€™t fry anything.

  4. Just made these the other night and they are delicious!! I used some fresh cilantro from my garden and it was amazing.

    1. also, we ended up making 11 patties. Put them on a Hawaiian bun with a spinach and parmesan tzaziki. Soooo yummy! Also served it with the fresh cucumber salad!

  5. I used dried chickpea and soak it overnight.this recipe is easy amazing and delicious

  6. These look S0 good. Ive never tried them before. But am on a diet & frying isnโ€™t really a good idea. What are the calories?! Can these be baked?

    1. If you google search “5DayWeightLossPlan” there is a keto friendly recipe for this.

  7. I havenโ€™t tried this recipe yet, but I plan to try it soon. I first had falafel about 10 years ago in Israel. I was taken from the first taste of this crispy on the outside, soft on the inside treat. I can hardly wait to shop for the chickpeas and the fresh ingredients so I can try this recipe.

  8. I LOVED these! The recipe was easy to follow and they tasted so good, my whole family loved them as well. The only change I would make is to make the falafel about half the size of what it called for, I found it fried much easier this way.ย 

  9. Hi, thank you for the recipe. The flavor is amazing but mine did not rise and cook through as pictured. So I had crispy crust and falafel paste in the middle. Any suggestions?
    Thank you

    1. Mine did not rise either. The texture you described is the same as mine, although the mixture wasn’t as wet as a paste.

    2. I can’t speak this recipe(i haven’t made it yet) but most of the time this problem is caused by either not enough cook time(the outside is to your desired taste so i wouldn’t adjust that) or your patty is a little to thick try patting your patty a little thinner each time til you get the desired interior texture.

    3. it’s possible your pan was too hot – cooked the outside too fast while leaving the inside underdone. lower the heat a little to give the inside time to cook and maybe make the patty a little thinner.

  10. My dad used to make these, but after he passed, my mom couldn’t make them without bringing up memories. so i’m making theses 10 years after, i’m finally making them for her.

  11. Just tried this, and it was super easy and delicious as a salad! A definite go to recipe for texture! Works well with creamy vegan dressings if you arenโ€™t up for the calorie hot that tahini packs. This one will go with me for long weekends, and summer dinners!

  12. I have made and enjoyed this recipe many times. For my family, I like to double the recipe and freeze half for a future dinner. I have also found that I need to add quite a lot of flour for the falafel to hold together–not sure if I’m missing something, but adding flour usually does the trick if things seem to be disintegrating in the pan.

  13. Oh I love this recipe! It looks fairly easy to make so I wonโ€™t mess it up haha great recipe, thank you!