Falafel Recipe

YES! You can make Falafel Recipe at home, and it will be delicious, easy, crunchy and much better than store bought! This post is everything and anything you need to know about Falafel!

As daunting as it may sound, homemade falafel is actually much easier than it sounds. Truth is, there are tons of twisted falafel recipes out there which adds to the confusion. So let’s break it down and make things easier.

WHAT IS FALAFEL

Falafel is a classic Middle Eastern fried ball of spiced and flavored chickpeas or fav beans. I genuinely believe it originated in Egypt and for that I’m making the Egyptian flavored one today.

To get real authentic falafel, you need to use all raw ingredients. You need to deep fry. You need to try not to add other veggies in your mix. And finally, you need a food processor.

An authentic falafel recipe is crispy on the outside while soft and flavorful on the inside. I love coating my falafel with sesame seeds before frying because that’s how my grandma used to make it!

WHY THIS FALAFEL RECIPE

My recipe was passed down from generation to generation of Egyptian grandmas and finally passed down to me!

For today’s falafel recipe I’m using all chickpeas because it’s easier to find. Plus I feel chickpeas are a familiar taste now to most of us, so it’s my pick.

To make my recipe easier, I use a food processor. However for the record I will note that my grandma used a manual meat grinder.

The recipe is super tasty flavored with onions, garlic, herbs and spiked with cumin. Very old fashioned and classic, yet absolutely divine!

I’ll be sharing tips below on frying, freezing, and I’ve also got you covered with a full recipe video! So there’s no excuse to skip making falafel at home anymore when you feel like indulging.

WHY HOMEMADE FALAFEL

When you make one batch of homemade falafel, you get at least four full meal portions. Each portion serving four people! So it’s quite the value for your buck!

Falafel is very freezer friendly, so make a batch of falafel recipe and don’t worry about frying it all in one day.

Another thing I love about homemade falafel is you can use an electric deep fryer if you have one. So you don’t have to fry them one at a time.

You can totally control the amount of herbs. I’ll feel garlic and onions are essential, however the ratios of cilantro to parsley to dill (if you like that) are not.

My grandma put equal parts of parsley, dill and cilantro. But I have a friend who dislikes cilantro, and she’s probably not the only one! I showed her how to make these homemade falafel with just a mix of parsley and dill.

Now let’s jump to it!

HOW TO MAKE FALAFEL

FALAFEL VIDEO

You’ll start by soaking a 2 pound bag of chickpeas overnight in room temperature water. This is crucial to soften your chickpeas for grinding without absorbing water.

Never ever use canned chickpeas. They’ve got too much water and will fall apart when frying.

You’ll then need to process your onions, garlic and herbs in a food processor until they’re finely processed. Keep them in a bowl.

Now start processing your chickpeas too, but in batches. Don’t crowd your food processor because some chickpeas will get mushier than others.

The texture to reach is crucial here—have a look at the video. You need the chickpeas to be finely ground yet still coarse. They shouldn’t be soft, mushy or watery.

Mix the chickpeas with the veggies and break up the mix into 4 bags. Freeze three vacuum sealed (or in a ziplock) and start frying the last bag.

Baking powder. You need a tablespoon of baking powder. It’s a secret ingredient that adds a fluffy airy and crunchy texture to your falafel.

You’ll need a tablespoon of falafel mix, roll it out and flatten it into a disc in your hands. Then gently press sesame seeds on both side.

Deep fry away!!

Fry your Falafel until they’re deep golden and amber in color. Try not to flip them around too often at the beginning, so the falafel doesn’t break apart!

Pat dry your falafel over paper towels and enjoy as is, with dips—like this perfect tahini sauce. Or make an awesome Falafel Sandwich. More on that to come!

FALAFEL DO AND DON’TS

• Do soak your chickpeas overnight before using them.
• Do use a food processor to make life easier.
• Do use lots of onions, garlic and herbs to flavor the chickpeas! Falafel ingredients are simple, so make sure you use them generously!
• Do make a big batch one go and freeze most of it for later.
• Do add baking powder before frying only. If you’re freezing raw falafel mix, don’t freeze it with the baking powder.
• Do check back for another post on my favorite Falafel Sandwich!
• Don’t ever use canned chickpeas. Use only raw dried chickpeas or fava beans or a combo of both.
• Don’t do Baked falafel. It’s simply not falafel. You can call it a baked chickpea patty 🙂
• Don’t crowd your frying pan.
• Don’t attempt to flip your falafel as soon as it hits the oil, let it set and hold it’s shape before flipping.
• Don’t under-fry or over fry your falafel.
• Falafel is BEST enjoyed the day of while crispy. If you’ve got leftovers, you can re-crisp them in air flyer or in a 300 degree oven.
• Falafel is freezer friendly, so freeze the raw falafel mix ( without baking powder). When ready to serve defrost the mix, add baking powder and start frying.
• ENJOY and make this homemade falafel recipe today!!

Once you’ve got your Falafel Recipe ready, it’s time to make:

The BEST FALAFEL SANDWICH

GRANDMA RECIPES

Leg of Lamb with Mashed Potatoes

Moroccan Lamb and Turmeric Lentil Soup

Bread Feta Salad with Figs

Juicy Spicy Turkish Meatballs

One Pan Chicken Potato Bake With Zaatar

5 from 15 votes

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Falafel Recipe

YES! You can make Falafel at home, and they will be delicious, easy, crunchy and much better than store bought! This post is everything and anything you need to know about Falafel!

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Main Dish, vegetarian

Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Keyword falafel, falafel recipe, what is falafel

Prep Time 12 hours

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 371 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

Falafel:

• 2 pound dried chickpeas
• 3 onions halved
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 cups of herbs split to your taste between parsley cilantro and dill
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds

For frying:

• 2 cups falafel mix above
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 cups sesame seeds for coating
• 2 cups oil neutral tasting

Instructions

1. Soak the chickpeas in enough water to cover more than double the amount. Soak that overnight.
2. Drain the chickpeas from all the water and keep it aside.
3. In a food processor, process the onions, garlic and herbs until fine.
4. Remove them to a large deep bowl.
5. Start by processing the chickpeas in small batches to reach a fine texture that’s still coarse to the touch. It can’t be mushy or watery.
6. Fold the chickpeas mixture in at the large bowl and mix well.
7. The falafel mix now needs to be flavored with salt, cumin and coriander seeds.
8. Mix everything well.
9. Divide the mixture into 2 cup portions. You should have 4 portions in total. Freeze three and work with one portion only.
10. each portion is good enough for 4 servings.
11. Take the 2 cup falafel mix and add it to a bowl.
12. Add in the baking powder and start shaping the falafel by the tablespoon. Flatten them in to a disc and coat both side of each falafel in sesame seeds.
13. Start frying the falafel in a medium hot oil (375 degrees temperature) for about minutes.
14. Try not to flip the falafel before it holds its shape, otherwise it will crumble in the oil.
15. Drain the falafel on a paper towel and serve.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Falafel Do’s and Don’ts

• Do soak your chickpeas overnight before using them.
• Do use a food processor to make life easier.
• Do use lots of onions, garlic and herbs to flavor the chickpeas! Falafel ingredients are simple, so make sure you use them generously!
• Do make a big batch one go and freeze most of it for later.
• Do add baking powder before frying only. If you’re freezing raw falafel mix, don't freeze it with the baking powder.
• Do check back for another post on my favorite Falafel Sandwich!
• Don’t ever use canned chickpeas. Use only raw dried chickpeas or fava beans or a combo of both.
• Don’t do Baked falafel. It’s simply not falafel. You can call it a baked chickpea patty 🙂
• Don’t crowd your frying pan.
• Don’t attempt to flip your falafel as soon as it hits the oil, let it set and hold it’s shape before flipping.
• Don’t under-fry or over fry your falafel.
  Falafel is BEST enjoyed the day of while crispy. If you’ve got leftovers, you can re-crisp them in air flyer or in a 300 degree oven.
• Falafel is freezer friendly, so freeze the raw falafel mix ( without baking powder). When ready to serve defrost the mix, add baking powder and start frying.
• ENJOY and make this homemade falafel recipe today!!

Nutrition Facts

Falafel Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 371 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 893mg39%

Potassium 793mg23%

Carbohydrates 51g17%

Fiber 15g63%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 17g34%

Vitamin A 262IU5%

Vitamin C 6mg7%

Calcium 193mg19%

Iron 6mg33%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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