Falafel, a classic Middle Eastern recipe, made with chickpeas. They are crispy on the outside but fluffy on the inside, and they contain lots of protein!
Falafel is one of those foods that everybody loves. It's a life-saver for vegan people, as it's available in pretty much every single country, and it contains lots of good-quality protein!
My favorite way of eating falafel is with pita bread, homemade vegan yogurt sauce, and cooked or raw veggies (I use what's in season or what I have on hand).
I suggest you use raw chickpeas to make this recipe. If you use canned chickpeas your falafel will be mushy and will fall apart easily. You just need to soak the chickpeas overnight, although some people prefer to soak them for 24 hours.
A way of making your falafel even more flavorful is toasting the spices (you should use them whole, not ground) and then grind them with a mortar or a grinder. However, you don't need to do that because the falafel will still be incredibly good!
How to make falafel - Step by step
- Wash and drain the chickpeas and add them to a food processor or a powerful blender with all the remaining ingredients (photo 1). Blend until it looks like a coarse paste.
- You can cook the falafel immediately, but it tastes better if you transfer the mixture to a large bowl (photo 2) and keep it covered in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Make about 18 small disks or balls with your hands (photo 3).
- If you're going to bake your falafel disks or balls, preheat the oven to 400ºF or 200ºC and place them onto a lined baking sheet (photo 4) and bake them for about 30 minutes (photo 5), flipping once at the halfway point for even cooking.
- If you're going to fry your falafel disks or balls, heat some oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until it's shimmering. Carefully transfer 4-5 falafel disks or balls to the hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes per side (photo 6). Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with all the remaining falafel disks or balls and add more oil if needed.
- Serve immediately.
Pro tips
- I suggest you make this recipe with raw chickpeas and that you soak them in water overnight. You'll just have to cook the chickpeas later.
- You can add all the spices and herbs you want to.
- Use any type of flour. Chickpea flour and oat flour work really well for this recipe.
- Flour isn't essential, but it'll give the falafel a better consistency and it won't get stuck on your hands while making the balls or disks.
- If you don't want to use flour, you can simply cover your hands with it so shaping the falafels is easier.
- You don't need to add both parsley and cilantro; feel free to use only one of them.
- If you're not into spicy food, omit the red pepper flakes.
What is falafel?
Falafel is a Middle Eastern recipe made with raw chickpeas, herbs, and spices. Falafels are shaped like balls or disks and contain lots of good-quality protein.
What's good about this recipe is that it is so popular you can actually find it mostly everywhere, and it's a life-saver for vegans who love to travel but are concerned about what food they'll find on their trips.
How long will falafel keep?
It's important to keep the leftovers (if you have any!) in an airtight container in the fridge and the falafel will last for 5-7 days.
Can I freeze falafel?
Yes, you can. Keep it in an airtight container and it'll last for up to 3 months in the freezer.
I always prefer to freeze it once it's cooked, so to thaw you just need to transfer it into the fridge for at least 2-3 hours before cooking and you can reheat it in the oven or the pan.
How to serve falafel
This delicious recipe goes well with plenty of different ingredients. You can eat it with vegan yogurt sauce (or also oil-free vegan yogurt sauce) inside some pita bread or on a plate with roasted or raw veggies.
Looking for more chickpea recipes?
Did you make this falafel recipe?
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Falafel
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas or garbanzo beans, soaked overnight
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ½ onion, chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda, optional
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander, optional
- Dash of red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 tablespoon flour, any kind will do
Instructions
- Wash and drain the chickpeas and add them to a food processor or a powerful blender with all the remaining ingredients. Blend until it looks like a coarse paste.
- You can cook the falafel immediately, but it tastes better if you transfer the mixture to a large bowl and keep it covered in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Make about 18 small disks or balls with your hands.
- If you're going to bake your falafel disks or balls, preheat the oven to 400ºF or 200ºC and place them onto a lined baking sheet and bake them for about 30 minutes or until golden brown, flipping once at the halfway point for even cooking.
- If you're going to fry your falafel disks or balls, heat some oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until it's shimmering. Carefully transfer 4-5 falafel disks or balls to the hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes per side, or until both sides are golden brown. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with all the remaining falafel disks or balls and add more oil if needed.
- Serve immediately with vegan yogurt sauce (or also oil-free vegan yogurt sauce) inside some pita bread or on a plate with roasted or raw veggies.
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- I suggest you make this recipe with raw chickpeas and that you soak them in water overnight. You'll just have to cook the chickpeas later.
- You can add all the spices and herbs you want to.
- Use any type of flour. Chickpea flour and oat flour work really well for this recipe.
- Flour isn't essential, but it'll give the falafel a better consistency and it won't get stuck on your hands while making the balls or disks.
- If you don't want to use flour, you can simply cover your hands with it so shaping the falafels is easier.
- You don't need to add both parsley and cilantro; feel free to use only one of them.
- If you're not into spicy food, omit the red pepper flakes.
- Nutritional info has been calculated for baked falafel.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in March of 2019, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions and tips in July of 2020.
Janelle Graham says
Hi, Love. What if we are unable to soak the chickpeas overnight?
Iosune Robles says
Hi! It's so important to soak them overnight for the falafel to have a good texture!
Tahira Akhtar says
Is it possible to replace the fresh herbs with dried herbs and add spinach.?
Iosune Robles says
Hi! Feel free to use dried herbs and spinach 🙂
Ramona says
I know you recommend Raw Chickpeas but I have to use what I have on hand -- would raw be equal to 1 cup canned or do I use the full can which I believe is 1.5 cups. Thanks!!!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Ramona! I haven't tried it myself but I think you should use the full can 🙂
Robin Tawfall says
My body has problem with all grains. Do you think corn starch would work?
Iosune Robles says
Hi Robin! I'm not sure about that, sorry 🙂
Donald G. Detrick says
I'm going to try this, but first I want to know what the green vegetable in the photo is.
I have groups of it growing in my garden and I wasn't sure it was edible.
Thanks for your response.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Donald! The green vegetable is lamb's lettuce 🙂 Hope you like our falafel recipe!
Teresa Schroit says
Very very yummy!! I added more garlic because I love garlic. A little too salty for me, so next time I will do 1/2-3/4 teaspoon. If you eat with pita, the extra salt may be better, but I love falafel by itself or on a salad.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Teresa! So glad you liked it 🙂
Linda says
I just made these for the first time. I soaked the beans overnight, cooked them, then drained and cooled before proceeding with the recipe. I fried them in peanut oil, drained them and put in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes. Next time I will use a little more garlic but we thoroughly enjoyed them. I served them with warm pita, freshly made yogurt and a Mediterranean Salad.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Linda! That sounds so good 🙂 So glad you liked it! Have a nice day!
Vanessa Ambriz says
Happy to have found your blog, I love all your recipes can't wait to get in the kitchen and trying some. Starting with this one!!
Iosune says
Hi Vanessa! I'm glad you've found us 🙂 Thank you so much!
Pam says
Hi. I was wondering where I could purchase raw chickpeas? And is it the same as dried?
Iosune says
Hi Pam! I live in Spain, so I can't help you, but you can find them as raw or dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans, depending on the country you're living 🙂
Margarita says
The falafel came out so great, that even my partner’s parents loved it! I did make it pan fried, and had to use a bit more oil that I would’ve liked just so they don’t crumble too much in the skillet. Maybe I didn’t soak chickpeas long enough (it was about 8 hours), so next time I’ll definitely keep them in that water longer. Otherwise, this is definitely the best recipe out there. Thank you Iosune!
Iosune says
Hi Margarita! I'm so happy to read that 🙂 You're so welcome!
Crystal says
This recipe is amazing!! I’ve made 3 batches of it in the past week. This is definitely a staple recipe for me now. Thank you! 🙏🏻
Iosune says
Hi Crystal! Thanks a lot 🙂 I'm so glad you liked it so much!
Diane says
Finally a falafel recipe that is a keeper and has been added to my recipe book
I did use canned chickpeas and they turned out perfectly, loved them and the yogurt mint sauce is divine. Thank you so much Iosune
Iosune says
Hi Diane! I'm so glad it worked for you 🙂
Maggie says
Thank you - at last, a falafel recipe that has been a success for me. I did use canned chickpeas and the mixture was a bit soggy so I added some panko breadcrumbs which I think lightened the mixture. This is one to save
Iosune says
Hi Maggie! You're so welcome 🙂 So glad it worked for you. Have a nice day!
Jessica I Perez says
I’m curious about using raw chickpeas. So are we not to cook them before making the falafel ? Shouldn’t they at least be cooked first ?
Iosune says
Hi Jessica! I explain it in the post 🙂