The Best Falafel Recipe

This homemade Falafel recipe is an easy to make authentic falafel recipe. Made with chickpeas, fresh herbs and spices you can easily whip up the best falafel recipe you have ever made right at home! This pan fried falafel recipe tastes JUST like the tasty goodness you get from a food cart!

Falafel Recipe

For many years my long time friend Jaime would tell me about making Falafel for dinner. She would make it and then turn it into Falafel sandwiches with pita bread, Falafel bowls or just serve it with some Tzatziki Sauce for dipping. It took me a long time to actually go and make the recipe myself but once I did it became a family favorite.

Then I took a trip to NYC and a friend of mine had me go to the Halah cart and get a Falafel sandwich and the sandwich tasted JUST like the recipe Jaime had given me. So if you are looking for a copy cat NYC food cart recipe  to make at home this is perfect!

What is Falafel?

Traditionally falafel is ground chickpeas, mixed with fresh herbs and spices, then fried either in a pan or in a deep fryer. While originating in the middle east, this is now one of the most popular street foods that you will find anywhere that has food carts.

I am not a fan of having a deep fryer in my house, it takes up a ton of space and we don’t use it enough to justify having it take up that space. Anytime we need to fry something we use our air fryer or we use the pan frying method. I personally have found that I like using the pan frying method over the deep frying method when making it.

For this recipe we are going to skip the deep frying and pan fry these balls of deliciousness and still have the best crispy falafel that is perfect for wraps, sandwiches, salads or to just enjoy by themselves.

Ways to Serve Falafel

There are lots of ways to enjoy it, we change things up for how we serve it depending on my mood.

• Dippers. It makes a fantastic dipper for serving as a meal or as an appetizer. We serve them with Tzatziki Sauce or Sriracha dipping sauce.
• Salad. Making a Mediterranean salad? Top of with these homemade falafels for an even more flavorful salad.
• Sandwiches and wraps. You can easily make sandwiches and wraps that are traditionally made with pita bread, lettuce, tomato, feta cheese and Tzatziki Sauce. They are AMAZING in Falafel Wraps with Tzatziki Sauce.
• Falafel Bowls. Bowls with a layer of Turmeric Rice topped with veggies, Falafel and Tzatziki Sauce.

Tips for Making this Recipe

Mash Chickpeas with a potato masher. It might sound like a good idea to toss the chickpeas into a food processor to chop them up but do NOT do that. It will make your chickpeas ground to small and they will not stick together properly.

Oil Temperature. Falafel is very delicate so frying them is the hardest part! You want to heat the oil on medium heat not high heat. You want the oil hot but not so hot that it will disturb the falafel when you put it into the pan-think like when you make fried chicken and you don’t want all the breading to fall off when it hits the oil.

Drain Falafel. After making and frying it be sure to let them drain on the paper towel long enough that they are not oily.

Falafel Recipe Ingredients

• 2 cans of chickpeas
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons Cumin
• 1 pinch of cayenne (and I mean a pinch!)
• 2 Tablespoons Coriander
• 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 2/3 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 cup of plain breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• a squeeze of lemon juice
• Vegetable oil (For Frying)

Falafel Recipe Directions

Mash the chickpeas with a potato masher in a large bowl.

Once they are all mashed well add the baking powder, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne, parsley, cilantro, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and lemon juice and mix well.

Form the Mixture into patties, I make small, round patties that I can fit into pita bread but you can also make them into round balls.

Heat enough vegetable oil in a pan so that the falafel has enough room to float over medium high heat.

Cook the falafel in oil just until they are golden brown and pull them out and drain them on paper towels.

Serve as desired.

Easy Falafel Recipes

• Falafel Bowls
• Falafel wraps

homemade Falafel recipe

Created by Lauren

4.10 from 20 votes

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings 30 Falafels

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This homemade Falafel recipe is an easy to make authentic falafel recipe. Made with chickpeas, fresh herbs and spices you can easily whip up the best falafel recipe you have ever made right at home!

Ingredients

• 31 ounces canned chickpeas
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 8 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoons Cumin
• 1 pinch cayenne and I mean a pinch!
• 2 Tablespoons Coriander
• 1/3 cup cilantro finely chopped
• 2/3 cup parsley finely chopped
• 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 squeeze lemon juice from a lemon

Instructions

• Mash the chickpeas with a potato masher in a large bowl. Once they are all mashed well add the baking powder, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne, parsley, cilantro, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and lemon juice and mix well.
• Form the Mixture into patties, I make small, round patties that I can fit into pita bread.
• Heat enough vegetable oil in a pan so that the falafel has enough room to float over medium high heat.
• Cook the falafel in oil just until they are golden brown and pull them out and drain them on paper towels.
• Serve as desired.

Serving: 1falafel | Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 142IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

chickpea, falafel

Dinner

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