Classic Falafel recipe made with dried chickpeas and tahini, this traditional falafel is exactly what you’d have at your favorite Middle Eastern restaurant. No canned chickpeas, so no mushy texture!
Easy Falafel Recipe
A classic Falafel recipe is not a quick recipe to make, but it couldn’t be much simpler. The length of time is 99% the soaking of the beans. Working with dried garbanzo beans is the magic ingredient to a great falafel recipe. It will make falafel that tastes like the ones from your favorite restaurant.
falafel ingredients
Falafel is made of chickpeas, tahini, parsley, onion, flour, and spices. Once formed into balls (I used a meatballer for volume of falafel balls in a hurry) they are fried until they are crisp on the outside while being fluffy on the inside.
Is Falafel vegan?
YES, we don’t have too many vegan recipes on the site, but this falafel recipe is naturally vegan. Some falafel recipes will include eggs, but this falafel recipe binds well together thanks in part to the resting period.
Canned Beans and this Falafel Recipe
But then there’s the skipping the canned beans (this makes mushy falafel). Yes, I know what you are thinking, “I don’t have time for this!” but like my favorite Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies with the 36 hour resting period, you get what you put into these delicious Classic Falafel balls.
I’m going to be honest with you here, I make this recipe maybe 50% of the time I make falafel. I know, I know I just told you how amazing they are right? But sometimes I can’t help getting a craving for falafel for dinner…tonight. I’ve found the best quick falafel recipe to be from AllRecipes. I do make adjustments (I’ll post this version soon), but even as written it is still better than your local takeout spot.
How to make Falafel your way
There are also a number of variations you can make to your falafel recipe to have it more suited to your tastes:
- Add extra parsley to the mix to give it a fresher, herbier taste (I use about one bunch of parsley total for the whole recipe to do this)
- Add a mixture of peas or fava beans with the chickpeas. Whatever you add in of those beans, subtract from the recipe.
- Make it say “HELLOOOOO GARLIC!!” and double the garlic in this falafel recipe – this one is a family favorite.
What to serve Falafel with
Don’t forget to serve this Classic Falafel recipe with Pickled Turnips and Classic Hummus for a perfect Falafel pita sandwich!
And if you want to make this Classic Falafel into the best sandwich or wrap…ever. And I do mean ever people…. make Zankou Chicken Garlic Paste recipe to go with it. It’s magical. And it pretty much has a cult following in Los Angeles.
Serve Falafel with a Sauce
This Classic Falafel recipe is a great vegetarian option that meat eaters won’t balk at! Give it a try and make sure to make the additional sides for it, the falafel does need some moisture to be added to it in serving, that’s why you’ll frequently serve it with tahini, hummus or other sauces.
Tools used in this Falafel recipe:
Meatballer: Yes, you can totally use your one tablespoon measure twice, but I love this scoop for so many things, including cookies! It just makes everything go so much faster.
Hamilton Beach Food Processor: I know they make a newer one, and there are many fancier ones, but this this workhorse has been going for almost 10 years!
Lodge Cast Iron Skillet: My favorite pan (even though I own almost 20 pieces from All-Clad that I love!) it has a permanent spot on my stovetop because I use it almost daily (and it is heavy!).
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 3/4 cup yellow onion chopped (just under one onion)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- vegetable oil (for frying)
To Finish:
- 4 pita bread rounds , cut in half
- 1 cup hummus
- 1 cup lettuce , thinly sliced
- 1 tomato , chopped
- 1/2 cup pickled turnips
Instructions
- Add the garbanzo beans into a large bowl and soak in water overnight (the water should be a couple inches higher than the beans, so the beans plump up).
- Rinse the beans and add them to a food processor with chopped onion, minced garlic, parsley, flour, salt, cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom.
- Process the ingredients together until it looks like a coarse paste, like a super chunky peanut butter.
- Be sparing with how long you process it, the chickpeas should still be visible in small chunks.
- Put the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
- Make the paste into small balls, rolling them in your hand.
- If your falafel batter is too loose to stay in a ball you can add a few more tablespoons of flour.
- Make the falafel balls with 2 tablespoons of the mixture.
- In a large cast iron (or other good frying skillet) add a couple of inches of oil.
- Heat the oil on medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
To Finish:
- Cut the pita breads in half and open the pockets.
- Spread with hummus, top with lettuce add in falafel broken in half.
- Top with tomatoes and pickled turnips and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi Sabrina, I can’t wait to make these falafels for my birthday this month. This recipe appeals to me the most of all the ones I’ve seen. Are the falafels still good if I leave out both peppers? I’m not a fan of either one. I’m curious about the chickpeas not being cooked. I like that there is this one less step in the preparation, but wouldn’t uncooked chickpeas make the falafel too crunchy?
I just fried my first batch of falafel! I did add a couple more tablespoons of flour. I shaped them more like patties so they would fit into pitas more easily. They are delicious! I will, absolutely, make these again!
Such a great idea!
Could you bake these in the oven ?
My concern would be them not getting as crispy but you could brush the tops with oil and bake them for 20 minutes, flippin them halfway. Enjoy!
Can I use an airfyer? We are doing weight watchers so frying just cant happen in my house, which makes me sad. Nobody said it would be easy.
I’m so sorry but I haven’t tested it using one so I’m not sure. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!
When I made this recipe, all the balls just crumbled into mush after I fried them. How do I keep my balls from falling apart?
I’m so sorry about that. Did you allow the mixture to refrigerate for a couple of hours?
Sabrina,
Just made falafel (no canned beans) best falafel I have ever made or eaten in the states.
Many Thanks Linda
So glad you liked it, Linda! It’s even better when you can say you made it yourself, right?! 🙂
I have to try this! Looks so good!
Thanks Amy!
I was looking for a falafel recipe! I need to try it soon!
I hope you enjoy it, Catalina!
Cardamom is missing from ingredient list – how much do I need?
Thanks for catching that! I’ve edited the recipe card to show correctly.
I have ordered these in restaurants, but I haven’t attempted to make them myself! Can’t wait to try. Your variations sounds great too!
Thanks Dorothy!
The picture alone makes this look fantastic! I cannot wait to make this for the family!
Thanks Amanda!
Hi Sabrina, Can I freeze the falafels – roll into balls & freeze or fry first then freeze or do not freeze at all? if they cannot be frozen what is the “shelf” life in the fridge? thanks
Yes, you can freeze them. After making them into balls, place on a cookie sheet and freeze (about an hour) and then place into freezer bags.
Sabrina,
I see mention of Tahini but I don’t see it listed in the recipe as an ingredient. Am I just missing something?
I was just mentioning that you can serve the falafels with tahini, hummus or other sauces to give it some moisture if you’d like. Here’s the link to the Tahini that I use. http://amzn.to/2abL8aX
Tahini is missing from the recipe, how much do you use?
You can just add it on as a side, if you’d like. It’s not an ingredient in the falafel recipe. Here’s the link of the Tahini that I like to use. http://amzn.to/2abL8aX
Where is the Tahini? it’s not mentioned in the recipe.
It’s just used as a side for the falafels and not an ingredient in making them. Sorry for the confusion.
I really like your recipe! I must try this soon!
Thank you!
I would love to try this! A sure hit at my house!
Enjoy!
Can you believe I’ve never actually had falafel?! Totally needs to change, asap, because this looks so amazing!!
Thank you so much! You definitely need to try it!!
this will be happening at our house very soon!!
These look amazing! So crispy and fluffy!
Thank you!
The chickpeas aren’t listed with the ingredients so I wouldn’t know how much to use?
Sorry for the confusion. Chickpeas are just a different name for garbanzo beans but I edited it to show both as to clear it up. I hope you enjoy it!
Do you not cook the garbanzos?
No, just the soaking. I don’t cook them. Hope you enjoy the recipe!