My family’s secret recipe for the Best Authentic Falafel, made with chickpeas, fresh herb, and the right spices! And, I'm sharing my complete step-by-step tutorial and important tips for baking or frying falafel. Be sure to also watch the video to see how I make it!
What’s your favorite way to enjoy falafel? I love them in warm pita sandwiches with tahini sauce or hummus, along with my lazy Mediterranean tomato and cucumber salad. But you can enjoy it alongside other plates or as part of a mezze spread (lots of ideas below!)
Growing up in Port Said, Egypt, one of my favorite foods ever was falafel!
My father’s friend owned a small falafel shop that was located in the heart of the souq (market). Our weekends often involved a trip to see Mr. Bishay and partake of his fragrant falafels. You could smell them from miles away!
Over the years I have learned how to make my own authentic falafel and I am super excited to share my recipe with you! It’s as authentic and delicious as you’d find on the streets of the middle east. And easier to make than you think!
What is Falafel?
Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern “fast food” made of a mixture of chickpeas (or fava beans), fresh herbs, and spices that are formed into a small patties or balls. It’s thought that falafel originated in Egypt as Coptic Christians looked for a hearty replacement for meat during long seasons of fasting or lent. It has also become a popular vegan food in Egypt and throughout the Middle East.
Falafel continues to be the people’s daily grub in Egypt and you can find it from street vendors in almost every neighborhood. It’s often served in sandwich form with a generous drizzle of tahini and loads of Mediterranean salad, along with slices of roasted or fried eggplant.
This vegan dish is made with simple, everyday ingredients and you won’t believe how easy it is. Great ingredients are key to great falafel so be sure to purchase high quality spices like cumin and coriander for your falafel mixture. I've got a few more tips for you below...
What I love about this recipe
- No canned chickpeas (very important!) If you're after the best texture and flavor, you need to start with dry chickpeas. Many falafel recipes use canned chickpeas which is not authentic and will cause the falafel patties disintegrate in the hot cooking oil.
- Hearty and flavorful. Falafel patties are packed with plant-power and protein from the chickpeas that will leave you feeling full and satisfied. My recipe also uses the perfect blend of spices --cumin, coriander, and a hit of cayenne--and fresh herbs to give them bold authentic flavor.
- Make ahead and freezer friendly. I love that this recipe can be prepped ahead of time, and you can freeze uncooked falafel patties for later use.
Ingredients
- Dried chickpeas: AVOID using canned chickpeas! Dried chickpeas (that have been soaked in water for 24 hours) are an important ingredient that will give your falafel the right consistency and taste. (Tip: I usually add about ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the soaking water to help soften the dry chickpeas.)
- Fresh herbs: fresh parsley, cilantro, and dill are key to this authentic recipe.
- Onion: I typically use yellow onions, but white or red onions would work.
- Garlic: for best flavor, use fresh garlic cloves.
- Kosher salt and pepper: to taste.
- Spices: cumin, coriander, and a little cayenne pepper. Along with the fresh herbs, this trio of spices is what gives falafel it's bold authentic taste.
- Baking powder: this is what gives falafel an airy, fluffy texture (many recipes skip this, causing the falafel to come out too dense.)
- Sesame seeds: these are optional here, but I do like the added nuttiness.
How to Make Falafel: Step-by-Step
1. Soak chickpeas for 24 hours. Cover them in plenty of water and add baking soda to help soften them as they soak. The chickpeas will at least double in size as they soak. Drain very well.
2. Make mixture. Add chickpeas, fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, and dill), garlic, onion, and spices to food processor and pulse a little bit at a time until the mixture is finely ground. You’ll know it’s ready when the texture is more like coarse meal.
& Refrigerate (important.) Transfer the falafel mixture to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. The chilled mixture will hold together better, making it easier to form the falafel patties.
3. Form patties or balls. Once the falafel mixture has been plenty chilled, stir in baking powder and toasted sesame seeds, then scoop golf ball-sized balls and form into balls or patties (if you go the patties route, do not flatten them too much, you want them to still be nice and fluffy when they're cooked.)
4. Fry. Frying is the traditional way to cook falafel and yields the most authentic and best result. Heat the oil on medium-high until it bubbles softly (your oil should be hot enough around 375 degrees F, but not too hot that it causes the falafel to fall apart.)
Carefully drop the falafel in the oil, using a slotted spoon, and fry for 3-5 minutes until medium brown on the outside. Avoid over-crowding the falafel; fry them in batches if necessary.
Tip: it's always a good idea to fry one falafel first to make sure the oil temperature does not need to be adjusted.
You can serve falafel for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Most Egyptians, and others throughout the Middle East actually start their day with falafel, much like many here in the States start with a bowl of cereal.
Important Tips
I shared some of these earlier in the post, but just in case you missed them:
1. Always use dry chickpeas. Dry chickpeas, that have been soaked in water for 24 hours, will give you the best texture and flavor. Dry chickpeas are naturally starchy and will help your falafels to stay well formed. If you use canned chickpeas, your falafel will disintegrate in the frying oil.
2. Chill the falafel mixture. Chilling for at least 1 hour helps with the shaping. And good news is, you can make the falafel mixture one night in advance and chill overnight.
3. Add baking powder to the falafel mixture before forming into balls/patties. As a raising agent, baking powder here helps make the falafel on the fluffy side.
4. Fry in bubbling oil, and do not crowd the saucepan. For perfectly crispy falafel, sadly, the best option is deep frying. The cooking oil should be hot and gently bubbling, but not too hot that the falafel disintegrate. If you need to, use a deep fry-safe thermometer (affiliate link); it should read around 375 degrees F (for my stove, that is medium-high heat.)
5- Once cooked, falafel should be crispy and medium brown on the outside, fluffy and light green on the inside.
For baked falafel
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and lightly oil a baking sheet. Give each patty a quick brush of extra virgin olive oil before baking; bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning the falafel patties over halfway through baking.
Make ahead and freezing
To make ahead: Prepared falafel mixture will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days ahead of time. Form it into patties when ready to fry.
To freeze: Place uncooked falafel patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 1 hour. Once hardened, transfer the patties into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Falafel can be cooked from frozen by frying or baking.
Choose how to serve falafel
Middle Eastern Style: On the streets of the Middle East, falafel are typically served hot with a generous amount of tahini sauce.
As a Sandwich: To make a mean falafel sandwich, garb some warm pita pockets, load them with falafel, drizzle with tahini and add fresh greens (like arugula), fresh diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and pickles.
On a brunch board: Serve your flalafel with an array of fresh veggies, cheese, and dips like I have don’t on my brunch board.
As a side: serve falafel next to small plates like Turkish-inspired fried eggplant, tabouli salad, or Balela Salad.
Dip it: If you’re looking to dip your falafel, definitely try my Classic Creamy Hummus or Baba Ganoush!
Watch video for this authentic falafel recipe
Browse our vegetarian recipes collection for more meatless ideas! For all recipes, visit us here. And be sure to view our collection of Mediterranean diet recipes.
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Print
How to Make Falafel
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 24 Patties 1x
Description
Ready to learn how to make authentic falafel from scratch? My family’s secret recipe for the Best Authentic Falafel, made with chickpeas, fresh herb, and spices is all you need!
Be sure to check out the complete step-by-step tutorial, important tips for baking or frying falafel. And watch the video just above.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy falafel? I love them in warm pita sandwiches with tahini sauce or hummus, along with my lazy Mediterranean tomato and cucumber salad. But you can enjoy it alongside other plates or as part of a mezze spread (lots of ideas below!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas (Do NOT use canned or cooked chickpeas)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, stems removed
- ¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed
- ½ cup fresh dill, stems removed
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 7-8 garlic cloves, peeled
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- Oil for frying
Falafel Sauce
Fixings for falafel sandwich (optional)
- Pita pockets
- English cucumbers, chopped or diced
- Tomatoes, chopped or diced
- Baby Arugula
- Pickles
Instructions
- (One day in advance) Place the dried chickpeas and baking soda in a large bowl filled with water to cover the chickpeas by at least 2 inches. Soak overnight for 18 hours (longer if the chickpeas are still too hard). When ready, drain the chickpeas completely and pat them dry.
- Add the chickpeas, herbs, onions, garlic and spices to the large bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Run the food processor 40 seconds at a time until all is well combined forming a the falafel mixture.
- Transfer the falafel mixture to a container and cover tightly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or (up to one whole night) until ready to cook.
- Just before frying, add the baking powder and sesame seeds to the falafel mixture and stir with a spoon.
- Scoop tablespoonfuls of the falafel mixture and form into patties (½ inch in thickness each). It helps to have wet hands as you form the patties.
- Fill a medium saucepan 3 inches up with oil. Heat the oil on medium-high until it bubbles softly. Carefully drop the falafel patties in the oil, let them fry for about 3 to 5 minutes or so until crispy and medium brown on the outside. Avoid crowding the falafel in the saucepan, fry them in batches if necessary.
- Place the fried falafel patties in a colander or plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- Serve falafel hot next to other small plates; or assemble the falafel patties in pita bread with tahini or hummus, arugula, tomato and cucumbers. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cook's Tip: You need to start with dry chickpeas, do not use canned chickpeas here. You will need to begin soaking the chickpeas overnight, allow up to 24 hours.
- Falafel Recipe variations: Variations of this recipe may call for flour or eggs. If you prefer, you can add 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon of flour to the falafel mix or 1 egg. I did not use either, and the falafel mixture stayed well together.
- Pro Tip for Frying: When you fry the falafel patties, you want to achieve a deep golden brown color on the outside. More importantly, the patties need to be fully done on the inside. Your frying oil needs to be at 375 degrees F, for my stove, that was at a medium-high temp. Be sure to test your first batch and adjust the frying time as needed.
- Have an air fryer? Try this air fryer falafel recipe.
- Popular falafel sauce: tahini sauce is what is traditionally used with falafel. I use organic tahini paste by Soom, and here is my tahini sauce recipe.
- Baked Falafel Option: If you prefer, you can bake the falafel patties in a 350 degree F heated oven for about 15-20 minutes, turning them over midway through. Use a lightly oiled sheet pan, and you might like to give the patties a quick brush of extra virgin olive oil before baking.
- Pro-Tip for Make-Ahead: To make ahead and freeze, prepare the falafel mixture and divide into patties (up to step #6). Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze. When they harden, you can transfer the falafel patties into a freezer bag. They will keep well in the freezer for a month or so. You can fry or bake them from frozen.
- Visit our online shop to browse all-natural and organic spices, including cumin and coriander; organic tahini paste; extra virgin olive oils and more!
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Entree
- Method: Fried or Baked
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2015 and has been recently updated with new information and media for readers' benefit.
Very easy and delish and bonus no frying But far too crumbly Is there a solution ?
Hi there. Glad you enjoyed it. We've included tips and notes with this recipe for best results. One suggestion mentioned earlier, if you are having a hard time getting the actual falafel mixture to form well, you can add a little bit of chickpea flour.
Hello, I just made falafel for the first time. It was from a box (the picture on the front looked so good I had to try it. I look forward to making it fresh. The box was fine for a first try but I am glad to learn they can be made in the oven. I am diabetic with several health issues and cannot add salt or fry food. I do have one question: I am very sensitive to hot spices and cannot consume but tiny amounts of them (not hot peppers, a pinch of cumin if it calls for 1t. That sort of thing) or will start breathing fire! Can you recommend flavorful spices that will not burn my mouth? Thank-you, and I’ll let you know how they turn out when I make them from your recipient.?
Thanks for sharing, Bonnie! If you can not have hot pepper or cayenne, it is not crucial to this recipe and can be omitted. And if you want to start with a smaller amount of the remaining spices, you can try that as well.
I would like to make this in a Ninja Foodi (combination Air Fryer and Presure cooker) have you any suggestions for time, temp and setting?
Hi Tesa, since I don't personally own one of those, I am not sure I can fully advice you on this.
Hello Suzy,
Please can you advise if you cook your soaked chickpeas before combining the ingredients? I see your recipe does not state it but I just wished for clarification.
Thank you
Andrea ?
Hi there, Andrea. As the recipe states in step #2, you drain and dry the soaked chickpeas then add them to the food processor with the rest of the ingredients. The chickpeas are used raw after having been soaked.
Absolutely loved it. I made it for my family. Thank you.
Fabulous! Thanks, Malavika!
I was puzzled by your use of chickpeas instead of dry fava beans more commonly used in Egypt whereas chickpeas are used in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine.
Hi Aida, yes, fava beans are used in Egyptian falafel. Two reasons I use chickpeas here: 1) They are far more readily available than the particular fava beans used in Egyptian falafel 2) My husband's family are from the Levant and chickpea falafel is what he grew up on and I've learned a good deal from my mother in law.
This recipe it’s AMAZING! Thank you so much! By the way, I didn’t need to add anything else, I think your recipe it’s just perfect and the falafels were just as you describe it: Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I felt super happy because it was my first time making falafels and I absolutely love it!
That's great! Thanks, Lorena!
Hi, is the baking soda absolutely necessary? Will it destroy the recipe to be done without it? I need to keep my sodium consumption very low so I tend to cut salt and baking powder/soda down or out completely depending on the recipe. Is it really required to soak the chickpeas with that? Thanks.
Hi there, you can soak the chickpeas without the baking soda, it just helps to soften the chickpeas.
I had low expectations because my chickpeas were really old and I had to sub chives for cilantro. I soaked the beans a little extra long (more like 30+ hours, with the last overnight in the fridge). They came out great! Made lovely sandwiches with a bunch of veggies and some mint dressing leftover from a fattoush salad I made a couple days ago. Thank you so much! A repeat recipe for sure.
Awesome! Thanks, Natasha!
I have made the batter and put it in the refrigerator. It still seems slightly watery. Not sure of I will be able to fry them tomorrow.
The falafel mixture should not be watery to begin with, Payal. I wonder if it might have been over-processed.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I enjoyed it. Made a big batch so now I can enjoy later. I did not fry them, I backed them in oven and came out good.
Awesome, Vanita! Thanks for sharing.
Fed it to boys- vegetarian style with naan and homemade hummus. They went back for 2nds and never once did I hear “where’s the meat?”
Delicious. Easy to follow. THANK YOU!
That's great! So glad they loved it!
Super yummy and flavorful, the cayenne was a little to much for me so I sprinkled the tiniest bit of sugar on it and they were PERFECT!!! 10/10 would deff do this again! So happy I found this recipe, and I tried baked vs fried, 100% fried is better, so much texture with a little crunch! Thank you for sharing this recipe ❤️
Thanks, Amanda! So glad you liked the recipe!
Flavorful and delicious! I baked them and they came out light and fluffy. I had them with tahini dipping sauce
Awesome! Thanks, Vanessa!
How do you know if the chick peas are soft enough and have soaked long enough. Mine are at 24 hours and are a little crunchy. Just don’t know what they should be like.
24 hours should be sufficient, Julia. They will still have some crunch, but they will blend fine in the food processor.
When you soak your chickpeas do you refrigerate or leave them on the counter overnight? Thank you ?
Either way works, Vanessa. If you like, keep them in the fridge while they soak, I personally don't
Do you have a recommendation for holding them at temp until dinner is ready?
You can line them up on a sheet pan and keep them in a very low-heated oven, if you need to, as long as dinner is happening soon. I wouldn't leave them in the oven too long or they may get too dry.