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
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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.
I was taught a family recipe by a Palestinian friend and she puts a medium sized potato in with the chickpeas and grinds them together, Her Felafel are made a bit smaller than yours, and are wonderul with Hummus bi Tahine.
Diana, thanks so much for stopping in and sharing! There are a few different falafel versions, yours sounds great as well!
Hi Suzy, if I wanted to freeze half of the mixture do I leave the baking powder out? I wasn't sure how I could add it just before frying if the falafels were already shaped into patties.
Hi Sarah. So sorry I didn't see your question earlier! You can make the entire recipe including the baking powder, shape the falafels and freeze some of them. All you need to do is place the flafel patties you want to freeze on a large tray. Freeze for an hour or so to harden, then transfer to a large freezer bag and freeze until ready to use. You can cook the patties from frozen. Enjoy!
i put the beans to soak at noon yesterday. at noon today, i read the instructions, and i forgot to put the baking soda in with the beans & water!! oops!! i added it at noon, and they've soaked until now, which is 3:30pm. do you think it's ok to use them now for the recipe?
Hi Elizabeth! I was away from my desk, sorry I just saw this question. The chickpeas need to be soft enough to processes in the food processor. You can try to through some in a processor and see. If you're able to grind them into "paste," they're good to go. I haven't had this particular issue happen to me, so I hope it works out. Enjoy!
In Egypt, fava beans are normal in felafel. Sometimes people substitute chickpeas (garbanzos) for half of the favas, just as a variation.
The chickpea-only recipe seems to come from the Levant, possibly introduced by Yemeni Jewish immigrants to Israel, as it is apparently not uncommon for Ashkenazi Jews to be allergic to fava beans. Also, I believe that chickpeas can be mechanically 'polished' to remove the skin, whereas fava beans cannot, so the recipe is considerably easier with polished chickpeas. I think the Levantine version is a bit dry and nutty; certainly not as nice in the wrap format.
Thanks for sharing, Pete! Yes, the Egyptian version uses fava beans. We love that version as well.
Hi Suzy
Sounds like a great Recipe!
I'm going to try it this weekend.
Just one question what's the weight measure of one cup please?
Hello, Malu! Sorry for the delayed response, I just found your comment. If you're asking about the weight for dried chickpeas, I would say 1 cup dried chickpeas = 200 grams in weight, approximately. Enjoy!
This was delicious. Loved it with your tahini sauce!
Awesome, Amber! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
So, to make sure, the recipe calls for two cups of dried chickpeas. Does this mean two cups AFTER expansion, or two cups PRE expansion? I am in the process of preparation now, and I have noticed that my mixture is a lot less green than yours.
Hi Jordan, 2 cups dry chickpeas before soaking.
Suzy, I made this according to your recipe but I cannot get the mixture to hold together. I tried making the patties with wet hands and the first two semi held together, but fell apart before I had a chance to put them in the hot oil. What is causing that?...what can I do to rectify it?
Hi Janet, sorry to hear that! I have made the recipe for years this very way. A couple of things, I am going to assume you used dried chickpeas not canned or cooked? That's the first thing I can think of that will cause the patties to fall apart. Also, the mixture needs to be covered and refrigerated for at least 1 hour (you can leave it up to 1 whole night in the fridge). In the recipe notes, I share the variations. For some people adding a little flour and egg to the mixture helps. So that would be one thing to do, if you'd like to try it that way. I hope this is helpful.
Thanks Suzy. I did everything per your recipe...I don't understand, maybe I didn't process them to a fine enough "paste" before refrigerating. I will try your advice, and maybe I'll process them some more too. I'll keep trying because I love these things and vegetarians need all the variety they can get.
Yes, maybe process some more...you want to have a smoother paste. And if you leave the mixture in the fridge a little bit longer that will help as well. You'll want to work with it when it's cold. I'll be making this again soon for my family, if I learn anything new, I'll come back and let ya know. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the recipe ! I would like to know, when you freeze the falafel uncooked do i need to unfreeze them before i cook them in oil ?
Thank you !
Just tried this today! It is awesome! I have never had it before but I LOVE chickpeas so gave it a whirl. Will definitely make this again.
April, thanks again for giving this recipe a try! It is a classic, and one I make often. Glad to have you here. Thanks for the support!
Thanks for the recipe. I tried falafel at our local farmers market & loved them, I have been looking for a recipe since.
I will try to make them myself this week.
Again thank you!
Glad you found our recipe, Myra! Enjoy!
Dear Suzy. Thank you for the recipie, my first batch is resting in a fridge and await frying 🙂
Is it possible to archive burger size patties and use them as vegeterian burger alternative? I am afraid large falafel may fall apart. I need some vegeterian alternatives for burgers and barbecues. Do you have any suggestions? xx
Great, Joanna! Hope you enjoy it! I don't have a recipe for vegetarian burgers...I suppose falafel is the closest for now. I'd put a couple of falafels on a bun and add the fixings you like 🙂
I cannot eat cilantro or coriander. What can I use to replace them?
Hi, Teri. So cilantro and coriander are essential to the taste of traditional falafel. However, you can certainly omit them and simply compensate using more parsley and dill and a touch more cumin. Hope this helps.
Hi Suzy, great blog! Very excited by this recipe becasue of all the herbs/spices included (vs the other bland recipes I've come across).
I'm getting ready to make this recipe and started by soaking a whole bag (1lb 9oz) of Bob's Red Mill Garbanzos because I want to make some hummus and another Indian recipe.
Two questions based on this
1. Is the baking soda necessary when soaking? I was concerned about the soda destroying nutrients. I assume it's supposed ot soften skins but is it absolutely essential?
2. What's the soaked weight/measurement for 2 cups of dried garbanzos? You give the equivalent for COOKED beans above, but I don't believe that can represent the dried/soaked (not cooked) conversion.
Thanks!
Hello, Lyn. Thank you for stopping in! I am so excited you are trying this recipe, it's a favorite here. Sorry I did not see your comment until now, but hopefully my answers will still be helpful. In my opinion the baking soda is necessary, it does help a lot in softening the garbanzo beans, otherwise, you'll want to extend the soaking period a long while yet. For this recipe, you need to start with 2 cups of dried, uncooked chickpeas. So I would say, the best thing is to soak that amount in water separate from the remainder of the garbanzo bag to get a more accurate result. Hope you really enjoy it! Thank you so much. The 2 cups of dried chickpeas will still likely double after soaking for so many hours.
I soaked 3 cups of dry beans yesterday and it resulted in exactly 6 cups of soaked beans (Not Cooked) so it's safe to say they will double. Give or take a bit as I have heard that freshness of the peas and such can affect how much they expand.
Great recipe! I have a hard time with heat control and consistency between batches when frying in a pan or pot. Would a deep fryer with a basket work okay? Glad I found your site.
Thanks.
Yes, Tommy! A deep fryer with a basket would work!!! Enjoy!
Hi! I made these, they wer really. Best recipe. thanks
So glad you enjoyed this falafel! Thank you so much for stopping in and sharing!
Hi Suzy, I want to make some to take to a party, if I fry them up earlier in the day and reheat in the oven will they be okay?
I also saw another recipe that used half chickpeas and half fava beans - would this just make them a bit denser?
Cheers, Bronwen
Hi there. Falafel is better when fried and served shortly after. But you can absolutely fry them earlier then reheat, I have done that before. There are some versions of falafel that use fava beans, it's a slightly different taste.