I have a special love for falafels but any of my at-home attempts have been complete failures. I tried a complete made from scratch recipe that completely fell apart and tasted like cardboard. I’ve tried the powdered box stuff, which was just completely gross. I’ve also brought pre-made frozen falafels, which were okay but nothing like what you get a falafel house.
But it had been a few years since I had tried falafels at home so I decided it was time to give it another go. I am so happy I revisited the falafel. These really are the. best. falafels. ever. EVER!
I think the lesson I learned from this reflection is that cooking takes practice. So for any of you out there who are just new to cooking, it’s okay to fail. Expect to have some disasters. But keep at it. The more you practice, the better you get at it!
I served these on a bed of lettuce, cucumbers, and red onions. Then I topped the whole thing off with freshly chopped parsley and a tzatziki dressing. The combination was so tasty! The zippy dressing really offsets the fresh greens and crunchy falafels.
These falafels are best when served fresh. If you have leftovers, pop them in the oven to crisp them up again. The microwave will only give you soggy falafels. Avoid soggy falafels at all cost! The microwave is a surefire way to ruin a good falafel!
Why It’s A Smart Choice
These falafels are filling! I ate them at lunch but when supper time rolled around, I had zero appetite! The combination of the fibre and protein in the chickpeas, the fat from frying, and the voluminous salad I ate them with kept me full for hours upon hours!
If you give this recipe a go, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram! I’d love to see your creations! Knowing someone has enjoyed one of my recipes always makes my day brighter.
Best Ever Falafels
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 onion diced
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas (about two cans, drained and rinsed)
- 1 tbsp tahini or sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/3 cup flour either all-purpose flour or a gluten free mix works
- 1 tsp baking powder
- canola oil for frying
Instructions
- In a medium-sized pan, heat the canola oil over medium heat.
- Add in the onions. Once the onions are soft and just starting to turn a golden brown, add in the minced garlic and cook for one extra minute. Remove from heat.
- In a high powered blender or food processor, place the onions, garlic, chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, eggs, salt, coriander, cumin, black pepper, and chili flakes. Pulse or blend on medium-low until well mashed.
- Dump blender/food processor contents into a large bowl. Stir in the chopped parsley, flour, and baking powder.
STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS
- Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan. Heat to medium-high.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the falafel mix into little balls in the pan. Flatten the tops slightly with a fork.
- Cook until the edges just start to turn brown. Flip and cook until the bottom just starts to turn brown.
- Remove to a paper-towel lined plate.
- Repeat with remaining mixture.
AIR FRYER INSTRUCTIONS
- Pour a few tablespoons of oil in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, grease the bottom of the air fryer with some oil.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the falafel mix into little balls in the air fryer.
- Brush each falafel with some oil.
- Cook at 200°C/400°F until golden brown (about 10-15 minutes). Shake the basket partway so that the falafels get crispy on all sides.
Notes
- Calorie information based on 1 tbsp of oil absorbed per serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 359 | Fat: 21.5g | Carbs: 33g | Fibre: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Protein: 11g
Did you mean cooked chickpeas here, or raw but soaked?
I’ve updated the recipe to be more clear now – this refers to cooked chickpeas!
These were super easy to make. I used chickpeas that I had cooked in the instant pot (for 30 mins). The mixture was more wet than I expected. Because of that, I decided to bake the falafels in the oven. We enjoyed them in the Turmeric Falafel Bowls. I’ll definitely try making them again. Thanks!
Froze them and it works! I just reheat in the oven. Also a great addition is pickled beets!
I absolutely love the pickled beet idea! Thanks for the review.
These look yummy!
Just one question…is the caloric information for one falafel or for a serving, and if it’s a serving how many constitute that?
Thank you!
The caloric information is for 1/6 of the recipe. I can’t say a number of falafel balls because it depends on how big or small you make them!
How long approximately does the whole process take? I’m looking to get a group of Arabic majors together to cook an authentic meal and we have a time constraint. Thanks!
It doesn’t take very long to put the mix together.
The longest part is frying the falafels. To make this go faster, use as many pans as you can fit on your stove! That way you can fry more at once.
Have you tried freezing these?
No, I haven’t. We enjoyed them so much there weren’t enough leftover to freeze! But my guess would be that they’d freeze well and reheat nicely in the oven.
This one I’m going to try.
Should I use cooked chickpeas or soaked?
Cooked or canned chickpeas!