These falafels are everything a great falafel should be: crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, nicely spiced, and very, very green. They’re totally vegan but, take it from an avowed lifetime carnivore kind of person, you’d never realize it or miss meat while eating these.

Confession: I never had a falafel until I was 21. Hungry, drinking-filled late nights taught me a love for all night middle eastern foods, and to this day I stand by the statement that the best thing I ever ate is a chicken shawarma at 3 in the morning on the streets of old town Nice, a soft pita wrap filled with smoky spicy chicken and loads of falafels.

The Easiest Falafel Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

The Easiest Falafel Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

I loved making these falafels. It was equal parts easy (just soak the chickpeas, blitz everything, and rest) and equal parts fun shaping them. I imagined I was an itamae – a Japanese nigiri sushi master – as I was shaping each fluffy little falafel. The best-sized balls turned out to be around the same size as a kyoto-style round sushi in fact: 1-inch wide, which I found to be the perfect combination of crunchy and fluffy.

The Easiest Falafel Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

It turns out that, like pretty much anything deep fried, having falafels fresh from the fryer is better than you’d never expect. I fried these following basically none of the rules of deep frying, and it turns out falafels are the most forgiving thing ever to deep fry. I just used 12oz of oil in a very tiny pan, with no temperature measurement other than sticking the thermapen in now and again to make sure the oil was above 300ºF before I dropped in the falafels 3-4 at a time. The oil stayed clean and new in a way it never does when frying meats, and the falafels were crisp and not oily at all.

If you’re looking to pair these up, our fattoush, moroccan lamb meatballs, and grilled moroccan pita bread are great options. Having a sauce to dip into is a must, and while a tahini based sauce is the traditional choice, this tzaziki is a super healthy alternative. These were so much fun to make and so delicious to eat. You won’t regret making these, I hope you give them a try, and let me know what you think!

-Falafel out

The Easiest Falafel Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

The Easiest Falafel Recipe

Serves 60 falafels
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting Time 1 day
Total Time 1 day 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cup dried chickpeas don't used canned
  • 1 cup fresh parsley
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup fresh dill
  • 1 small onion quartered
  • 8 cloves garlic

Spice Mix

  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds see note
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Soak the chickpeas overnight in at least 2 cups of water in a large covered container. The next day, remove and dry with paper towels.
    Place chickpeas and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in a medium bowl and add cold water to cover by 2 inches. Cover and let sit, at room temperature overnight, until chickpeas have doubled in size. Drain and rinse.z
  • Combine your chickpeas, herbs, onions, garlic, spice mix, and salt to taste in a food processor (in batches if necessary). Blitz into a fine crumbly paste. Rest, covered in the fridge, for 1-2 hours before frying.
    The Easiest Falafel Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • Using wet hands, form into firm-ish 1-inch wide balls.
    The Easiest Falafel Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • Deep fry at 300ºF for 2 minutes, in batches if necessary. Drain on a paper towel between batches.
    The Easiest Falafel Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • Enjoy immediately.
    The Easiest Falafel Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

Notes

I prefer to toast coriander in a dry pan and crush in a mortar and pestle, but ground coriander works as well.
 
Inspired by https://www.themediterraneandish.com/how-to-make-falafel/

The Easiest Falafel Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

9 Comments

  1. Kelly says:

    is there a reason why i can’t use canned chickpeas? i had been hoping to use them up with this recipe! (:

    1. Jeannie says:

      Looks like the beans are never actually cooked. You’d end up with hummus at the food processor step.

  2. sassygirl says:

    i am a huge falafel fan! the green color is so good. trying your recipe
    for dinner tonite. thanks for sharing!
    ?

  3. Jill says:

    These are delicious and so easy!!! I’ll be making these regularly – they’re so simple I made them for lunch today with just some dipping sauces. Best falafels I’ve made :)

  4. Sabrina says:

    beautiful! love the texture too, thank you for another lovely recipe!

  5. Nancy says:

    It looks so Yummy, a combination of chickpeas and parsley so good.

  6. Juri Juster Jensen says:

    you forgot a 1 tsp of baking soda to make falafel fluffy.

    1. nicole novak says:

      Doesn’t need it. These are gold

  7. Lucy Daniel says:

    Great recipe! I am really excited to see that you have made these falafels so fluffy, without adding a raising agent like baking soda or powder. Definitely healthier and also prevents the metallic flavour, when too much baking powder is used.

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Thanks for reading as always!
-Steph & Mike