Recipe for Homemade Falafel | How to make falafel

Last updated on March 5th, 2021 at 09:20 am

Recipe for homemade falafel – Easy to make falafel recipe from scratch that is soft on the inside and crisp on the outside!

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This is one of my favorite appetizers because it has chickpeas. Like I’ve mentioned in my Instant Pot Brown Lentil mash and Split Pea curry in Instant Pot, I love lentils and beans and grams. So naturally, I love falafels. I especially love how simple it is to make and with minimal ingredients in this recipe for homemade falafel.

These falafels make a great appetizer as well a great on-the-go lunch when wrapped in pita pockets. Pair it with a salad like this Hawaiian Chicken Salad and you can fix an entire meal in a jiffy!

Recipe for homemade falafel:

What goes into this:

The ingredients you need are pretty much pantry ingredients. The dried chickpeas, the star ingredient here, is pretty easy to prep. Although it takes a lot of time, like a whole day, to soak; it is basically just pouring water on top and letting it sit for 24 hours. Soaking it makes the chickpeas super soft and most importantly very digestible making falafels very gut-friendly.

See Also:

Cheese Corn Balls recipe (Restaurant Style)

I have been making falafels for over 5 years now. The first time I had them from a cool food truck in front of the Smithsonian Museum, I fell in love with it right then. And then after making it a couple of times at home, we felt that the homemade falafels were a little dry to the throat, you know when you swallow it and it feels very dry and hurtful to your throat? Yeah, that feeling.

Then I added some yogurt and it was perfect. Yogurt keeps the falafels soft as they cook. What’s more is these easy homemade falafels tend to stay soft as they cool down too and making this the best falafel recipe there is, lol. However, for the vegan options, you might have to skip the yogurt. An authentic falafel recipe doesn’t use yogurt but instead calls for baking soda; I find the yogurt method the best.

Garlic, Green Chilli Peppers, Cilantro Leaves, and Parsley leaves go into the blender with the soaked chickpeas. Garlic is very very important here, it gives the major flavor to the recipe for homemade falafel. Green Chilli Peppers are something I wanted to add.

See also:

Restaurant style Chicken Seekh Kebab recipe

Also…

I have been making without green chillies the first couple of times, but I find the best flavors are when the falafels are made with the green chili peppers. You can use jalapenos in place or just skip them instead if you like less spicy falafels.

Cilantro Leaves and Parsley Leaves gives color, nutrition, and flavor to the falafels. I sometimes go with only cilantro leaves or only parsley leaves depending on what’s available in my refrigerator. And these days I add some spinach to it, like substitute half a cup of parsley with spinach. Gives some extra protein and nutrition especially since my daughter A loves falafels.

Baking powder also aids in bringing some softness to this recipe for homemade falafel and but most importantly it imparts some airiness into the cooked falafels.

The flavor is brought about by the spice powders such as cumin powder, coriander powder, pepper powder, and salt. If you are going for a less spicy version, skip the green chili pepper but do not skimp on the pepper powder; it adds a much-needed flavor.

Cumin Powder and Coriander Powder impart the Mediterranean flavor in the falafels. Also, the sesame seeds do the same. I like to use hulled or unhulled sesame seeds, I love them both. If you don’t like the mild bitterness the unhulled sesame seeds give, go with the hulled ones.

See also:

The easiest Sweet Banana Fritters recipe (VEGAN)

How to make falafels from canned chickpeas:

Authentic falafel recipes always use dried chickpeas and that gives the best texture in my opinion. As for me, I have always used dried chickpeas so maybe I am biased here. But I did buy some canned chickpeas just to try it out recently.

So if you really want to use canned chickpeas, drain them well and pat them dry as much as you can. Follow through with the recipe but skip the yogurt. The uncooked falafel balls should hold its’ shapes so if it droops down, add some chickpea flour if you have otherwise just used some all-purpose flour; about 1-2 tbsps should do.

How to bake falafels:

If you would like to bake them, make them ball-shaped, and gently press down to patties. Arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C. Bake them for 20 minutes or until the top begins to brown. Remove falafel from the oven after 20 minutes to check for doneness.

Serving suggestions:

Two words. PITA BREAD. Although I love eating falafels without any sides, what I love even more is to stuff them in little pockets, add some olives, tomatoes, and onions, and drizzle some tzatziki sauce. It is just yum! Makes for an excellent meal prep plan and lunch plan (you might wanna pack it separately and assemble it before eating it).

See also:

Super easy Garlic Knots recipe

Calories in Falafels:

This recipe for homemade falafels makes 20 falafels which serve 4 people approximately. Each falafel has 55 calories with 2.3g of protein, 2.2g of fat, and 6.7g of carbohydrates. If you choose to bake these, the fat values will come down.

Storage Instruction:

Once cooked, falafels can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 2 days and in the freezer for up to a week. Thaw before you reheat them.

Uncooked falafel batter doesn’t store well in the freezer, it absorbs moisture however tightly sealed they are and when you fry them in oil it tends to disintegrate (happened to me).

How to make homemade falafels:

To make these super easy falafels, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• 1 cup Dried Chickpeas, (400 g)
• 3 cups Water
• 2 medium Green Chilli Peppers
• 5 large Garlic cloves, peeled
• 1.5 cups Cilantro Leaves, loosely packed
• 1 cup Parsley, loosely packed
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
• 1 tsp Coriander Powder
• 1 tsp Pepper Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Sesame seeds, hulled
• 2 tsp Yogurt
• Oil, for deep frying

Method to make the falafels:

1. Wash the chickpeas if needed and put them in a bowl. Pour the water on top. Cover the bowl with a lid and keep it in the fridge because the water turns to go rancid or fermented after 12 hours. And we really don’t want that smell and taste get into the chickpeas.
2. Let it soak for about 24 hours. (For example, if you want to make it for evening snacks, soak it the previous day during snack time.) After the soak time, drain the water. You can soak it for anywhere between 18-24 hours; 24 hours will give you a super soft texture whereas 18 hour soak time will give a sort of dry texture once it is cooked.
3. Add the soaked chickpeas, cilantro leaves, garlic, green chili peppers, and parsley leaves to a blender. Blend it until you get an almost smooth consistency out of it. Transfer it to a mixing bowl.
4. To the same mixing bowl add the salt, pepper powder, cumin powder, coriander seed powder, baking powder, sesame seeds, and yogurt. Using your hands mix it thoroughly. If you have sensitive hands, you a stand mixer instead.
5. Place a frying pan or deep pan on the stovetop. Pour in some oil enough to fry the falafels.
6. Divide the falafel dough into equal portions and roll it into round shaped falafels.
7. Once the oil is hot enough fry the falafels in batches in low-medium flame until it takes a deep golden brown in color. For me, it takes a total of 5 minutes to cook 4 falafels at a time.
8. Remove the falafels from the oil, drain it on a strainer or paper towel if required.
9. Serve it with tzatziki sauce or stuff them up in Pita Pockets!

Notes:

• Dried Chickpeas: Falafels are traditionally made with dried chickpeas. Since it is meant to be ground directly after soaking them, cooked canned chickpeas aren’t the best choice.
• Canned Chickpeas: If you don’t have dried chickpeas, you can choose to use canned ones. Drain and pat them dry. Add the other ingredients and fry them on medium-high flame. Skip the yogurt in this case and add some gram flour if they don’t hold shape.
• Baking: You can bake these falafels instead of frying. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Arrange the falafels on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake them for 20 minutes or until they change to a golden brown. You may press them to patty shapes instead of round ones.
• Storage: These falafels once cooked can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 2 days and in the freezer for up to a week. Thaw before you reheat them. 
• Soaking: Soaking them for 24 hours will give you soft falafels, those that aren’t dry to the throat. You can soak them for 18-24 hours. Ensure to keep it in the fridge because after 12 hours the water begins to go rancid.

Recipes using Chickpeas:

• How to cook dried chickpeas in Instant Pot
• Chickpea Butter Masala in Instant Pot

Other appetizer recipes:

• Vegan Banana Blossom Fritters (Vegan)
• Paneer Jalfrezi / Stir Fry recipe (Vegetarian)
• Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts recipe

Made this? Got doubts? Let me know what you think in the comments below!