Falafels are probably my favourite thing to make with chickpeas. This popular Middle Eastern street food is an addictive snack - crispy outside and moist and fluffy inside with lots of texture and flavour!
Falafels were my gateway to Middle Eastern food. I wasn’t prepared for what a flavour bomb these fried balls are.
Falafel's best friends: Hummus, Pita, Chickpea Salad. Make these together for an amazing Middle Eastern spread!
Packed with a bunch of herbs and aromatic spices, falafels are easily one of my all-time favourite foods now. Most people don’t know how easy they are to make at home and you can control the flavours too.
Deep Fried Balls of Flavour
You only need a handful of ingredients and the humble chickpeas or chana to make this amazing recipe!
- Bursting with flavour and really aromatic
- With just a little prep, this dish is fast and easy
- Naturally vegan and vegetarian
- Can be made ahead and easily stored in the freezer to be fried as needed
- Makes for a great snack or side dish and can be served with a variety of dips like hummus or my Lebanese pecan red pepper dip
- This dish is overall high in fibre and protein
- Fresh herbs and spices add a bold, authentic flavour to this dish
Here are the ingredients you need
- Chickpeas: Only use dried chickpeas that are soaked in water for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours. Canned chickpeas do not work because they are precooked and too mushy to hold shape
- Onion and garlic: Add a punch of flavour to every bite. While the traditional recipe uses yellow onions for a stronger flavour, red or white variants work just fine too.
- Herbs: I have used coriander and mint leaves to make the falafel more flavourful and give it that beautiful green colour. Traditional recipes use parsley as the main herb, but I have replaced it with what’s easily available in India.
- Spices: Cumin powder and green chillies are added to this recipe for flavour and heat.
- Baking powder: Just a tiny bit helps make the falafel truly soft and fluffy from the inside.
- All-purpose flour: Used as a binding agent and helps falafel retain its shape while frying.
- Sesame seeds: Nuttiness and texture
How to make Falafel
- Begin by adding soaked chickpeas, onion, garlic, green chillies, coriander leaves, mint leaves, salt and cumin powder to a food processor.
- Run the food processor till everything breaks down and forms a grainy paste
- Do not make it into a fully smooth mixture, a chunky coarse texture works better for a falafel. Transfer the mix to a bowl.
- Add sesame seeds, baking powder and all purpose flour to the mixture and fold to combine.
5. Once ready, transfer to a refrigerator and chill for 30-60 minutes.
6. Use this mixture to make 20-22 lemon sized balls. Lightly flatten it by pressing each ball in between your palms.
7. Heat oil in a kadai or frying pan over medium heat. Allow the oil to heat up (360F/180C). Drop in the falafel balls one at a time and fry it over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Do not crowd the pan, ensure there is some space left. Do the frying in batches if necessary.
8. Using a skimmer turn the falafel halfway through to ensure it cooks evenly. Once it is golden brown, turn off heat and remove the falafel and transfer onto a tissue-lined plate. Serve hot with hummus and pita!
Richa’s top tips to make the best falafel
- Make sure to use dried chickpeas only and soak them for at least 12 hours to achieve the perfect crumbly, coarse texture. Uncooked or dried chickpeas prevent your falafel from becoming too mushy or breaking apart while frying.
- When grinding the chickpea mixture, remember to keep the texture slightly coarse or grainy and not creamy. This helps the falafel hold shape when deep fried.
- Allow the mixture to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight before frying them. Apart from preventing the falafels from breaking open, it also ensures that the flavour from herbs and spices has a chance to properly develop.
- Baking powder is an important ingredient that helps to make the falafels fluffy. You can replace it with baking soda, but I don’t recommend it as it adds a slight metallic taste to the dish.
- Fry the falafels on a medium heat to make sure they brown evenly and are properly cooked from the inside.
Serving Falafel
I usually serve this either as a snack with some hummus, tahini sauce or my garlicky yogurt party dip. But there are so many ways you can eat this one. Make a quick falafel wrap by adding these to pita bread with pickled veggies and hummus or serve them as a salad with greens, cucumbers, onions and tomatoes - trust me, it works!
Who would have thought making the crispiest and yummiest falafels at home would be this easy? While these taste incredible as a starter with a side of hummus and veggies, you can even add them to your shawarma, salads or sandwiches for a fun twist!
Watch the Recipe Video
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Crispy Falafel
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Chickpeas Bengal Gram, soaked overnight in water
- 2 small Onions peeled and quartered
- 8 Cloves Garlic peeled
- 2-3 Green Chillies or serrano peppers
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 25 Grams Coriander approximately ½ Cup
- 15 Grams Mint Leaves approximately ¼ Cup
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
- Oil for Frying approximate 1 ½ cups
Instructions
- Grind together chickpeas, onions, garlic, green chillies, sesame seeds, cumin powder, coriander and mint leaves together in a food processor until grainy. Do not make it a fully smooth mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and add salt, all purpose flour, baking powder and sesame seeds. Mix to combine.
- Refrigerate this for 30 minutes. Use this mixture to make approximately 20-22 lime sized balls. Set aside for frying.
- Set up a kadai or pot with one and half inch oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot (160C-175C), drop in the balls one by one and fry on medium flame or until golden brown. Turn them halfway to ensure they cooks evenly. Use a skimmer to remove from the oil once cooked and transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Serve hot along with Hummus and Pita!
Video
Notes
- Make sure to use dried chickpeas only and soak them for at least 12 hours to achieve the perfect crumbly, coarse texture. Uncooked or dried chickpeas prevent your falafel from becoming too mushy or breaking apart while frying.
- When grinding the chickpea mixture, remember to keep the texture slightly coarse or grainy and not creamy. This helps the falafel hold shape when deep fried.
- Allow the mixture to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight before frying them. Apart from preventing the falafels from breaking open, it also ensures that the flavour from herbs and spices has a chance to properly develop.
- Baking powder is an important ingredient that helps to make the falafels fluffy. You can replace it with baking soda, but I don’t recommend it as it adds a slight metallic taste to the dish.
- Always Fry the falafels on a medium heat to make sure they brown evenly and are properly cooked from the inside.
Linda says
I love your blog Richa. Most of your recipes are simple to make and yet they are delicious. I made this Falafel recipe recently and it came out really well. My husband and my guests loved it. I tried both versions - Deep fried as well as shallow fry. Both were yum. Thank you and keep posting yummy recipes.
Richa says
So glad you liked it Linda!
ramson says
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