authentic falafel recipe

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 <strong>complete step-by-step tutorial,</strong> important tips for baking or frying falafel.<strong> And watch the video just above. </strong>

What’s your favorite way to enjoy falafel?  I love them in warm pita sandwiches with <a href="https://www.themediterraneandish.com/tahini-sauce-recipe-how-to-make-tahini/">tahini sauce</a> or <a href="https://www.themediterraneandish.com/how-to-make-hummus/">hummus</a>, along with my lazy Mediterranean <a href="https://www.themediterraneandish.com/3-ingredient-mediterranean-salad/">tomato and cucumber salad</a>. But you can enjoy it alongside other plates or as part of a <a href="https://www.themediterraneandish.com/category/appetizer-and-mezze/">mezze</a> spread (lots of ideas below!)

How to Make Falafel

dried chickpeas (Do NOT use canned or cooked chickpeas)

tsp baking soda

parsley

cilantro

dill,

onion,

7-8 garlic cloves,

Salt

tbsp black pepper

tbsp cumin

tbsp coriander

cayenne pepper, optional

tsp baking powder

sesame seeds

Tahini Sauce

Pita pockets

English cucumbers, chopped or diced

Tomatoes, chopped or diced

Baby Arugula

Pickles

(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 (1/2 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!

Fantastic, held up great! You can also use a bit of flour if the mixture is a little too loose.

I made them according to your recipe which is great, I even  added a little Mediterranean spice that took it up a notch. I believe it is an acquired taste I still do not like Falafel however my neighbor and his 3 kids loved them he said taste better than his mom. He said my crust is light not really thick mind you this is my first time making them. His kids if they do not like something they will definitely tell you.  I wish I could post a photo they came  out perfect. This was my first time making beans from scratch meaning soaking over night instead of the can beans. I do have some beans left over I guess I will make hummus which I do like. I am learning to cook
Mediterranean cuisine  from your site.  I made the salad with the herbs added feta yellow peppers best salad hands down..

Hello Suzy
I left the chickpeas and Baking soda to soak for 48 hrs as they were not soft after leaving overnight. They began to smell fermented and I noticed bubbles on the water is it still safe to use the chickpeas? We did have a very hot couple of days in London.

I made it exactly like the recipe, it was so good.  My husband said it’s the best falafel he has ever had.  I have some uncooked ones in the freezer that I plan on baking.  Should I thaw them before baking, and how long should I bake and at what temperature?  Thanks!

I cooked mine in my air fryer and they are pretty good, although I am still considering deep frying them next time I make the recipe.  I feel like deep frying will definitely make them fluffy where my air fryer kinda just toasted them. Great recipe though, thanks!!

I had never made successful falafel before, they had always dissolved. Turns out, according to this, it was due to using canned chickpeas - so I was excited to try this recipe. Followed exactly, no changes - overnight soak, overnight chill. When I made the falafel balls I thought the mix would never hold together in the oil, it seemed fragile and moist. But it did perfectly. They are absolutely amazing! 

Note: at 375F / 190C they got too dark outside before being done inside - 180C worked better for me.

Love, love, LOVE this recipe! It's the best. My Egyptian husband loves it too. I have to keep some frozen so he can have it on demand haha!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff3IjiYs7K4

An authentic falafel recipe just as they serve on the busy streets of Cairo. 

👉 FULL RECIPE: http://bit.ly/TMD-Falafel
👉 SUBSCRIBE TO THIS CHANNEL: http://bit.ly/TMDYouTube-Subscribe
👉 SPICES: http://bit.ly/TMD-Spices

INGREDIENTS
🔹 2 cups dried chickpeas (Do NOT use canned or cooked chickpeas)
🔹 1/2 tsp baking soda
🔹 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, stems removed
🔹 3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed
🔹 1/2 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

FOR SANDWICH (optional)
🔹 Pita pockets
🔹 Tahini Sauce (https://youtu.be/2ug2Eldj374) or Hummus (https://youtu.be/vj1xPYh1gJ4)
🔹 English cucumbers, chopped or diced
🔹 Tomatoes, chopped or diced
🔹 Baby Arugula
🔹 Pickles

How to Make Fresh Falafel from Scratch | The Mediterranean Dish

You won't get fresher falafel than what you make at home with this recipe from Delish.com

Homemade Falafel

can chickpeas, drained

garlic, roughly chopped

shallot, roughly chopped

tbsp. freshly chopped parsley

cumin

coriander

tbsp. all-purpose flour

Kosher salt

black pepper

Vegetable oil,

c. Greek yogurt

Juice of 1 lemon

olive oil

tbsp. dill

c. tahini

garlic clove,

lemon juice

tbsp. warm water (plus more as needed)

Pitas

lettuce

Halved cherry tomatoes

cucumbers

Followed the recipe and they didn't fall apart. Super delish

We have made this recipe now a few times and I can safely say it is my boyfriends favorite recipe - we made a triple batch last time! I do add a tiny bit of tahini to the recipe to help bind it and for flavor, however the first time I did not use it and had no issues with it holding together. They reheat perfectly in an air fryer. We make this recipe at least once a month!

This recipe is great! Most recipes suggest never to use canned, but I felt like these turned out great with so much less hassle and prep then soaking dry chickpeas! In addition to the recipe I also added a tablespoon of chopped cilantro to enhance the flavor. 

Also, I noticed some comments about them falling apart. Here is what I did: I opted to bake mine at 450 for 6 minutes on each side! Heat the pan alone for 5 minutes then prep the pan generously with oil, heat up the pan for 1 minute and then place the falafels in patty form! Turned out great and didn’t fall apart at all.

Turned out super yummy! I upped the spices and herbs by 1/2 teaspoon and increased the flour by 1 T in the falafel mixture, and let it sit covered in fridge for 2 hours before forming into balls and frying. I found a tzatziki recipe and made that instead of the yogurt sauce. It was super bomb! Will be making again

Honestly... this falafel recipe was SOO GOOD!! It was the first time we ever made falafels and they turned out amazing. We used the yogurt sauce, but didn't make the tahini sauce. The flavor of everything was on point!! One of our falafels did fall apart, but the rest came out fine. Tip: don't "roll" the falafels together in your palms; we found smushing them together in our hands made them more "packed" and easier to fry. About spoonfuls of the "dough" worked for us!!

I followed the recipe and mine also disintegrated in the oil. So I regrouped, added an egg and a tablespoon of tahini to the mixture and rolled them in breadcrumbs and they turned out great! I also used store-bought tzatziki and served in a pita with cucumbers, tomatoes and a squeeze of lemon.

I'll probably blend or mash my chickpeas first before I mix in all the other stuff for a more consistent texture the next time I make it  but was very easy to follow. We did the yogurt sauce and for real ty! Was great and a new staple in our little recipe book.

Everyone in my family enjoyed this.  They came out perfectly.  I made the yogurt sauce and it was good but I didn’t make the tahini sauce.  Will make again.  I might have processed the mixture more than indicated but my falafels held together well and did not fall apart at all.  I served them over Greek pasta salad over a bed of spinach.

Delicious recipe. I chilled the falafel for about 30 minutes before frying and they stayed together while cooking

Followed recipe and it came out perfectly. Thank you . Good flavours.

These are out of this world. That tahini sauce is magical. It went from runny to a roasted garlic consistency in 30 seconds. This is, 100%, a keeper.

This is lax-- canned chickpeas don't work and 3 tablespoons flour adds gunk. Not enough greens...

Best recipe ever! First time using this recipe, it’s the best!!!
Thank You!

Very tasty and fresh. I used an air fryer to cook

Chilled it in the fridge first like a few people recommended. Easy and delicious!

Did not stay together during cooking. Don’t use this recipe

Instructions are vague and unclear. Leaves a lot of guess work and trial and error.

You probably should chop the shallots ahead of time so they are evenly distributed and avoid over blending. 

The putting in the fridge should be a good amount of time at least 20 mins to help with forming the falafel. 

Use a small saucepan for the oil to save on waste and flip over the falafel halfway 4 mins at least on each side. Look for a darker brown to black to cook all the way through. 

I would make sure they sure each one is about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick or they break apart easier unless you can submerge the entire falafel under the oil easily.

Probably need to replenish oil once.

They come out very standard for a falafel if done right. 

I would look at another website for a recipe that is not so general and vague.

Tasted great! I just rolled the mixture into balls after chilling it in he fridge for a while and they held together just fine.

Followed the recipe completely, held together perfectly and tasted fantastic. We used the yogurt sauce (also tastes good on potatoes!). Thanks for sharing

Falafel was falling apart in the frying pan. Wouldn't make again.

https://streaming.hearstdigitalstudios.com/68cf70e6-437e-404c-a8b9-500e9405967b/video_rover_16x9_1080p_hd_1548973422_21925.mp4

Falafels are the perfect easy weeknight dinner. Simple to make and can be made into a pita or a salad!

The Perfect Falafel Is Now Homemade

How to make authentic Falafel from scratch using soaked chickpeas (not canned)  with Homemade Pita, Creamy Tahini Sauce, Pickled Turnips, Cucumber Yogurt Sauce  *Chickpeas need 10-24 hours of soaking time. Makes 10 Falafels (I highly recommend making a double batch of the falafels!) 

Authentic Falafel Recipe with Tahini Sauce and Homemade Pita Bread

dry chickpeas

Cilantro (stems ok)

garlic cloves

jalapeno, seeds ok

tablespoon Coriander

Cumin

tsp kosher salt (add more to taste)

oil oil

turnips,

½ thinly sliced onion

C red wine vinegar

water

salt

tsp sugar

coriander dill

Cup plain Greek yogurt

Cup tahini paste

garlic

tsp kosher salt

cracked pepper

lemon

Soak 3/4 cup dry chickpeas in a bowl of cold water on the counter for 10- 12 hours or up to 24 hours hours. They will swell into 2 cups. Place in a strainer, letting them drain WELL, and pat dry with a towel for extra dryness. (Wet chickpeas will be more difficult to fry.)

Measure 2 cups of the soaked, uncooked chickpeas and place in a food processor and pulse repeatedly along with the onion, garlic, cilantro, chili, salt spices, baking soda, and olive oil, scraping down sides, until it is well blended but still coarse like sand. Don&#8217;t overwork it- this should not be smooth, but rather quite coarse and granular.

Using damp hands, form round, slightly smaller than golf ball sized balls in your hands. If it feels very wet, feel free to lightly dredge in flour if you like. (I usually don&#8217;t, even when wet!). Refrigerate 20 minutes. 

In a non-stick pan or cast iron skillet, heat a ¼ inch of &#8220;high-heat&#8221; oil on med-high heat until it sizzles when a pea-sized portion of falafel is dropped in.

Turn heat to medium.  Place them carefully in the hot oil, do not move or mess with them until a deeply golden crust forms (this crust will ensure they naturally releases from the pan). Using a thin metal spatula, carefully turn over. Lower heat if necessary. Sear the other side. Each side will take about 3-4 minutes. Cook in batches, not crowding. Place falafels in the oven while you cook the remaining falafels to cook them through.  Keep them in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a medium-sized pot, remove from heat, and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Middle Eastern Pickled Turnips 

Blend all in the food processor, until smooth. This may seem slightly salty, but trust me it works in the big picture when all the components are combined.

Creamy Tahini Sauce: 

I could not fry them without them falling apart.

We made the tahini sauce and it was amazing. We will be trying the falafels next week but buying the bread from our local shop.

Flavor great.... I tried to use canned garbanzos...let them dry but the falafels just fell apart in the pan no matter how long they cooked...very sad.  

Pita and tzaziki sauce are great

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/D4rlELna.mp4

How to make the most delicious, authentic Falafels – made with soaked, dry chickpeas and hands-down has the BEST texture and flavor! You’ll never want to use canned chickpeas again! Vegan and Gluten-free! Video. 

Authentic Falafel Recipe 

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!)

Have you tried doing these in an airfryer?

My first attempt with falafel 
I made a few measuring errors such as an extra cup and a half of chick peas.
I used the whole bag which was about 3 and a half cups.
I did start with dry CP's, and soaked them over night.
Of course that error threw the ratios for everything else off.
We had to add two eggs, and about 1/2 cup of flour to get them to hold their shape.
They were absolutely fabulous!.
Not sure now if I should do it right next time of "my" way.

This is the first time I have made falafel from scratch and this recipe is terrific.  I added smoked paprika and more cumin since I love spices.  My family wanted to eat them like popcorn.   I think it's key to toast and grind cumin seeds - it added wonderful flavor.  I'm glad I have extra to freeze!

Perfect recipe!!!, shallow fried and finished off in air fryer

My husband has asked over and over for falafels, but since I wasn't familiar with them I was scared to try.  I found your recipe and watched the video, and they are awesome!!  Hubby is thrilled and they are delicious, especially with your tahini sauce.  Thank you so much!!

How to Make Authentic Falafel from The Mediterranean Dish

These Falafel Bowls are made with your choice of grain, lots of healthy veggies and drizzled with tahini sauce- the falafels can be prepped ahead for the busy workweek. Vegan and Gluten-free! USE dry chickpeas, soaked in water for 8-12 hours or overnight. DO NOT use canned chickpeas.

 Falafel Bowl

cilantro (stems ok) or sub-Italian parsley

tsp kosher salt (add

teaspoons olive oil

tomatoes

greens – baby arugula, baby spinach

Sauce: Tahini Dressing

Place dry chickpeas in a big bowl and cover with 4-5 inches of water and let soak on the counter 10 &#8211; 24 hours. Drain, and pat them dry well. (You can dry them further on a sheet pan, in the preheating oven.)

Place the cilantro, onion, jalapeño and garlic in a food processor and pulse repeatedly until uniformly chopped.  Add the drained garbanzo beans, oil, cumin, coriander, salt and sprinkle the baking soda. Blend again, until well combined, but not smooth&#8211; leaving a little texture is good here. Scrape down sides if necessary, mix again, to evenly distribute the spices,and baking soda. Add more salt if you like.

Bake

Grease the bottom of a parchment-lined baking sheet with spray olive oil, or brush with olive oil.  Form falafels into ping-pong or golfball-sized balls (a slight oval shape is nice).  If it feels sticky, use wet hands. Place on the greased parchment. Once all the balls are formed, using wet palms, flatten just a little, so they are about a 1 -1 ½ inches thick. Spray or brush the tops with olive oil. Bake 15 minutes, then carefully flip using a metal spatula. Continue baking for another 12-15 minutes until golden and slightly crispy. (Alternatively, you can pan sear: form into flattened disks, 2-3 inches wide, by 1 1/2 inches thick, pressing together, firmly with your palms, and place in a well-oiled skillet over medium heat. Cast iron or non-stick works best here. Sear each side until deeply golden, adding more oil as needed. Keep warm in the oven.)

While they are baking, make the Quinoa and Tahini Sauce and prep any veggies you like.

Assemble the bowls. I usually start with quinoa, then build upward with greens, veggies, falafels, sauces, pickled things and microgreens and herbs on the top. If packing to take away with you, perhaps keep sauces separate.

A drizzle of olive, lemon and hot sauce is nice too.

This was very good. I took your suggestion and dried the chick peas in the oven as it pre-heated. The mixture came out perfectly and the patties were easy to deal with. The pickled onions added another dimension and were a great addition. Next time I may try your green tahini sauce just to mix things up a bit. Fun!

This was so delicious I couldn't believe how healthy it is! My partner and I didn't have any leftovers! Next time I will double the amount of falafel for sure!

Top 5 authentic falafel recipe recipes from across the web

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Authentic Falafel Recipe with Tahin...

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Top 5 authentic falafel recipe recipes from across the web

The most viewed authentic falafel recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

How to Make Falafel

Homemade Falafel

Authentic Falafel Recipe with Tahin...

How to Make Falafel

Falafel Bowl

The most viewed authentic falafel recipe recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine