The secret to our falafel recipe is soaked dried chickpeas and a mountain of fresh green herbs. They are shatteringly crisp on the outside and remarkably tender inside.
While it may be tempting to reach for a can of chickpeas, for our favorite falafel recipe, you’ll use soaked, dried chickpeas. Canned beans are too soft with too much moisture, which means you’ll have mushy fritters that fall apart. By using soaked (but uncooked) chickpeas with lots of cilantro, parsley, and mint, you’ll get a light, tender, emerald-green center with a golden, crunchy shell.
We first fell in love with falafel when walking through the Marais district of Paris, where I ordered a falafel sandwich from L’As du Fallafel. We loved their falafel so much that we ate there almost every day and came home determined to recreate it. I think we nailed it! I love tucking these into our homemade pita with creamy hummus, veggies, pickles, and this delicious tahini sauce.
Key Ingredients
- Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas don’t work here. I know other recipes say they do, but for the best authentic falafel, you want soaked dried chickpeas. This means that you need to soak your chickpeas overnight. Note that we will only soak the beans and do not cook them before making our falafel mix. For more about dried chickpeas, see this guide about soaking dried chickpeas.
- Garlic and Herbs: We love green herbs, and they work incredibly well here. We use garlic, green onions, and lots of fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, and mint.
- Spices: Our falafel mix isn’t overly spiced, but we do add ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cardamom, black pepper, and salt. Cayenne pepper is also optional for a little heat.
- Baking Powder: Adding it to your falafel mixture makes the center slightly more tender, airy, and light.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Falafel
Tip 1: Use dried chickpeas. Are you tired of me telling you this yet? Our falafel recipe below does not call for canned beans. Instead, we’re going to add them to a large bowl and soak them overnight, covered with water.
In the morning, the chickpeas will have almost tripled in size and softened a bit. They will still be hard, but no longer dried. These beans—soaked, but still firm—are perfect for making falafel. You do not need to cook them before using them in your falafel mix.
Tip 2: Make the falafel mix in a food processor. We need to finely chop the chickpeas and herbs, and a food processor works wonders.
Combine the soaked chickpeas and other falafel ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, stopping before it purees into a paste. You’ll know it’s ready when it looks finely chopped and you can press it together into balls (not like dough, but they should hold together).
I recommend watching our video in the recipe below, where you can see the texture you’re looking for.
Tip 3: Chill before cooking. Chilling the falafel mixture helps bind ingredients before you cook them, so we prefer to refrigerate the mix for 15 minutes, then form it into balls. Then, after making my balls, I pop them back into the fridge for 30 minutes or so to help them hold together for frying.
Tip 4: For the best homemade falafel, fry it. For the crispiest, most authentic falafel, fry them in oil. I know frying isn’t for everyone, but trust me, it’s worth it! It’s not as messy or complicated as you might think. If you prefer, I’ve included baking and pan-frying options in the recipe, but just remember that frying is the way to go for that perfect golden-brown and crispy outside texture.
The photo below shows deep-fried falafel on the left. It is moist and tender inside, with a golden, crisp outside (this is also the lightest texture). In the middle is pan-fried falafel, which is less crisp on the outside but still moist and tender inside, although not nearly as airy and light as deep-fried. On the right is baked falafel, which is less crispy with a less tender, bright green center.
Serving Suggestions
The classic way to enjoy these is tucked into warm, pita bread with some hummus and a handful of crunchy pickles. Sometimes we’ll add a chopped cucumber and tomato salad or a drizzle of tahini sauce. Straight tahini works, too!
For a more expansive spread, arrange the falafel on a mezze platter alongside smoky baba ganoush, tangy labneh, and briny olives. They’re also lovely for topping salads, and I love them with tzatziki.
More Mediterranean Recipes
- Chickpea Salad
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
- Easy Flatbread (no yeast!)
- Zucchini Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Orzo Pasta Salad
Homemade Crispy Falafel
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This is how to make crispy homemade falafel that rivals your favorite restaurants. While baking and pan-frying methods are provided in the tips below, we highly recommend deep-frying for a golden, shatteringly crisp exterior and a tender interior. It’s worth it!
You need soaked dried chickpeas (I soak them overnight). Do not substitute canned chickpeas. Their moisture content is too high, and the falafel will fall apart during frying. Tips for soaking chickpeas in advance are in the tips section.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
8 ounces (225 g) dried chickpeas (about 1 heaping cup)
1 bunch green onions, trimmed and roughly chopped (5 to 6 green onions)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
2 cups (50 g) packed fresh herbs, such as a mix of cilantro, flat-leaf parsley, and mint
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
¾ teaspoon baking powder
Neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola, for frying
Directions
1Rinse chickpeas and place in a large bowl. Cover with cold water by about 4 inches and soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours, or until tripled in size. Drain, rinse, and pat thoroughly dry (a salad spinner works well for this).
2In a food processor, combine the soaked chickpeas with the green onions, garlic, herbs, salt, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne, black pepper, and baking powder. Pulse until the mixture is very finely minced but not pureed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. It is ready when a small handful holds its shape when squeezed, though it will still appear slightly crumbly. See our video and photos above for reference.
3Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 days.
4Using a spoon or a small scoop, portion the mixture into 1 ½-tablespoon rounds. Gently squeeze and shape into balls and place on a clean plate. Repeat with as many falafel as you plan to cook. For the best results, refrigerate the shaped falafel for 30 to 60 minutes before frying so they hold together.
5In a deep saucepan or Dutch oven, add enough oil to reach a depth of 1 inch. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F to 375°F.
6Working in batches to avoid crowding, carefully lower the falafel into the oil. Fry without moving them until the bottoms are browned. Using two forks, carefully flip the falafel and continue cooking until browned on all sides, 3 ½ to 4 minutes total.
7Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Make-ahead: The falafel mixture can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To freeze, form the mixture into balls and freeze for up to 6 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frying.
- Leftovers: Cooked leftovers will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, but keep in mind that reheated falafel won’t be as light, tender, or crispy.
- Soaking chickpeas in advance: After soaking for 12 to 24 hours, drain the chickpeas and pat them dry. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- To bake: Heat the oven to 375°F. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a rimmed baking sheet. Form the mixture into ½-inch-thick patties and place on the sheet. Bake, flipping once, until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
- To pan-fry: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Form the mixture into ½-inch-thick patties. Fry until golden brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes total.
- This recipe was inspired by our travels, Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi, Sharon Salloum, and J. Kenji López-Alt.
- Nutritional data are estimates for the falafel mixture only. It is too difficult to calculate accurate data for the fried balls.
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I made this today and I love it! I made 2 batches. I will probably make more tomorrow
I live in NJ, and I’m visiting my daughter in WA state the month of September. I cannot wait to try this recipe with her!! It sound fairly easy and so delicious. Thank you so very much for sharing!!
10/10….best falafel I’ve ever had and so easy to make!
Yay! Glad you loved your falafel 🙂
Needs a binder. A couple tablespoons of chickpea flour would make the difference without losing the freshness of the herbs.
Absolutely with you on this one! There was NO WAY this mixture would form into any cohesive shape without a binder. I had no chickpea flour, so just used regular.
Aquafaba makes a great binder. I use a couple of tablespoons. That said the spices are bang on. Thanks Adam and Joanne.
Hi Martha, I shy away from this as it makes the falafel a tad more heavy and I really love the lighter texture with the ingredients as written. That said, if you find some chickpea flour makes these more doable for you, then great!!
Just made this recipe, outstanding results and terrific flavor! 10 stars!
This is the first time I made falafel last night. It was absolutely fantastic and super easy to prepare! I used parsley, cilantro, and fresh lemon mint (from the garden) and toasted the cumin and coriander seeds prior to mortar and pestle. I omitted the coriander powder because I have trouble grinding it by hand. We saved some fresh made balls in the fridge to fry this morning and it was again fantastic! Served with a mix of coriander chutney & olive oil mayo. Yum!!! p.s. please delete the other review with typos.
Made your crispy falafel yesterday. They were fantastic. The baking soda makes such a difference. thank you, Janice
Fun and tasty! Yes, the balls tend to break up when made and frying, so I do this: compress the mix into a 2T scooper (2″ diam) and place the hemispheres, flat side down, on a sheet with parchment paper then into the freezer for ~15 minutes. Press to 3/4″ thick with a moist pint jar bottom, touchup edges, then into fridge before frying as recommended. Another fun hack is to freeze goat cheese “marbles” and hide one inside each hemisphere before compressing.
When one clicks to print, the corander and cardamon do not appear on the print-out.
Hi Craig, I just clicked print myself and do see them there. Can you try one more time? Thanks.
these are the best falafel I’ve ever tasted and quite easy to make.
I made this recipe last night – I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand, including an abundance of cilantro and green onions. These are the best falafel I’ve ever made! (Against your suggestions, however, I used chickpeas that were already cooked (from dried beans) and I baked them because I prefer not to use added oil.) I added my own flair by rolling the little patties in sriracha panko breadcrumbs before I baked them. Wow! Yum! The baking soda really does make a difference – the patties were nice and fluffy! Thanks for a great recipe! This is a keeper!
Yum! Love the twist on the recipe! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review 🙂
My mother loves Mediterranean food as do I. We just celebrated her 85th bd. I put the entire menu together from your recipes. We had falafel with scratch made tahini, hummus, pita bread,and tabouli. ALL were wonderful. Thank you for supporting a wonderful day with this great site. I’ll be back!!
Wow! Sounds like a wonderful meal. We are thrilled that your family had a good time 🙂
I love falafal. This is the best recipe I have seen.
Love the recipe!
Hello. I tried making the falafel in what we call an appe pan in our part of the world. It uses minimal oil and feels less guilty. They turned out reasonably crisp and yummy. Not as much as the deep fried version but nice nevertheless. Thanks very much.
Hi Adam and Joanne! Should the chickpeas still be firm after soaking? I soaked them for ~24 hours but they still feel kind of hard, though they did triple in size. Thank you!
Yes,they dont need to be soft, in fact if they were like as soft as canned chickpeas the recipe will not work. For best results, soak for 24h (they will still not be soft and thats ok).
I haven’t made this yet as I have questions about the frying oil. Since vegetable and seed oils are so unhealthy, what kind of oil do you use to fry? Would coconut or avocado oil work? Do you reuse your fry oil, and, if so, will you provide details on how to do so? I absolutely never fry anything for health reasons and because I don’t want to throw out the large amount of oil required to fry. Can you offer tips on avoiding waste and using a healthy oil?
Hi Sara, We rarely deep fry at home, but make the exception for this recipe since it makes the falafel so light in the middle and crisp on the outside. Avocado oil is definitely an option, I prefer it to coconut oil for this recipe. I don’t reuse my oil, but you can. To do so, let it cool, strain it through a fine mesh strainer or a few layers of cheesecloth, and then store it in a dark place for another day. Hope that helps!
I love your tahina and hummus recipes, I shall try these one day when I’m in the mood
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe, looks super easy, which I love. I’ve been purchasing the frozen falafel at TJ’s, tasty, but super dry. What are you dipping the falafel in? Trying to move away from all the vegetarian processed products and make more at home with lots of herbs. Wish me luck… Thanks!
Hi Sara, We know you will love these. They are really fun to make. We are dipping them into our tahini sauce.
Does an air-fryer work for cooking the falafel?
Hi Susan, I bet it would, but we have not tried this ourselves. You might need to do a little experimenting to get the timing right.
Hi! If I soak the chickpeas for 5 hours will that still be okay?
Hi Tannah, It’s better that they soak for at least 8 hours. For a quicker method, you can use the quick soak method shown here.
Hello, can you freeze this mixture to use another time? Many thanks
Hi there, While we have not tried this ourselves, you should be able to freeze the mixture. We recommend forming the falafel into balls first and then freezing them separately.
We made these today and came out great! We served them tzatziki sauce. We were economizing on time, not taste and put them in the freezer for a half hour, than fried them in our deep fryer. We will definitely be making these again and highly recommend! Thank you!
These are amazing!! My husband said he likes them better than the ones from our local Greek restaurant! This is the only vegetarian meal I’ve found that he has asked for again, a true feat. I made the recipe exactly as written. The first time I struggled a bit to have them hold their form in the oil but found the recommendation to refrigerate them after the balls are formed solved that problem.
First time making these Falafels .. or any falafels for that matter. Followed the recipe, watched the video and it was spot on!! Mine looked exactly the same and tasted absolutely delicious (although next time I will add a bit more salt) .. even my fussy kids ate them and asked for more (had no idea they were actually made of chickpeas.
Your recipe will stay on my “what to do for dinner tonight” list. Thank you.
I tried this recipe last night, and it was delicious. Thank you for the recipe; the texture and flavor were incredible. I’d say our kids enjoy this recipe a lot, and I’ll give it another shot!
I made these last night and they came out almost exactly as shown in the video. They were quite different to some shop bought falafels I’d had in the past – these were much lighter and less dense and I suspect that’s because they don’t have any flour in them. I would agree with the point in the recipe where it says that it seems like they might fall apart when cooking, but… only one of mine actually broke at all when frying and I even managed to rescue that one. There are two comments I would make for this recipe. First, if you can use cumin and coriander seeds and grind them yourself in a pestle and mortar you will probably get a more intense spice flavour. And second – although I completely agree with the addition of cardamon, be careful with how much you add as it can become quite an overpowering flavour. I served my falafels with Tzatziki and Tahini sauce in a wrap and I thought they were super tasty. Thanks guys!
These were the best I’ve had in a very long time! Thank you so much!
Are the chickpeas cooked after the overnight soak ?
No, for falafel, we only soak the chickpeas.
Made these tonight and they came out exactly how I was hoping for. They are fabulous! From the crispy outside to the light and flavourful inside, taste and texture was perfect! I fried mine and did soak my chickpeas with baking soda. I can’t wait to make them again and have with some delicious hummus in a pita!
Amazing recipe
I made falafel tonight and it was a hit ! We love them! I also made the hummus … delicious ! Thank you !
Wow! Just wow! This was my first time making falafel and it was so good! Amazing texture and fresh taste, they were even better than the ones I’ve had at Mediterranean restaurants around here. Thanks for the recipe!
Thankyou for sharing these amazing recipes!!