This Lebanese Falafel Recipe is perfect for you if you want to learn how to make perfectly crisp and extremely flavourful homemade falafels. Whether you serve them stuffed in warm Greek Pita Bread or along with a bowl of refreshing Lebanese Fattoush Salad, this iconic street food will be a family favorite!
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Falafel is made with healthy ingredients such as chickpeas, onions, fresh herbs, and spices. This delicious Middle Eastern dish is very easy to make and is especially popular among vegetarians and vegans. They are inexpensive, freezer-friendly, and perfect for meal planning.
What is Falafel?
Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern street food made with soaked chickpeas and/or fava beans, onions, fresh herbs, and spices. These golden and crispy patties are also popular worldwide, especially among vegetarians as an alternative to meat-based street food.
Although this Lebanese Falafel Recipe recalls for shallow frying the falafel balls, you can also deep fry them or bake them in the oven. Below, I explain how to make baked, fried, and shallow-fried falafel.
You can serve these herby and crispy falafels as a side dish or appetizer with Tabbouleh (Lebanese Tabouli Salad) or Easy Authentic Hummus, or as a main dish with Greek Pita Bread, Cacik (Turkish Yoghurt With Cucumbers), tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce.
Why This Recipe Works
- Falafel is naturally gluten-free, vegan, and made with a few simple ingredients.
- This simple Lebanese Falafel Recipe uses the perfect blend of spices with a hint of heat coming from green chili and flaked chilies! The addition of fresh herbs and lemon zest&juice gives the falafel an authentic Middle Eastern flavor.
- They are perfect for meal prep! You can prepare them a few days in advance, and you can freeze cooked or uncooked falafel patties for later.
- You can cook the frozen falafel without defrosting them. Simply add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Nutritious Chickpeas
Chickpeas (a.k.a garbanzo beans) are the main ingredient for this easy&delicious Lebanese Falafel Recipe. They are full of nutrients, high in protein and low in fat, and also contain several vitamins and minerals.
Falafel is best when made with soaked dried chickpeas covered completely with water at room temperature. They will soften, and almost triple in size when soaked overnight, ideally for 24 hours.
Your falafels will be too soft to shape if you use canned or cooked chickpeas. Also, they will be mushy and heavy on the inside and fall apart easily while cooking.
You can substitute chickpeas with fava beans, or use half chickpeas and half fava beans.
- Onion - I use yellow or white onions for a bit of punch! You can substitute it with the same amount of shallots or green onions. Roughly chop the onion before adding it to the food processor.
- Lemon zest&juice - They are a great addition to falafel although it is not traditionally added. They add sharpness and brightness to falafel patties.
- Fresh herbs - I use a generous amount of fresh parsley and coriander (cilantro) leaves for extra flavor and authentic bright green color. Roughly chop them before adding them to the food processor. You can also use mint or dill as an addition to parsley and coriander.
- Green chili - It adds a bit of kick and green color to the falafel patties without overpowering the flavor!
- Spices - I add ground cumin and coriander as well as flaked chili, freshly ground pepper, and a generous amount of salt.
- Baking powder — I use baking powder as it makes the falafel more tender, fluffy, and light.
- Chickpea Flour - It binds the mixture together and retains the shape while frying. You can substitute it with a gluten-free flour blend.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This Lebanese Falafel Recipe is extremely easy to make and to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:
Soak the Chickpeas
This simple step needs to be done a day ahead and is necessary to achieve the best texture and flavor.
Add dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) to a large bowl and add the bicarbonate of soda.
Cover the bowl with plenty of water at room temperature and set it aside.
Let the chickpeas rehydrate overnight, or until they triple in size. You can leave them in water for up to 2 days. Simply refresh the water halfway through the process.
When ready to make your falafels, drain the water and give the chickpeas a quick wash under running water.
Prepare the Mixture
Place soaked chickpeas, roughly chopped fresh herbs, onions, green chili, and garlic along with the lemon zest, juice, salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander powder, chickpea flour (gram flour), baking powder, and flaked chili in a bowl of a food processor.
Blitz the mixture using the pulse function until it resembles a coarse sand texture.
Transfer the mixture into a bowl and give it a good stir until all are combined. Cover with a lid or cling film and refrigerate it for a minimum of 45 minutes until it's fully chilled.
Shape the Falafels
Once the falafel mixture has been fully chilled, scoop golf ball-sized balls and form them into balls or patties, depending on the cooking method.
You can use falafel mold/scoop if you have one or just shape them with your hands. Don't make your patties too flat if you want them nice and fluffy when cooked!
Set the shaped falafels aside and proceed with your preferred cooking method.
Cook the Lebanese Falafels - 3 Different Methods
Pan-fry
This is my preferred method for cooking falafel. I added other cooking techniques as well so feel free to choose your own style.
If you want to pan fry falafels, shape them into patties. Place a heavy-based pan or a skillet over medium heat and add ½ cup of oil. When the oil is hot enough, carefully add the falafels without overcrowding the pan.
Fry the falafels for a few minutes on both sides, until golden brown and super crispy on the outside.
Transfer the falafels to a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of excess oil. Serve them immediately when still warm.
Deep Fry
The most common and authentic way to cook falafels is deep frying them in hot oil. Shape your falafels into golf-sized balls or patties for deep frying.
Place a heavy-based pan over medium heat and fill it up with 8 cm (3") of vegetable, sunflower, or rapeseed oil.
When the oil reaches 190° C (375° F), gently drop the falafels into the oil, using a slotted spoon. Cook the falafels for a few minutes, until golden brown and super crispy on the outside.
Remove the falafels with a slotted spoon carefully and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of excess oil. Serve them immediately when still warm.
Oven Bake
Shape your falafels into patties if you want to bake them. Pre-heat your oven to 220° C (425° F). Line a baking sheet with silicon paper and lightly spray with oil.
Place the falafel patties on baking paper and brush them with a generous amount of oil, preferably olive oil.
Bake the patties until golden brown on both sides, 20 to 25 minutes. Make sure to turn them over halfway through the baking time!
They will be slightly less crispy and golden than when deep-fried or pan-fried. Serve them immediately when still warm.
How to Serve Lebanese Falafel?
Falafel is best when served straight after cooking while they are still warm and crispy. I usually serve them as a main meal with some green salad such as Lebanese Fattoush Salad or Greek Cucumber Salad accompanied with some flat bread such as Bazlama (Turkish Flatbread) or Greek Pita Bread.
You can also serve Lebanese Falafel balls as an appetizer along with Authentic Hummus, Tirokafter (Spicy Whipped Feta Dip), Baba Ganoush Without Tahini, or Haydari(Turkish Yoghurt Dip).
Falafel is great as a light lunch when added to salads. Try the leftover falafel patties with Tabbouleh Recipe (Lebanese Tabouli Salad), Gavurdagi Salatasi (Tomato and Walnut Salad), or Turkish Shepherd Salad (Coban Salatasi).
Top Tips From The Chef
- Add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to the water you soak the chickpeas to help them to soften.
- Do not use canned or cooked chickpeas. Soaked dry chickpeas are the way to go for the best texture and flavor. if you use cooked/canned chickpeas, your mixture will fall apart unless you add a generous amount of flour which will affect the taste of the falafel.
- Chill the falafel mixture before shaping them to make the shaping process easier.
- If you are deep frying the falafel, it is best to shape the mixture into small round balls. For baking or pan frying, shape them into flat patties.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can freeze the falafel before or after cooking them.
If you want to freeze the mixture uncooked, place it in an airtight container and keep it for up to 5 months.
If you freeze the falafel mixture after shaping them, simply fry or bake them from frozen. You might need to cook them for a few extra minutes.
If you freeze the falafel mixture before shaping them, thaw it overnight, shape, and fry/bake it as stated in the recipe card.
Falafel is best when served freshly warm out of the oven or pan. However, if you have any leftovers, you can keep them refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container. You can use them in salads or wraps without needing to reheat them. They will taste great but will lose their crispy texture!
Falafel is packed with protein, vitamins, and fiber from chickpeas. When baked, they are low in calories and fat. In addition, they are naturally gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, and nut free. When fried, they will still be packed with nutrients but won't be low in calories and fat as they will absorb some oil while frying!
Related Recipes
For more delicious and healthy vegan recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this authentic street food "Falafel" as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Lebanese Falafel Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 200 g dried chickpeas (soaked in plenty of water with bicarbonate of soda)
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (for soaking the chickpeas)
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves (roughly chopped)
- 1 cup fresh coriander leaves (roughly chopped)
- 1 small onion (roughly chopped)
- 1 green chili
- 3 cloves garlic
- 30 g chickpea flour (gram flour)
- 1 lemon (zested and juiced)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon flaked chilli (pul biber)
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup vegetable, rapeseed or sunflower oil for frying
Instructions
Soak the Chickpeas
- This simple step needs to be done a day ahead and is necessary to achieve the best texture and flavor.
- Add dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) to a large bowl, add the bicarbonate of soda and cover with plenty of water at room temperature.
- Set the bowl aside and let the chickpeas rehydrate overnight, or until they triple in size. You can leave them in water for up to 2 days. Simply refresh the water halfway through the process.
- When ready to make your falafels, drain the water and give the chickpeas a quick wash under running water.
Prepare the Mixture
- Place soaked chickpeas, roughly chopped fresh herbs, onions, green chili, and garlic along with the lemon zest, juice, salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander powder, chickpea flour (gram flour), baking powder, and flaked chili in a bowl of a food processor.
- Blitz the mixture using the pulse function until it resembles a coarse sand texture.
- Transfer the mixture into a bowl and give it a good stir until all are combined. Cover with a lid or cling film and refrigerate it for a minimum of 45 minutes until it's fully chilled.
Shape the Falafels
- Once the falafel mixture has been fully chilled, scoop golf ball-sized balls and form them into balls or patties, depending on the cooking method. Don't make your patties too flat if you want them nice and fluffy when cooked!
- Set the shaped falafels aside and proceed with your preferred cooking method.
Pan Frying the Falafels
- If you want to pan fry falafels, shape them into patties.
- Place a heavy-based pan or a skillet over medium heat and add ½ cup of oil.
- When the oil is hot enough, carefully add the falafels without overcrowding the pan.
- Fry the falafels for a few minutes, until golden brown and super crispy on the outside.
- Transfer the falafels to a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of excess oil.
- Serve them immediately when still warm.
Deep Frying the Falafels
- The most common and authentic way to cook falafels is deep frying them in hot oil. Shape your falafels into golf-sized balls or patties for deep frying.
- Place a heavy-based pan over medium heat and fill it up with 8 cm (3") of vegetable, sunflower, or rapeseed oil.
- When the oil reaches 190° C (375° F), gently drop the falafels into the oil, using a slotted spoon.
- Cook the falafels for a few minutes, until golden brown and super crispy on the outside.
- Remove the falafels with a slotted spoon carefully and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of excess oil.
- Serve them immediately when still warm.
Baking the Falafels
- Shape your falafels into patties if you want to bake them
- Pre-heat your oven to 220 ° C (425° F). Line a baking sheet with silicon paper and lightly spray with oil.
- Place the falafel patties on baking paper and brush them with a generous amount of oil, preferably olive oil.
- Bake the patties until golden brown on both sides, 20 to 25 minutes. Make sure to turn them over halfway through the baking time!
- They will be slightly less crispy and golden than when deep-fried or pan-fried. Serve them immediately when still warm.
Notes
- Add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to the water you soak the chickpeas to help them to soften.
- When soaking the chickpeas, you can leave them in water for up to 2 days. Simply refresh the water halfway through the process.
- Do not use canned or cooked chickpeas. Soaked dry chickpeas are the way to go for the best texture and flavor. if you use cooked/canned chickpeas, your mixture will fall apart unless you add a generous amount of flour which will affect the taste of the falafel.
- Chill the falafel mixture before shaping them to make the shaping process easier.
- If you are deep frying the falafel, it is best to shape the mixture into small round balls. For baking or pan frying, shape them into flat patties.
- Don't make your patties too flat if you want them nice and fluffy when cooked!
Nutrition
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Anita
Excellent recipe. My first time making falafel and it turned out delicious. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I will be sure to use it again and again.