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Fried or baked falafel are made from ground chickpeas and can be a delicious part of your dinner or a filling snack. Read below all the secrets for perfect falafel every time.

What is falafel? Falafel is a popular Middle-Eastern food made from ground chickpeas and herbs. The chickpea mixture is formed into small balls which are fried in oil. Then it's usually served with homemade pita bread and tahini sauce or some hummus.

Homemade falafel made from scratch are easier than you think, and the best thing is that you can customize the recipe to your liking by adding cilantro instead of parsley, less or more garlic, or the herbs and spices you prefer.

They're also vegan and gluten-free (not all recipes are gluten-free though) so they're the perfect snack to feed a lot of people with different dietary needs and habits.

Traditionally, falafel are fried but you can also use an air fryer or bake them in the oven if you don't like to use your frying pan (instructions for baking them are at the end of this post, but you can also watch this video for how to bake falafel from downshiftology).

Friendly reminder: when you soak the chickpeas you may want to add a few more just to make a batch of this delicious homemade smooth hummus.

Falafel ingredients:

The basic ingredients if you want to make falafel are:

dried chickpeas (you will need to soak them)
baking soda (to treat the chickpeas)
green onions (if you can't find them, half a regular onion will also do)
parsley or cilantro (whichever you prefer or both)
garlic
cumin
salt
vegetable oil (for frying or to spray for baking)

There are some more ingredients I like to add to my falafel, but they're optional, meaning that the falafel will turn out okay even if you don't use these:

freshly ground black pepper
paprika
ground cardamom
sesame seeds

Is falafel gluten-free?

Some recipes call for flour as a binding agent, because a usual problem with falafel is that they can fall apart during cooking. This recipe does not require flour so it is naturally gluten free, and your falafel will stay intact as long as you follow the simple instructions below.

However, if you have any problems with your falafel breaking during cooking, or if you notice that your falafel mixture has more moisture than you like, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour or chickpea flour (chickpea flour will keep the recipe gluten free). Don't add more flour since it can change the texture.

How do you make falafel from scratch?

Soak the chickpeas overnight
process all the falafel ingredients in a food processor
form small balls
fry or bake in the oven

Are you wondering why your falafel fall apart and how to keep them from breaking?

You will notice that the falafel mixture is not very coherent, so you will need to press it firmly between your hands to form small balls. A common problem with these chickpea balls is that they can break during cooking. The possible reasons when that happens are:

The chickpeas were not treated with baking soda
The falafel mixture was not processed enough
You added way too many greens (parsley or green onions)
You didn't let the mixture rest before cooking
You made the falafel too big
You moved them too much during cooking.

To protect your falafel from breaking during cooking make sure you follow all the secrets mentioned below!

Falafel Secrets

Use dried chickpeas. Falafel cannot be made with canned chickpeas. The texture, flavor and everything else will be wrong.
Soak the chickpeas in water for at least 12 hours.
Use baking soda during soaking because it tenderizes the chickpeas and helps them cook better and faster. For extra efficiency, you can treat them twice with baking soda: drain the soaked chickpeas and mix them with another tablespoon of baking soda. Let them sit on the counter for 30 minutes, rinse well and drain again.
Process the falafel mixture in the food processor until it becomes very fine. A coarse mixture will not hold very well during cooking.
Let the mixture rest for 30 minutes. Why? Because the mixture gets hydrated evenly and the starch from the chickpeas develops better helping the falafel hold their shape.
Make them small. Large falafel will almost certainly fall apart (or in the best will develop cracks) during cooking. They will also not be cooked all the way to the center. Use a measuring tablespoon to form small balls of the same size.
Don't crowd the frying pan and don't move them around during cooking. Just let them cook from one side and develop the external crust that will help them hold their shape. Then carefully, using two forks or a fork and a spatula flip them to cook from the other side.

baked or fried falafel with tahini sauce

What do you serve with falafel?

Homemade ummus
pita bread and tahini sauce
A green salad of your choice
Labneh or greek yogurt with olive oil
this cucumber salad
tomatoes with olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Fresh bread
toasted bread with sliced avocado

4-ingredient tahini sauce for falafel

You can easily bring this basic tahini sauce to your liking by adjusting the quantity of the lemon juice. Just keep tasting and adding lemon juice until you feel it's right. You can also add a clove of minced garlic and the spices of your choice. Black pepper, cumin, cardamom, sumac are usually my go tos.

In a bowl mix:

¼ of a cup tahini
a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cold water.

The mixture will seize and thicken at first. Add 1-2 more tablespoons of water until it becomes smooth again. Taste and adjust the salt and the lemon juice. If you want it more runny you can add an extra splash of water.

Another easy recipe is this lemon and tahini sauce

Air Fryer Instructions

Falafel in the air fryer is a great way to reduce the calories of this recipe and make it even healthier, since the cooked falafel will have less fat.

Preheat your air fryer to 375 °F (190 °C) for a few minutes.
Spray the falafel all over with olive oil spray. You can also gently brush them with olive oil.
Place the falafel in the air fryer basket making sure to leave some space between each ball. You may have to cook them in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
Air fry for 10-12 minutes, flipping them halfway through, or until golden brown and crispy.

Baking Instructions

Fried falafel are a little bit better than baked. And because they don't need too much time to cook, they don't absorb a lot of oil during frying. But baking them have its perks, since it feels easier for many people and you can bake more falafel at the same time. For baked falafel:

Preheat your fan oven to 375 °F (190 °C) and place a rack in the middle position.
Brush a baking pan generously with olive oil or another vegetable oil.
Scoop out 1 heaped tablespoon of the mixture and shape it into small patties. The patties are baked better than the balls.
Place each falafel on the baking pan and very gently brush the tops with some oil.
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, carefully flipping them halfway through baking, until the falafel are golden brown on both sides.