These delicious high protein Falafels are great, baked, fried, or cooked in the air fryer. Oh, and they’re vegan, too.
What are Falafels?
Falafel is a typical street food across the Middle East and North Africa. They’re usually made from broad beans, chickpeas, or both. However, they’re most often associated with ground chickpeas in the UK.
Traditionally, Falafels are deep-fried. However, they can also be baked or air-fried for a healthier version of this popular snack. They are often served hot with lashings of tahini sauce. Yet, they can also be used in a salad instead of meat for a high-protein vegan alternative. They are sometimes served in a pitta alongside the typical salad garnish of tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumber.
How to Make a Falafel
I tried making falafels with canned chickpeas when I was younger. But they fell apart. I learned then that dried and soaked chickpeas are a must if you want to make falafels. This is because dried and soaked chickpeas have a coarse, drier texture, allowing them to bind together and hold their shape. Canned chickpeas create a mushier falafel and are often wetter, meaning they fall apart without additional binding ingredients.
For my recipe, dried chickpeas are a must, but they must be soaked for up to 18 hours. This allows them to soften and absorb enough water to make them grindable in a food processor. I find adding a little baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) to the soaking water will help soften the skins of the chickpeas. This allows the pulse to absorb water quickly.
Once the chickpeas have been soaked, they’re blended with flavourings, typically herbs and spices. The green colour associated with falafel comes from herbs such as parsley and coriander. The dry ingredients are whizzed together in a food processor until they achieve the texture of coarse sand. Chilling the mixture here will help make it more pliable for rolling.
Frying vs Baking Falafels
While falafels are traditionally fried, baking them has become popular in the Western world due to health concerns. Falafels are naturally low in fat except when fried, so it would make sense to turn to an alternative method to maintain their status as a healthy food. Traditional falafels can also be made in modern kitchens using an air fryer.
To Fry: Fill a medium-sized pan with vegetable oil and heat it to 170C or 350F. Gently lower 8 balls into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until crisp and golden.
To Oven Bake: Preheat the oven to 220C or 200C Fan or 425F or Gas 7. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and brush the felafels with oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once.
To Air Fry: Heat an air-fryer to air fry at 200C or 400F. Place the patties into the air fryer and fry for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
Falafel: Fried, Baked or Air Fried
Equipment
- 1 Food Proccessor
Ingredients
- 400 g Dried Chickpeas Do Not Use Cooked or Tinned Chickpeas
- ½ Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 1 Large Bunch of Parsley Stalks Removed
- 1 Large Bunch of Coriander Stalks Removed
- 1 Medium Onion Chopped Roughly
- 6 Garlic Cloves Peeled
- 2 Tsp Ground Cumin
- 2 Tsp Ground Coriander
- Salt / Pepper to taste
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- Oil for deep-fat frying
Instructions
- The night before, place the chickpeas in a large bowl with the bicarbonate of soda. Cover with enough water to allow the chickpeas to double in size.
- Drain the chickpeas and pat dry.
- Add chickpeas, herbs, onion, garlic, baking powder, and ground spices to a food processor. Blend in batches if necessary until the mixture is combined.
- Empty into a clean bowl and chill for an hour.
- Once the felafel mixture has set, roll into balls and prepare to cook using one of the methods below.
- TO Fry: Fill a medium-sized pan with vegetable oil and heat it to 170C or 350F. Gently lower 8 balls into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until crisp and golden.
- To Oven Bake: Preheat the oven to 220C or 200C Fan or 425F or Gas 7. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and brush the felafels with oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once. Turn once during cooking.
- To Air Fry: Heat an air-fryer to air fry at 200C or 400F. Place the patties into the air fryer and fry for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Turn once during cooking.
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