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Raise your hand if you love falafel!I’ve gone back into the archives to highlight my all-time favorite homemade falafel recipe. Making falafel at home can be tricky, but this recipe is easy.
Six reasons to love this healthy falafel recipe:
- These falafels are golden brown and crispy on the outside. The insides are tender, delicious, and full of fresh herbs.
- They’re baked instead of fried, so they contain significantly less fat than fried falafel. And your house won’t smell like fried food for days. Winning!
- Once your chickpeas are sufficiently soaked, the falafel mixture comes together in no time. If you have someone to help shape the patties, they’ll come together even faster.
- These falafels are gluten free and vegan, so they’re a great party appetizer.
- These falafels freeze well, so they’re a fantastic protein-rich option to keep on hand for future salads and pita sandwiches.
- On that note, this recipe is easily doubled! See recipe notes.
Are you convinced yet? Let’s make some falafel!
How to Make the Best Homemade Falafel
Bake it, don’t fry it. I say this because frying requires a lot of sizzling hot oil, and that scares me. I also don’t have a good vent over my oven to take the fried food smell far, far away. Plus, you can use a reasonably amount of heart-healthy olive oil in the baked version.
Coat your rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. That way, you get a fried effect in the oven, and you don’t have to brush the little falafels individually with olive oil. Winning!
Use dried chickpeas, not canned. Canned chickpeas do not work for falafel. They’re far too wet. If you try to use canned chickpeas instead of dried and soaked chickpeas, you’ll end up with sad falafel pancakes. Some recipes try to counteract the wetness by adding flour, which significantly dulls the flavor and makes the texture more doughy.
Soak the dried chickpeas for at least four hours. If your chickpeas aren’t sufficiently softened, you’ll have unpalatably tough pieces of chickpea in your falafel. There’s just no workaround here.
Choose your dried chickpeas wisely. Try to buy your dried chickpeas from a store with high turnover, because old chickpeas need longer to soften. If you have options, pick the chickpeas that are the smallest, since they’ll soften faster.
Watch How to Make Crispy Falafel
Falafel Serving Suggestions
Serve falafel as an appetizer, wrap it into a pita sandwich, or add it to salad for a protein-rich topping. Falafel goes great with any of the following ingredients:
- Pita bread, warmed or toasted (tear it up for pita “croutons”)
- Fresh greens (such as spring greens or chopped romaine)
- Tomatoes, sliced
- Bell peppers, cut into strips
- Cucumber, thinly sliced
- Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- Raw red onion, thinly sliced, or quick-pickled onions
- Feta cheese, crumbled
- Sauce: Something creamy like tzatziki,hummus, or tahini sauce, and maybe a spicy sauce like zhoug or shatta, too
Here’s a tahini dressing recipe that goes great with this falafel, too:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- Zest and juice of 1 small lemon
- 1 tablespoon white miso
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- Pinch of cayenne
- 1/3 cup water
In a small food processor, combine all of the ingredients and blend well. You can also whisk the ingredients together by hand in a small bowl, just note that you’ll need to chop the fresh herbs and zest more finely than you would if you were using a food processor.
Please let me know how you like these falafel in the comments! I hope you love them as much as I do. ♥
Crispy Falafel
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- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes (plus 4-hour soaking time)
- Yield: 12 falafels 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
4.6 from 531 reviews
This homemade falafel recipe is absolutely delicious, and remarkably crispy! Be sure to allow 4 hours soaking time for the chickpeas, preferably overnight. Then, the falafel mixture is super easy to make in a food processor. Recipe yields 12 to 13 falafels (see notes on how to double).
Scale
Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup dried (uncooked/raw) chickpeas, rinsed, picked over and soaked for at least4 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator
- ½ cup roughly chopped red onion (about ½ small red onion)
- ½ cup packed fresh parsley (mostly leaves but small stems are ok)
- ½ cup packed fresh cilantro (mostly leaves but small stems are ok)
- 4 cloves garlic, quartered
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon (about 25 twists) freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- With an oven rack in the middle position, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour ¼ cup of the olive oil into a large, rimmed baking sheet and turn until the pan is evenly coated.
- In a food processor, combine the soaked and drained chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Using your hands, scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time. Shape the falafel into small patties, about 2 inches wide and ½ inch thick. Place each falafel on your oiled pan.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, carefully flipping the falafels halfway through baking, until the falafels are deeply golden on both sides. These falafels keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for several months.
Notes
Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.
Make-ahead option: I haven’t tried this, but the original recipe notes that the uncooked falafel patties can be refrigerated on a parchment-lined baking sheet, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 2 hours before baking.
How to double this recipe: Preheat the oven with two oven racks near the center of the oven. Double all of the ingredients. If you have a large food processor (guessing 11+ cup capacity), you can mix all of the ingredients at once. Use two baking sheets, and swap their positions (top to bottom, bottom to top) when you flip the falafel halfway through baking.
Recommended equipment: I love my 11-cup food processor(affiliate link).
▸ Nutrition Information
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate.
By Kathryne Taylor
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Kirstie
Am I doing something wrong?!
I’ve made this twice and both times they’re so dry :(
Such a shame, as the flavours are lovely!Reply
Kelly
Mine too. Tasty but dry and even drier when reheated. I thought maybe i didn’t process enough. Any ideas would be great!
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Sue
Best falafel recipe ever ! Especially if you are trying to recreate Sweetgreen Hummus Tahina salad. They were soft on inside and a little crispy on outside and so flavorful. I did soak the chickpeas overnight. Loved this recipe !!!!
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Terri
I added some of the soaking liquid and a little olive oil. They were wet when I formed them but came out perfect and not dry.
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Mary Frangie
Hi Kellie and KIrstie,
Mine weren’t dry but easily would have been if I left them in the oven any longer, so maybe cut your cooking time down a little? Also, I didn’t dry my chickpeas after draining them so maybe that little bit of water helped keep them more moist. Not to say these are super moist but they aren’t dry. Try again! Btw, I’ve seen water added in other recipes.Reply
Marina
We added some leftover aquafaba cooking water from cooking a different batch of chickpeas. Not sure if what you had in mind.
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Mike
Deep fry them at 350 degrees until golden brown. This will lock in the moisture as opposed to baking it away.
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Harie Lucaides
Delicious.x
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Kate
Thank you, Harie!
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Thrun
Another delicious and easy recipe! This website has been so helpful in my effort to include more vegetables in our diet.
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Julia
I liked this recipe. My falafel were crumby in the end. I also would not add the cinnamon if I were to make this again.
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Vrunda
Can I replace chickpeas with soaked and peeled fava beans? Very keen to try this recipe :)
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Laura
Hands down the best falafel. I make a batch every week. Not even kidding, every week. We eat it as fast snack, take it with us on the go. There is never a left over for a salad or pita wrap. Thank you for posting it. Plus it’s baked, as I don’t fry anything.
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Kate
Every week, that’s great! Thanks for sharing, Laura.
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sees
too soft…
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Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one!
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Kira
I’m unsure if it is just me, but whenever I click on the nutrition information, it only shows up blank? I love your recipes so much, but as I have people I am feeding with strict dietary restraints, I am cautious of making them. Any suggestions?
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Kate
I’m sorry you are having issues! This feature is a plug-in so acts like a pop-up. Ensure you have that enabled in your settings. Let me know if that doesn’t fix it!
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Frances Montoya
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I made this today and it was so delicious! I only wish I doubled the recipe bc we have none leftover for tomorrow! I followed your recipe to a T, and mine came out crispy on outside and moist on inside. I did soak overnight so I think that made a big difference. Also, I wanted something different than a salad so I made falafel burritos. I used whole wheat tortillas, falafel, your bomb tahini dill dressing and topped with shredded lettuce, kalamata olives, sliced cucumbers and a mango salsa. It was so good! This will now be my favorite go to falafel recipe and we’ll no doubt have at least once a week! Thank you!!
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Jemma
Do you need to cook the chickpeas after you’ve soaked them or can you use them raw?
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Kate
You don’t need to cook until you have made them into patties, post soaking. Does that make sense?
Marisa Shigehiro
What would you recommend for reheating after freezing? Thanks!
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Joy
Please reply. I want to know too! Thanks!
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Soren Johnson
I should have left a comment 5 years ago when I first made this recipe. It’s great and has become almost a staple in our vegetarian household. Making it for a Super Bowl party tomorrow! Thanks for all the great recipies, C+K, including this one.
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Kate
I love that you have been making this for so long, Soren! Thanks for coming back for say just how much you love it.
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Brendan Noggle
Great recipe! Definitely cooking this one again. I didn’t have time to soak so I instant potted the chickpeas for 10 minutes and it worked great
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Marilou Dotson
Brendan Noggle — could you please explain how you used the Instant Pot?
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Jamie
You can use your Instant Pot for cooking beans fast if you use “beans, chili” setting. That would yield the same tender beans as if you soaked them overnight.
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Jamie
Leaving a comment on my own comment. Since cooked garbanzos won’t work, I would not use an Instant Pot. However, the IP is great to cook beans of any kind BUT NOT for this recipe.
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Natalie
This has become a regular at our house. One of the few dinners that pleases everyone in my large family. Love it. Thank you!
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Kate
You’re welcome, Natalie!
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Debbie
I really love this recipe. I’ve made it several times and prefer it to falafel in restaurants. Have chickpeas soaking right now for a new batch. They are dry, so I eat them with spicy hummus and they are just delicious!
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Kate
Thanks, Debbie!
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Jen
This was my first try at making falafel, and my husband said it was absolutely the best falafel he’s ever eaten! I did use all parsley instead of the cilantro but that’s the only change I made. This will be a regular in my rotation (along with a number of your other recipes:) )
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Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Jen!
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Hazel
I added some water into the mix and found they worked out pretty well then.
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Kate
Thank you for sharing, Hazel!
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Sylvia
Delicious recipe!!
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Kate
Thank you, Sylvia!
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Lea
Someone mentioned instant potting the dry beans for 10 min on the stove instead of soaking. I think ill try it that option. Soaking 4 hours and tben regrigerating is time consuming when u dont have the time. Also instant potting will probably add a little more moisture. I read that alot of people on here are having problems with dryness.
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Holly
The flavours were delicious but unfortunately mine came out quite dry. Needed a lot of sauce just to eat them. Not sure where I went wrong?
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Arwen
Ours turned to complete mush….so sad, because it smelled delicious, but was a pile of goo.
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Kate
Arwen, sorry to hear that! Is there any chance you used cooked/canned chickpeas instead of the specified dried chickpeas? Those are key.
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Barbara
Mine turned to goo too. We used dried chickpeas, soaked them 24 hrs then drained them. Followed the recipe. They were wet and impossible to form into patties. Then they crumbled when we tried to flip them. Where did we go wrong?
See AlsoFreezable herby falafelReply
Chiquita
I made the baked falafel yesterday. My family loved it! I served it with your tzitziki and tahini sauces. My daughter-in-law said “This is a repeater!”
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Kate
I love that you daughter-in-law wants it again! Thanks for sharing, Chiquita.
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Sherri
Hi, I’ve hard to find for white miso. Can you show me what it look like, pretty please. Thank you. BTW, loves your vegan foods!!
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Kate
Miso is refrigerated, usually by produce and other refrigerated condiments. You find miso in health food stores (such as Whole Foods Market) and Asian grocery stores. It will be labeled next to the other miso options. I hope this is helpful!
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Jane Gregory
Best way to reheat your frozen falalfels please?
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Kate
Gently over the stove top or in the oven could work well. Or, if you are in a hurry, in the microwave.
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RI
Good recipe. Not hard to make. I used a little garden basil and rosemary too. Also marinated the chopped onion in lemon juice while the beans soaked. Baked at 390 for 20 min. For the sauce, went half and half with tahini and yogurt. Serve on salad greens. Yum.
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Kate
Thanks for sharing, RI!
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Zak
Hi, would I be able to use cooked chickpeas in this recipe?
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Kate
Sorry Zak, cooked chickpeas will not work! Speaking from experience.
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Sylvia
Canned chickpeas do work pretty well. I’ve been ultimately successful in using them. And I ended up with fantastic ball shaped falafel, thank you very much.
Some advice to those who struggled:
If you’re not vegan, a simple egg does wonders for my falafel at the very least.Reply
Kate
I’m sorry this one didn’t turn out perfect for you. I appreciate the feedback.
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DeLM
Blew my mind. So easy, and came out perfectly! I think overnight soaking works best. It was like I had sneakily rub off to my favourite Middle Eastern restaurant. I ate them with homemade flat bread and greens, and eating them again for lunch in a salad with brown rice, parsley, spinach, roasted eggplant and cauliflower, with an olive oil and pomegranate molasses dressing. So good! Thank you for a recipe I’ll be making again and again!
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Kate
Thank you for sharing!
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Helen Vivian
How crucial is the miso to this recipe? Soy allergy over here but I love your recipes and this is one I’m really excited to try!
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Kate
You don’t need to use the dressing for the falafel, although it is delicious! You could omit the miso or try my other tahini sauces :)
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Alex
Question about using dried chickpeas…
I recently bought a box of falafel mix.
It’s a ground up mix.
just add water, sit for two hours and then shake and cook.It was obvious it was using dried chickpeas…
My question is…. if I make a mix like this using ground dried chickpeas… would it work that I just soak them for 2-3 hours like the packet ones I bought?
Smallest pieces of chickpea may need less soaking time???
I hope that makes sense lol
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Kate
Hey Alex! That’s a cool idea and seems logical to me, but I have never experimented to know for sure! If you figure it out, please report back. Not sure how you’re planning to grind the dried chickpeas, but be careful. They’re so dense I think they could potentially damage a food processor/blender.
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Dawn
My daughter made them for a school potluck. They we’re a big hit. I got to taste one and they’re amazing. Looks like I’ll have make my own.
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Mateo Pedersen
Oh I love this recipe! It looks fairly easy to make so I won’t mess it up haha great recipe, thank you!
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Kate
Wonderful to hear, Mateo! Thanks so much for your review.
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Leigh
Unfortunately I had the same experience. Really dry and not very nice despite following the recipe. Even worse the next day. Also a bit bland despite doubling up on herbs and spices. I have made a lot of winners from this blog but I have to say that this is not one of them (in my opinion)
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Kate
Hi Leigh, really sorry to hear that! Are you sure you didn’t leave out the salt? These are more herbed and flavorful on the inside than most of the falafels I’ve eaten at restaurants and in the Mediterranean. Would love to hear from you when recipes turn out well, too!
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Amber
Made this recipe today and when the boyfriend said “boo, we got this falafel making on lockdown” I knew we had a winner. I may have soaked the beans a little longer than normal and perhaps that helped with them not being as dry as others have said, who knows. They are amazing and looking forward to trying more of your recipes now that we are trying to be more aware if what we are eating.
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Kate
Great, Amber! Thanks so much for your review.
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Simone
A success! This is the first time I made a baked falafel , so appreciated by everyone. Served with choice for everyone to choose tazecki , cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, home made hummus olives and mixed greens in a very thin wrap.
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Kate
Great to hear, Simone! Thanks for your review.
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emery
For tahini dressing , the elements supposed to be blended in blender or just whisked together ?
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Kate
In a small food processor, combine all of the ingredients and blend well. Or, you can also whisk the ingredients together by hand in a small bowl, just note that you’ll need to chop the fresh herbs and zest more finely than you would if you were using a food processor.
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Emre
Thanks for your reply , for the tahini dressing , if I want to use dried dill and dried parsley instead of using fresh, how much teaspoon should I use ?
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Sarah
I tried it just now. It was a bit hard to make the paste into patties as it was breaking. Any solutiob for this?
Once patties were done and baked. It was lovely. My sister loved it!! For sure it needs to be eaten with the sauce as it is dry.
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Urska
I love the flavor and the mix was lovely and moist before baking but unfortunately after they were baked they became really dry and hard. I baked another batch and baked just 20 minutes which was slightly better but they weren’t nice and golden. Any idea what I did wrong or how to correct it?
ThanksReply
Elecia
Omg. I work from home and have been thinking about making this since last week. I soaked my chickpeas this morning at 11, put everything together at 4 during my lunch break. I did press my patties a little bit while forming them, to get out the excess moisture. I don’t have a food processor so I used my crappy blender. This came out so damn good. I start to wonder why I ever eat out. Best falafel I’ve ever had
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Kate
Thanks for sharing! I’m so happy you loved it, Elecia!
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Sage
These were great! Flavourful and nice and crispy on the outside. I made these for my 10-month old son, as I try to give him baby-friendly (non-choking hazard) adult food. We both gobbled them up. They were not dry at all, like some reviewers have mentioned. They were moist on the inside and crisp on the outside. I followed the recipe exactly, soaking the chickpeas for about 20 hours. The only issue was that it took waaay longer to cook than the 25-30 minutes mentioned in the recipe. I don’t know if it was my baking sheet, my oven, or what. It took 30 minutes for the first side to get browned, then another 25 for the other side. I might try pan-frying them next time. Thanks as always for the great recipe!
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Jinglebelle
My go-to felafel recipe is Mollie Katzen’s from The Moosewood Cookbook. The kids were in the mood for felafel, but I was not feeling to clean a lot of oil spatter, so I wound up here. Great technique! I kept Mollie’s spices (turmeric/cumin/cayenne), subbed scallions for the red onion, omitted the cilantro and doubled the parsley. I only had 4 hours to soak the chickpeas, and would probably increase that to overnight next time, but these turned out nice and crispy with none of the irritation of panfrying! They get 4 forks up from this household :)
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Jane
Hi Kate, I love ur recipes and cookie too! I made this falafel recipe by but mine did not keep their shape and mostly ended in pieces. Suggestions? Thanks!
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Mars
I wanted to make this the other day and soaked my chickpeas for hours while I took my kids to the zoo. By the time we got back I could tell we would need to defer our falafel. The chickpeas were not nearly soft enough. I rinsed them and put them in the fridge to soak longer. Couldn’t cook them until tonight but the texture was perfectly fluffy (around 60 hrs of total soak time). A couple of patties crumbled but the rest held together. Very dry for the children who did not like my sauce, but that’s their problem! Served with cucumber/tomato/feta salad and cubed watermelon. Very filling.
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V
Hi! Can I use the mix make the falafels and then after cooling freeze?
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Rachel
Just wondering what the consistency should be for the dried chickpeas prior to blending them? Mine taste raw and are about as crunchy as a carrot. Soaking 5.5hrs. Last week I “soaked” them in the instant pot and they ended up being cooked. The falafel was very wet and spread across the tray when cooked. Nice flavour which is why we’re trying them again!
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Kate
I believe these freeze well! Sorry for my delay, V.
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Mary Frangie
They came out great, not dry but a few minutes longer in the oven would have dried them out. I didn’t dry my chickpeas after draining them so there was a wee bit of water in the mix, I wonder if that helped keep them from drying out? I drizzled olive oil instead of coating the pan and they were still fine for me, not as crunchy as a deep fried but with an outer crust. This is a great recipe, I’ll be making them again and again, thank you!
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Kate
That could be, it’s interesting! Thank you for sharing, Mary.
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Sachi
Delicious. I didn’t soak my chick peas long enough (just 4 hours) so there were still little bits but they weren’t too tough. Will definitely make again. Perhaps a double batch to freeze.
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Kate
Thanks, Sachi!
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Ann Eisenberg
Three for three. Made your tahini sauce, tzatziki, and falafels. Served them with home-made hummus, chopped cherry tomatoes, advocado, and feta, with fresh pita bread, and my meat-eating teenage sons and husband were thrilled. Everything turned out perfectly. Thanks!
P.S. I added an extra shallow-tablespoon of flax oil to the falafel mix, and while I used olive oil for the recipe, I lined the baking tray in peanut oil, which browned the falafels nicely, and kept their insides moist.
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Kate
Thanks for sharing, Ann!
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CUpdegrove
Made this at home for me and my husband and LOVED it! Bragged about it to my family and now they want me to make it for family vacation. My family is 30 people and I don’t know what equipment a beach house kitchen will provide, so I want to do as much prep ahead of time as possible. Do you think I can make and freeze the falafel before baking, drive them 8 hours and then bake?
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Kate
Hooray!! I’m so glad your husband loved it and he should brag about you! Right! :) Thanks for sharing. I haven’t tried it. I would be hesitant that they might dry out. I know others have froze the cooked version with luck.
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Arti
I want to make this recipe with a can of chickpeas rather than the raw chickpeas. Is 1 can (400g with liquid/240g drained) enough?
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Carol Aaron
Agree with comments. They are quite dry but very tasty so I will make them again and add water to the recipe or cook less time.
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Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love these and they didn’t workout well for you. Water might not work well and cause it to not bind. I would maybe try a little more olive oil, if you need, and watch your cooking time. Your oven may run a little warmer than some. Ovens can be like that, tricky things!
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Carol Aaron
They were actually very good. Just a tad dry. I will reduce cooking time. Plan on making them often. Definitely a keeper.
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Ray
I can do without the cinnamon. A little less cilantro, and I still prefer them fried. They did not brown evenly at 15 minutes when it was time to turn them. I removed them from the oven and fried them. The tahini sauce is very good. My family loved the falafels.
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Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this version, Ray. Thanks for sharing your experience.
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Lori
I would live to make this recipe, but I’m a little confused. After I soak the chickpeas,
do I cook them before making the falafel?Reply
Kate
No need to cook first. Soak, then process. They will bake once you bake the falafel. I hope this helps!
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Lori
Thanks
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Shannon
Mush, completely mush!
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Jessi
I tried another recipe before this, and it did not turn out. This one worked like a charm. Crispy and it holds together well. I paired mine with fresh lettuce, diced tomatoes, fresh garlic and sour cream. Great veggie meal!
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Kate
I’m really glad you tried this one and liked it, Jessi!
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Laura Rudmin
‘Za compromize: I used an herb combo simpler than yours, soaked the chickpeas overnight (they are hydrated enough to eat unprocessed after that, like off the bush), but added some whole wheat flour. Since I didn’t want to spend even the time to make patties, I just oiled my pan and flattened the whole mass like I do for pizza crust. (I kept the edge a little away from the pan rim.) The 30 minutes at 375 on turbo (Oster toaster oven) did fine to bake it. Not burned, not pasty. The bottom browned and the top got a little golden. This is definitely not crispy falafel, but it has a good taste for a high-protein bread-like dish. My son made tzaziki sauce.
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Kate
Thanks for sharing, Laura.
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Nathalie
Made these tonight with your tahini sauce recipe and it was delicious! Some of the best falafel I’ve had in a long time, better than the restaurant! And they are baked not fried!
It’s a keeper, will make it again! Thank you!Reply
Kate
You’re welcome, Natalie!
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Maria Evangelou
Hi Could someone tell me if im meant to boil the chickpeas before using? or is it ok to just drain after soaking and blend?
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Maria Evangelou
it’s ok, I just saw your response to someone else who asked the same question! thanks x
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Kate
Drain after soaking and then follow the process step. You will cook them once the patties are made. I hope this helps!
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Maria Evangelou
Thanks Kate! I made them today and they came out lush! thanks for the recipe!! xx
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Christina R
This was a win for our family! I was a bit nervous after reading several reviews having issues with dryness. I believe your beans must not have been soaked properly. The older and the larger the bean, the more time is required to completely hydrate the bean.
I decided to use the quick soak method. Put beans in a pot with lots of water. Bring to a boil and then immediately turn off the stove. Do not open the lid, just leave to soak for 2 hrs. I opted to leave them for 4 hours. My herbs were also damp after rinsing; just gave them a quick couple of shakes. Not sure if this was part of their success, but they were very soft and moist with an outer crunch!
So glad I doubled the recipe. The 4 of us ate 15 tonight. Also my baking sheet is naturally a bit warped and I noticed that the falafel that were not sitting in oil held together better. I would suggest just a light coating of oil, so the edges dry out a bit more
Thanks Kate! I am adding to my recipe box.
Just a curious question, I wonder why you opted to leave out the flour paste that is in the ATK version that you based this off of?Reply
Natasha
Hii I tried to make it and went completely flat:( followed all the steps..and I haven’t used canned chickpeas..
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christina
I was a little hesitant while making these for a few reasons. 1) I only let my chickpeas soak for like 7 hours, and I wasn’t sure that would be enough (I actually did boiling water first, then drained after a few hours, and boiling water again, to try and speed it up) and 2) after adding cinnamon, I thought it might be overpowering.
But, I can confirm these are the best falafel I’ve ever made, and some of the better ones I’ve ever had! The cinnamon is actually a really nice addition, but I would not go over 1/4 tsp and might even recommend halving that if you aren’t too into cinnamon.
I air fried half of the batch (370 for 13 minutes, spritz of oil) and pan fried half the batch in oil. They were both really good. The oily ones were, of course, a little tastier, but I think I’d air fry them all next time for the sake of keeping them healthy!
Next time, I may just add a flax egg to the mix to help hold it together, but I didn’t have any issues with them being dry as others have said. They were a bit tough to keep together before they were cooked but after that they were totally fine.
Will definitely be making these again, they were a huge hit (especially with homemade pita bread!). Thank you!
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Kate
Well, I’m glad you made it! Thanks for sharing what worked for you, Christina.
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Rose
Brilliant recipe. Worked like a dream. Doubled the ingredients and froze 18 unbaked separated with baking paper. We only use 6 at a time for the 2 of us so now i have plenty in hand whenever I need them! Best falafel recipe I have ever come across. Thanks!
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Kate
You’re welcome, Rose! Thanks so much for your review.
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L
Not sure if the scaling for printing recipes was there before and I missed it or not, but it’s a great addition!
Have made these several times and they have turned our families reaction from “Feel-awful” to “we LOVE falafel”
Thank you
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Kate
I’m glad you like the update! Thanks for your review, L!
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Rebekah
I tried these for dinner tonight and they were delicious!
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Kate
Great to hear, Rebekah!
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Chris
These are so good! I baked them without oil on a baking mat.
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Kate
Thanks for sharing, Chris!
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celia
I love the flavour of these Falafel but, as others have mentioned, they always turn out quite dry needing longer than 30 minutes to brown on both sides.
We had a few left-overs which were soft the following day. At home, I would have stuck them under the grill for a while, but I was out and ate them as afternoon snack.
Most Falafel I have had were on the dry side needing to be served with a dressing. The Tahini dressing is very nice! I make a similar dressing as salad dressing.
Despite turning out quite dry, I keep making these Falafels as healthy snacks. May be, one day, I’ll get it right :)
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Kate
I’m sorry it wasn’t perfect for you, Celia. I’m glad you ended up loving it with the tahini!
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celia
Good news, Kate :)
I had another go today. This time, I made the falafels smaller (one tablespoon which makes 19 – 20 Falafels), baked them for just 30 minutes and they turned out crisp on the outside and not dry at all on the inside. May be cooking times also depend on the type of oven and the kind of tray used. For me today, this recipe has reached 5 stars! :)Reply
Leon
I sure am glad I have another bag of chickpeas in my pantry! I made these today after soaking my chickpeas for 3 days! Just didn’t make time to cook them. But I did drain and refill with water twice a day, and actually sprouted the chickpeas! :-) Anyway, today I made them and they have fantastic flavor. Oh, man, I could eat half the batch by myself, but I shared and saved some for tomorrow. And I do have that bag in the pantry.
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Kate
Thanks for sharing, Leon! I’m happy it worked well for you.
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Sue
Hi. I’m dying to try this recipe for my son who is vegetarian. It mentions being able to freeze them for a couple of months. Do I freeze them before or after cooking. If before, do I defrost before cooking. If after, how do I reheat them.
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Kate
Hi Sue! You will want to freeze them after cooking. I hope this helps!
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Judy
Made this recipe for the second time. So delicious on a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and tahini dressing. My husband also has them for a quick bite, better than potato chips!
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Kate
Thanks for sharing, Judy!
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Lu
I know baking is healthier but can they be fried? I don’t have AC and baking anything right now is not an option. Just curious, thanks.
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Kate
You could try it, although I don’t have specifics for you since I made this one to be baked.
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Rose
Frying works—oil needs to be 350-375 and about5-7 minutes until nicely browned. I use candy thermometer to make sure oil hot enough. I fry in my wok. Works great. Will try baking again as it is healthier.
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Rose
Kate—i made this recipe. I soaked 1 bag of chickpeas—maybe that was two much? They were dry. I will make them again as I’m searching for perfect falafel recipe. Any suggestions? I absolutely LOVE your cookbook—have made many recipes and love them. Bought your app today so will continue to follow and communicate with you. Thank you!
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Kate
Hi Rose, you really want to make sure you measure this and use the right quantity. How much was in the bag?
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Rose
1 pound. I really don’t want to deep fry, but they turn out better. Would love any suggestions and I would try again. They didn’t brown evenly either, although it could be my oven…
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jennifer
1 lb is two cups, so you used double the chickpeas than the recipe calls for..
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Janet
Was doing some internet research the other day at work and the falafel doodle kept coming up, so I caved and this recipe was one of the top links. Decided to try it mostly because it was baked. Was really craving falafel after all that and 24 hours seemed eternity for the beans to soak! But so worth it! I’ve only ever had cold falafel from the grocery store deli or from a box mix and I don’t think I can do either of those ever again!
Mine were not dry! The second time I made these, I tried checking my garbanzo beans after only 12 hours soaking. They were still hard in the middle. So 24 hours it is.
Also, I’m just brainstorming here: I wonder if dryness had to with whether folks used enough greens? I really packed mine tight into the measuring cup.
Didn’t bother with the homemade sauce, just plopped some hummus on my plate that I had in the fridge. But these were so yummy, I hardly bothered!
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Kate
I’m glad you thought it was worth the time, Janet! Thanks for sharing.
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Tina Thompson
I have been looking for a good falafel recipe for many many years. I finally found one! Thank you so much Kate! I love all of your recipes!!
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Kate
You’re welcome, Tina!
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Carrie
Please note, cilantro is not in felafel in the Middle East. The mix up came because coriander is in felafel. Coriander is the plant that has leaves (cilantro) and seed pods (coriander spice). Only the seed pods are used, not the leaves. So many recipes for felafel call for coriander and Americans mixed up the part of the coriander plant that the recipe calls for.
I know this because I lived in Palestine, visited Greece, Egypt, and Israel and none of those places ever made felafel with cilantro leaves. They all used fresh parsley and the ground coriander pods in the felafel along with the beans and garlic.
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Mary
My sisters and I love how easy and quick these falafels are to make! They paired perfectly with your tzatziki recipe and hands down are the best home version of falafels we have ever made!
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Kate
Great combination! Thanks for sharing, Mary.
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Marina
Made for my daughter. She loved it! Didn’t use the olive oil on pan or in the falafel recipe. Put down parchment paper in pan and put a little of some leftover aquafaba cooking water instead of the oil. She put them over a chopped salad of romaine, tomato, red onion, cucumber with a tahini sauce with garlic and lemon recipe from Serious Eats. She said definitely a keeper. Thanks for great recipe!
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Kate
Thank you for sharing, Marina! Sounds like a great combination.
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Akhila
Delicious recipe!!! Thanks for sharing such tasty snack recipes.
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Kate
You’re welcome, Akhila!
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Stefan Winczencz
Hi! Thank you!
I have to admit I always boiled the chick- peas before utilizing them. then added lots of gram flour and they still didn´t come out right! You sound so convincing – I´ll give it a try!Reply
Kate
Let me know how it works for you!
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Elizabeth
I saw some comments about the falafel being dry before I made them, so I made some changes:
-I soaked the chickpeas for 20 hours
-I used half of a large red onion
-Added 1 tbsp olive oil + a splash of lemon juice
-Did not pat dry the parsley after washing(I also doubled the parsley and cumin instead of using cinnamon and cilantro because I don’t like either of those in falafel, and used a nutribullet to process them)
The patties were slightly wetter then the ones shown above but they stayed together beautifully and the taste and texture after the came out of the oven is AMAZING.
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Kate
Thank you for sharing, Elizabeth!
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Lisa
Oh Kate, I do love your recipes! This was my 1st time using dried beans as well as making falafel. I soaked the chick peas covered in the fridge for about 36 hours. Followed the recipe exactly. Made a double batch. Absolutely delicious. I actually think they were more moist then I’ve had in restaurants. I also made tzatziki sauce & a cucumber Greek salad. Fantastic homemade healthy meal. Thanks Kate! I’ll be making a double batch every month to freeze in individual servings.
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Kate
Thank you for sharing, Lisa! I appreciate your review.
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Cindi
OMG these are delish!!!
Bought fresher dry chickpeas from Whole Foods bulk. Soaked overnight~20 hours.
Made the tahini sauce- I could drink that
Thanks for sharing your recipe❤️Reply
Kate
You’re welcome, Cindi! Thank you for your review.
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Judy
OMG these are devine!!! I swapped the onion (too strong for me) for chives, and added mint – a must for falafels for me. And I shallow fried them as I couldnt wait 30 min. Drizzled with tahini. Just so good that I I’m having them for dinner too.
PS I’ve been using a few of your recipes lately and loving them, so have just bought your cookbook!
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Kate
Thanks for sharing, Judy! I hope you love my cookbook.
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Louise
Would you freeze this before or after baking if you were doing a big batch?
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Kate
I would freeze after making!
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Sarah
These were delicious. My blender and food processor struggled to get the garbanzo beans fine enough, but after baking them the small amount of bigger pieces were soft enough. I substituted the greens for spinach because I forgot to get parsley and cilantro (also my husband doesn’t like cilantro) and it tasted great. I see in other comments that they were too dry, and mine were very moist, probably because of the spinach, which is a very watery plant. Thanks for the recipe!
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Kate
Thank you for sharing, Sarah!
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Amy
Hello! I wanted to check and make sure I’m understanding this correctly. The chickpeas are soaked and then processed. They are not cooked before you form the falafels? Excited to try this! Thanks
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Kate
Hi Amy, correct! They get cooked once you cook the patties. Does that make sense?
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andrea
the falafel are in the oven right now. i doubled the recipe and was barely able to make 12 falafel!
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Kate
How big did you make them? What did you think of them?
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Andrea
Mine looked like yours. They were (are) delish!! I didn’t use the oil-just parchment.
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Kate
Thanks for sharing, Andrea!
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Aimee
This came it delicious. I thought I’d try to fry a few just to see the difference but I ended up only baking because the first batch was so yummy!
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Kate
Thank you for sharing, Aimee!
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Kathleen Mccann
I followed this recipe exactly. This turned into mush. It tasted great but did not hold together. Is it missing an egg or something?
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Paulie
So so delicious! Thank you so much!
Since I was making them for the first time, I shallow fried them. Will bake the next batch, keep you posted.Reply
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m happy you really like them.
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Michelle Nogin
This was an incredible dish. So easy to make. Doubled the recipe (we are a family of 6). Followed directions except only put in normal cinnamon amt (didn’t double).
Chopped up tomatoes, olives, pickles, cucumbers and put with falafel in pita. Added hummus and tahini sauce.
Kids loved it and it had amazing flavor!
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Kate
I’m happy it was such a hit, Michelle!
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Jennifer
Loved this easy falafel recipe! I had to stop myself from eating too many. Really nice flavor!
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Kate
Wonderful to hear, Jennifer!
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GS
This is an awesome receipe. My very picky teenager ssid “mom, you should make more of this”. Have never heard that before! It was just hard to blend to a smooth paste even after 24 hours of soaking..windering if I can cook lightly to soften it before blending.
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Kate
I love it! Thanks for sharing, GS.
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Russell
I don’t generally cook so wanted something easy, healthy and tasty to have a go at.
This was as perfect as it could be for me and so eays to experiment with ingedient mixes a little!
And everyone who has tried my falafels have said they were wonderful (especially the ones where I added a chilli).
Thanks for putting this together :)Reply
Kate
You’re welcome, Russel!
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Sarah
Loved these! We’re doing WW so I left out the oil from the pan and just put the falafel on parchment and they were great. I did a 24 hr soak time and did not find these dry at all. I made the falafel mixture and then let it sit in the fridge for a few hours until I was ready to bake them, which didn’t seem to affect anything. They reheat well and crisp up in the air fryer. I served with tzatziki and will definitely be making again soon.
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Kate
I’m glad it worked so well for you, Sarah! Thanks for your review.
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Kathy
I can see how this could be great, but I am a newbie, this was my first experience soaking beans and I needed more pictures or a short video on how to judge when the beans are soaked enough, and after processing exactly how the mix should look which would tell me how to know if bean water should be added. After 26 hours my bean insides were still quite hard so I quick soaked. I doubled the recipe. My first batch I added 1/3c bean water and it was entirely too wet, had to throw it out. My second batch had a little more than half the beans, I added no bean water and it was too dry. Some of that thankfully was edible on the first day and it tasted quite good! The next day it was all dry crumbles though. I plan to try again without doubling because I REALLY want this to work! I believe Kate has it down, but this girl needs remedial bean help.
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Kate
Hi Kathy, I’m sorry you were disappointed by this recipe. They should have been soft enough to blend at the 26 hour mark.
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Kathy
Thanks Kate, I don’t have a good source of small fresh chickpeas around here, maybe that’s my problem…one falafel recipe I checked said the beans are done soaking when they are pretty easy to smoosh on outside but the core still has a little bite left in it. The center of my beans were still quite hard – does this sound soaked enough? Thanks. I want to try this again! Love your site, learning a lot and making reluctant family converts happy.
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Kate
I think you should let them soak a little longer. It can vary by beans, unfortunately.
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Ashley
Very good! Excellent taste. Would not hold together so put back in food processor for another minute. They held together when flipping but cracked a little at the end of cooking. will make again and add a little liquid or more olive oil to the mix.
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Mindie Cantrell
We make these all the time! We freeze the uncooked patties on a cookie sheet for 1 day. Then I put 8-12 patties in a ziplock bag and put back in the freezer. The night before I plan to make them, I move the ziplock bag to the refrigerator to thaw.
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Heather
Delicious! As with other reviewers, I added a little water to the mixture. Otherwise, I made this exactly as written. Thank you for this easy and tasty recipe :)
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Jane
This is the best falafel recipe I’ve made so far. Previous ones have been too dry, because I’ve had to add flour to make sure they form balls properly. Baking them is a really good idea, and I will only do this from now on. You don’t have to worry about the balls falling apart this way, as opposed to when you deep fry it. I used only coriander and no parsley, and a whole small red onion, and it still tasted great.
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Kevin De Angelis
My wife and I made this recipe today. It was easy and the falafel came out of the oven crispy and delicious. We put lettuce, red onions olives, tomatoes (from our garden-yum!) on pita bread, then topped it with the falafel and a couple spoonfuls of the tahini sauce. I am still in a food coma. Thanks Kate for our newest keeper recipe!
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Kate
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing, Kevin.
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Sarah
I used this recipe to make about 125 falafel for a friend’s wedding, and they came out SO GOOD!!! Thank you for this yummy recipe! I will be making it again. And again.
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fernanda
im gonna try today for lunch! thanks!!!
when you mentioned you can save them freezed, are they already baked or raw?
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Jini
I made these tonight. Cant believe how well they turned out! Soaked my chickpeas before i left for work at 7 am and made them at 9 pm. crispy on the outside and so moist on the inside. My mum is already asking for a print out of the recipe
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Vera
Hi Kate! I have a small question. The recipe calls for a cup of chickpeas, but is it a cup before or after it’s soaked? I ask this because if I measure a cup of chickpeas and then soak it, I will end up with more than one cup because it doubles in size after soaking. So… Is it a cup of dried chickpeas, or a cup of chickpeas when it’s already soaked? I hope I’ve made myself clear enough lol. Thank you! I am so excited to try this recipe.
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Kate
Dried chickpeas and then soaked. Does that make sense?
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