Air Fryer Falafel – so crispy!
Posted: 06/03/2020
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Crispy and nutritious, air fryer falafel are delicious on warm pita bread, a salad, or just eaten by themselves. Don’t wait to enjoy these savory chickpea fritters!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This vegetarian treat is so tasty and good for you, too.
How long it takes: about a half hour
Equipment you’ll need: food processor, air fryer, tongs
Servings: 4 (makes 12 falafel)
Table of Contents
open
Have you tried falafel? My husband and I enjoy Middle Eastern food frequently and love these tasty deep-fried fritters. In the Middle East, they are commonly served in pita bread, and slathered with tahini, hummus, or hot sauce.
Comprised of ground up chickpeas or fava beans, falafel is seasoned with onion, fresh herbs, and dried spices. The ingredients are all good for you but usually falafel is deep fried, adding lots of extra unhealthy fats. That got me to thinking about how to prepare falafel in a healthier fashion without sacrificing texture or taste.
Bingo! Use an air fryer, of course! I’ve used my air fryer to make all sorts of crispy goodies, without any added oil. I love air fryer French fries, chicken nuggets, egg rolls and mozzarella sticks. It works great to make crispy tofu. Now I know it’s perfect for falafel, too.
About this Recipe
Falafel are surprisingly easy to make. You will need a food processor as well as an air fryer.
I’ll run through the recipe here but look for the printable recipe card located near the bottom of the post. It has complete instructions and nutrition information.
What You’ll Need
- Canned Garbanzo Beans: Garbanzo beans are the Spanish name; English named chickpeas are the same exact thing. Confusing, huh? Canned fava beans are a good substitute, as well. Or, if you prefer, you can cook dry beans.
- Onion and Garlic: These two alliums add flavor, nutrition, and moisture to the falafel. Any type of onion will work. Use as much or as little garlic as you like.
- Cilantro and Parsley: Plenty of chopped herbs give the falafel its signature green tint, and add a good dose of flavor and nutrition
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour, or gluten-free or chickpea flour if you prefer.
- Baking Soda: Adds a bit of leavening so the falafel isn’t heavy and compact.
- Seasoning: Cumin, Salt, Pepper, Coriander, Cayenne.
How To Make Falafel
Put the drained beans in the bowl of a food processor, along with the coarsely chopped onion, garlic, parsley, and cilantro.
Don’t worry about picking off leaves from the herbs. Small stems are fine since everything gets chopped up in the food processor. The stems have so much flavor, particularly the cilantro. Avoid the larger stems of parsley because they can be bitter.
Add the flour, baking powder, and seasoning. Pulse this mixture until it’s coarse and mealy. You don’t want to over-process it into a gummy green paste. It needs to have a bit of texture, with visible bits of herbs.
Using your hands, form the mixture into 12 balls. If it seems too sticky, stir in a bit more flour, a little at a time. Really, you can make the falafel any size you like as long as you adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Place in an air fryer, sides not touching. Spritz with olive oil spray, and “fry” for 12-14 minutes, turning once using tongs. How can you tell they’re done? They’ll be brown and crispy on the outside, and warm all the way through.
Cooking Tip
A light misting of olive oil spray isn’t 100% necessary but it helps the falafel get nice and crispy, and also assists in the development of a nice golden brown color.
Although food isn’t cooked in oil when it’s air-fried, you’ll find that just a bit of oil really does enhance the flavor and texture and adds very little fat.
Falafel is traditionally served with hummus, tahini, or hot sauce. We love falafel with tzatziki, a refreshing yogurt cucumber sauce.
Try air fryer falafel inside a pita bread sandwich with sauce and chopped tomatoes, or on a salad. I love to serve crispy falafel as an appetizer, with one of the above dipping sauces.
FAQs
What is the primary ingredient in falafel?
Falafel is made with chickpeas, which are a healthy legume. Fava beans are sometimes substituted since they are higher in protein and fiber. Falafel is a nutritious vegetarian and vegan source of protein but is usually deep-fried, making it high in fat.
Why can’t you use canned chickpeas for falafel?
Some cooks claim that canned chickpeas have a metallic taste. Others say that canned chickpeas contain too much moisture, causing the falafel to fall apart or have a mushy texture. Some recipes simply soak the dry beans leaving them uncooked before they grind them.
Personally, I think canned chickpeas are just fine. They taste great and have a wonderful texture in this falafel recipe. Try it and see what you think! If you prefer using dry beans, you’ll find instructions on the recipe card so the choice is yours.
How is falafel pronounced?
It’s pronounced fell-al-full, with the middle “a” sounding like the word cat.
Make It Your Own
- Instead of balls, shape the falafel into small patties.
- Use breadcrumbs instead of flour.
- Falafel is perfect for vegetarians and vegans just the way it is! It’s a great source of plant protein.
- Make falafel gluten-free by using all-purpose gluten-free flour, chickpea or oat flour.
- Use dry chickpeas. Soak 3/4 cup dry beans in water 24 hours. Add a 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to the soaking water. Rinse and drain soaked beans and proceed with recipe as directed.
- If you like, fry falafel using 1/2 inch cooking oil until crispy. A cast iron skillet works great for this.
- Make your falafel spicier by adding more garlic, more cayenne, or red pepper flakes.
Make-Ahead Ideas
The falafel dough can be made up to a few hours in advance and stored tightly covered in the fridge until you’re ready to cook the falafel.
Or make the dough into falafel patties or balls, place on a baking sheet, sides not touching, uncooked, and freeze. Once frozen, place falafel into freezer bags. No need to thaw before baking or frying, although you may need to add a minute or two to the cooking time.
Storage & Reheating Tips
Leftover falafel can be tightly wrapped and stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, or longer in the freezer. To reheat, place in air fryer or toaster oven.
More vegetarian sandwiches
Looking for more delicious meatless sandwiches? I have lots of ideas for you:
- Bean sandwich with rosemary, Parmesan, and apple
- Southwestern guacamole toast
- Wild rice patties
- Quinoa hummus wrap
- Vegetarian wrap with provolone and roasted red pepper hummus
- Egg salad sandwich
- Cauliflower tacos with chickpeas
- Tacos with delicata squash and black beans
- Roasted vegetable wrap with feta and pesto
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
Crispy and nutritious, air fryer falafel are delicious on warm pita bread, a salad, or just eaten by themselves. Don't wait to enjoy these savory chickpea fritters!
Ingredients
- 1 can (15-oz.) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped yellow onion (1 small yellow onion)
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or all-purpose gluten-free flour, or chickpea flour)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, parsley, cumin, coriander, cayenne, flour, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Pulse until mixture is coarse and mealy. Don’t overblend it!
- Spray bottom of air fryer basket with olive oil spray. Form bean mixture into 12 balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place in air fryer so they aren’t touching, and spray with olive oil spray.
- Air fry at 350ºF for 12-14 minutes, turning once, until golden.
Notes
- Use equal amounts of all-purpose gluten-free flour, chickpea or oat flour to make falafel gluten-free.
- To use dry chickpeas, soak 3/4 cup dry beans in water 24 hours. Add a 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to the soaking water. Rinse and drain soaked beans and proceed with recipe as directed.
- Fry falafel using 1/2 inch cooking oil until crispy. A cast iron skillet works great for this.
- Make your falafel spicier by adding more garlic, more cayenne, or red pepper flakes.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 3falafel, Calories: 137kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 895mg, Potassium: 271mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 817IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 67mg, Iron: 3mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Ruth McCoskey says
I don’t like chickpeas. Can I substitute another bean, if so what kind.
Rachel Gurk says
It will change the texture and consistency, but I think you could probably use great northern, cannellini or another white bean.
Erica says
These were easy and tasty! Put them in the air fryer on two pans so the pan underneath needed another 5 additional minutes! Taste was amazing will be back for more!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked them! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, it means a lot!
Sabrina says
a nice change, at least to me, since I’m a complete novice to Midd;e Eastern cuisine, a fun new set of ingredients for me to try, thank you!
Rachel Gurk says
I hope you love the falafel!