Who doesn’t love some good falafel served hot in a warm pita, smothered with hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion? YUM! Hungry yet? I am. Even some of my hardcore carnivore friends (don’t worry I’m working on them) seem to enjoy some great falafel. It’s an easy sell whenever I need to bring something for a lunch gathering. I always make a large batch and freeze half of them to use for a quick lunch as a salad-topping on a bed of crispy romaine lettuce, with tons of cucumber, tomato, onion, tabouli, and lots of tahini. YUM!

This recipe is:

• crispy on the outside
• fluffy on the inside
• filling

You want an awesome gluten-free tabouli recipe to go with it? Check out this recipe quinoa tabouli

my falafel recipe

Patty Malcolm | Chickfoodtv

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course dinner, Lunch

Servings 30 balls

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups dried chickpeas/garbanzos soaked overnight
• 1 onion chopped
• 4-5 cloves  garlic
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
• 1/4 fresh cilantro chopped
• 2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2-1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pinch of ground cardamom
• 2 teaspoon chickpea flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

 

• RINSE & SOAK. Rinse the chickpeas under cold running water and discard cracked or broken chickpeas. Pour the chickpeas into a large bowl and cover with water. Use at least 2 inches of water above the chickpeas, as they will expand to 4-5 cups. Add a couple tablespoons of an acid, like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, then soak for 8-12 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse, and set aside. NOTE: Do not pre-cook chickpeas. This will result in a mushy falafel.
• PROCESS. Add onion and garlic into food processor and pulse until they break up. Add parsley and cilantro and blend for about 30-40 seconds and scrape down sides. Add additional seasonings, chickpeas, chickpea flour, and baking soda and blend until it becomes somewhere between a crumbly texture and a paste. Test to see if a ball will form easily. If it does not stay in a ball, your mixture may be too wet. Add some more chickpea flour and blend and test again. Once blended, move ingredients to a bowl and mix with a fork to make sure all chickpeas are blended and adjust seasonings, if needed. 
• REFRIGERATE. Place bowl in refrigerator for a minimum of an hour.
• COOK. Fill a skillet with about 1 ½ inches of cooking oil. Choose a cooking oil with a high-smoke point, like grape-seed oil. Heat the oil slowly over medium heat. Meanwhile, form the falafel mixture into round balls to desired size. I generally make them a little larger than a ping-pong ball.
• TEST. Do a test with first falafel to make sure your oil is hot enough. It should take 1-2 minutes for each side. When the falafel ball is golden brown remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb extra oil. I cook about 6-8 balls at a time, depending on the skillet I am using. 
• SERVE. I like to serve them hot in a pita with hummus, pickled red cabbage, onion, and pickle. More traditional options would include cucumber, tomato, onion, tahini, shredded cabbage, extra parsley. It's really up to you. 
• ENJOY!

Notes

• CANNED CHICKPEAS. Do not substitute with canned chickpeas, they retain too much moisture and they will fall apart, in my experience. Use dried chickpeas instead.
• ADD ONS. I like to roll half the batch in sesame seeds before frying. This makes a crispier falafel and adds another dimension. 
• STORAGE. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container for 2-3 days. They also freeze well, and I like to warm them up for a salad topping or a quick pita on the go.
• GREEN FALAFEL. Add 1/3 cup more of parsley and cilantro to make them greener. 

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