Learn how to make homemade Lebanese falafel recipe with dried chickpeas, loads of fresh herbs and warm spices. Serve with creamy tahini yogurt.
If I could live in any cuisine for the rest of my life, it would be Middle Eastern. Of course I am retracting myself as I write this because in my little bio page I talk about how I can live in Chianti and red wine for the rest of my life and be happy. So, if there were 2 cuisines I had to choose from, Italian and Middle Eastern would be it.
I grew up on a lot of ethnic foods, especially Sephardic cuisine, but falafel never made a huge appearance growing up. I would have it here and there when I would stop in the Mediterranean markets and now that I'm older, it's the first thing I order whenever we eat Middle Eastern. See, falafel has simple but intense flavors. Chickpeas or fava beans with fresh herbs and spices, that's it!
Can you make falafel with canned chickpeas?
I always have canned beans in the house but with falafel, dry is best and I wouldn't recommend making falafel with canned chickpeas. The texture ultimately changes and because canned chickpeas are so soft, you would need to add a lot more flour to hold the batter together.
After dried chickpeas are soaked and fried, the falafel becomes incredibly crisp on the outside and tender in the middle. You wouldn't get that satisfaction with canned chickpeas.
Authentic Falafel Recipe is easy to make with a few key steps.
What I love so much about falafel is how easy it is! The only preparation you have to do is soak beans overnight. Which is pretty cool to see. The beans are small and hard but once they soak up all the liquid they expand to double its size! I also love the flavor combo! Fresh and leafy greens like parsley and cilantro dye the fritters pale green and cumin and coriander provide smoky and deep flavor. These are some f my favorite flavor combinations!...I'm getting hungry just writing about this!
How to make traditional falafel recipe:
1) Soak dried chickpeas overnight in a large bowl filled with water.
2) The next day, drain the chickpeas and pulse in a food processor until crumbly and there are no whole chickpeas left. Transfer to a large bowl.
3) In the same food processor, pulse together the onion, garlic, parsley and cilantro. Pulse until it almost looks like a paste. Add parsley mixture to beans.
4) Use a large spatula to mix the beans and herbs together. Add cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper and flour. Mix well. Add baking powder and soda just before frying. Mix everything well.
5) Heat a large skillet with vegetable oil and bring oil up to about 370 degrees F. You can test to see if the oil is hot by dropping a small piece of batter. If it sizzles, it's ready.
6) Use a large tablespoon and form batter into balls. I scoop about 2 tablespoons worth and form a ball between your hands.
7) Carefully place the falafel in the hot oil. You can fit 4-5 in at once but don't overcrowd the pan. Fry on 1 side until you can see it browning on the sides, about 4-5 minutes. Then flip over and fry other side.
8) The falafel should be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. To make tahini yogurt, just ix tahini and Greek yogurt together.
9) You can eat alone with tahini or make a falafel sandwich with pita bread, tomatoes, cucumber, pickles and tahini.
Looking for more classic Mediterranean recipes? I have a slew of them! My family's recipe for fasulye (Turkish green beans) is always a favorite. You can also serve my homemade falafel with Israeli chopped salad!
More Falafel inspiration
Homemade Lebanese Falafel Recipe with TahiniYogurt
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas
- 1 onion cut in quarters
- 4-5 garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley about 1 cup
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro about 1 cup
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 Tb coriander
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 3 Tb flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Vegetable or grapeseed oil for frying
Tahini Yogurt Sauce
- ½ cup tahini
- ½ cup plain yogurt
Instructions
- Soak dried chickpeas overnight in a large bowl filled with water.
- The next day, drain the chickpeas and pulse in a food processor until crumbly and there are no whole chickpeas left. Transfer to a large bowl.
- In the same food processor, pulse together the onion, garlic, parsley and cilantro. Pulse until it almost looks like a paste. Add parsley mixture to beans.
- Use a large spatula to mix the beans and herbs together. Add cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper and flour. Mix well. Add baking powder and soda just before frying. Mix everything well.
- Heat a large skillet with vegetable oil and bring oil up to about 370 degrees F. You can test to see if the oil is hot by dropping a small piece of batter. If it sizzles, it's ready.
- Use a large tablespoon and form batter into balls. I scoop about 2 tablespoons worth and form a ball between your hands.
- Carefully place the falafel in the hot oil. You can fit 4-5 in at once but don't overcrowd the pan. Fry on 1 side until you can see it browning on the sides, about 4-5 minutes. Then flip over and fry other side.
- The falafel should be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. To make tahini yogurt, just mix tahini and Greek yogurt together.
Julie says
I didn’t read the directions right and tried blending the whole bag of chickpeas before soaking them. However, I added some water and microwaved the chunky mix on low for a few minutes. Stirred, added more water, and zapped them again. Once they were soft enough, I used my stick blender to get them to the right consistency/texture. Followed the recipe better for the rest but when I went to start frying I saw that the mixture was too wet (due to my error on the first step) so I added flour and got the mix to stick together.
They were fantastic! The best flavor I have ever had in a falafel! I will be making them again for sure!!!
Samantha says
Hi Julie! I wish these comments had video so you could hear my excitement..lol I applaud you for figuring out the recipe and going for it! And glad it tasted well at the end. But yes, always read a recipe in its entirety, especially since chickpeas take a bit to soak! Thank you for sharing your kitchen adventure and now we know that the microwave tip works!! Woohoo!!
Jessica Decker says
Is there a specific kind of onion that works best for this recipe? I'm not sure whether yellow, white, or red would be better for this
Samantha says
Hi Jessica! I've honestly done it with all the onions you mentioned. I naturally lean more towards red because its a bit sweeter.milder but honestly, any that you have will work 🙂
Bet says
This recipe is fantastic! My 5 year old is a picky eater but he loves these homemade falafels so much. Thank you for sharing word about this recipe 🙂
Waheed says
Well done Samantha! I am pleased to find your page for Falafel recipe and I found great information here. Keep the good work up....
Samantha says
Thank you so much Waheed!
Patricia says
Hi Samantha. Thinking about doing this tomorrow, just one question . can we freeze them? and if so, when should I freeze them? Thanks
Samantha says
Hi Patricia! I haven't had a chance to freeze falafel yet, but my best guess would be to make the mixture and form them into falafel balls and freeze in a single layer, then when ready, fry them! Though I haven't tried this yet, but it would be a great project! Let me know how it comes out 🙂
Shauna says
This looks amazing, and I have both dry black beans and chickpeas sitting in my cupboard (I've never used dry beans and am anxious about it, haha!).
I just have a question about the last sentence after the directions - "make sure to add baking soda and powder within 20 minutes". Add a coating to the falafels? Is it necessary (what does it do)?
Thank you in advance - I am so looking forward to trying this out!
Samantha says
Hi Shauna!! So stoked you are making falafel! This is the traditional recipe, but I also have one that uses black beans for a Southwest flair (check that recipe out). Using dried beans is not hard at all, even easier with falafel because you're not cooking them, but make sure you are soaking the dried beans for several hours!! You HAVE to do this, preferably overnight. As for the last sentence, it just means to not add the baking soda until you're ready to fry. SO you can make the mixture ahead and then when you're ready to dry, stir in the baking soda. Hope that helps..can't wait to hear about it!