Classic Crispy Vegan Falafel

What to expect from this recipe?

Falafel is a typical Middle Eastern vegetarian dish, but its origins are under debate. The original ingredient was fava beans and not chickpeas which is how it may have gotten its name. 

So does an authentic falafel recipe exist? Not really. Different cuisines use slightly different ingredients to make their falafel recipe. Some used other legumes, while others used different herbs and spices. But one thing is sure. It has gained worldwide popularity over the years, and you can find falafel stalls in many countries.

What can you expect this falafel recipe to taste like if there are no exact recipes?

• The recipe uses soaked and not canned chickpeas, so the texture of falafel is grainy and crumbly on the inside.
• The most popular way to make them is deep-frying, which gives falafel a crunchy and crispy shell.
• It is mildly spiced since it uses fresh herbs as the main seasoning.
• Chickpeas taste neutral. Falafel has a slightly nutty flavor, but you can’t tell that it is from chickpeas.
• Falafel balls are always served with a juicy dip, sauce, or dressing since they are too dry without them.

Ingredients

While it is undoubtedly not a 3-ingredient recipe, you only need a few things to make them. All the below ingredients are usually in your pantry or easily available anywhere. The below ten ingredients will make crispy vegan falafels.

Preparing the ingredients

• Soak dry chickpeas in cold water overnight. No cooking is needed. Drain them before using them.
• Wash and chop the leaves off parsley and cilantro.
• Peel garlic clove.
• Wash and roughly chop an onion.
• Measure all other ingredients.

Making the falafel mixture

1. Use a food processor and add chopped onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, salt, black pepper, cumin, baking soda, and water.

2. Pulse them until the mixture becomes creamy and grainy but not pureed. See the below photo for reference.

3. Take a large bowl and empty the food processor into it. Add sesame seeds and mix them well.
4. Chill the falafel mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour. It is easier to form balls like that.

Deep-frying

1. Use a spoon or your palms and form balls out of the chilled mixture.
2. Preheat a large pot over medium heat. Add sunflower or coconut oil (not olive oil, but high-heat resistant and suitable for deep-frying).
3. Gently place a couple of balls in the hot oil. Don’t drop them. Hot oil can splash up and cause blisters. Don’t overcrowd the pan as well.
4. Fry them for approx. 5 minutes. Fried balls should be brown but not burnt and vibrant green in the middle, like in the below picture. We usually place them on a paper towel to capture any excess oil.

Cooking tips

• Don’t skip the chilling time – We tested this vegan falafel recipe without waiting time, but the mixture was too delicate and soft. Since it was stickier, it was harder to form the balls. They didn’t fall apart during deep-frying, though. All in all, you can skip the chilling but prepare to work with a soft mixture.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan – The oil temperature will drop if you add too many falafels simultaneously. It means that the oil needs time to be hot again. In the meantime, the falafel balls will soak up too much oil. How do you know what the right amount is? If you add too many, the intensity of the sizzling lowers or stops entirely.

Air frying

We recommend spraying a bit of oil to coat the surface. Place the falafel balls on the basket in a single layer. Turn the air fryer on and set the temperature high. Air fry them for a couple of minutes.

Baking

There is a huge difference between baking and deep-frying. The latter gives these vegan falafels a much crispier and crunchier shell. Even if you spray them with oil before baking them in the oven, they will not be the same. You may end up with really dry falafel balls.

Pan-frying

This method is an excellent alternative to deep-frying if you don’t want to use so much oil.

1. Use a spoon or your palms and form patties rather than balls. Flat patties are easier to flip and fry on all sides.
2. Preheat a large frying pan or a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add sunflower or coconut oil (not olive oil, but high-heat resistant and suitable for deep-frying).
3. Gently place a couple of patties. Leave enough space to flip them easily with a slotted turner.
4. Pan-fry them for approx. 2-3 minutes on both sides. Fried patties should be brown with a greenish ribbon around the side. We usually place them on a paper towel to capture any excess oil.

Serving ideas

• We love to serve them as a falafel sandwich with this maple dijon tahini dressing. It is a quick 5-minute no-cook sauce with a nutty, tart, and sweet flavor.
• Try this refreshing lemon herb tahini sauce to make things interesting.
• Serve them as falafel gyros with a light yogurt-based vegan tzatziki.
• Build the ultimate falafel platter (pictured below) or a Mediterranean grazing board with various vegan dips, sauces, salads, veggies, crackers, and so on.
• Serve it with your favorite hummus. We have recipes for oil-free hummus, beet hummus, harissa hummus, and roasted red pepper hummus—even one where we make hummus without tahini. Or choose any of these 16 creative ideas you can serve with hummus.

Equipment

• Deep-frying pan with a strainer basket – The best would be to use a dedicated pan that is deep enough to avoid a lot of splatters. A strainer basket is also helpful if you want to do a larger batch. If you don’t have one, use a deep stockpot or an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven.
• Deep-frying thermometer – It helps to measure how hot the oil is before deep-frying. However, I use a hack described in the “FAQ” section, which has worked for me for several years.
• Strainer ladle or slotted spoon – If you want to deep-fry a larger batch, it is essential to work quickly and take them out as soon as they are ready. I also love to use simple tongs to pick them out one by one.