Classic falafel is delicious. Traditionally it is made of soaked chickpeas and not canned, mildly spiced with fresh herbs, formed into balls, and deep-fried until it gets a crispy crust. This vegan falafel recipe will show you exactly how easy it is to make them home.

Do you need more ideas to serve with falafel? Look at these gorgeous falafel sandwiches or these delicious falafel gyros on pita bread. Or check out how to build the ultimate falafel platter.
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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.
- Dried chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) – Don’t use canned or cooked chickpeas. They will turn to mush after adding them to a food processor. If you do that, you will lose the texture of classic falafel. This recipe typically uses soaked but uncooked chickpeas.
- Onion – We recommend red onion purely for color. A purple onion will make the expected color a bit off.
- Garlic
- Fresh parsley – This falafel recipe will not work with dried ground herbs. Fresh leaves have the best flavor and will give a vibrant green color.
- Fresh cilantro (aka coriander leaves) – The same goes here.
- Cumin
- Sesame seeds – They are an optional ingredient, but they give an additional subtle nutty flavor. It also makes the falafel balls lovely.
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Baking soda – You need a pinch to ensure it is fluffy inside.
- Cold water
🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
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
- Use a food processor and add chopped onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, salt, black pepper, cumin, baking soda, and water.
- Pulse them until the mixture becomes creamy and grainy but not pureed. See the below photo for reference.
- Take a large bowl and empty the food processor into it. Add sesame seeds and mix them well.
- Chill the falafel mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour. It is easier to form balls like that.
Deep-frying
- Use a spoon or your palms and form balls out of the chilled mixture.
- Preheat a large pot over medium heat. Add sunflower or coconut oil (not olive oil, but high-heat resistant and suitable for deep-frying).
- 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.
- 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.
Variations
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.
- Use a spoon or your palms and form patties rather than balls. Flat patties are easier to flip and fry on all sides.
- 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).
- Gently place a couple of patties. Leave enough space to flip them easily with a slotted turner.
- 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.
Storing tips
You can store these vegan falafels in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 3-4 days. It will lose its crispy outer crust the next day. Pop them back in the oven to make them crispy again. Reheating them in a microwave will not do that.
This recipe is also freezer-friendly, so it is perfect for batch booking. We don’t recommend freezing the unfried balls as excess moisture can ruin the texture after thawing. Reheat them in the oven to make them crunchy and crispy again.
FAQs
You can certainly use canned chickpeas but expect a different texture. Falafels from canned chickpeas are softer and mushier, while falafels from soaked chickpeas are crumblier and grainier.
The best temperature should be 350-375 °F. You can use this simple method if you don’t have a thermometer. You can test whether the oil is hot enough by dropping a bit of falafel mixture in it. If it sizzles, you are good to go.
You need to use oil with a high smoke point. I usually choose sunflower oil or occasionally canola oil. Never use extra virgin olive oil.
More vegan chickpea recipes
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Classic Crispy Vegan Falafel
Ingredients
- 1+½ cup Chickpeas (dry not canned) dried, uncooked
- 1 Onion (medium)
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 0.8 oz Fresh parsley
- 0.6 oz Fresh cilantro
- 1+½ tsp Ground cumin seeds
- 2 Tbsp Sesame seeds
- 1 tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- ½ cup Cold water
Instructions
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
- Use a food processor and add chopped onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, salt, black pepper, cumin, baking soda, and water.
- Pulse them until the mixture becomes creamy and grainy but not wholly pureed.
- Take a large bowl and empty the food processor into it. Add sesame seeds and mix them well.
- Chill the falafel mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour. It is easier to form balls like that.
Deep-frying
- Use a spoon or your palms and form balls out of the chilled mixture.
- Preheat a large pot over medium heat. Add sunflower or coconut oil (not olive oil, but high-heat resistant and suitable for deep frying).
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
- Use a spoon or your palms and form patties rather than balls. Flat patties are easier to flip and fry on all sides.
- 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).
- Gently place a couple of patties. Leave enough space to flip them easily with a slotted turner.
- 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.
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