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About the recipe
Baked crispy falafel, ready in 15 minutes? I found the perfect way! Don’t know what falafel are? They’re a traditional Middle Eastern deep-fried ball-shaped fritter made with chickpeas. I made an oven-baked and air fryer version that still has that crispy layer on the top and the nice Middle Eastern flavours.
Jump to RecipeThe ingredients
- Canned chickpeas. Traditional falafel use dry chickpeas, soaked overnight. I used canned chickpeas to make these falafel ready in 15 minutes.
- All-purpose flour and baking powder are essential in this recipe to make them crispy and not too mushy.
- Garlic. I love garlic and believe me, I would put even more garlic in this recipe if I could!
- Parsley and cilantro give falafel its’ signature green colouration and fresh taste.
The steps
If you follow me on Instagram, you would’ve seen a little behind the scenes of me developing this recipe. I developed it so you can either bake them in a conventional oven and in the air fryer. I use the Kalorik air fryer, which is a really basic air fryer. Find it on my Favourites page.
Here are my pros and cons for each method:
Air fryer
Pros:
- Only used one setting
- No need to monitor
- Took 5 minutes less
Cons:
- Not accessible to everyone
- Can be a pain to clean
- A little bit of sticking at the bottom
Conventional oven
Pros:
- Accessible
- Less cleaning necessary
- No sticking
Cons:
- Had to monitor while broiling
- Not the most energy-efficient option
I honestly couldn’t see a difference between both versions when it comes to taste so I guess it’s for you to choose.
To make the falafel nice and round… surprise! I used a cookie scoop. It’s a must-have, I’m telling you..
How to store
Store the falafel in the fridge or make some more and put them in the freezer for another time! Reheat in the oven or the microwave when needed.
Recipe variations
I used a food processor to make these, but you can use an immersion blender or even a regular blender, as long as it’s smooth in the end.
Also, I used all-purpose flour in this recipe. You could use oat flour to make these falafel gluten-free.
Another use for these falafel, if you have any leftover, is to use them as chickpea burgers.
I like to eat my falafel in a warm whole wheat pita, with nice fresh vegetables such as cucumbers, radish, pickled beets or turnip, red onion and spinach, topped with a nice dill and greek yogurt sauce (which I am working on the recipe as we speak!). You could also have them as a side with some rice and veggies. How do you usually eat your falafel? Share it with me in the comments below!
Falafel
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- ¼ onion roughly chopped
- ¼ cup parsley
- ¼ cup cilantro
- ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil and more to coat
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pinch cayenne or more, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
- Scoop falafel on a lined baking sheet using an ice cream scoop or your hands. Coat with a little bit of olive oil, using a brush.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then broil until golden, for 2 to 5 minutes.
Air fryer method
- Oil the bottom of the air fryer basket
- Let the falafel cook for 15 minutes at 400°F.
- Be gentle when you want to take them out, the bottom can stick a little bit.
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