falafel recipe with detailed step by step photos. this falafel recipe will give you one of the best falafel – crispy, crunchy and tasty falafel. making falafel is very easy and even beginners can make this delicious snack with this detailed falafel recipe.

what is falafel

falafel is a delicious middle eastern fried snack made with chickpeas or fava beans, some herbs and spices. they can be made as patties or balls. falafel is also a popular street food. this falafel recipe shows you how to make falafel with dried chickpeas.

falafel is mostly served in pita bread with hummus, tahini sauce, salad or pickled vegetables. however, you can even have falafel as a plain snack with a dip or chutney or even tomato ketchup. somehow falafel is similar to the way we make the indian dal vada – the difference being in the usage of chana dal instead of white chickpeas and some other spices and herbs in the dal vada.

how to make falafel

this method of making falafel recipe is the traditional method, where dried raw chickpeas are used. the chickpeas are soaked in water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. then later they are ground coarsely. the coarsely ground chickpea mixture is then shaped into balls or patties and deep fried.

though you can even shallow fry or bake the falafel. falafel made with the traditional method, gives you one of the best falafel.

variations in making falafel

1. to the basic ground falafel mixture, many variations can be done. more herbs can be added and you can make herbed falafel.
2. greens like spinach, kale, amaranth can be added and you can have green falafel.
3. beetroot or carrots can also be added to the ground chickpea mixture
4. various combinations of spice powders can be used to make a variety of falafel.
5. falafel can be baked – bake at 180 degrees celsius till they have crisp and golden tops. brush with some oil before baking and bake in a greased pan.

falafel is a favorite snack at home. so i do make these on occasions. some times i just serve them plain with a side dip or chutney and at times as a stuffing in pita bread or sandwiches.

falafel can be served plain as snack with a dip or chutney. you can also serve them stuffed in pita bread, buns, sandwich, burger or in a wrap or roll with tahini, hummus and pickled veggies or mix grated veggies.

falafel recipe

4.54 from 13 votes

Prep Time:8 hrs

Cook Time:30 mins

Total Time:8 hrs 30 mins

falafel is a middle eastern fried snack made with chickpeas or fava beans. the recipe posted here shows how to make falafel with dried chickpeas, which have been soaked and then ground. falafel made with the traditional method gives you one of the best falafel. 

Course:snacks

Cuisine:middle eastern,world

Servings:3

Calories:313kcal

Author:Dassana Amit

INGREDIENTS FOR falafel recipe

(1 CUP = 250 ML)

• 1 cup dried white chickpeas (kabuli chana or safed chana or chole) or 200 grams dried white chickpeas
• 1 small onion, chopped or ¼ cup chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic (lahsun)
• 3 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (dhania patta) or 3 tablespoon chopped parsley or 2 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder) or cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder (jeera powder)
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper or ½ tsp crushed black pepper or pepper powder
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (maida) or add as required
• salt as required
• oil for deep frying, as required

HOW TO MAKE falafel recipe

soaking chickpeas for falafel recipe

• rinse 1 cup chickpeas for a couple of times in water. then soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. drain them well. 
• rinse them in running water. drain very well again.

grinding falafel mixture

• then add them in a grinder jar or a food processor or in a blender jar.
• add the spices, seasonings and herbs - ¼ cup chopped onion, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves or parsley, ½ tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, ¼ tsp black pepper and 1 tbsp all purpose flour.
• also add ½ tsp lemon juice and salt as per taste.
• grind the mixture in small intervals of time. scrape the sides of the mixture and add back in the jar.
• you should get a semi coarse mixture. don't make it too pasty and smooth. avoid adding water while grinding. if you are unable to grind without water, then you can add 1 to 3 tbsp of water.
• take the falafel mixture in a bowl. check the taste and add more salt or spices if required. with a spoon or your hands mix everything well.
• if the falafel mixture is too coarse, you won't be able to shape them into balls. the consistency should be semi coarse, so that you are able to shape them in balls or patties. you can even refrigerate the mixture for some hours or a couple of days.

checking oil temperature before frying falafel

• first lets test the falafel. heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai. roll a small ball or patty from the mixture and place it in the oil.
• if the falafel does not break, then you are good to go with the frying. if it breaks then add ½ to 1 tbsp more of the all purpose flour (maida).
• the oil temperature is also crucial, as if the oil is not hot enough, the falafel can break. 
• when you place the falafel in the oil, it should come up gradually to the top. if it does not come to the top or sticks to the pan, the oil is not hot enough. if the falafel comes too quickly and starts browning fast, the oil is very hot.

frying falafel

• make medium sized balls from the falafel mixture and place them in medium hot oil. add the number of balls depending on the size and capacity of the kadai or pan. do not crowd the pan.
• when the bases gets light golden, gently turn over and fry the other side.
• fry falafel till they become crisp and are golden.
• drain the fried falafel on kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil.
• this way make falafel with the rest of the mixture.
• serve falafel as a side snack with a tahini dip or hummus. falafel also taste good with coriander chutney and even tomato ketchup. you can also stuff them in pita breads. 

RECIPE TIPS

• to make gluten free version use gram flour instead of all purpose flour.

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preparation for falafel recipe

1. rinse 1 cup dried chickpeas a couple of times in water. then soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours. drain them well. rinse them in running water. drain very well again.

2. then add them in a grinder jar or a food processor or in a blender jar.

3. add the spices, seasonings and herbs – ¼ cup chopped onions, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves or 3 tbsp chopped parsley or 2 tbsp chopped mint leaves, ½ tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, ¼ tsp black pepper and 1 tbsp all purpose flour. also add salt as per taste.

4. add ½ tsp lemon juice.

5. grind the mixture in small intervals of time. scrape the sides of the mixture and add back in the jar. you can also use the pulse option which is there in the mixer-grinder or blender machine.

6. you should get a semi coarse mixture. don’t make it too pasty and smooth. avoid adding water while grinding. if you are unable to grind without water, then you can add 1 to 3 tbsp of water.

7. take the falafel mixture in a bowl. check the taste and add more salt or spices if required. mix again very well. if the mixture is too coarse, you won’t be able to shape them into balls. the consistency should be semi coarse, so that you are able to shape them in balls or patties. you can even refrigerate the mixture for some hours or a couple of days.

test before frying falafel

8. first lets test the falafel. heat oil for shallow frying or deep frying in a pan or kadai. roll a small ball or patty from the mixture and place it in the oil.

9. if the falafel does not break, then you are good to go with the frying. if it breaks then add ½ to 1 tbsp more of the all purpose flour (maida). the oil temperature is also crucial, as if the oil is not hot enough, the falafel can break. when you place the falafel in the oil, it should come up gradually on top. if it does not come on the top or sticks to the pan, the oil is not hot enough. if the falafel comes too quickly and starts browning fast, the oil is very hot.

frying falafel

10. make medium sized balls from the falafel mixture and place them in medium hot oil. add the number of balls depending on the size and capacity of the kadai or pan. do not crowd the pan.

11. when the bases gets light golden, gently turn over.

12.  and fry the other side.

13. fry the falafel till they become crisp and are golden.

13. drain fried falafel on kitchen paper towels so that they absorb extra oil.

14. this way make falafel with the rest of the mixture.

15. serve falafel as a side snack with a tahini dip or hummus. falafel also taste good with coriander chutney and even tomato sauce. you can also stuff them in pita breads or make a falafel wrap. i served them with muhammara (roasted red bell pepper dip).