Falafel (Crispy Chickpea & Herb Fritters)
فلافل (کرارے چنے اور ہری پتیوں کے پکوڑے)
Falafel are crisp golden balls of ground chickpeas and fresh herbs, crunchy outside and bright green, light and fluffy inside. They're the Levant's favourite street snack and breakfast, tucked into pita with tahini sauce, tomato, cucumber, pickles and sometimes fries. The one essential rule: use dried chickpeas soaked overnight, never cooked or tinned ones, or the falafel will fall apart. South Asian cooks will find the method close to making daal pakoras.
- ⏱ Total: 45 min
- Prep: 25 min
- Cook: 20 min
- Medium
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Drain the soaked chickpeas very well and pat dry. Pulse them in a food processor with the onion, garlic, herbs, spices, chilli and salt until finely ground, like coarse sand that holds together when squeezed. Don't make a paste.
Chill the mixture for 30 minutes. Just before frying, stir in the baking soda and sesame seeds.
Heat the oil to 175°C. Shape the mixture into small balls or patties with your hands or a falafel scoop and fry in batches for 3–4 minutes until deep golden. Drain on a rack.
Serve hot in pita with tahini sauce, tomato, cucumber and pickles.
Kitchen notes
Never use cooked or tinned chickpeas; they turn to mush and fall apart in the oil.
If the first falafel breaks up, the mix is too wet or coarse: pulse a little longer or add a spoon of chickpea flour (besan).
Shape the mix into balls and freeze them raw; fry from frozen, adding a minute.
The Levant’s street snack
Falafel is sold from busy stalls across Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt, often for breakfast. Hot falafel are pressed into bread with tahini sauce and salad and eaten on the go. Today they’re one of the world’s most popular vegetarian foods.
Raw chickpeas, not cooked
The single most important thing is to use dried chickpeas that have only been soaked, never cooked. Raw soaked chickpeas contain starch that binds the mixture as it fries, creating a crisp crust and a fluffy, light inside. Cooked chickpeas make a paste that falls apart.
Like a daal pakora
South Asian readers will find falafel close to making pakoras from soaked daal: the soaked pulses are ground coarsely with herbs and spices and fried. The difference is the generous amount of parsley and coriander, which makes falafel green inside.
Serving
Serve in khubz or pita with tahini sauce, hummus, tomato, cucumber, pickles and parsley, or on a mezze plate with fattoush.
Questions people ask
Can I bake or air-fry falafel?
Yes. Brush with oil and bake at 200°C for 25 minutes, turning once, or air-fry at 190°C for 12–14 minutes. They're less crisp but still good.
What about Egyptian falafel?
In Egypt, falafel (ta'ameya) is made with dried fava beans instead of chickpeas, and is even greener inside.
Is falafel vegan?
Yes, and gluten-free, as long as you serve it without wheat pita.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 380
- Protein
- 13 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
