Levantine · Main / Snack · 13 kez test edildi

Falafel

Shatteringly crisp outside, herby and green within: falafel made the right way, from soaked (never cooked) dried chickpeas blitzed with garlic, herbs, and spice, then fried. The Levantine street-food icon, naturally vegan.

Yazan Amir Khoury · Levant editor · Yayınlandı 2026-03-01 · Güncellendi 2026-05-22
Tarife geç →
Hazırlık
20 min
Pişirme
15 min
Dinlenme
12 h
Toplam
35 min
Verir
about 20 falafel
Zorluk
Medium
#levantine#vegan#street-food#fried
Hızlı cevap · 30 saniyelik cevap

Soak dried chickpeas overnight — do NOT cook them. Blitz with onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, and salt to a coarse, sand-textured paste. Rest, mix in a little baking soda, shape into balls or patties, and deep-fry until deep brown and crisp. Serve in pita with tahini, salad, and pickles.

  • Use SOAKED dried chickpeas, never canned or cooked — canned chickpeas make a mush that falls apart in the oil.
  • The mixture should be coarse and just hold together, not a smooth hummus. Don't over-blend.
  • Baking soda added just before frying makes them light and fluffy inside.

Equipment

  • Food processor
  • Deep pan or pot for frying
  • Slotted spoon
  • Thermometer (helpful)

Malzemeler

Falafel

  • 250 g dried chickpeas, soaked 12–24h, NOT cooked
  • 1 small onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 large bunch parsley
  • 1 large bunch cilantro
  • 8 g ground cumin
  • 8 g ground coriander
  • 7 g salt
  • 2 g baking soda, add just before frying
  • Oil, for deep-frying

To serve

  • Pita bread
  • Tahini sauce (tahini, lemon, garlic, water)
  • Chopped tomato, cucumber, pickles, lettuce

Yapılışı

  1. ADIM
    01

    Cover the dried chickpeas generously with water and soak 12–24 hours until fully plumped and roughly tripled in size. Drain very well and pat dry. Do not cook them — this is the rule that makes falafel work.

  2. ADIM
    02

    Pulse the drained chickpeas with the onion, garlic, herbs, cumin, coriander, and salt in a food processor to a coarse, couscous-like texture that just holds together when pressed. Don't purée it smooth.

  3. ADIM
    03

    Refrigerate the mixture at least 30 minutes (or up to a day) — it firms up and holds its shape better when frying.

  4. ADIM
    04

    Mix in the baking soda. Shape the mixture into walnut-sized balls or small patties, pressing firmly so they hold. If they crack badly, pulse the mix a touch more.

  5. ADIM
    05

    Heat oil to 175°C / 350°F. Fry the falafel in batches 3–4 minutes, turning, until deep brown and crisp. Don't crowd the pan. Drain on a rack.

  6. ADIM
    06

    Stuff into pita with tahini sauce, chopped salad, and pickles — or serve as a mezze plate with hummus. Eat hot and crisp.

Make ahead

Soak the chickpeas and blitz the mixture a day ahead (the flavor deepens). Shape and freeze raw falafel, then fry from frozen. Add the baking soda only just before frying for the lightest texture.

Storage

Best straight from the fryer. Fried falafel keep 3 days refrigerated and re-crisp in a hot oven. The raw blitzed mixture keeps a day refrigerated or freezes (shaped) for a month.

Variations

Egyptian ta'ameya

Use split dried fava beans instead of (or with) chickpeas, with extra herbs and a sesame-seed coating — the Egyptian original.

Baked or air-fried

Brush with oil and bake at 200°C / 400°F (or air-fry) until crisp. Lighter, though not as shatteringly crunchy as deep-fried.

Extra-green (herby)

Double the herbs for a vivid green interior — the Lebanese/Palestinian style.

Serve with

Tahini sauce or hummusWarm pitaPickled turnips and cucumbersA chopped tomato-cucumber saladAmba (mango pickle sauce)

Nutrition per serving

330 kcal 16 g fat 36 g carbs 13 g protein 4 g sugar 9 g fiber 600 mg sodium
Allergens: Sesame (in tahini, to serve)
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free

Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.

Sık sorulanlar

Can I use canned chickpeas?

No — this is the one rule of falafel. Canned (cooked) chickpeas are too wet and soft; they make a paste that disintegrates in the oil. You must use dried chickpeas soaked raw overnight. The soaked-but-uncooked legume is what binds and fries crisp.

Why did my falafel fall apart in the oil?

Usually too-wet mixture (drain and dry the soaked chickpeas well), too-smooth a blend (it needs coarse texture to grip itself), or not resting/pressing firmly enough. A little flour or chickpea flour can help bind a stubborn batch.

What does the baking soda do?

Added just before frying, it makes the interior lighter and fluffier and helps them brown. Add it too early and it loses its lift, so mix it in at the last moment.

Can I bake them instead of frying?

Yes — brush generously with oil and bake or air-fry at 200°C / 400°F until crisp and browned. They're lighter and lower-fat, though they won't have the deep, shattering crunch of the deep-fried original.

Is falafel Israeli, Lebanese, or Egyptian?

It's a shared treasure of the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, with deep roots — Egypt's fava-based ta'ameya is often cited as an origin, and chickpea falafel is iconic across the Levant. It's beloved (and claimed) across the whole region; all the versions are wonderful.

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