These delicious and easy to make Homemade Falafel are naturally vegan and gluten-free. They are incredibly simple to make and flavorful. The falafel comes together in under 30 minutes, too!
This homemade falafel recipe is a lifesaver. It is really one of those recipes that I can easily fall back on with ingredients we almost always have on hand.
With a few pantry staples, you can have a satisfying dinner on the table in no time. This recipe takes under 30 minutes from start to finish! It is absolutely perfect for those times when you are short on time and don’t have time to make a grocery store run.
We don’t only make this easy falafel recipe when we are low on options. They make a great option for a quick weeknight dinner too.
This traditional falafel recipe produces delicious falafel patties that are perfectly crispy on the outside, with a soft, moist center. They are loaded with flavor from spices like cumin and coriander as well as fresh parsley. Many traditional falafel recipes blitz the parsley with the chickpeas to create green falafel. I personally like to just stir in my parsley and keep the flecks larger. This can easily be modified to suit your preference.
These gf falafel are so versatile and can be eaten as is, in a wrap, or even tossed into a salad for a nice protein boost! I personally like them in a pita wrap.
If you aren’t vegan or gluten free, this Yogurt Flatbread makes a great substitution if you don’t have pita on hand (you can use plant-based yogurt to make them but I have not tried making them gluten-free).
If you wish to make these falafel in the air fryer, make sure to check out my Air Fryer Falafel instructions.
Why we love this Homemade Falafel recipe
- It’s delicious!
- This recipe is easy to make using simple ingredients that are fridge and pantry staples.
- Falafel make a great weeknight dinner.
- The recipe is vegan and gluten-free too!
- Besides the fact that these are pan-fried, they are otherwise made with healthy ingredients. If you want to make it a completely healthy falafel recipe using less oil, you can follow my Air Fryer intructions.
- While it isn’t traditional, you can use canned chickpeas for this recipe. If you do, save the liquid to make Healthy Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse – Vegan.
Ingredients in homemade falafel
- Chickpeas: Aka garbanzo beans. While traditional falafel starts with dried chickpeas, I kept this recipe simple by using canned chickpeas. Traditional falafel recipes call for using dried chickpeas and soaking the chickpeas overnight. Then proceeding with the recipe similar as this one is. You can do that if you wish, but I opted to make the recipe a bit easier and friendlier for last-minute dinners when you haven’t planned ahead and want to get something healthy on the table quick.
- Onion: roughly chopped. I like to use yellow onion for this recipe.
- Seasoning: salt, ground cumin, ground coriander.
- Chickpea flour: You can use regular all purpose flour if not gluten-free or even gluten-free flour.
- Parsley: Flat-leaf parsley that is finely chopped. As mentioned earlier, you can add it to the food processor to blend it into your falafel patties to turn them green if you like. I personally like to stir the parsley in afterwards.
- Oil: for frying.
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
How to make falafel
- Pulse ingredients to make a coarse meal. Place chickpeas, onion, salt, cumin, and coriander in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
- Stir in flour and parsley. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the flour and parsley. Mix everything until it is well combined. [If you like, you can add these to the food processor in the first step. You will wind up with a more finely chopped parsley that tinges the falafel green this way.]
- Form falafel patties. Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop out a heaping tablespoon of mixture and roll it between your hands to form a ball. Place on a baking sheet and press down slightly. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. It should make about 14 falafel balls.
- Pan fry in batches until golden brown. Cook the falafel in batches.* To do this, heat a 1/2 inch of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, carefully place the falafel balls in the pan without overcrowding the pan. Cook for about 2-3 minute or until the falafel begins to turn a nice golden-brown on the bottom. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the falafel and place it on a platter lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining falafel. [Note: If you find the hot oil is burning the falafel, lower the temperature accordingly.]
Tips for making your homemade falafel
While this gluten-free falafel recipe is pretty easy to do, I’ve included a few tips below to ensure your falafel come out perfectly.
- Be careful you do not over process your falafel mixture in your food processor. The goal is to get a smooth but slightly coarse meal texture, not a paste.
- Mix the flour and parsley by hand. While you can also try adding these into your food processor, you run the risk of over-mixing. I like seeing larger pieces of parsley in my falafel. If you like a green tinge to your falafel, you can add it all to the food processor. I used this method for my Air Fryer Falafel which is essentially the same recipe but made in an air fryer.
- Cook one falafel first to test out your recipe. If this is your first time making this recipe and you are not sure what level of seasoning will please your own taste buds, cooking a single falafel to test it out first is a great way to taste and adjust before you cook the whole batch. This can also help ensure your oil is not too hot and burns a whole batch.
- Make a double batch to meal prep lunches for the week ahead or to freeze. See tips for freezing below.
- You can easily adjust the size of the falafel to make small patties or larger patties if you desire to.
Storing leftovers and reheating
Once cooled completely, leftover falafel can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge. To reheat it, I like to arrange them on a parchment lined baking sheet and heat them in the oven at 400F until heated through, keeping an eye on them to ensure they don’t burn as they don’t require too much time in the oven.
Can you freeze falafel?
Yes, falafel can hold up well to freezing. While they are their crispiest when freshly pan-fried, reheating frozen falafel is still a delicious option and great for make-ahead meals.
To freeze falafel, I recommend cooking them as directed in the recipe first. Then allow them to cool completely and arrange them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer until the falafel are completely frozen. Then, transfer the frozen falafel patties to a freezer bag.
To reheat the frozen falafel, you can thaw them in the fridge overnight or reheat them in the oven straight from the freezer.
What to serve with falafel
My favorite way to enjoy falafel is in a pita wrap with onions, tomato, lettuce and tahini sauce or Tzatziki Sauce (if you are vegan, you can make tzatziki with a plant-based yogurt instead). If you are not vegan, you can also use these Yogurt Flatbread in place of pita bread for added protein.
It’s also great served on its own with delicious dips like Tzatziki Sauce or Hummus. This Roasted Red Pepper Hummus is a fun twist on a classic hummus that adds so much flavor and goes so well with the falafel. You can pair it up with a nice salad or Air Fryer Seasoned French Fries.
I also like to serve the falafel with lemon wedges so that you can squeeze as much lemon juice as you like to enhance the flavor.
I hope you enjoy this crispy falafels recipe as much as I do. If you make this recipe with canned chickpeas, remember to keep your aquafaba (chickpea liquid) to make Healthy Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse.
-Cathy
Are you a chickpea fan? You may also like:
Greek Chickpea Soup (Revithosoupa)
Chickpea Noodle Soup
Chickpea Salad with Tuna
Hummus
Homemade Falafel
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (about 1 large can) drained and rinsed. For a more traditional falafel, you can use dried chickpeas that you have cooked instead.
- 1/2 medium onion roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 cup chickpea flour (or regular flour if not gluten-free)
- 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Place chickpeas, onion, salt, cumin, and coriander in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the flour and parsley. Mix everything until it is well combined. [If you like, you can add these to the food processor in the first step. You will wind up with a more finely chopped parsley that tinges the falafel green this way.]
- Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop out a heaping tablespoon of mixture and roll it between your hands to form a ball. Place on a baking sheet and press down slightly. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. It should make about 14 falafel balls.
- Cook the falafel in batches.* To do this, heat a 1/2 inch of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, carefully place the falafel balls in the pan without overcrowding the pan. Cook for about 2-3 minute or until the falafel begins to turn a nice golden-brown on the bottom. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the falafel and place it on a platter lined with paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining falafel. [Note: If you find the hot oil is burning the falafel, lower the temperature accordingly.]
Notes
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
