These air fryer falafel are super crispy from the outside and moist, fluffy from the inside. Let’s make healthy, low-calorie falafel in an air fryer without compromising flavor and texture.
Stuff falafel in a warm pita sandwich with lots of veggies and a drizzle of tahini sauce. Or make a filling falafel salad bowl. Or just munch them as a snack with a side of hummus.
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❤️About This Recipe
What is Falafel?
Falafel is popular Middle Eastern street food made from a mixture of chickpeas (or fava beans in Egypt), herbs and spices. Balls or patty shape is formed from this mixture and then deep-fried into the hot oil.
To make falafel healthy and low-calorie, we can bake, shallow-fry or air fry them. Today I am sharing the detailed method for air fryer falafel. Below is the FAQ section, I have given details for the other three methods (deep-fried, shallow-fried, oven-baked)
Air Fryer Falafel Details:
- Easy to make: Add everything to a food processor and make the mixture. Chill in the fridge, shape and air fry. The procedure can’t be simpler than this.
- Texture: Crunchy & crispy on the outside with soft, moist and fluffy from inside.
- Taste: savory, grainy and herby without any strong flavors.
- Meal prep friendly: You can make ahead and freeze the uncooked balls. So it can be ready in minutes whenever you’re craving for it.
🧾Ingredient Notes
- Chickpeas (DRIED): Always use dried chickpeas and soak them for 18-24 hours. The falafel mixture made from soaked chickpeas gives the best result.
- Don’t use canned chickpeas to make air fryer falafel. It makes the mixture lose with lots of moisture. And it makes it hard to shape the balls. To reduce the moisture one will add some flour thus the end product will turn hard and dense.
- Herbs: Always use fresh parsley and cilantro. It gives the best refreshing flavor.
- Baking powder: It gives falafel an airy, fluffy texture from the inside. If you skip it then you’ll end with a dense texture.
👩🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
Soaking Chickpeas:
1) Take chickpeas in a colander and wash/rinse them under running cold water until water runs clear. Take them into a large bowl.
2) Add enough water (3-inches above the chickpeas), cover and let it soak for 18-24 hours.
3) After the soaking, they get doubled or almost triple in size.
4) Drain the soaking water.
Making Air Fryer Falafel:
1) Add parsley, cilantro, onion and garlic in a food processor.
2) Pulse it to make a coarsely ground mixture.
3) Add soaked, drained chickpeas, spices (ground coriander, ground cumin, cayenne pepper), salt, pepper and baking powder.
4) Pulse it until you get the finely ground mixture. Make sure not to over-process and don’t make it paste-like. Keep the mixture slightly coarse.
5) Remove the mixture to a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. Yes, this step is necessary, it helps to bind and makes it easier to shape into balls.
6) Now start shaping into a ball or patty shape. I have used 1 ½ tablespoons size of cookie scoop to make even-sized falafels.
7) Try squeezing with the help of your palm and shape into a ball.
8) Transfer the balls into an air fryer basket. Spray the balls lightly with cooking oil spray.
9) Air fry them at 375°F (190°C) for about 12-13 minutes. Around 8-9 minutes, shake the basket or gently move around the balls for even browning. Remove them to a plate and repeat the same for rest.
💭Expert Tips
- Always use dry chickpeas (not canned or cooked). Soak the chickpeas for 24 hours and use them in the recipe.
- Chill the falafel mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The starch from dried, soaked chickpeas have enough time to soak up, so it will be easy to form the balls without falling apart.
- Don’t use the ‘quick soaking’ method for chickpeas that doesn’t work here.
- Shape the falafel into a patty shape if you are planning to serve into pita pockets. Flat, disc-shaped falafel is easy to stuff in pita bread.
🥣 Storage Instructions
Leftover air fryer falafel can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days. Or can be frozen for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that refrigerated falafel will lose its crispness. Reheat them in an air fryer to make them slightly crispy again.
Make-ahead options:
- Make the falafel mixture a night before and keep it refrigerated. Next day shape and air fry.
- You can make balls and store them in the fridge for the next day's cooking. Or balls can be frozen without cooking.
- To freeze balls, arrange them on a baking tray and freeze until frozen. Then transfer them to a ziplock bag to avoid clumping them together.
- Air fry the frozen falafel (increase the cooking time a few more minutes) or thaw them and then air fry.
🍽 Serving Ideas
- Make falafel sandwiches by stuffing the pita bread with these crispy air fryer falafel, lots of veggies and a generous drizzle of tahini sauce.
- Make a wrap. Try by spreading hummus on the wrap, adding falafel, cucumber, onion, tomatoes and your choice of veggies and sauce. For the low-carb version, use the lettuce leaves instead of a wrap.
- Make falafel salad bowl with romaine lettuce, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, olives, feta and tahini sauce.
- Have them as a snack with instant pot hummus or any other store-bought flavored hummus.
FAQs
Heat the oil in a deep, semi-wide pan. Try dopping a tiny ball, the ball should come on top within a few seconds, meaning the oil is hot enough to fry. If that ball doesn’t come on top and stays at the bottom of the pan for a longer time then the oil is not hot enough.
1) Gently slide the shaped balls into the hot oil.
2) Do move them after some time for even browning. Fry until they are golden brown from all sides.
3) Remove them using a slotted spatula
4) and keep them on a paper-towel-lined plate.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C), spray the balls with cooking oil spray and bake for about 20 minutes.
For this method, we’ll be cooking them like a burger patty. For this, you have to shape them into patty form. Heat around 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Place carefully the patty shaped falafel and cook until the bottom side is golden brown. Then flip and cook another side. Drizzle more oil as needed.
Did you try this air fryer falafel recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review.
📋 Recipe Card
Air Fryer Falafel
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dried chickpeas
- ½ cup Parsley
- ½ cup Cilantro or coriander leaves
- 3 cloves Garlic
- ½ of small White onion roughly chopped
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- Cooking oil spray
Instructions
Soaking Chickpeas:
- Take chickpeas in a colander and wash/rinse them under running cold water until water runs clear. Take them into a large bowl.
- Add enough water (3-inches above the chickpeas), cover and let it soak for 18-24 hours.
- After the soaking, they get doubled or almost triple in size.
- Drain the soaking water.
Making Falafel Mixture:
- Add parsley, cilantro, onion and garlic in a food processor. Pulse it to make a coarsely ground mixture.
- Add soaked, drained chickpeas, spices (ground coriander, ground cumin, cayenne pepper), salt, pepper and baking powder.
- Pulse it until you get the finely ground mixture. Make sure not to over-process and don’t make it paste-like. Keep the mixture slightly coarse.
- Remove the mixture to a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. Yes, this step is necessary, it helps to bind and makes it easier to shape into balls.
- Now start shaping into a ball or patty shape. I have used 1 ½ tablespoons size of cookie scoop to make even-sized falafels. Try squeezing with the help of your palm and shape into a ball.
Air Frying Falafel:
- Transfer the balls into an air fryer basket. Spray the balls lightly with cooking oil spray.
- Air fry them at 375°F (190°C) for about 12-13 minutes. Around 8-9 minutes, shake the basket or gently move around the balls for even browning.
- Remove them to a plate and repeat the same for rest.
Notes
- Always use dry chickpeas (not canned or cooked). Soak the chickpeas for 24 hours and use them in the recipe.
- Chill the falafel mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The starch from dried, soaked chickpeas have enough time to soak up, so it will be easy to form the balls without falling apart.
- Don’t use the ‘quick soaking’ method for chickpeas that doesn’t work here.
- Shape the falafel into a patty shape if you are planning to serve into pita pockets. Flat, disc-shaped falafel is easy to stuff in pita bread.
Jim
I don’t like cilantro so I substituted 3/4 cup chopped red cabbage and I added I teaspoon turmeric.
I made fried patties and learned not to disturb them until after the had cooked throughly or they
Fall apart. They turned out very good and I served them with cucumbers, tomatoes and fresh book Chou.
I served kefir as a dip. The recipe made more than I expected. How long will it keep in the refrigerator uncooked?
Kanan
very glad that recipe was helpful.
Thank you for the detailed feedback
MissDirection
The shallow fried falafel turned out really well! I didn't have coriander seeds or parsley, so I left them out. It was so good though, my boyfriend loved them. We ate them all up. Even my 83 yr old mother-in-law who only eats "safe" foods thought it was "inoffensive"....I'll take it. I actually tried to make falafel before with canned chickpeas, and they fell apart in the oil. This time, they stayed completely intact. I thought the insides wouldn't cook through, but they ended up completely cooked and soft, with a crispy outer shell. I think I added quite a bit more than 2 tbsp of oil though, I basically poured enough oil so that the bottom of the pan was fully coated without having to move the pan around to distribute the oil. The falafel didn't seem to absorb the oil very much at all, I think because my gas burner was set to "medium", which I guess was high enough (and it didn't splatter at all!). I cooked each side for two minutes. Beautiful, golden brown outcome! Thanks so much for the recipe! I will be making these again.
Kanan
true, the falafel made with canned chickpeas will fall apart and won't taste good.
Very glad to know that this recipe works out for you.
Thank you for the detailed review.
Rose
Falafel is a very difficult, I tried making falafels many times but the balls always blew when I added them in the oil, but this recipe my falafels didn't blow up and didn't get unclustered in the oil. Thanks for this amazing recipe, finally I have found a great way to make perfect falafel balls.
Kanan
Glad to know that falafel came out good.
Thank you for your review.
Nirav
Bravo making falafel from scratch. Never ever done that before. just used ready made falafel mixture.
but will try your method next time just to see how does it taste. i am sure must be yummy
Kanan
sure, give it a try.
The taste is similar to the one we get in restaurants here in USA. But the texture is much lighter when compared to outsides.
Nilesh
First time hearing about it. But looks interesting. Going to try it. 🙂
Kanan
sure. Happy cooking!!