Falafel

5 from 27 votes

Falafel is one of my favorite Middle Eastern street food recipes. Chickpeas are combined with other savory ingredients and deep fried to perfection!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: servings

Soak chickpeas: The night before making falafel, add dried chickpeas to a large bowl and cover with water. Cover bowl and let them soak overnight. They should double in size. When you're ready to make your falafel, drain chickpeas.
Mix ingredients: Add all ingredients except for oil to a large bowl and toss to combine.
Run through food processor: Working in small batches, process in food processor. The texture should be about as course as fine sand. Transfer processed mixture to a new bowl and pick out any large chunks to add to the next batch that gets processed. Continue until all ingredients are ground to the same sand-like consistency.
Let it rest: Add mixture back to original bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Shape: To form the falafel balls, add a couple tablespoons of the mixture to the palm of your hand, form a ball, and slightly flatten the ball. The mixture doesn't hold together all that well, so just be gentle and steady with the pressure.
Fry: To cook falafel, add at least an inch of oil to skillet and heat to 375° F. Carefully drop formed falafel ball into the oil. I prefer to cook just a few at a time so that the oil temperature can remain steady. Cook until they turn golden brown, flipping once (about 5 minutes total). Be sure the oil is at the correct temperature before adding the next batch. Transfer cooked falafel to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Makes about 32 falafel. Serving size based on 4 falafel.

Serve fresh with a nice garlicy tzatziki sauce! https://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/tzatziki/