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the best falafel EVER!

20/09/2020 by Amber 2 Comments

Here it is! The very best falafel ever. This recipe is straight forward and absolutely delicious. Restaurant quality falafel every single time.

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pita with falafel held by hand with sour cream, tomato cubes, cucumber, parsley with more falafel in the background and a bowl of red onion against a dark backdrop

Serve the best falafel ever with your favourite toppings!

Soak your chickpeas!

The most important element of this recipe is the chickpeas. Only with dried and soaked chickpeas will this work. Trust me, back in the day I tried to make falafel with cooked chickpeas, and let’s just say it didn’t work. Soak them for at least 12 hours. I always get them ready to soak just before I go to bed. Make sure they’re covered with plenty of water as they’ll soak up a lot of it. I also recommend adding a teaspoon of baking soda. The baking soda helps soften them as they soak. I use the same trick when I soak chickpeas every single time. Read more about soaking legumes in this great Guardian article.

food processor filled with soaked chickpeas, onion, garlic, spices, coriander, and parsley.

Pop all the ingredients in a food processor

Mix and rest

Another important part of this falafel recipe is letting the mixture cool and rest. After you’ve mixed all of the ingredients together in your food processor, transfer them to a bowl. This is when you add the last two ingredients and cover. Ideally you’d let this sit in the fridge for at least an hour. The resting time lets the mixture fully combine and absorb.

Also, the falafels fry beautifully when rolled from the fridge. The hot oil + chilled falafel = pure delight.

falafel mix after mixing in the food processor, consistency like coarse sand in the food processor

Make sure the mix is a coarse sand-like consistency.

Lastly, make sure your oil is HOT. When testing this recipe there were a few times when I prematurely fried. The falafels crack open and look a bit sad. Of course, they still taste great. But hey, eating is done with the eyes and the mouth.

I love having this in a warm, pillowy pita or flatbread. A bit of aioli (I know, not traditional! But delicious!), mixed greens, tomato and cucumber with a splash of lime juice, fresh parsley, a pickled red onion, and sour cream. Also fabulous with a drizzle of tahini, a dollop of vegan yoghurt, or a generous spoonful of hummus.

three pita's with falafel and topping on wooden board. a bunch of fresh parsley to the left, two small bowls with cucumber and tomato, and pickled red onion. against a dark backdrop

The falafel ready to eat!

pita with falafel held by hand with sour cream, tomato cubes, cucumber, parsley with more falafel in the background and a bowl of red onion against a dark backdrop

the best falafel EVER!

This falafel recipe gets you those authentic, restaurant quality falafels every. single. time.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
soaking and resting time 14 hours hrs
Total Time 14 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
Servings: 4 people
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g dried chickpeas
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ white onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • pinch salt
  • pepper
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander (dried)
  • handful fresh coriander
  • handful fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp chickpea flour
  • olive oil (depends on size of your pot)*

Equipment

  • Food Processor

Method
 

  1. The day before you're planning to make the falafels, soak the chickpeas in a bowl with plenty of water and the baking soda.
  2. The following day, rinse the chickpeas and put them in the food processor.
  3. Add the half onion, the garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, and the fresh coriander and parsley.
  4. Pulse the mixture, scraping down the sides occasionally. It's done when it has the consistency of coarse sand.
  5. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the baking soda and chickpea flour, cover with foil, and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Preferably leave it to rest in the fridge for an hour or two hours.
  6. Then, take the falafel mix from the fridge and roll into balls.
  7. Heat up the olive oil in a pot or pan. Make sure there's enough oil to fry the falafels. If you want to use less oil, you can also use less and just turn the falafels halfway through.
    They should be done in about 4-5 minutes, or when golden brown on the outside.
  8. Serve in a pita or flatbread with fresh veggies, hummus, sour cream, and your favourite toppings!

Notes

*feel free to use any other type of oil you prefer. 
You can also shape these into patties and make falafel burgers. Yum! 
You can keep the mixture in the fridge up to 5 days and make some falafels whenever you fancy!
I don't recommend making them and storing them, they go very dry. 
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Filed Under: dinner, recipes, Uncategorized

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  1. the best falafel EVER! – oh so plantiful oh so plantiful – Foodgoggle says:
    23/09/2020 at 16:49

    […] Visit Direct Link […]

    Reply
  2. Vegan Tofu & Shiitake Gyros - oh so plantiful - oh so plantiful says:
    07/04/2021 at 14:16

    […] In the mood for some more bread based meals? Check out my falafel recipe. […]

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