Description
Good falafel — the real kind, made from soaked dried chickpeas, not canned — has a crispy shell that shatters and a bright green, herb-packed interior that is moist and tender. Most homemade falafel fails because people use canned chickpeas, which have too much moisture and fall apart in the oil. Start with dried, soak them overnight, and you are rewarded with falafel that rivals any street cart.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 lb dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- 3 cups cooked rice or quinoa
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- Pickled red onions for serving
Instructions
- Drain the soaked chickpeas and pat dry. Add to a food processor with onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt. Pulse until the texture resembles coarse sand — do not puree into a paste.
- Transfer to a bowl and stir in baking powder and flour. Refrigerate the mixture 30 minutes.
- Make the tahini sauce: whisk together tahini, lemon juice, warm water, and grated garlic until smooth and pourable. Add more water if needed. Season with salt.
- Shape the falafel mixture into 2-tablespoon balls, pressing firmly so they hold together. You should get about 20.
- Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep pot or Dutch oven to 350°F. Fry the falafel in batches of 5 to 6 for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown. Drain on a wire rack.
- Assemble bowls with rice, falafel, tomatoes, cucumber, and pickled onions. Drizzle generously with tahini sauce.
Notes
- Dried chickpeas soaked overnight are the only way to make falafel that holds together and has the right texture. Canned will not work here.
- The baking powder creates tiny air pockets inside the falafel, making them lighter and fluffier rather than dense and heavy.
- Falafel mixture can be shaped and frozen on a baking sheet, then transferred to a bag. Fry straight from frozen, adding 1 minute to the cook time.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 510
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 640
- Fat: 22
- Carbohydrates: 62
- Fiber: 12
- Protein: 18