Truly THE BEST homemade falafel, these are full of vibrant fresh herb flavor. They are moist and tender on the inside and deliciously crispy on the outside.
The Best Homemade Falafel

I could write an epic novel on all the wrong ways to make falafel.

The Best Homemade Falafel

Seriously, I’ve done it all, from baked to fried to batches that exploded into a million pieces the second the batter hit the oil (<– a not infrequent occurrence).

Given my extensive amount of trial and (mostly) error, I feel completely justified in saying that if you too have suffered from falafel failure angst at any point in your life, have I got a recipe for you!!

The Best Homemade Falafel

Obviously it’s from the folks over at America’s Test Kitchen because who else would come up with the most perfect falafel recipe of all time.

YES they’re fried and NO I’m not even the least bit sorry or regretful about that. For the record.

The Best Homemade Falafel

Look, I’ve done the baked falafel thing before time and time again, and while they are perfectly good when they’re smothered in a sauce or part of a larger recipe, I probably wouldn’t just position myself in front of a plate of them for hours at a time and snack on them with reckless abandon.

THESE falafel, tho.

Totally reckless-abandon-snacking-worthy. I speak from experience.

The Best Homemade Falafel

These would be peerrrrrffeecctt as a party appetizer, but you could also top them with a fried egg or wrap them up with tzatziki, tabbouleh, and a hummus schmear and call them dinner.

Been there, done that, and it was a really good life choice.

The Best Homemade Falafel

The Best Homemade Falafel
 
Truly THE BEST homemade falafel, these are full of vibrant fresh herb flavor. They are moist and tender on the inside and deliciously crispy on the outside.
Yield: 20-25 falafel
Ingredients
  • 1 cup dried chickpeas, rinsed
  • 5 scallions, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup fresh parsley
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ tsp ground cumin
  • ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 cups vegetable oil
  • hummus
Instructions
  1. Dissolve 1½ tbsp salt into 2 quarts of cold water in a large bowl. Add the chickpeas to the water and soak for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.
  2. Place the chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor along with the scallions, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, cinnamon ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp black pepper. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Scoop the mixture into 1 tbsp-sized balls and flatten into disks that are about ½-inch disk and 1 inch wide. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the refrigerator. Repeat until all of the chickpea mixture is used up.
  3. Heat the oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over rmedium-high heat until it reaches 375F. Add half of the falafels to the pan, making sure not to crowd them. Cook for about 5 minutes or until dark brown, flipping halfway through. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with remaining falafel. Serve warm with hummus.

More ways to eat falafel:

falafel kale salad with hummus dressing

Falafel Kale Salad with Hummus Dressing

falafel burgers with pepperoncini salsa

Falafel Burgers with Pepperoncini Salsa

baked falafel hoagies with harissa tomato sauce and tzatziki

Baked Falafel Hoagies with Harissa Tomato Sauce and Tzatziki

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5 Responses to The Best Homemade Falafel

  1. Debbie says:

    I have been searching for as good falafel recipe. It’s a favorite of mine. Definitely trying this!

  2. Pam says:

    One word for you… YUM!

  3. Kate says:

    I’ve also made a million terrible falafel. Mine are usually guilty of falling apart!

  4. Mel says:

    Have made these as per recipe instructions and they THAT good. So delicious. But now I’ve got leftovers – are they going to be as nice tomorrow? Can I freeze the uncooked balls and just cook what I need? Would these work at all pan fried in less oil? I love them deep fried but won’t be able to have them so regularly…

    • joanne says:

      I KNOW, that is the real problem of these and why I try to only make them when I know I’m having people over (not that that has happened in over a year now sigh). They will still be good tomorrow but not *as* good. You could refresh them in the oven or air fryer if you have one, which will re-crisp the edges. If you only want to make a smaller batch, then I think freezing the uncooked balls would definitely work. I would scoop the individual balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze them for an hour or two, then you can just combine them all in one bag in the freezer. Shallow frying will work in a pinch but, again, they may not be *as* delicious. I haven’t tried them in the air fryer, but that may be another viable option as well! Let me know if you try any of these!

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