Easy Falafel Recipes

HOW TO MAKE FALAFEL

Steps:

• (One day in advance) Place the dried chickpeas and baking soda in a large bowl filled with water to cover the chickpeas by at least 2 inches. Soak overnight for 18 hours (longer if the chickpeas are still too hard). When ready, drain the chickpeas completely and pat them dry.
• Add the chickpeas, herbs, onions, garlic and spices to the large bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Run the food processor 40 seconds at a time until all is well combined forming a the falafel mixture.
• Transfer the falafel mixture to a container and cover tightly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or (up to one whole night) until ready to cook.
• Just before frying, add the baking powder and sesame seeds to the falafel mixture and stir with a spoon.
• Scoop tablespoonfuls of the falafel mixture and form into patties (1/2 inch in thickness each). It helps to have wet hands as you form the patties.
• Fill a medium saucepan 3 inches up with oil. Heat the oil on medium-high until it bubbles softly. Carefully drop the falafel patties in the oil, let them fry for about 3 to 5 minutes or so until crispy and medium brown on the outside. Avoid crowding the falafel in the saucepan, fry them in batches if necessary.
• Place the fried falafel patties in a colander or plate lined with paper towels to drain.
• Serve falafel hot next to other small plates; or assemble the falafel patties in pita bread with tahini or hummus, arugula, tomato and cucumbers. Enjoy!

FALAFEL WRAPS

Steps:

• Ingredients out • Food processor (bowl blade) • Large frying pan, medium heat • Griddle pan, high heat
• START COOKING
• 1. Drain the beans and chickpeas and put them into the processor.
• 2. Finely grate in the lemon zest, then add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, the harissa, allspice, flour and coriander stalks (reserving the leaves). Blitz until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor if needed.
• 3. Scrape out the mixture and use clean, wet hands to quickly divide and shape it into 8 patties about 1.5cm thick.
• 4. Put 1 tablespoon of oil into the frying pan and add the falafels, turning when golden and crisp.
• 5. Rip the seeds and stalks out of the peppers and tear each one into bite-sized chunks. Trim and halve the spring onions, then put on the griddle pan with the peppers and a pinch of salt and pepper, turning when charred.
• 6. Put the tomatoes, chilli and half the coriander leaves into the processor. Squash in the unpeeled garlic through a garlic crusher, squeeze in the lime juice, whiz until fine, then season to taste and pour into a serving dish.
• 7. Pop the tortillas into the microwave (800W) for 45 seconds while you marble the chilli sauce into the cottage cheese.
• 8. Squeeze the juice of half the zested lemon over the charred veggies, then take with the falafels to the table, scattering everything with the rest of the coriander.
• 9. Let everyone assemble their own wraps, and serve with pickled red cabbage, if you like.

HOW TO MAKE PERFECTLY CRISPY FALAFEL

Steps:

• Rinse the dried chickpeas then place into a large bowl and cover with cool water by about 4 inches. Cover and soak overnight or until the beans triple in size. Drain the soaked chickpeas, rinse, and then pat dry or add to a salad spinner to spin dry.
• Add chickpeas, scallions, garlic, herbs, salt, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne, black pepper, and the baking powder to a bowl of a food processor. Pulse the mixture until very finely minced, but not pureed, scraping the bowl down as necessary. You should be able to press a handful together and have it hold it's shape (it will be loose and a little crumbly). See our video and photos above for reference.
• Transfer the falafel mix to a bowl and cover. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to help the balls hold together when cooking. If making ahead, you can refrigerate the mixture for a few days.
• Use a tablespoon or small cookie scoop to scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoons of the falafel mix then gently shape it into a ball and place onto a clean plate. Repeat with as many falafel as you plan to cook. The mix will not act like dough, but will hold its shape. Watch the video to see how we do this. Optional step: As an extra fail-safe for preventing the balls from falling apart when they hit the oil, rest the falafel balls in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes before cooking.
• Add at least 3/4 inch of oil to a deep saucepan, cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. The smaller the pan, the less oil you will need. The wider the pan, the more falafel you can cook at one time).
• Turn the heat to medium-high and heat the oil to between 350 degrees and 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Fry the falafel in batches, placing them gently into the oil and without crowding in the pan, until they are browned on the bottom sides. Using two forks, carefully flip the falafel to brown the other side, 3 1/2 minutes to 4 minutes total.
• Transfer the cooked falafel to a plate lined with paper towel, sprinkle with a little salt, and then repeat with the remaining falafel balls. Serve immediately.

QUICK AND EASY FALAFEL RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper (to taste) in a medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and combine well.
• Mash chickpeas, making sure ingredients are thoroughly mixed together and mixture binds easily when shaped into a ball. (Alternatively, combine ingredients in a food processor. Pulse, then process, scraping down bowl occasionally with a silicone spatula, until mixture is mostly smooth, about 1 minute.) Add an extra tablespoon of flour if mixture is too sticky. The result should be a thick paste.
• Form mixture into pingpong-sized balls. Slightly flatten.
• Add oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high until oil shimmers. Shallow-fry falafel in batches to avoid crowding pan, 2 to 5 minutes per batch, flipping when browned on one side and adding more oil, if needed. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Serve falafel by itself, or with warm pita bread with veggies, or tahini sauce.

EASY HEALTHY FALAFELS

Steps:

• Soak the chickpeas in cold water for 8 hrs, or overnight.
• Drain the chickpeas and pulse with the bicarb in a food processor until roughly chopped. Remove 3/4 of the mixture and set aside.
• Add the garlic, vegetables, spices and herbs to the remaining mixture in the processor and purée to a paste. Stir the paste into the rough purée of chickpeas, add the gram flour, season and mix well.
• Heat oven to 110C/90C fan/gas 1/4. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add some of the oil. Use your hands to form the mixture into patties (there should be enough to make about 16). Fry for 2 mins each side until crisp. Keep in a warm oven while you fry the remainder of the mixture, continuing to add a little oil to the pan with each batch. Serve wrapped in flatbreads, if you like, alongside the houmous, tabbouleh and pickled red onion & radish.

EASIEST FALAFEL

Steps:

• Place garbanzo beans, 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, onion, 1/4 cup olive oil, egg, parsley, curry powder, garlic powder, lemon juice, and black pepper in a food processor or blender. Puree until coarse crumbles form. Blend more panko crumbs into mixture if it is too moist.
• Roll mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball; place on a plate.
• Press into patties and coat in panko bread crumbs.
• Heat about 1-inch olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
• Pan-fry patties until crispy, about 3 minutes on each side.

EASY, HEALTHY FALAFEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine chickpeas, onion, parsley, oil, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until everything is mixed together. Add flour and baking powder and pulse, until mixture starts to stick together and forms a ball, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Use 2 dessert spoons to remove even amounts of the mixture and shape into 15 small patties. Place patties on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, turning falafel over carefully after 10 minutes.