Crispy Falafel
This crispy baked falafel recipe is so easy to make and tastes incredible! Serve your falafel in pita sandwiches or salads. Gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
Raise your hand if you love falafel! I’ve gone back into the archives to highlight my all-time favorite homemade falafel recipe. Making falafel at home can be tricky, but this recipe is easy.
Six reasons to love this healthy falafel recipe:
- These falafels are golden brown and crispy on the outside. The insides are tender, delicious, and full of fresh herbs.
- They’re baked instead of fried, so they contain significantly less fat than fried falafel. And your house won’t smell like fried food for days. Winning!
- Once your chickpeas are sufficiently soaked, the falafel mixture comes together in no time. If you have someone to help shape the patties, they’ll come together even faster.
- These falafels are gluten free and vegan, so they’re a great party appetizer.
- These falafels freeze well, so they’re a fantastic protein-rich option to keep on hand for future salads and pita sandwiches.
- On that note, this recipe is easily doubled! See recipe notes.
Are you convinced yet? Let’s make some falafel!
How to Make the Best Homemade Falafel
Bake it, don’t fry it. I say this because frying requires a lot of sizzling hot oil, and that scares me. I also don’t have a good vent over my oven to take the fried food smell far, far away. Plus, you can use a reasonably amount of heart-healthy olive oil in the baked version.
Coat your rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. That way, you get a fried effect in the oven, and you don’t have to brush the little falafels individually with olive oil. Winning!
Use dried chickpeas, not canned. Canned chickpeas do not work for falafel. They’re far too wet. If you try to use canned chickpeas instead of dried and soaked chickpeas, you’ll end up with sad falafel pancakes. Some recipes try to counteract the wetness by adding flour, which significantly dulls the flavor and makes the texture more doughy.
Soak the dried chickpeas for at least four hours. If your chickpeas aren’t sufficiently softened, you’ll have unpalatably tough pieces of chickpea in your falafel. There’s just no workaround here.
Choose your dried chickpeas wisely. Try to buy your dried chickpeas from a store with high turnover, because old chickpeas need longer to soften. If you have options, pick the chickpeas that are the smallest, since they’ll soften faster.
Watch How to Make Crispy Falafel
Falafel Serving Suggestions
Serve falafel as an appetizer, wrap it into a pita sandwich, or add it to salad for a protein-rich topping. Falafel goes great with any of the following ingredients:
- Pita bread, warmed or toasted (tear it up for pita “croutons”)
- Fresh greens (such as spring greens or chopped romaine)
- Tomatoes, sliced
- Bell peppers, cut into strips
- Cucumber, thinly sliced
- Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- Raw red onion, thinly sliced, or quick-pickled onions
- Feta cheese, crumbled
- Sauce: Something creamy like tzatziki, hummus, or tahini sauce, and maybe a spicy sauce like zhoug or shatta, too
Here’s a tahini dressing recipe that goes great with this falafel, too:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- Zest and juice of 1 small lemon
- 1 tablespoon white miso
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- Pinch of cayenne
- 1/3 cup water
In a small food processor, combine all of the ingredients and blend well. You can also whisk the ingredients together by hand in a small bowl, just note that you’ll need to chop the fresh herbs and zest more finely than you would if you were using a food processor.
Please let me know how you like these falafel in the comments! I hope you love them as much as I do. ♥
Crispy Falafel
This homemade falafel recipe is absolutely delicious, and remarkably crispy! Be sure to allow 4 hours soaking time for the chickpeas, preferably overnight. Then, the falafel mixture is super easy to make in a food processor. Recipe yields 12 to 13 falafels (see notes on how to double).
Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup dried (uncooked/raw) chickpeas, rinsed, picked over and soaked for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator
- ½ cup roughly chopped red onion (about ½ small red onion)
- ½ cup packed fresh parsley (mostly leaves but small stems are ok)
- ½ cup packed fresh cilantro (mostly leaves but small stems are ok)
- 4 cloves garlic, quartered
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon (about 25 twists) freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- With an oven rack in the middle position, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour ¼ cup of the olive oil into a large, rimmed baking sheet and turn until the pan is evenly coated.
- In a food processor, combine the soaked and drained chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Using your hands, scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time. Shape the falafel into small patties, about 2 inches wide and ½ inch thick. Place each falafel on your oiled pan.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, carefully flipping the falafels halfway through baking, until the falafels are deeply golden on both sides. These falafels keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for several months.
Notes
Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.
Make-ahead option: I haven’t tried this, but the original recipe notes that the uncooked falafel patties can be refrigerated on a parchment-lined baking sheet, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 2 hours before baking.
How to double this recipe: Preheat the oven with two oven racks near the center of the oven. Double all of the ingredients. If you have a large food processor (guessing 11+ cup capacity), you can mix all of the ingredients at once. Use two baking sheets, and swap their positions (top to bottom, bottom to top) when you flip the falafel halfway through baking.
Recommended equipment: I love my 11-cup food processor (affiliate link).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Hi Kate,
I have tried many recipes and love them all! What should the consistency be on the soaked beans? I’ve soaked mine for 24 hours. They are not tooth breaking hard, but a little firm on the inside. I read your comments about bad beans, but I’m wondering how “soft” they are supposed to be (same soft as canned beans)?
Hi Beth! They won’t be like the canned beans, but firmness is ok. If you soaked them for 24 hours, you should be ok. Just make sure to process per the instructions. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Thanks so much. They are the consistency of a peanut. Is that how it should be?
They should be a little tender(at least on the outside), not quite as hard as a peanut. Sorry for my delay. How did it end up for you?
I ended up boiling them for a minute, and it worked well! I also made your Tahini recipe, and it was fantastic!
I have been searching for months for the best baked falafel recipe, wasting ingredients too many times, and I am so happy to say THIS IS IT!!!! Even my picky 6 year old likes them!! I do agree with them being a little on the salty side (I will just put less salt next time) but my husband loves them just the way they are!
I have made this before, exactly as the recipe directed and it is so good!! I do have a question though. I used up all of my dried chickpeas, but my hubby brought home chickpea flour. Can I use that in place and if so, about how much? I can’t wait to have these again!
Hi Michelle! This recipe is designed for chickpeas and not flour. I’m not sure it would work without testing the ratios, sorry!
No flour in your recipe – they fall apart
The cumin was a little too strong for my liking and the falafels were rather wet to work with. I ended up adding some flour to help make the falafel more moldable. Not my favorite falafel recipe.
So good! We enjoyed them and I will be making more to share.
Thank you!
Made these this morning… in a blender no less! So they were a little chunky haha :D But absolutely smashingly delicious. Thanks for a great recipe !
Great recipe
Many a thanks
The best!!!!
I love this recipe! I have made these falafels many times and they always turn out great. My meat-loving husband even adores them. I usually serve them in a whole-grain pita, with homemade Taziki, tomatoes, and spinach.
I did not have high hopes for this recipe tbh. I don’t have a food processor and I didn’t have cilantro! Here’s what I did in case anyone finds themselves as unprepared as myself:
– I used twice as much fresh parsley to sub out the cilantro
– I put the parsley plus the onion, garlic, and spices in a blender with a bit of water until it was smooth.
– I mashed the chickpeas (soaked from dry) with my mortal and pestle to get a dry paste with some larger pieces of chickpeas in it.
– Mixed everything together and found that the mix was too wet (most likely because of the water from the blender).
– I added about a tablespoon of flour and cornstarch to dry it a tad
The mixture was still (what I thought to be) too wet, but I put it in the oven anyway. Baked one side for 20 and then the other for 10 and they came out so good!! I was so worried that because I had used the blender that they would be soggy or have a strange texture but this was one of the best baked falafel recipes I’ve ever came across.
And I’m adding a food processor to my wishlist haha
I have made these multiple times with canned chickpeas and they always turn out great.
Thank you for this fantastic recipe – these are the best falafel I’ve ever made!
Hooray! Thank you for letting me know you loved them, Rosie.
Hi, Okay, been struggling with my weight and diet for almost 30 years… Previously have had success with low carb diets.. but in the end have never been able to stick with them… so I decided to try the Mediterranean diet.. part of which means trying to do a few meatless/fishless meals a week. So I decided to try falafel tonight. I have had falafel before, but either deep fried at a restaurant or a mix. Part of my resolve for the diet though is no preprocessed foods… so last night I soaked some chickpeas… and tonight followed your recipe. I am not a fan of cilantro (I am in that percentage for whom it tastes like soap) so I doubled up the Parsley… Anyway… Success. It really is barely harder to make than the mix, and yields a much nicer end product. I liked it, my wife really liked it and so did one of my kids and the others tolerated it… Needless to say, this will probably be going into our regular rotation.. and I will probably be searching your blog for other recipies. Thanks for posting this.
These sound amazing and I cannot wait to try them! My one concern is the cinnamon- is that a common ingredient for falafel? Just curious.
Hi Andrew, Yes! I find it adds just the right amount to the overall flavor. I hope you try it!
Hi!
I soaked my driedchickpeas over night and today at 12 they are still hard. How do I know if they are ready to put in the food processor. I bought them at a local health food store.thank you
Patty
I think the question is how hard they really are? Do you have any dried chickpeas left to compare them to? If they have grown to at least twice their original size, they are probably soft enough. You are not going for mushy here (and I don’t think you would get them mushy with just soaking anyway).
Hi Kate! This was a great recipe overall – the flavor was absolutely amazing! Reminds me of my favorite falafel place in the city. A few questions though – my blender had a bit of trouble mixing it all, so I had to add extra olive oil and water to the mixture. This worked well and the patties were perfect, but they also came out a bit dry. Do you think the extra stuff contributed to that? The dryness I definitely notice more after refrigeration. Also, any tips on making the falafel still crispy after being refrigerated? I love the crispyness and wish it would stay! Do you think freezing the patties will take away any crispyness? I’ll be making this recipe again very soon – so thanks!
Hi Samantha! I’m glad you liked the flavor. Adding extra moisture wouldn’t have contributed to dryness, but you may have cooked them longer. Did you add more time with adding more liquid to your mix? To keep the crispy consistency, you could always warm in a skillet. Thanks for sharing! Freezing can take away some texture, but reheating in the oven or on the stove could help.
Definitely do not….DO NOT use canned beans like the recipe says You will be sad. This was so great and so yummy when you follow all of the steps.
We just ran out of olive oil :’(. Any chance we could use avocado or grapeseed oil instead? I made this once before with olive oil and it was amazing!!! Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Hi Elisa! You could try avocado oil. Let me know how it goes!
Absolutely delicious! I soaked my chickpeas for 24hrs, and followed the doubled recipe as listed. Paired with your Tzatziki sauce, and used the leftover chickpeas for the green goddess hummus. I highly recommend these falafels, and the other recipes mentioned. Thank you C+K!
Hi Kate, have you done this on a stove top before? I am looking to do this on a river trip and wondering if it would work without baking. Also, is there any part of this that could be premade/packaged? I know I’m asking a lot here, but love falafel and LOVE every recipe of yours and hoping to share it with friends on the river:-)
Hi Julia! Sorry, this is specific to bake to get it just right. I stovetop would require a different recipe. They do freeze well, so maybe you could try that. Let me know how turns out for you!
I’ve now made this recipe twice. My fiancé can’t stand cilantro, so I substituted it with more parsley. The first time I used a little less parsley just in case it could become overpowering, but it came out lacking! So the second time I nearly doubled the amount from the first time and it came out perfectly. I also used your Creamy Tahini Dressing Recipe and ate it over a simple greens and veggie salad. The end result is one that I’ll be serving when we host our family and friends. Thanks for a lifelong recipe!
The falafel did not turn out. Half of the patties flattened out. They are all tending to fall apart.
Hi Colleen, I’m sorry to hear that! I can understand your frustration. How long did you soak your chickpeas? Did you blend fine?
Good recipe thank you
First time making falafel and these were so easy and flavorful! I added a bit of tahini and lemon juice to the food processor as it seemed a little dry (maybe my chickpeas were old?) and they came out delicious. I’ll definitely be making these again.
I’m happy to hear it, Julia! thanks for sharing.
So good! I used a 1.5 T cookie scoop and just pressed it down onto the pan when I released it, then just squished it down with oiled fingers. It seemed to work more easily.
Greetings and thank you so very much for sharing..
one thing that might help is is you run the numbers ( calories/carbs/fats/sodium/fiber etc)
Just so the information about how healthy these can be will be plain..
Thank you !
YUM! Made a batch last week. Loved it so much made another batch yesterday. I was craving them but didn’t have any cilantro or parsley and threw spinach in the processor instead. Maybe not so authentic but still very delicious. Made a hot and spicy chili sauce to go with it. Love your site. My go to when I need to expand my vegetarian dishes.
No need to look any further for a falafel recipe people!!!!!
I’m not going to lie, I had major doubts that anything I found online would even begin to compare to the falafel at my favorite restaurant. But WOW, did this recipe blow me away. Thank you SO much for this incredible recipe. I already have another cup of beans soaking to make my second batch!!
Thanks for the recipe! Do the chickpeas need to be boiled too, or only soaked? Thanks!
Hi Kathryne! Only soaked. They will bake in the oven. I hope this helps!
Omg, just randomly found this recipe on google and it turned out so great!! That great that I just had to leave a comment. Amazing flavour, super crispy and delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
Just made it following your recipe and it was fantastic! Thank you.
The falafel recipe is awesomeee.. we all loved it!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe! Please keep posting more recipes.. I’ve been following so many of your recipes but this one is the ace! XXXX
Would I be able to use an air fryer for these?
Hi Sheriza! This recipe was specifically designed for the oven. I’m not sure you will get the same delicious result.
I am eating these wonderful falafel as I am typing this. I just realized I forgot to add the red onion. And they are still great!!! I love your recipes. Thank you.
I’m happy you still loved them! Thank you for sharing, Alicia!
Any ideas on how I might use my Instant Pot to expedite the soaking process?
Hi Amy! I don’t have an answer for you. I don’t think you can really expedite the soaking process with the instant pot as you don’t want these to cook and an Instant Pot uses pressure and heat to cook.
Made these today for lunch to put in a grain bowl. Straight out of processor didn’t hold together well.. Baked them as is and when I went to go flip them after 15 minutes – they were golden and perfect. Cooked for about 25 minutes and the taste was AMAZING!
Hi Kate!
Would the final result still come out okay if i used cooked chickpeas instead of raw/uncooked ones?
Hi Jazlyn, Unfortunately this recipe was designed specifically for dried.
Amazing falafel! We devoured every single one in 5 minutes!
These were INSANE! By far the best falafel recipie I have ever made at home! I am relatively new to your site and I have been super impressed by all the recipes I have made so far!
Love it! I’m glad you are loving so many recipes. I appreciate your review, Lara!
This baking idea seems nice. I was avoiding any Falafel recipe only due to deep frying. Will definitely try this on coming weekend.
Thank you for sharing.
Hi Kate
Greetings from Germany. It is time I added a comment as I have tried several of your recipes now, and each and every one is GREAT! Tonight was my first falafel making experiment paired with your hummus….and they were wonderful. My husband is still raving about how good they are. :-)
Thank you so much for you inspiring and healthy recipes. They make cooking an even greater pleasure.
These falafel are amazing! We’ve made several batches since we found this recipe. The first time I, like some others in the comments, accidentally soaked an entire bag of dried chickpeas but it turned out to be for the best! We simply froze the extra mixture for use the next week. Instead of cooking the extra falafel before freezing we froze the batter in a large bag and let it thaw overnight in the fridge before use. It didn’t alter one bit in flavor or consistency, and cooked up exactly like the fresh mixture.
Delicious! Crispy and perfectly seasoned. Definitely a keeper recipe!
That’s great! I’m excited you love it, Dorothy.
I made this recipe and it was delicious but the falafel balls fell apart. I did the quick soak method for the chickpeas, boiling them in water for an hour and then letting them sit for a couple of hours. The consistency was good. Don’t know what went wrong. Any suggestions?
Hi Naomi! I’m sorry you had issues with these staying together. Did you process until smooth? Sometimes the chickpeas can vary and they may have needed longer to soak.
Hi Kate,
I’d like to adapt this recipe by replacing the parsley with mint and adding some pistachios. Do you have any tips for incorporating some pistachios into the recipe? What quantity would you try adding to start? Would you soak them with the chickpeas?
Thanks!
Emily
Hi Emily! I like your creativity. This one is a little particular. If you try to add them (although I can’t guarantee your results) I would ensure they are ground fine to mix into the rest. I don’t know if soaking them will help or not. Also, you would likely want to consider adjusting other ingredients to make sure it holds together.
Thanks Kate! I made this yesterday with some tweaks for my mostly meat-eating husband, who does not usually like falafel. I used all cilantro instead of parsley (it’s our favorite herb!) and added both ground cumin and cumin seeds, smoked paprika and some ground chile and my husband loved it!
I’ve been craving falafel for a few weeks and am so glad to find a C&K recipe for a baked version!
I happened to find a bag of dried chickpeas in my pantry that has been sitting there for FAR longer than I would like to admit. Years…. Past the best by date. Yikes! I decided to give them a shot anyway and would just buy more if they didn’t soften. I soaked them for 36 hours and they doubled in size. They still seemed firm, but due to the size I gave them a go. Glad I did.
So if you don’t get the results you want in 24 hour with your beans, give it another 12.
I really like the addition of cinnamon.
My only issue was I probably flipped them too soon. They stuck to the pan after 15 min. The second side didn’t stick at all. I might try preheating the pan as some other commenters have suggested.
Otherwise these were PERFECT! Might be my new go to recipe, as it’s so easy to make.
Very easy and delish plus bonus no frying But way too crumbly Is there a solution?
Hi! I’m sorry this wasn’t perfect for you. Sometimes chickpeas can vary. How long did you soak the chickpeas? Did you process until smooth?
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Hey folks, I’ve been trying for weeks to find dried chickpeas anywhere and have had no luck. I decided to rinse a can of chickpeas and just set them out to dry on a paper towel most of the day. I halved everything else in the recipe and it made a very passable 6 falafels. The 4 stars is for my wonky interpretation of the recipe, I’m guessing the recipe as intended is better!
Super delicous! Used far less olive oil and they still came out amazing and crispy. Will be making again :) Thanks for this recipe