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.

547 Reviews
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falafel salad

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.

falafel ingredients

Six reasons to love this healthy falafel recipe:

  1. These falafels are golden brown and crispy on the outside. The insides are tender, delicious, and full of fresh herbs.
  2. 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!
  3. 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.
  4. These falafels are gluten free and vegan, so they’re a great party appetizer.
  5. These falafels freeze well, so they’re a fantastic protein-rich option to keep on hand for future salads and pita sandwiches.
  6. On that note, this recipe is easily doubled! See recipe notes.

Are you convinced yet? Let’s make some falafel!

food processor with falafel mixture and sheet pan coated with olive oil

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 baking progress

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 tzatzikihummus, 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.

baked falafel out of oven

Please let me know how you like these falafel in the comments! I hope you love them as much as I do. ♥

crispy falafel recipe

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Crispy Falafel

  • Author: Cookie and Kate
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes (plus 4-hour soaking time)
  • Yield: 12 falafels

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.6 from 547 reviews

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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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

Kate and Cookie

HELLO, MY NAME IS

Kathryne Taylor

I'm a vegetable enthusiast, dog lover, mother and bestselling cookbook author. I've been sharing recipes here since 2010, and I'm always cooking something new in my Kansas City kitchen. Cook with me!

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Comments

  1. Ofelia

    I doubled the recipe, added nutritional yeast and found that I liked the batter as a raw spread. I’m going to blanch some kale leaves and wrap them up inside with nutritional yeast salad dressing from the Hollyhock cook book and eat them with tomatoes from the garden.

    1. Kate

      Great idea, Ofelia! I was surprised that I liked the raw batter since it uses soaked (instead of fully cooked) chickpeas. I wonder if it would be easier to digest with cooked chickpeas?

  2. Alice

    I found your blog by searching for “baked falafel” and I’m glad I did. I just made this and it was awesome, the other recipes look great as well. Thanks!

    1. Kate

      Thanks for commenting, Alice! I’m glad you enjoy the falafel and please let me know if you try any of the others!

  3. eric

    dried chickpeas+cast iron+baked=exactly what i was looking for. thank google.

    i must be demented because i only looked up this recipe as something to do on a sunday, not because i necessarily need or want food.

    sans food processor (i agree with your statement that it is a very useful appliance but there is no chance of that kind of available real estate in this kitchen) i will be using a chef’s knife and/or my molchete to grind up the chickpeas but again, i was just looking for something to do.

  4. marisa

    i initially came across your blog looking for whole wheat muffins- i made your recipe for whole wheat blueberry muffins w/yogurt and it was AMAZING (i made several more batches this past weekend). this was the second one of your recipes i have made and you are 2 for 2! this was a perfect healthy dinner for my family! thanks!

    1. Kate

      Hooray! I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying my recipes, Marisa. Thank you for commenting to let me know!

  5. Josephine Sadis

    Thanks for the recipe. I tried it out tonight and it came out great. Awesome tips.

    1. Kate

      So glad to hear it! Thanks, Josephine.

  6. Michelle

    I can’t wait to make this whole recipe for a girls night I’m hosting soon! I don’t know if this is somewhere in the post but I couldn’t find it, can you tell me how many falafel patties this makes? I just want to make sure I make enough for 8 girls to enjoy!

    1. Kate

      I’m so sorry for the delayed response, Michelle. If I’m counting correctly, I think the recipe yields 13 to 14 little patties, so you’d probably want to double it at least.

  7. Shawna

    I loved the idea of these and they tasted great but I found it SUPER hard to get the mixture blended up. I tried my sister-in-law’s Vitamix which is like an industrial food processor and we still had to add extra oil and give the machine a rest when it was overheating. Anyone have any ideas on how to make this part easier next time?

    1. Kate

      Hey Shawna, I’m sorry you’re having trouble blending up the falafel mixture. You are soaking the chickpeas first, right? I know older beans can take longer to soak up water and cook. I didn’t have a hard time blending them up in my hand-me-down food processor, so I’m not sure what to suggest. I’m sorry!

  8. Danielle

    AWESOME tahini dressing!!! I just wanted to drink it. Great recipe. Next time I will soak the chick peas overnight for easier blending…but I could only wait 1.5 hours because I just wanted homemade falafels NOW lol. mmmm…soo good. I love you Kate.

    1. Kate

      Why thank you, Danielle. I love this dressing, too—it’s been too long since I whipped some up!

  9. Sudha

    Awesome! I tries this for dinner today. Everybody liked at home.

    1. Kate

      So glad to hear that you enjoyed the falafel, Sudha. Thank you for commenting to let me know!

  10. Angela

    Thanks Kate,
    I have never attempted baked Falafel before,and this was so easy and delicious. Just what I was looking for. So happy to find your site as I am in desperate need of some culinary inspiration!!

    1. Kate

      Thanks, Angela! I’m glad the baked falafel turned out well for you. I much prefer baking falafel to frying them at home—I’d probably catch my kitchen on fire! Please let me know how my other recipes turn out for you.

  11. Mark

    Love love love this recipe!! Tried other baked falafel recipes before but had not that were this good! I think it’s the cinnamon which seems to make them seem a little bit indulgent!

    Awesome recipe! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Kate

      Thanks, Mark! I’m so glad you loved this recipe. It’s about time I made some more falafel myself!

  12. Janelle

    I made the mistake of boiling the hell out of my chick peas and was terrified they would come out disgusting. They were pretty mushy, but I was able to neutralize it by adding breadcrumbs. I would def recommend the stated directions , but if you screw up, you can fix it with breadcrumbs. I also recommend more cilantro but that’s just my preference. Taste wise these came out great! Texture – my fault, but still delicious with pita!

    1. Kate

      Thanks for your comment, Janelle. I’m glad you managed to fix the recipe after the boiling fiasco.

  13. Ashlyn

    What if the grocery store I shop at only has canned garbanzos & no dry? Is there anything I can do/add to the mixture to compensate for only having canned?

    1. Kate

      I’m sorry, Ashlyn, I’m really not sure how to compensate for the difference. I can usually find dried chickpeas in the dried goods section (by the rice) at grocery stores or in the bulk sections at health food stores, if that helps.

    2. Sherry

      I just made this with canned chickpeas and added breadcrumbs to help avoid the pancake effect. It worked well and was delicious!

      1. Kate

        Sherry, I’m glad you made the recipe work with canned chickpeas! I’m impressed.

  14. Rena

    I just made the baked falafel and loved them! I cut down on the olive oil and blended the mix with an immersion blender because I don’t have a food processor. It turned out great. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe.

    1. Kate

      Thank you, Rena! I’m so glad you enjoyed the falafel. I could go for some right now!

  15. Phebe

    Have you tried making these with fava beans or a mix of chickpeas and fava?

    1. Kate

      Hi Phebe, no, I’m sorry, I haven’t! I have never cooked with fava beans.

  16. Larry

    Thanks for the recipe. I found them pretty dry, however. I followed the stated ingredients verbatim with the exception of subbing basil for the cilantro & parsley (simply based on what was on hand). Good flavor but definitely a little dry. I will say, WAY better than the attempted batch using canned beans last night (ugh, what a nightmare fit for only the trashcan or as a dip).

    1. Kate

      Hey Larry, I have experienced a similar recipe fail with canned beans before. I’m sorry you thought these were dry. Not sure what caused the problem. I tried making large falafel patties with this recipe before but the larger size made them seem dry in the middle. Maybe make them a little smaller next time?

      1. Shabs

        Hi Kate

        I made them first as small falafels and they turned out great. I did bake them at about 200 C and they were lovely and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. I then froze the remaining uncooked mixture after shaping it into burger-size patties. Today, I took them out of the freezer, straight into a pre-heated at 220 C (turned down after 5 minutes to 200 C) oven, and they were done in 20 minutes. And the exact same result as the small one. This one is for keeps as I love falafels.
        PS – I did add one rather hot fresh red chilli pepper in the mix to give it a kick, and had it with tabbouleh and a yogurt dressing!

        1. Kate

          This is great to know, thanks Shabs!

  17. Liz

    This is my go-to falafel recipe now! Thank you so much for this. I recently discovered an amazing falafel place which has rekindled my desire to make these, so I’m about to embark on a falafel making extravaganza.

    1. Kate

      Thanks, Liz! So glad you enjoy the falafel. It’s about time I made another batch.

  18. Lidiya

    Is this one cup of cooked chickpeas?

    1. Kate

      No, one cup of dried chickpeas. Cooked chickpeas will turn the falafel patties into mush.

      1. Sarah

        Omg i obviously dont know how to read. -_-” the whole time i was like thinking of cooked chickpeas when it says in the directions that its supposed to be dried and soaked! im having a diaster right now! I cant seem to flip my falalel! I was looking on google and some people put the temperature up to 400F so i tried that now…its almost getting crispy. *crosses finger* hopefully this will work!

        1. Kate

          Uh oh! I’m so sorry about that, Sarah. I had a similar experience with canned chickpeas one time. Hope your falafel was salvageable!

          1. Sarah

            Kate, it actually worked! I just turned up the temp to 400 F and cooked it a bit longer and it was great! It wasnt as crispy as I hoped but I used coconut oil instead so maybe thats why? I dont know but I just had it with some ezekiel tortilla bread (bc I have eczema and I’m sensitive to gluten!) and I topped it with some homemade tzatiziki sauce and some cucumber and onions and it was delish! the only problem i had was it was kind of too salty but that was my fault haha bc i used cooked chickpeas so im sure there was salt already in it! But otherwise, it was good! I had the leftovers for lunch today haha!

          2. Kate

            Sarah, I’m glad the falafel turned out alright! I think you’ll really love the falafel with soaked dried chickpeas. I bet your falafel just had too much moisture in it to get really crispy.

  19. Juliana

    Hi Kate,
    Thanks for the recipe! I’m going to make them tonight, they seems delicious.
    Just one question… Have you ever tried to freeze them? I know they will lose their crispiness but I’m trying to have some to-go friendly meals for my toddler and thought this could be a hit. Even better if i can freeze them and pull it out as needed.
    Thank you!

    1. Kate

      Hi Juliana, great question! I vaguely recall freezing some of my first batch of falafel and I thought they were still very good once defrosted. High five to your toddler for liking falafel!

  20. Kristin

    I just made your baked falafel and ZOMG, they were truly amazing! I have vowed to make these weekly now…it’s like, little crispy bits of Mediterranean paradise in your mouth!

    I also blogged about them, giving you credit, if you’re interested. Thanks for the inspiration, I love your blog!

  21. Rana

    Sadly this was a complete waste of time! No where does recipe say the state the chickpeas need to be in afte soaking. I soaked mine for 20 hours and started recipe but now that i taste it i see they still are raw. I wish you and mark bittman who i confirmed with on his site mentioned this. I wish u said to cook them.

    ( two hungry kids and a tired sleep deprived mama sure is miserable:(
    Any way to save it?

    1. Kate

      Rana, I’m sorry you’re frustrated! The chickpeas are just meant to be soaked (not cooked!), then processed as directed. When you bake the falafel, the chickpeas will lose their raw flavor and texture. They do not need to be cooked before you make the falafel.

      1. rana

        So sorry to be a pain, but i would have attempted to bake them had they been malleable. But unfortunately they were just bread crumby. Perhaps the kind of chickpeas here…istanbul…takes longer?

        So last question before i throw it all away…should the chickpeas soaked be the same kind of rawness as chickpeas that come from a can? The kind that is ready to toss on a salad? Becuse mine definately were not.

        1. Kate

          Rana, sorry again for your troubles. It sounds to me like your chickpeas are plenty soaked to proceed with the recipe. They will be pretty tough, but they break down a bit in the food processor and then they soften up as they bake. They should not be as soft as cooked canned chickpeas—those cooked chickpeas turn the falafel into mush!

          1. Rana

            Thanks for quick response and support kate! Well i ended up having to throw the whole thing away… With a heavy heart… And hubbys disapproval. He thinks we could have made falafel omelettes. I still have hope cu i love the idea of baked falafels especially since ramazan is fast approaching. So now my last last question… What kind of consistency does thefinished product need to possess? Mine could not form a ball, just fell apart in hands like rough bread crumbs…hence i didnt even attempt to bake them.

          2. Kate

            Rana, it’s been a while since I last made falafel, so I’m not sure how to verbalize how it should feel. I think the photos provide a pretty good idea of the consistency. Unless your chickpeas were really old, they should have been plenty soaked. Maybe you just needed to process the mixture more? Or add a little splash of water? No one else has reported the same problem, so I’m not sure what to suggest. I’m sorry!

  22. Chelsie

    Second time I made these and they turned out perfect!! Absolutely loved your recipe as it is very easy, and delicious!! You should make a cookbook!

    1. Kate

      Hooray! Thank you, Chelsie. We’ll see about that cookbook. :)

  23. Allana

    I recently made these and while they were crunchy and tasty; they were a tad dry. Besides that, there was the problem of gas issues the next day. I was a bit hesitant using uncooked chickpeas for that reason, but the idea of baked falafels intrigued me. With that in mind; I used chickpeas that were fresh and soaked overnight; so I’m not sure why there was still an issue with gas. I’ll try the recipe again and partially cook the chickpeas instead with some kombu to help with digestion. Nevertheless; a delicious recipe….thank you for sharing!

  24. Dan

    My first try for falafel. I’m very impressed. I usually follow the recipe the first time and adjust accordingly. I’m one of those weirdos that thinks that too much cilantro tastes like soap, so my next batch I’m going to cut back a bit but overally very happy. Thank you so much fo rthe recipe! And like Seinfeld says, “cinnimon makes everything taste better.”

    1. Kate

      Thanks, Dan! Glad you enjoyed the falafel!

  25. Splashing in Puddles

    Oh my Kate – I made these tonight and they are fantastic!!!! You have the seasoning adjusted perfectly. I think they are just as good as the best fried ones I’ve had in restaurants & so much healthier. I made homemade pita bread (which is much easier than it sounds) and so worth the effort. I used this recipe for the pita bread: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-pita-bread-at-home-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-90844. I’ve never made falafel or any kind of bread before & it all turned out delicious.

    1. Kate

      Thank you! Glad you enjoyed them! I have been meaning to try making pita bread for ages. Thanks for sharing your link!

  26. Angela

    Do you think it would be ok to blend up the falafel and cook it the next day?

    1. Kate

      Yes, I think so!

  27. Aimee

    Hi there, just wanted to say thankyou for posting this recipe, I will put this in my “Favourites” recipe book that I have reserved only for the ones I really love! Was easy to make and follow your instructions, I did not have white miso or know where to get it so I just put in some sweet chilli sauce and sour cream, seemed to work!

    1. Kate

      Awesome! Thank you, Aimee! Miso is usually in the refrigerated section near the tofu, but your dressing sounds pretty great without it! :)

  28. amy

    I admit to a giant fail with this recipe. Time starved, I both used an equivalent amount of canned (3ish cups) AND neglected to read the comments here, which would have revealed that soaked were essential. I ended up making “falafaritos” with falafel mush, shredded romaine, diced grape tomatoes, diced cucumber and the lovely dressing here. The kids liked it and didn’t realize it was an epic fail and I though it was darn delicious, actually.

    1. Kate

      Sorry to hear that, Amy! Glad you made it work, though. This falafel really does depend on soaked beans.

  29. Galina

    The best ever falafel recipe! I made triple batch today :) Very tasty and easy to make!

    1. Kate

      Thank you, Galina!

  30. Darlene

    This looks amazing! I would definitely try making these in the near future! I love falafels but always thought they’d be too complicated to make. I just want to ask where can I get the tahini and white miso? Are they in paste form? Thanks!

  31. Darlene

    This looks so good and seems simple enough! I love falafels but always thought it’ll be too complicated to make. I just want to ask where can I find tahini and white miso? Are they in paste form? By the way your blog is like my obsession haha Im so glad I found it! Thanks!!

    1. Kate

      Hi Darlene, I’m glad you found my blog! Tahini is either near the peanut butter or in the Middle Eastern section. It’s like peanut butter, made from sesame seeds. Miso is in the refrigerated area near the tofu. It’s a fermented soy bean paste that lasts forever in the fridge. Enjoy!

  32. Al Catraz

    Hi,
    I know this is an old post…. but I have to correct a mis-concept

    You say:

    “..I also put a Greek spin on my latest obsession, creamy tahini dressing…”

    The word and the product TAHINI is not Greek per-se. The word is from the Arabic T’HINEH or T’HINAH which mean GROUND – as ground sesame seeds.. also T’HIN means FLOUR (which is ground wheat) in Arabic..

    I am sure that ground sesame seeds are OLD food – and may have been used around the ancient world, including Greece. But as I stated the word TAHINI is originated in Arabic…. and T’HINEH is more prevalent in Arab/ Middle Eastern cuisine thanit is in Greek… The Greeks prefer TZAZIKI — which is a word from the Turkish… LOL

    1. Kate

      Great points, thanks Al.

  33. Maha Abdel-Kawi

    In Egypt we make it with cracked broad beans its much lighter. Another tip is to add a table spoon of baking soda it makes it fluffy. You can also make a big amount and freeze the uncooked mixer in individual portions for when you next crave falafel.

    1. Kate

      Great tips! Thank you, Maha.

  34. Holly

    Do you have the nutritional facts for this recipe?

    1. Kate

      I’m sorry, I don’t!

    2. Catherine

      Hi Holly – try My Fitness Pal or Calorie Counter for info on nutrition in each ingredient.

  35. Brittney

    Another fabulous recipe! Loved everything, great flavor .. baked the falafel on a pan but am totally going to steal a friend’s cast iron next time to try that out. I think the dressing would also be lovely with other salads, or maybe lentils + some raw veggies. Thanks!

    1. Kate

      Thank you so much, Brittney! I bet that dressing would be fantastic with lentils and veggies… hmmm….

  36. Mary

    Our falafel is in the oven right now and it smells like heaven! They are not very firm though and really wet. We used canned chickpeas. The only think I can think of is maybe I didn’t dry the herbs enough before I added them? Do you think canned vs dried chickpeas really makes a difference? I don’t care how they look we are still eating them they smell soooo good.

  37. Mary

    Duh I am so sorry I just saw your note about falafel pancakes. My bad! Do you find it makes a difference how long you soak the chickpeas for?

    1. Kate

      Mary, I hope your falafel turned out ok! I just soaked the dried chickpeas for an hour, so I’d stick with that if possible. I bet you could let them soak for a while longer without problems.

      1. Tina

        Maybe the dried chickpeas I’m using are a bit old, but I soaked them overnight and they were still too tough to create a smooth (not crumbly) mixture like yours. This is my first time cooking with falafel (or with chickpeas in general) so it’s been a lot of trial and error!

  38. Tom

    I made this for the first time tonight. Im not a great cook, but I was making another fried falafel recipe that I wasn’t happy with due to them being mushy. Plus, I’m trying to eat healthier so I was happy to try baking. I was pleased that these were not mushy.

    I doubled the recipe and it made 12-2 inch pieces. I think I pulsed a little too long in the food processor because the color was more green than brown. The taste was still great and I would make them again.

    I served them with the dill tahini sauce, Greek olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, red onion on romaine lettuce leaves. I thought they were great and I received a few compliments on them.

    1. Kate

      Hi Tom! So glad the falafel turned out well for you! Thanks for letting me know. :)

  39. Marsha

    I never thought about putting parsley or dill in my tahini sauce. Thanks for the idea. I’m looking forward to making this falafels.

    1. Kate

      They really add some delicious fresh flavor! Hope you love the falafel, Marsha.

  40. Jane O'dell

    Found your lovely website by chance while looking for a Vegetarian alternative to a Hog Roast at a party we had at the weekend. Made these Falafels with the dressing and they proved so popular that even non-veggies were eating them!! I also tried your Lebanese bean salad with the addition of some Edamame beans and green beans – also delicious.
    Thank you – I will be trying some other recipes and have passed on your website to some friends who asked for the recipes!!

    1. Kate

      Jane, so glad you found my blog! Happy to hear that the recipes were a hit with your crowd. Thank you for sharing my blog with your friends! :)

  41. Marie-Claire

    Now my GoTo recipe for falafel! Excellent. I baked mine on a large round stone, lightly sprayed with olive oil and it worked really well!
    Thank you!

    1. Kate

      Thank you, Marie-Claire! That’s great to hear!

  42. Nicole

    So, I made some falafel so few days ago using another recipe and canned chickpeas. I can honestly say they were the worst thing I have ever tasted and ruined my perfect record of everything I have ever cooked has always tasted great.due to the fact that I love falafel and am on a diet at the moment I decided to give it another try using this recipe with a few tweeks. I can honestly say they were absolutely fantastic. I reduced the garlic to 2 cloves and used spring onion instead to keep it low carb. Cannot recommend this enough but a tip for everyone is don’t use canned chickpeas ever.

    1. Kate

      Thank you, Nicole! I’m glad these falafel turned out well for you!

  43. Gayatri

    Hi Kate :) Just wondering, do the chickpeas not need to be cooked after soaking? Are the ground as is with the rest of the ingredients?

    1. Kate

      You’re correct!

      1. Gayatri

        It turned out just amazing!!!! Such good falafel :) Thank you so much for giving us this incredible recipe :)

        1. Kate

          Yay! Thanks, Gayatri!

  44. Rajul

    I have a falafel recipe on my blog too and will try yours next time!

  45. Emilu

    Has this wonderful recipe been tried using black beans? I have some dried black beans and would love to use them. Thanks!!

    1. Kate

      That’s an interesting idea! I haven’t heard from anyone who has tried. Please let me know if you do!

  46. Meagan | LifeOutsideOfTexas.com

    This turned out soooo good!! I used your recipe and tweaked it based on what I had on hand. I only had canned chickpeas so I ended up using 2 cans and added an egg and 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs. I only had cilantro (no parsley) so I doubled it up and added some lime juice. I also used coconut oil instead of olive. I’ll have to try your recipe when I have those ingredients, but even with the tweaks these were amazing! My fiance said they are the best filafels he’s ever had.

    1. Kate

      Hooray, thanks Meagan! Glad you made it work with canned beans!

  47. Frances

    I made these a couple of months back and loved them so much that I made another batch to freeze (in two-person portions – I defrost, shape and bake as required). They are perfect as written..
    Anyway, so I was having a clear-out of my freezer and found bags of what looked like pesto… so I defrosted and tossed with fusilli and cauliflower. When I tasted it the mint gave it away (I’ve never made pesto with mint!) and I was thrilled to realise that this is also an awesome sauce for pasta or steamed veg, when thinned down with some water.
    High five for the multipurpose recipe! Many thanks :)

    1. Kate

      Well, that is good to know! Thanks, Frances!

  48. Etie

    isnt it funny how you posted this recipe over 3 years ago and you’re still getting rave reviews? I’m going to make it today for the crew and I’m sure they’ll love it. You are a true inspiration! I hope I can get it together and make my site as appealing as yours!

    1. Kate

      Thank you, Etie! :)

  49. Cindy

    I want to try and make this but for lunch for work. I don’t see any notes about preparing them the day before and storing for lunch the next day. Is this possible? It seems these are meant to be eaten immediately, when warm. Thanks!

    1. Kate

      Hi Cindy, I think these will still taste great the next day! I would be happy to eat them reheated or at room temperature.

  50. Rajiv

    Hi Kate. 2 to 4 tbsp of oil in a 12″ skillet sounds like there will be a shallow pool of oil at the bottom. Is that fine?

    1. Red

      I think that’s fine because they get really nice and crispy with the oil.