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These falafels are everything a great falafel should be: crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, nicely spiced, and very, very green. They’re totally vegan but, take it from an avowed lifetime carnivore kind of person, you’d never realize it or miss meat while eating these.

Confession: I never had a falafel until I was 21. Hungry, drinking-filled late nights taught me a love for all night middle eastern foods, and to this day I stand by the statement that the best thing I ever ate is a chicken shawarma at 3 in the morning on the streets of old town Nice, a soft pita wrap filled with smoky spicy chicken and loads of falafels.

I loved making these falafels. It was equal parts easy (just soak the chickpeas, blitz everything, and rest) and equal parts fun shaping them. I imagined I was an itamae – a Japanese nigiri sushi master – as I was shaping each fluffy little falafel. The best-sized balls turned out to be around the same size as a kyoto-style round sushi in fact: 1-inch wide, which I found to be the perfect combination of crunchy and fluffy.

It turns out that, like pretty much anything deep fried, having falafels fresh from the fryer is better than you’d never expect. I fried these following basically none of the rules of deep frying, and it turns out falafels are the most forgiving thing ever to deep fry. I just used 12oz of oil in a very tiny pan, with no temperature measurement other than sticking the thermapen in now and again to make sure the oil was above 300ºF before I dropped in the falafels 3-4 at a time. The oil stayed clean and new in a way it never does when frying meats, and the falafels were crisp and not oily at all.

If you’re looking to pair these up, our fattoush, moroccan lamb meatballs, and grilled moroccan pita bread are great options. Having a sauce to dip into is a must, and while a tahini based sauce is the traditional choice, this tzaziki is a super healthy alternative. These were so much fun to make and so delicious to eat. You won’t regret making these, I hope you give them a try, and let me know what you think!

-Falafel out

The Easiest Falafel Recipe

Serves 60 falafels

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Resting Time 1 day d

Total Time 1 day d 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 2 cup dried chickpeas don't used canned
• 1 cup fresh parsley
• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup fresh dill
• 1 small onion quartered
• 8 cloves garlic

Spice Mix

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds see note
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Soak the chickpeas overnight in at least 2 cups of water in a large covered container. The next day, remove and dry with paper towels.
  
• Combine your chickpeas, herbs, onions, garlic, spice mix, and salt to taste in a food processor (in batches if necessary). Blitz into a fine crumbly paste. Rest, covered in the fridge, for 1-2 hours before frying.
  
• Using wet hands, form into firm-ish 1-inch wide balls.
  
• Deep fry at 300ºF for 2 minutes, in batches if necessary. Drain on a paper towel between batches.
  
• Enjoy immediately.
  

Notes

I prefer to toast coriander in a dry pan and crush in a mortar and pestle, but ground coriander works as well.

 

Inspired by https://www.themediterraneandish.com/how-to-make-falafel/