Homemade Falafels. That’s it, scroll to the bottom, grab the recipe, make them. Goodbye, so long, farewell! Okay, just kidding. This isn’t really goodbye. But you don’t need me to say much more when homemade falafels are involved. The urge to make them kinda just rises inside all on it’s own.
So did you watch it? The Super Bowl. What did you eat? I hope chips and guac were part of your Sunday. What did you think of the halftime show? Am I the only one that thought it wasn’t all that? Yeah, seriously. I kinda thought Katy Perry was better last year.
Moving along.
Calling all falafel lovers. Is there anyone not answering this call? ???? I used to be from your lot <– and by your ‘lot’ I mean I wasn’t always all on board with the falafel train. But before you give a loud gasp — let me say that before some time ago, I had never really had great falafel. And by great I mean, falafel that I didn’t have to wash down with a large bottle of coke because it was so dry it could cause my esophagus to explode. But then just like that the world righted itself one day, and another falafel lover was born. ❤️❤️
I’ve just been waiting for the right time to share my falafel recipe with you. A big chickpea fritter loaded with flavor and completely meatless. And when I say waiting, I seriously mean that i’ve been hoarding and borderline over recipe-testing them to make them beyond perfect for you. But really, we all know it’s because I can’t get off the falafel train.
Loaded with onions, garlic, parsley, chickpeas, and hints of cumin, coriander, and cayenne. These falafels gives you a little teeny tiny kick in the rear that just heats things up a tad bit. And it’s as simple as tossing a bunch of ingredients into the food processor and pressing a button to give it a good whirl. I seriously debated on calling this a spicy falafel recipe, but in the end I decided against it as it’s easily customizable from both heat lovers and non heat lovers alike.
And about those chickpeas. The actual ???????????????????? of the show. If you wanted to make falafels today, you need to have soaked the chickpeas last night. Um.. so a good 12-24 hour soak is mandatory. Sorry to break it to you friends. But good things are worth the wait, AMIRIGHT?
BUT. Before you go running off on me, let me say that though this recipe requires a little preplanning, the rest of the recipe is super easy to put together. As in blend –> make patties –> fry them off in a skillet with just a bit of oil. I’ve made baked falafels before but really, sometimes (in moderation) the real thing is what you really need. But! Instead of deep frying these guys, i’m making patties out of them and frying them in a skillet which kinda in my brain means they soak up less oil. I’m telling myself that and don’t you let me think about it any other way!
And while we’re on the subject of patties, you don’t have to make them flat the way I did. You can make them in the traditional round hushpuppy-like shape if you wish. But a major benefit of making patties is that it’s super easy to stuff them in naans to make falafel naan-wiches. And I’ve got a buddha bowl salad that features these falafels coming up too.
Come on, go soak those garbanzo beans!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried garbanzo beans (soak in 6 cups of water for 12-24 hours)
- 1 bunch parsley (see note)
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (I used minced)
- 1 ½ teaspoon each: cumin powder and salt
- 1 teaspoon each: coriander powder and black pepper
- ¼ -1 teaspoon cayenne powder (to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
- 2 – 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- Oil, for frying
Instructions
- Drain the garbanzo beans from the water and dry them completely. You can do this on a kitchen towel by giving them a good wipe down.
- Transfer the garbanzo beans along with the rest of the ingredients except the sesame seeds and flour to a food processor. Pulse the mixture until it breaks down (see pictures for consistency). You don’t want it to become a paste. You want it to still have tiny chunks of chickpeas running through.
- Transfer the falafel mixture to a bowl, add the sesame seeds, and start by adding 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir to combine. Try to form patties (or balls) with the mixture. If the mixture doesn’t hold it’s shape, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes before forming patties or balls. I shaped mine into patties that were about 1 ¼ inch in diameter.
- Heat an inch of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. I suggest using a skillet because it reduces the chances of the falafel patties breaking(*see notes). When the oil is warm, place 4-6 patties into the oil at a time, depending on the size of the skillet. Do not overcrowd the pan as it will become very difficult to turn the patties. Let the falafel cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Depending on the size of your patty, you may need more or less time. It’s always good to do a test patty, taste to make sure it’s cooked through and adjusting the time as needed.
Notes
- I actually really like cilantro so I did 50% parsley and 50% cilantro for my falafels. You can use all parsley or cilantro or a good combination of the two. This is totally up to you.
- The cayenne powder is kind of optional – if you don’t want any heat at all, feel free to leave it out completely!
- You can deep fry the falafels if you wish, you’ll need a slotted spoon to aid in lowering the falafel patties (or balls) into the hot oil so the oil doesn’t splatter.
- I haven’t tried using this recipe to bake the falafels. For best results, I suggest following the recipe as written.
