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5 from 53 votes

Easy Falafel Recipe (Air Fryer or Oven)

This easy falafel recipe can be made in an air fryer or oven. It uses canned chickpeas, onion, garlic, spices and herbs.
Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Servings: 12 falafel patties
Calories: 62kcal
Author: Agnieszka

Ingredients

  • 1 can chickpeas 15.5 oz, rinsed, drained and dried on paper towels
  • 1 onion, quartered large
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • cup chopped fresh parsley
  • cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • ½ cup all-purpopse flour or chickpea flour or almond flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoon cumin ground
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon coriander ground
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • olive oil spray
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Place onion and garlic in a bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until roughly chopped.
  • Add chopped parsley, chopped cilantro and spices. Pulse until combined.
  • Add canned chickpeas (rinsed, drained and dried on paper towels) and pulse 2-3 times. Don't overprocess! The chickpeas should be roughly chopped, not pureed.
  • Finally, add the flour and pulse 2-3 times more until just combined. If you prefer, you can empty the mixture into a bowl and fold in the flour with a rubber spatula.
  • Transfer the mixture into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap (or a lid) and refrigerate for 2 hours (or longer) or freeze for 25 minutes.
  • Add baking powder and fold it in with a rubber spatula or a spoon - this addition will make the falafel fluffy inside.
  • Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop or a spoon, divide the "dough" into 12 balls, then roll into uniform balls using your fingers. I like my falafel balls slightly flattened into discs for more crispiness but you can keep them as balls - the choice is yours!
  • Spray the basket of an air fryer with olive oil spray, then place the falafel inside spaced apart. Spray with more olive oil spray.
  • Air fry for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, flipping once after 8 minutes.

Notes

Make sure to rinse the canned chickpeas thoroughly under cold water and dry them on paper towels. I usually place them on a doubled up sheet of paper towel, cover with another sheet and leave to dry while I'm chopping herbs. If your chickpeas are too wet, you will need to add more flour, which is not ideal.
Don't overprocess the mixture. Only pulse a few times at each step. Chunky dough with visible pieces of chickpeas and herbs is what you want. 
If you don't like cilantro, swap it for more parsley or replace with other fresh herbs such as mint or chives. 
To make falafel in the oven, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, place the falafel on a paper lined baking sheet, spray with olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping once after 10 minutes. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1ball | Calories: 62kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 50mg | Potassium: 115mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 334IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 1mg