How to Make Authentic Falafel (Easy Homemade Recipe) (2024)

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Learn how to make authentic Lebanese falafel, one of the favorite street foods of the Middle East. Homemade falafel has a crispy exterior and tender interior, so good to dip in tahini sauce.

One of the greatest revelations in my cooking journey was the discovery of homemade falafel. When I developed the recipe for you here and in my cookbook, I was blown away at how light, how flavorful, how herb-forward these little nuggets are. So much different–so much better, than any I had eaten before. The key is cooking and eating them right away, and using an abundance of fresh herbs.

What is Falafel?

Falafel fritters are made from a light, delicate crumb of dried chickpeas (soaked but raw) and peeled fava beans with an abundance of fresh herbs (think: mint, cilantro, parsley). All thrown together with jalapeño, garlic, sesame, and onion. It gets flash fried to maximize flavor and texture, and dipped or drizzled with tahini sauce. This recipe is sure to become a regular in your rotation, packed with flavor and high in protein and fiber.

Why you’ll love homemade falafel

This falafel mixture is not made from a boxed mix! It’s easy to put together, has a fantastic herby, fresh flavor, and is one of my favorite foods to serve as part of a mezze spread or on its own. You can find it at your favorite Middle Eastern restaurant, and it’s a popular street food throughout the Middle East, but it is way better homemade than from street corners! The traditional way is to dip in a creamy tahini sauce, but it’s also delicious with hot sauce. Make sure you have pita bread on hand if you want to turn it into a simple wrap filled with other great things like pickles.

What is Falafel made of?

For the falafel:

Dry chickpeas.Uncooked, soaked-from-dry garbanzo beans.

Fava beans.Make sure you’re using the pale, peeled dry fava beans. Not the dark, unpeeled version.Try these. You can leave these out and use all chickpeas instead.

Fresh herbs.Essential in an authentic falafel recipe. Fresh parsley, mint, and cilantro are my favorite way to keep this dish bright!

Jalapeño.The good news is you can decide how spicy you make your falafel by taking some of the seeds out of the jalapeño. Alternatively, you can use chili powder or cayenne pepper to make it spicy, but traditional falafel gets added texture from jalapeño!

Garlic.One clove does the trick.

Yellow onion.I like the flavor from yellow onions best, but if red onion is what you have on hand, that’s just fine.

Sesame seeds.Just half a tablespoon of these will go into the falafel mixture.

Baking soda.I think this is much better for deep frying, but baking powder will also work.

Oil.You’re going to need enough oil to deep fry falafel. I prefer safflower, canola, vegetable, peanut, or avocado oil to olive oil for fried falafel.

Salt and black pepper.To taste!

For the Tahini Yogurt Sauce

Yogurt.Plain, regular yogurt, or Lebanese laban will give the sauce a thicker, creamier base.

Tahini.Stir your jar of tahini before measuring, whether or not it’s your first time using it.

Garlic.One clove, minced or grated.

Lemon.This is a key ingredient for freshness. Both lemon juice and lemon zest will brighten the flavor of the sauce.

Salt.To taste!

How to make falafel

Step 1.In a large bowl, cover the chickpeas and fava beans with cool water. These need an overnight soak, or up to 24 hours.

Step 2.Drain the chickpeas and fava beans. It may seem like you should heat the chickpeas and fava beans, but we use them straight from the soak without cooking them. In a food processor, process them with a teaspoon of salt until they are ground to a coarse crumb. Add the pepper, mint, parsley, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, onion, and sesame seeds and pulse until the mixture is the right consistency: a moist, bright green crumb. Transfer the falafel mixture to a bowl, stir in the baking soda, and chill for 30 minutes or up to one day.

Step 3.Heat the oil in a 2-quart saucepan or sauté pan, over medium heat, until a pinch of herb dropped in floats and bubbles dramatically (350°F). Be sure the pan you use is deep enough that the falafel will be in an inch of oil. Using a falafel mold, an ice cream scoop or a large spoon, form tightly packed falafel balls or patties. Fry a few of the uncooked falafel patties at a time, in small batches, in the hot oil until they are golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove the falafel with tongs or a slotted spoon and place on a paper-lined plate. Repeat until they are all cooked.

How to make falafel tahini sauce

Process or whisk the yogurt, tahini, garlic, and salt until combined. Add the lemon juice and zest, and whisk or pulse again to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Find more details on my recipe for Tahini Sauce, which can include yogurt or not.

Tips for making the best falafel

For best results, do not use canned chickpeas or fava beans, or chickpea flour as a substitution. Using a can of chickpeas will affect the falafel’s light interior and exterior crispy falafel texture.

If you can’t find the pale, peeled fava beans, use all chickpeas instead of a combination of chickpea and fava beans.Dark fava beans have the peels on them and won’t work for this recipe!

Best to eat them right out of the fryer! Room temperature falafel is still delicious, but the best authentic falafel is eaten hot, crispy, and immediately.

Use less oil, not too deep, if you want better control over the frying process.

Using too much oil will result in the small patties absorbing a lot of it and will reduce accomplishing the best texture.

How do you eat falafel?

Serve the falafel hot with the tahini sauce on the side or drizzled over top. Or you can make fresh herb falafel pita wraps by placing a thin loaf of pita bread on each plate (or a split thicker pita). Lay several falafel along one side of the bread a few inches from the edge. Top with tahini sauce, fresh herbs, and pink pickled turnips. Roll the pita up tightly, cut in half on the diagonal, and serve immediately with more sauce for dipping.

How to Store Falafel

Falafel is best immediately after it is fried. Store leftover falafel in an airtight container. The falafel will stay fresh for about 4 days in the refrigerator; reheat in the microwave or in a low oven.

You can also freeze cooked falafel fritters for up to 3 months. Just place the cooled falafel on a baking sheet in the freezer until they are completely frozen and then transfer them to either freezer bags or an airtight container. To reheat, place the frozen falafel in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes or until they are heated through and crispy.

Make ahead option

You can also freeze the uncooked falafel mixture, which freezes beautifully. Just transfer the falafel “dough” to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. When you are ready to cook the falafel, allow the mixture to thaw in the refrigerator, then form into fritters and follow the frying instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Recipes with Chickpeas

Falafel Pita Wrap

Lebanese Vegetable Soup with Chickpeas and Kale

Lebanese Fattah: Chickpeas, pita chips, and labneh with garnishes

Crunchy Roast Chickpeas with Za’atar

Chickpea Salad with Feta

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