Quick and Easy Falafel Recipe

By
Saad Fayed
Saad Fayed
A restaurateur and food writer, Saad Fayed has published hundreds of recipes and articles about Middle Eastern cuisine.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/21/24
Tested by
Diana Andrews
Diana Andrews
Tested by Diana Andrews
Diana has served as head recipe developer and editor for the Emmy-nominated PBS series Moveable Feast, food editor and test kitchen manager at Fine Cooking Magazine, and recipe developer and product tester at Food Network. 
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 18 falafel

This easy falafel recipe brings together chickpeas and a handful of seasonings to create an enviable texture that's crispy on the outside and fluffy and moist on the inside. Falafel is a popular food in and around the Middle East, where vendors sell it on street corners in places such as Egypt, Greece, Syria, and Israel. It's also popular among vegetarians; falafel is flavorful, thanks to the parsley, garlic, cumin, and coriander, and it contains a good deal of protein because of the chickpeas.

Quick and easy falafel recipe on a plate with pita and hummus

The Spruce Eats / Preethi Venkatram

Traditional falafel recipes use dried chickpeas and can be time consuming because of the soaking needed to make the chickpeas soft before you cook them. Proponents of this method believe that cooking the chickpeas from their dried state results in falafel that tastes better and doesn't fall apart when you fry it in a hot pan. (It helps to make sure your chickpeas are completely dry before you incorporate them with the rest of the ingredients.) This recipe, however, is for falafel from canned chickpeas, which ​cuts down on preparation time, and the flour helps to bind it. It's perfect for those who want an easy falafel recipe that can be made on a weeknight.

Falafel is great on its own, with chunks of cucumber, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and tahini sauce or a yogurt-based tzatziki sauce for dipping. Or tuck the falafel into a warm pita with any of those ingredients, along with some red onion, too. You can also serve it as part of a bigger meze spread with hummus, tabbouleh, and other dishes.

What You'll Need to Make This Falafel Recipe
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A Heavy Skillet

"This quick and easy falafel recipe has just the right combination of spices to create a crispy shell with a moist center. The flavors are truly authentic!" —Diana Andrews

Falafel in a pita with mixed greens and tomatoes
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic

  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil, more as needed

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for easy falafel recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Preethi Venkatram

  2. Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper (to taste) in a medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and combine well.

    Falafel ingredients combined together in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Preethi Venkatram

  3. Mash chickpeas, making sure ingredients are thoroughly mixed together and mixture binds easily when shaped into a ball. (Alternatively, combine ingredients in a food processor. Pulse, then process, scraping down bowl occasionally with a silicone spatula, until mixture is mostly smooth, about 1 minute.) Add an extra tablespoon of flour if mixture is too sticky. The result should be a thick paste.

    Mashed falafel ingredients in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Preethi Venkatram

  4. Form mixture into pingpong-sized balls. Slightly flatten.

    Falafel mixture formed into small balls on a white plate

    The Spruce Eats / Preethi Venkatram

  5. Add oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high until oil shimmers. Shallow-fry falafel in batches to avoid crowding pan, 2 to 5 minutes per batch, flipping when browned on one side and adding more oil, if needed. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Serve falafel by itself, or with warm pita bread with veggies, or tahini sauce.

    Quick and easy falafel frying in a cast-iron skillet

    The Spruce Eats / Preethi Venkatram

Can you replace all-purpose flour with chickpea flour?

Yes, you can replace the all-purpose flour with chickpea flour if you have it in your pantry. It would give the falafel an extra nutty taste and boost the protein content slightly from the chickpeas. You can even make your own chickpea flour if you like.


Recipe Variation

If you don't want to deep-fry or pan-fry the falafel, you can bake it instead. Here's how:


Heat the oven to 375 F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper. Place the falafel balls 3 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for an extra 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
934 Calories
85g Fat
37g Carbs
11g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 934
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 85g 109%
Saturated Fat 6g 32%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 608mg 26%
Total Carbohydrate 37g 13%
Dietary Fiber 9g 31%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 7mg 33%
Calcium 71mg 5%
Iron 4mg 22%
Potassium 388mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)