Affiliate Disclosure: Every purchase made through our affiliate links earns us a pro-rated commission without any additional cost to you. We may earn an affiliate commission if you order any product. Here are more details about our affiliate disclosure.
Easy Falafel Recipe | Falafel Tikkis Recipe
This versatile and delicious vegetarian food originated in the Middle East and is very popular worldwide as a street food.
Falafel can be made at home very easily, much easier than you might think. Once you try them, I’m sure you’ll return to them time and time again!
Chickpeas or broad beans are ground with spices and herbs to make falafel, which is a patty-shaped fritter. Before serving, portions of the ground mixture are shaped and fried to golden perfection.
It is commonly served with tahini sauce, vegetables, pickles, and falafel inside a pita or on a soft flatbread, making it an excellent lunch or dinner choice.
Herb, spinach, veggie, and turmeric falafel are all variations of traditional falafel. Nevertheless, we love the classic version, and I have shared it here.
To serve with falafel, I have also included two favorite dips – Tahini sauce and yogurt dip.
As the chickpeas must soak in water for some idle time, making falafel at home requires some advanced preparation.
You should, however, not let this discourage you from making them from scratch. Starting with dry chickpeas or fav beans is key to making the best falafel.
After soaking overnight in water, they are rinsed well and ground with garlic, cumin, onion, coriander, black pepper, cayenne or chilli powder and parsley in a food processor or grinder.
The easiest way of cooking Falafel without the fear of it breaking apart is by cooking it in an appam mould.
In order to get the mixture to stick together, grind it coarsely and mix it uniformly with flour or chickpea flour (gluten-free version).
Make sure it holds its shape by gathering a small amount in your hand and testing it to see if it falls apart when fried.
When you have reached the desired texture, you can shape them into small balls approximately ½ inch in diameter.
For a better chance of sticking together when frying, you might want to refrigerate the mixture for about an hour before frying.
If you would like to keep them uncooked for a few days, you can place them in the refrigerator. To prevent them from drying out, be sure to cover them.
Making Falafel Tikkis The Traditional Way
Falafel makes an excellent snack or appetizer for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Vegan and gluten-free, these are made from natural ingredients.
Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 33 minutes
Course: Main Course/Snacks
Cuisine: Global
Servings: 30 +
Author: Ranjeeta Nath Ghai
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry chickpeas
- 1 medium onion cubed
- 4 – 6 garlic cloves
- ¼ – ½ cup parsley chopped (or coriander leaves)
- 1½ – 2 tsp ground cumin seeds
- 1½ – 2 tsp ground coriander (powder)
- ½ – 1 tsp ground black pepper (powder)
- ½ – ¾ tsp cayenne pepper or red chilli powder
- ½ – ¾ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 2 tbsp chickpea flour or all-purpose flour (optional)
- ½ – ½ tsp baking powder (optional, refer to notes)
- oil as needed for frying
Preparation
- Rinse chickpeas at least three times in a large bowl. Make sure they are soaked in fresh water for at least 12 hours.
- Rinse them well with fresh water after discarding the soaking water. Place them in a colander and drain them.
- Combine chickpeas, pepper, cayenne, cumin, coriander, salt, onion, garlic, parsley, and flour in a food processor or grinder. Mix coarsely without adding water.
- It should resemble wheat semolina or couscous in texture rather than a smooth paste. A poorly processed mixture may result in the balls falling apart when frying.
- To test the dough, take a small amount approximately 1½ to 2 tbsps.) to your palm, and shape into a ball. It should be able to hold its shape. If it does not pass this test, process it a little more.
- For best results, refrigerate for at least one hour. By doing so, the mixture becomes more bindable. You can keep this mixture in the refrigerator for up to two days.
- Add baking powder just before you fry the falafel. If I’m frying, I don’t use it. I only use it for air fryers and baked versions.
3 Cooking Methods For Falafel Tikkis Recipe
I share three cooking methods for chickpea falafel in this post – deep frying, baking, and air frying. Crisp on the outside, fluffy and moist on the inside, these are delicious.
Cooking Methods 1: Deep Frying Falafel
- Just enough oil should be heated in a deep pan on a medium flame to partially submerge the falafel. Falafels can sometimes disintegrate when too much oil is present in the pan.
- Test 1: Try dropping a small amount of dough into the hot oil and watching it rise to the surface without browning. Oil is ready to fry when this happens.
- Test 2: Make a ball with 1½ to 2 tbsps dough, pressing it firmly with your fingers. Slide it gently into the hot oil and do not stir it until it becomes firm, about 2 minutes. If it doesn’t fall apart, your mixture is perfect.
- Troubleshooting: Adding more flour or processing the mixture more may prevent falafel from falling apart.
- To bind the mixture well, make lemon-sized balls and press them gently with your fingers. It is possible to flatten them a little if you wish. In total, you should have enough to make 25 to 30 falafels.
- Keep the flame at medium and gently slide them into the hot oil one by one without overcrowding it. It will take a minute or two for them to cook and firm up.
- On a medium flame, deep fry them until golden and crisp on the other side. Transfer the falafel to a kitchen towel, rack, or steel colander.
- The falafel can be served with a yogurt dip or a Tahini sauce. In addition, pickled veggies, toum or tahini sauce can also be stuffed into halved pita bread.
Cooking Methods 2: Oven Baked
- When baking falafels in an oven, flatten them into patties.
- Ensure the oven is preheated to 400F or 200C for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
- The falafels should be placed on a greased tray and generously sprayed with oil.
- Turn them over gently after 12 minutes of baking.
- For a crisp and done result, continue baking for another 12 minutes. They become dry when they are overbaked.
Cooking Methods 3: Air Frying
- My preference is to flatten the balls into patties.
- You can use an air fryer basket for this. Place them in the basket and air fry for 9 minutes at 390F or 200 C.
- After 6 to 7 minutes, flip them over and fry for another 6 – 7 minutes.
- They will become dry when air fried for too long. Spraying oil on them after air frying is my preferred method.
To Make A Quick Yogurt Dip
- ¾ cup greek yogurt or hung curd,
- 1 tsp lemon juice, salt,
- 1 garlic clove,
- deseeded green chili (optional).
Blend them all together in a blender and add parsley.
👉You Might Like to Read How To Make Basic Homemade Tahini Paste
Pro Tips For Easy Falafel Recipe
- For best results, use dry chickpeas when making falafels. The amount of flour to be used for one can of chickpeas depends on the amount of canned chickpeas being used. Chickpea flour can be used to make it gluten-free.
- Good binding requires the right processing of the mixture. In the same way as couscous, the processed mixture must be coarse. If the mixture is very coarse, the falafel tends to disintegrate in oil. The falafel mixture will become pasty if it is processed too much, altering its texture.
- As far as flour is concerned, I have never used it. To bind the falafel, add about 1-2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour if you are making it for the first time. Chickpea flour can be used to make a gluten-free version.
- In an airtight container, ground falafel dough, balls, or patties can be refrigerated up to 2 days. You can use them as needed.
- While processing, add more parsley or cilantro to make herb falafel.
- You can serve the falafel bites with fresh veggies and yogurt sauce on rotis, tortillas, or plain parathas. It tastes great. This is a very easy breakfast or lunchbox recipe that you can bake in the morning. These are great plain with some garlic yogurt dip for my kids’ breakfast or tiffin.
- Old chickpeas need to be soaked for a longer period of time. Otherwise, the dough will become drier, and the falafel will become dense. Adding 1¼ to ½ tsp of baking soda to the dry chickpeas while soaking helps.
- My falafel never disintegrates when I fry them without flour. In order to make them without flour, you may need to experiment with the texture of the dough (not very coarse and not very fine). Falafel will be denser if you use too much flour.
- If you plan to fry the falafel, you can skip the baking powder. I never use the fried version, but adding it to the baked and air fryer variations does make a tremendous difference. As a result, they do not become too dry inside since they are slightly lighter.
- Ensure the oil temperature is high enough but not too high. Otherwise, your falafel will turn brown too quickly without cooking inside.
- Parsley and coriander can be doubled if you love a lot of herbs.
You Might Want To Try Some More Snacks & Salad Recipes
- Cornflakes Namkeen | Cornflakes Mixture | Cornflakes Chivda
- How To Cook Best Homemade Nachos Chips
- Best Mini Pizzas Recipe: A Perfect Snack
- Easy Potato Bake Recipe In Oven And Microwave
- Simple And Easy Stuffed Potatoes Recipe 3 Variations
- Super Easy Paneer Pakora Recipe and Hari Chutney [With Video]
- Refreshingly Delicious Macaroni and Coconut Salad (Khao Pad Mor Mee)
- Yummy Mexican Salad with Nacho Chips
- Roasted Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Nutritious Tossed Salad with Stir-fried Mushroom
- Couscous Salad With Roasted Vegetable And Mixed Herbs
- How To Cook Easy Traditional Greek Salad Recipe
- Khandvi Recipe | Besan Ki Khandvi Recipe | Gujarati Khandvi Recipe
Quick Overview
Recipe Name: Easy Falafel Recipe | Falafel Tikkis Recipe
Author: Ranjeeta Nath Ghai
Description: Falafel makes an excellent snack or appetizer for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Vegan and gluten-free, these are made from natural ingredients.
Preperation time: 8M
Cook Time: 25M
Total Time: 33M
Type: Main Course/Snacks
Recipe Yield: 30+ servings
Recipe Ingredients: 2 cups dry chickpeas , 1 medium onion cubed, 4 – 6 garlic cloves, ¼ – ½ cup parsley chopped (or coriander leaves), 1½ – 2 tsp ground cumin or 1 ½ tsp cumin seeds, 1½ – 2 tsp ground coriander (powder), ½ – 1 tsp ground black pepper (powder), ½ – ¾ tsp cayenne pepper or red chilli powder, ½ – ¾ tsp salt (adjust to taste), 2 tbsp chickpea flour or all-purpose flour (optional), ½ – ½ tsp baking powder (optional, refer to notes), oil as needed for frying
Recipe Instructions: Rinse chickpeas at least three times in a large bowl. Make sure they are soaked in fresh water for at least 12 hours. Rinse them well with fresh water after discarding the soaking water. Place them in a colander and drain them. Combine chickpeas, pepper, cayenne, cumin, coriander, salt, onion, garlic, parsley, and flour in a food processor or grinder. Mix coarsely without adding water. It should resemble wheat semolina or couscous in texture rather than a smooth paste. A poorly processed mixture may result in the balls falling apart when frying. To test the dough, take a small amount approximately 1½ to 2 tbsps.) to your palm, and shape into a ball. It should be able to hold its shape. If it does not pass this test, process it a little more. For best results, refrigerate for at least one hour. By doing so, the mixture becomes more bindable. You can keep this mixture in the refrigerator for up to two days. Add baking powder just before you fry the falafel. If I’m frying, I don’t use it. I only use it for air fryers and baked versions.
Recipe Cuisine: Global
Video thumbnail URL:
-
Flavor
-
Health Benefits
-
Ease of Cooking
-
Availability of Ingredients
