Hello, my chickpeas! I am SO EXCITED to share today's recipe with you. This Air Fryer Falafel recipe is delicious, versatile, and pairs well with a variety of veggies and sauces. It is of course vegan, and it's even oil free (thanks to the fact that it is air fried!).
This falafel recipe will blow you away with flavor, and it comes out the perfect level of crispiness. I love throwing these in wraps or bowls with mediterranean-inspired veggies and some hummus or vegan tzatziki. Let's get into it!
Inspiration for Air Fryer Falafel
There are a lot of falafel recipes out there, but I was going for a few very specific details when it came to my version.
Firstly, I wanted to use canned chickpeas. Many recipes use dried chickpeas and have you soak them overnight, saying that this is the best way to get a good consistency. However, I simply never have dried chickpeas on hand and wanted a version that uses canned! I played around a lot with this recipe to get it just right, and although it may not be as traditional as the dried chickpea version, I am very happy with the results!
Secondly, as usual, I wanted to keep these oil-free. Again, these aren't going to be as authentic or traditional as they would be if we fried them in oil, but they are still delicious and get the job done. The air fryer really does wonders to get these falafels cooked perfectly!
And lastly, I wanted these to have a lot of flavor, while also being mild enough to pair well with just about anything! I personally LOVE dill in my falafels, so this was one of the flavors I leaned into quite a bit. But even with that dill flavor, these can be paired with just about any veggie or sauce that you want.
Ingredients
This Air Fryer Falafel recipe uses a lot of flavorful ingredients. Let's talk about them!
- Chickpeas: the base of our falafels! We are using canned chickpeas for this to keep it nice and simple.
- Onion & garlic: for some extra flavor and savory vibes, and a bit of crunch.
- Parsley, dill, cumin, coriander, & lemon juice: for even more flavor! These all come together beautifully and work really well together.
- Bread crumbs & chickpea flour: these are necessary to make sure that our falafel mix doesn't get too soggy. These will help to get our mix to the right consistency, and the breadcrumbs will also add a bit of crispiness.
How to Make Air Fryer Falafel
The full recipe can be found down below, but let's go over the basic outline of today's recipe.
- Add chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, and dill to a food processor. Pulse.
- Add seasonings and a few other ingredients to the food processor. Pulse a bit more.
- Form your falafel mixture into discs.
- Air fry your falafels, flipping halfway through. Repeat for a second batch if needed.
- Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
I did a lot of work to get the consistency of these Air Fryer Falafels just right, so I wouldn't suggest messing with this recipe itself a whole ton as it could mess with the cooking or the consistency. HOWEVER, I do have ideas on the variety of ways you can choose to enjoy them!
- My favorite way to enjoy these falafels is in a pita or a wrap! Feel free to pair them with whatever veggies and sauces you'd like - such as lettuce, red onion, tomato, cucumber, hummus, or vegan tzatziki!
- These are also great in a mediterranean-inspired buddha bowl or salad! You could toss the falafel discs onto your bowl as is, or you could crumble them on so that they are in smaller chunks.
- My husband and I love to simply dip these in a delicious dip as a fun snack! We especially love them with baba ganoush.
- Although these are best when they are first made, you can absolutely reheat them as leftovers! They won't be as crispy, but the flavor is still great.
- Looking for more air fried recipes? Check out my Air Fried Avocado Tacos or my Air Fried Okra next!
Enjoy!
Air Fryer Falafel
4
servings55
minutesThese Air Fryer Falafels are easy to make and pack in a bunch of flavor! Pair these with your favorite veggies and some hummus in a pita wrap, or toss them onto a mediterranean-inspired buddha bowl or salad.
*Note that From Start to Finish is an estimate that assumes 5 minutes to prep your ingredients, and 50 minutes to complete the directions of the recipe. It also assumes you will have to air fry your falafels in two separate batches (if your air fryer is large enough to do it in one batch, it'll be a bit shorter!).
Ingredients
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
¼ cup parsley leaves, stems removed
¼ cup dill, stems removed
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
½ tablespoon lemon juice
⅓ cup plain bread crumbs*
3 tablespoon chickpea flour*
Directions
- Add chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, and dill to a food processor. Pulse a few times, until the mixture is well combined and broken up into large chunks.
- Add the cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, breadcrumbs, and chickpea flour to the food processor. Pulse once or twice more to combine. By now you mixture should resemble course sand.
- Preheat your air fryer to 350F, allowing it to preheat while you work on step 4.
- Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, form the mixture into balls (about 1.5 tablespoon each). Using your fingers, slightly flatten into thick discs. (You should get around 14-16 falafels).
- Add your falafel discs to the preheated air fryer, making sure to not overcrowd them (they shouldn't be touching one another). You likely may need to do this in two separate batches.
Air fry your first batch of falafels for 8 minutes. Using kitchen tongs (or another kitchen utensil), carefully flip them. Air fry for another 8-12 minutes, or until they reach your desired level of crispiness. Repeat this process with a second batch if needed. - Serve as desired and enjoy!
Notes
- *Plain bread crumbs: any plain (unflavored) bread crumbs will work, but be sure to check the ingredients labels to be sure they are vegan if that is important to you! I use Panko Japanese Style Bread Crumbs and they are completely vegan.
- *Chickpea flour: I like Bob's Red Mill Chickpea Flour, but any brand will do.
Happy cooking! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your falafel-making ways.
Stay joyfully balanced!
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