Get your air fryer ready! This Air Fryer Falafel needs to happen ASAP. Even though this homemade falafel may need to be prepped in advance, I can assure you that it’s totally worth the wait! It’s one of my favorite Air Fryer Ramadan recipes, and I’m sure you’re going to enjoy it as well.
This simple falafel recipe has a few important steps, but the end result will give you 24 delicious falafel balls to eat however you want. Use this recipe for a weekend snack fest, a party for friends, or a great way to cure a craving for a few days with fresh falafel and leftovers, too.
Air Fryer Falafel
Is there nothing that the air fryer can’t cook? It can cook entrees, sides, desserts, and simple appetizers as well. An air fryer is a great kitchen appliance to use as much as you can. Not only does it cook food evenly and add a crisp, but it makes cleaning up a breeze as well.
Being able to get that fried taste without the added grease is one of the biggest reasons that I use the air fryer as much as I do. The outer layer of the falafel has the perfect crunch, with the inside being nice and tender.
Why You’ll Love This Air Fried Falafel Recipe
- Simple way to fry up homemade falafel
- Makes a large batch to share with family and friends
- A perfect dish to meal prep for the next day
Homemade Falafel Ingredients
If you’re new to making falafel, you’ll just need to gather up the simple ingredients listed below to get started. You’ll be eating delicious falafel in no time at all.
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements needed.
- Chickpeas
- Yellow onion
- fresh parsley
- fresh cilantro
- garlic cloves
- chickpea flour
- salt
- ground cumin
- ground coriander
- ground black pepper
- ground cardamom
- baking powder
- olive oil or olive oil spray
How To Make Air Fryer Falafel
Step 1: (One day ahead): In a large bowl, add the dry chickpeas and water to cover them by about 3 inches. Soak overnight, and have in mind that the chickpeas will double in size as they soak. For this reason, choose a bigger container. Cover and place the container inside the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Step 2: (One day before): Remove the chickpeas from the refrigerator, drain them and rinse with running water to remove any skins floating in the water. Leave them draining while preparing the other ingredients.
Step 3: In your food processor, add the drained chickpeas, the herbs, and spices, along with the baking powder.
Step 4: Pulse until you get a smooth consistency.
Step 5: Using a small ice cream or cookie scoop, make small balls and place them on a baking sheet separately.
Step 6: Place the balls inside the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (preferably 2).
Note: This step is crucial to get a stronger consistency that will help to maintain the shape when the balls are inside the air fryer.
Step 7: Remove the falafel balls from the refrigerator and place them inside the air fryer basket separately.
Step 8: Inside the air fryer basket, brush the falafel balls with olive oil using a basting/pastry brush. Or, you can spray the falafel balls with olive oil spray.
Step 9: Cook the falafel balls at 350 ºF for 10 minutes. Then, remove the air fryer basket and shake it to move the balls around, and cook for five more minutes.
Step 10: Place the falafel balls in a wire rack and let them cool for 5 minutes, then serve immediately. You can serve falafel alone, or you can also assemble the falafel balls in pita bread with tomato slices, cucumber slices, lettuce & tahini sauce. Enjoy
Helpful Tips
To make this recipe, plan ahead because you will need to soak the chickpeas for 24 hours prior to making the falafel.
How to Store
Leftover falafel is simple to store! Just add them to an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. It is important to note though that leftover falafel that is reheated will have a different texture than eating them fresh.
This is why I like to make just a few at a time and cook them fresh to enjoy!
How to Serve
Serving and eating falafel is the best! You can eat them without anything else or add them to pita bread to enjoy. I also love adding them to salad, too.
Common Questions about Falafel
Why can’t you use canned chickpeas for falafel?
Canned chickpeas won’t work because they’ve lost a lot of the starch through the canning process. You need the chickpeas to be uncooked and fresh, not from a can.
What dipping sauce goes with falafel?
Tahini sauce is one of the most popular sauces and dips. You can also use a tzatziki sauce or garlic sauce as well.
How to Make Falafel in an Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry chickpeas (not canned, toasted or cooked)
- 1 small yellow onion, quartered
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 4 big garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tbsp chickpea flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ⅛ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil or olive oil spray
Instructions
- (One day ahead): In a large bowl, add the dry chickpeas and water to cover them by about 3 inches. Soak overnight and have in mind that the chickpeas will double in size as they soak, for this reason, choose a bigger container. Cover and place the container inside the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- (One day before): Remove the chickpeas from the refrigerator, drain them and rinse with running water to remove any skins floating in the water. Leave them draining while preparing the other ingredients.
- In your food processor, add the drained chickpeas, onion, fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, garlic cloves, chickpea flour, salt, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground black pepper, ground cardamom and the baking powder.
- Pulse until you get a smooth consistency.
- Using a small ice-cream or cookie scoop, make small balls and place them on a baking sheet separately.
- Place the balls inside the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (preferably 2).
- Remove the falafel balls from the refrigerator and place them inside the air fryer basket separately.
- Inside the air fryer basket, brush the falafel balls with olive oil using a
basting/pastry brush. Or, you can spray the falafel balls with olive oil spray. - Cook the falafel balls at 350 ºF for 10 minutes. Then, remove the air fryer basket and shake it to move the balls around and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Place the falafel balls in a wire rack and let them cool for 5 minutes, then serve immediately. You can serve falafel alone, or you can also assemble the falafel balls in pita bread with tomato slices, cucumber slices, lettuce & tahini sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- For this recipe, you need to soak the
chickpeas one day ahead. - Pulse several times instead of doing a long pulse. This will help your processor to work properly, and this way you’ll be able to spot big chunks. Use a spatula to remove big chickpea chunks or herbs that are stuck on the food processor walls, and pulse again.
- The desired consistency is a smooth mixture, but definitely not a purée. You should be able to spot little chickpea chunks, like a finely minced onion.
- The desired consistency should allow you to hold the ball in your hands, and the mixture should hold together without breaking or splitting. In case the balls won't hold together, you need to process the mixture once again and make sure to get a paste-like consistency. After this step, if the
falafel balls won’t hold together, you need to identify the issue: If the
mixture is too wet, try adding 1 tbsp of chickpea flour first and test the
consistency, if not, add another tablespoon and test once again. If the mixture is too dry, add 1 tbsp (or 2) of water to the mixture and test the consistency. - It is important to keep the balls separated. If you put them next to each other in a bowl, they will stick to each other and the ones at the bottom will deform, and you’ll have a hard time maintaining the ball shape. This is why placing them separated on a baking sheet will make things easier for you and will keep the balls in a nice shape.
- This step is crucial to get a stronger consistency that will help to maintain the shape when the balls are inside the air fryer.
- If the mixture is well-prepared, the falafel won’t break apart while cooking. When ready, the falafel balls should have a golden brown color on the outside. The perfect falafel is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
- It is important to know that falafel has a great consistency and tastes delicious when it is served right away, but if you refrigerate it and then attempt to re-heat it, you’ll notice the lack of the crispy consistency on the outside and the inside consistency becomes noticeably dry. I suggest planning your portions and cook only the balls you are eating and let the uncooked balls in the fridge for the next meal. This will allow you to have the perfect falafel every time and after all, it only takes around 15 minutes to cook!
- You can definitely meal-prep falafel, but without cooking it, as mentioned above. Prepare the mixture ahead, and you can place it inside the fridge for 3-4 days, or you can freeze it for up to 2-3 months. Once you are ready to cook, take out the mixture from the fridge and make the balls. Keep your mixture cold and place them in the air fryer right away. If your mixture is frozen, place it in the fridge until it is cold and then take it out of the refrigerator and proceed to make the balls with the cold mixture. Once the balls are formed, they are ready to go in the air fryer!
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15 Minute Air Fryer Moroccan Chicken