Falafel falafel! You have been requesting a great falafel recipe from us and we don't like to disappoint.
Though we will admit we buy our falafel most of the time from special Middle Eastern shops here in London (6 for £1.20 that's a bargain!) it is still nice to make them once in a while and with a food processor it literally takes ten minutes to bring it all together.
Falafel memories
In Lebanon the best falafel I have ever tasted were from this shop in Saida known 'Abou Rami'. They are so perfect they make you emotional.
Each element of the falafel sandwich is just right. The tomatoes, the pickles and the tahini sauce. I also love the little bit of extra hot sauce but not too much.
If you ever pass by in Saida make sure you stop by and grab a falafel wrap... and get one for me too.
The beans
Ok so you have to soak the peeled fava beans and chickpeas the night before but that takes two minutes the night before.
I don't know why people develop a mental block to a recipe when you tell them to soak some beans the night before it really is as easy as putting some beans in water and adding a spoon of bicarbonate of soda.
For real people get your priorities straight.
Now for the big falafel debate. Should you use chickpeas or fava beans or both. The Palestinians like to use chick peas and the Egyptians prefer to to just use fava beans (foul).
The Lebanese traditionally use both. Then we must consider how much chickpeas to fava beans ratio? Some people use more of one and we tested them several times using different blends and found that half half ratio was the best.
Herbs and spices
Falafel relies on fresh herbs for that nice green colour. We found using double the amount of parsley to cilantro (coriander) was best.
You can buy 'falafel' spices ready blended in Middle Eastern shops but we have given you the basic mix, which includes cumin, black and red pepper, chilli powder, coriander and seven spice.
I actually prefer to add my own spices as sometimes the ready made spice mixes are too strong and you can't control the amount of each spice. You can find the full recipe for seven spice here.
Raising agent
The bicarbonate of soda (or baking soda as you might call it in the US) is responsible for the round puffy shape of the falafel.
It is important to balance how much bicarbonate of soda you add in the actual falafel. If you don't use enough they will not puff up. If you use too much you will taste it and it will hurt your tummy later.
That's the test of a great falafel.
Equipment
If you have a falafel scooper your life will be much easier but we couldn't find ours so we just rolled them into balls and dipped them in sesame seeds just before deep frying.
Serving
Enjoy with some tahini sauce mixed with lemon and salt and a few pickles (the pink ones if you have them) and fresh vegetables (sliced tomatoes, mint parsley) and wrap in soft fresh flatbreads.
You can also add fried cauliflower and aubergine slices to make them more substantial.
Falafel- the Middle East's greatest gift to the world. You're very welcome. 😜
Can I bake falafel?
Not really. They won't have the same crunchy texture and though I have seen some recipes for baked falafel they look a bit stodgy to me. You will have to deep fry them as you don't want them sticking to the pan or they will crumble, which might be the case if you shallow fry them.
📖 Recipe
Lebanese Falafel Recipe
Traditional homemade falafel recipe using chickpeas and fava beans
CourseAppetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
CuisineLebanese
KeywordAuthentic, Easy, Street Food
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Servings 70 falafel
Author Zaatar and Zaytoun
Ingredients
- 1cupdried chickpeas
- 1cupdried fava beans(no skin)
- 1tablespoon +1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 2garlic cloves
- 1small onion
- 2handfuls parsley
- 1handful fresh cilantrocoriander
- 1teaspoon 7 spice
- 1teaspoondried coriander
- ½teaspoonred chilli powder
- ½teaspoonblack pepper
- ½teaspooncumin powder
- 2teaspoonsalt
- Sesame seeds for dipping
- Enough vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
Soak the chickpeas and fava beans in a large bowl the night before with enough water to cover. Add a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda and stir well.
The next day, rinse the beans in clear running water and set aside.
In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas and fava beans in batches until you have a medium coarse texture. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
In the food processor, add the onion, garlic, cilantro and parsley and blitz. Transfer to the bowl of beans and blend well.
Add the spices, salt, another teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and just enough olive oil if necessary to bind the mixture. Your falafel mix should not be too dry or wet.
Try and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour before frying as this will make them easier to shape
Heat up enough vegetable oil for deep frying
Shape your falafel into golf sized balls or use a falafel scooper if you have one. Press them lightly into a plate of sesame seeds then deep fry until golden for about 7 minutes.
Serve with some tahini sauce and fresh pickles and vegetables in a wrap
Recipe Notes
Don't use canned chickpeas or fava beans as the mixture will be too wet
You can freeze any extra falafel mixture for frying later
If you make any of our recipes let us know how it went by giving us a star rating below.
Check out ourYoutubepage for full video tutorials, ourFacebook groupto discuss Lebanese cooking, as well as ourtiktok pagefor quick tips.
You might also like these other recipe from the Zaatar and Zaytoun collection:
- Sweet and Salty Roasted Nuts
- Garlicky Swiss Chard
- Scallops in Saffron Butter
- Cheat's Kibbeh (Kibbe Kazabieh)
More Recipes
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- Lebanese chicken marinade with yoghurt
- Lebanese Spicy Fish (Samke Harra)
- Lemon garlic steak with fries
Reader Interactions
Comments
KLJ
Used frozen broad beans
Added a small amount of buckwheat flour to firm up and then air fried them.
Delicious 😋Nanout
From my little corner of the world in Canada, a sincere thank you for your recipe. It is the first recipe I come across with flavour! I have a lot of work to do before mine look as good as yours. Well done!Fathum Rahal
I absolutely love how you wrote this recipe post. Falafel is one of my favorites and I grew up with a Lebanese father who would eat them ALL whenever we made them. Looking forward to trying your recipe. Your writing is cute and entertaining. Especially the last line. Keep up the good work and thank you. Love and blessings.
Zaatar
Thank you for your lovely words! x
Yara
Can I only use 1 cup of dried chickpeas or do I need 2 cups if I decide not to add fava beans?
Do I need to remove the skin off the chickpeas as well??
Going to try this weekend
Thank you
Zaatar
Hi, you can replace the fava beans with chickpeas so you will need two cups of chickpeas in total.
Iga
Crispy, tasty and with perfect consistency. My favourite recipes.Jean-Michel Chami
I wish every one explain things like you do . So easy to make falafel and one more thing , they are delicious !!! . Many thanks again .
Michel .Beisy Aguilar
Hello Yosra!
My name is Beisy. I'm from Panama city, Panama. My first time trying lebanese food and I came across your site. I tried your falafel recipe and I can't thank you enough for sharing this wonderful recipe. I was absolutely delicious! They didn't even need any sauce to go with. Really amazing flavor. Thanks for sharing!Zaatar
Thank you for your nice word, glad to hear that!
Joel
Best recipe! It turned up so good and crunchySUDHEESH BHASY
It turned out well! Lovely recipe, texture & flavour! Thanks!Jess
Love this recipe! Would I be able to make ahead and then freeze already cooked?Julie
Thank you for the recipe! Best falafel I have ever had. I used all chickpeas (because that’s what I had), but I’ll try the combination next time. I needed to add a little chickpea flour to combat excess moisture. I suspect I should have dried the beans before processing them. Looking forward to the left overs for my lunch today!Sam
I made this and it tastes great but I need to add more olive oil to bind the mixture. How much would you recommend?Elizabeth
I love this recipe it's so fresh and Balanced and not tlk heavy ln the spices
