Air Fryer Falafel

Air Fryer Falafel

My daughter introduced this recipe to me and I loved it immediately. It’s full of healthy fresh ingredients and is so easy to make! I had never made falafel and figured it had to be deep fried to taste good. But this recipe completely changed my mind! Falafel can not only be made in your own kitchen, but with an air fryer, it’s extremely healthy and amazingly delicious!

I especially love serving Air Fryer Falafel with hot Grilled Naan in a sandwich style. Hummus is the perfect sauce to compliment the spices in the falafel. Have you checked out my Garlic Everything Bagel Hummus? Homemade Tzatziki is also a great choice! Perfectly top the sandwich with Mediterranean Kebab Salad: fresh cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions.

Are you ready for dinner yet?

Ingredients for Air Fryer Falafel:

• Dried chickpeas: I prefer dried chickpeas that have been soaked in water and baking soda for 18-24 hours. The texture of the uncooked and soaked chickpeas make a great texture for the falafel. But if you have a time crunch or forgot to soak the chickpeas the day before, you can substitute 3 (15.5oz) canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans). You may need to add a little more chickpea flour in the final step to help the mixture come together.
• Fresh Parsley: I like Italian parsley best.
• Fresh Cilantro: Some people don’t care for the taste of cilantro. Substitute for more fresh parsley, if needed.
• Onion: Yellow, white, or purple onions will work perfectly. You can choose.
• Olive Oil: This oil really adds to the Mediterranean taste.
• Spices: Minced garlic, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt
• Chickpea flour: I recommend chickpea flour for taste and healthiness. But you can use all-purpose flour. Chickpea flour is found in the alternative flour section of the grocery store.

How to Make Air Fryer Falafel:

1. Place dried chickpeas and ¼ teaspoon baking soda in large bowl. Cover with cold water until a few inches above chickpeas. Cover and let sit on counter for 18-24 hours. Drain and rinse with fresh water. Drain again.
2. In food processor, add chickpeas and all remaining ingredients, except chickpea flour. Pulse until smooth. Scrape sides and pulse again. Add chickpea flour and pulse until mixture comes together.
3. Add to covered bowl and refrigerate for 25 minutes.
4. Using a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop mixture onto baking sheet. Press tops slightly to resemble pucks (for better cooking surface).
5. Can freeze falafel balls at this point.
6. Spray air fryer with non-stick cooking spray. Place falafel in single layer. Air fry at 350° F for 15 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden brown.

For a fabulous dinner meal, make Air Fryer Falafel, Garlic Bagel Everything Hummus or Tzatziki, and the Mediterranean Kebab Salad. Enjoy!

–Kim

Print Recipe

Air Fryer Falafel

Air Fryer Falafel is a healthy combination of chickpeas, fresh parsley and cilantro, onion and spices: garlic, coriander, cumin, and cayenne pepper. It only takes 30 minutes to prepare and chill, 15 minutes to air fry, and seconds to fall in love with it.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Chill Time25 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: air fryer, healthy, mediterranean

Servings: 6 people

Author: Kim Melanson

Equipment

• Air fryer

Ingredients

• (based on recipe from thekitchn.com)
• 1 1/3 cup (8 oz) dried chickpeas see note
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup fresh parsley
• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• ½ small onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ cup chickpea flour or all-purpose flour

Instructions

• Place dried chickpeas and ¼ teaspoon baking soda in large bowl. Cover with cold water until a few inches above chickpeas. Cover and let sit on counter for 18-24 hours. Drain and rinse with fresh water. Drain again.
• In food processor, add chickpeas and all remaining ingredients, except chickpea flour. Pulse until smooth. Scrape sides and pulse again. Add chickpea flour and pulse until mixture comes together.
• Add to covered bowl and refrigerate for 25 minutes.
• Using a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop mixture onto baking sheet. Press tops slightly to resemble pucks (for better cooking surface).
• Can freeze falafel balls at this point.
• Spray air fryer with non-stick cooking spray. Place falafel in single layer. Air fry at 350° F for 15 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden brown.
• Serve falafel with garlic hummus sauce or tzatziki sauce.

Notes

Soaked chickpeas create the best texture because they are not already cooked. But if you are in a time crunch and cannot soak the chickpeas long enough, you can substitute for 3 (15.5oz) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed. You may need to add more chickpea flour to the finished product so it’s more cohesive.