Crispy Homemade Falafel in 30 Minutes

Proper falafel starts with soaked dried chickpeas, never tinned, blitzed with fresh herbs, garlic and warm spices. The result is shatteringly crisp on the outside and light and green inside. Serve stuffed into warm pittas with salad and tahini.

Great falafel is all about the chickpeas: use dried and soaked, never tinned, or the mix turns to mush and falls apart in the pan. Soak them the night before and the rest comes together in minutes. Blitz, chill, shape and fry for a crisp golden shell and a soft, herb-flecked centre that beats any shop-bought version.

Ingredients

• 250 g dried chickpeas — NOT tinned; soaked 12-24 hours in cold water
• 1 small onion — roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 30 g fresh flat-leaf parsley — leaves and soft stalks
• 20 g fresh coriander — leaves and soft stalks
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper — optional, for heat
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp plain flour — or chickpea flour
• 1 litre sunflower or vegetable oil — for deep-frying

Method

1. Drain the soaked chickpeas thoroughly and pat dry on a clean tea towel; they should have roughly doubled in size and be firm, not soft. Do not cook them first.
2. Tip the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley and coriander into a food processor. Pulse in short bursts, scraping down the sides, until you have a coarse, sandy mixture that holds together when pressed. Avoid over-blitzing to a paste.
3. Add the cumin, ground coriander, cayenne, salt, baking powder and flour. Pulse again just to combine. Tip into a bowl, cover and chill for at least 15 minutes to firm up.
4. Using wet hands or a tablespoon, shape the mixture into 16-18 small walnut-sized balls or patties, pressing firmly so they hold. If any feel crumbly, pulse the mix a little more.
5. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pan to 170°C, or until a cube of bread browns in about 40 seconds. Never leave hot oil unattended.
6. Fry the falafel in batches of 5-6 for 3-4 minutes, turning, until deep golden brown and crisp all over. Don't crowd the pan or the temperature will drop.
7. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Season with a pinch of salt and serve hot while the shells are at their crispest.

Serve it with

• Warm pitta or flatbread
• Tahini or garlic yoghurt sauce
• Chopped tomato, cucumber and red onion salad
• Pickled chillies or turnips
• A squeeze of lemon and a handful of fresh mint

Why this works

Soaked-but-raw dried chickpeas keep their starch intact, so the mix binds and fries crisp instead of turning to a wet, mushy paste like tinned chickpeas would. Baking powder aerates the middle for a lighter, fluffier bite.

Common swaps

• Swap coriander for extra parsley or fresh dill if you dislike it
• Use chickpea (gram) flour instead of plain to keep it gluten-free
• Bake at 200°C fan for 20-25 minutes, turning once and brushing with oil, for a lighter version
• Add 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds or a pinch of ground cardamom for extra fragrance
• Air-fry at 190°C for 12-15 minutes, brushed with oil

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using tinned or cooked chickpeas, which make a wet paste that disintegrates in the oil
• Blitzing to a smooth purée instead of a coarse, textured crumb
• Skipping the chill, so the mixture is too soft to hold its shape
• Frying in oil that's too hot or too cool, giving a burnt shell or greasy, raw centres

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Keep cooked falafel in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The uncooked shaped mixture also keeps chilled for a day.

Freezing: Freeze shaped raw or cooked falafel on a tray, then bag for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen, adding a minute or two, or reheat cooked ones straight from the freezer.

Reheating: Reheat in a hot oven at 200°C fan for 8-10 minutes to crisp them back up; avoid the microwave, which turns them soft.

Allergen notes: contains Gluten. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.