Extremely tasty crispy Falafel without the anxiety-inducing drama of deep frying! Truly, the air fryer has out done itself on this one. This falafel is flavorful and comes out perfectly crispy every time! The process itself is very straightforward, but you do need to plan ahead because the falafel will need to sit in the fridge for a few hours before you fry them. So, while you can exactly through this one together last minute, you can certainly meal prep it in advance to have on hand for the week or freeze for even later use! Regardless, the important factor is that you just make it! And yes- you can of course bake this in the oven as well. The air fryer is just my preferred method because it comes out crispy and the cook time is condensed. And YES you can also deep fry as well, though I would argue the air fryer results in equal crispiness without the added oil.
The prep for this recipe is very fast. About 15 minutes. To start, I simply use canned chickpeas. Just drain and dry the chickpeas on a few paper towels. Set aside.
Next you are going to need a food processor or blender to blend the onions, garlic and spices. You could finely chop the onions and garlic if you do not have access to a food processor or blender, but it will be more time consuming. I just used my nutribullet and it worked perfectly. You will only need to blend those ingredients for bout 30-60 seconds. Once complete, add the chickpeas and only pulse your blender 2 to 3 times until just blended, but not completely pureed. If you don’t have a blender you can mash the chickpeas with a fork and then mix together with the other ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Keeping all that content in the blender (or mixing bowl), add the baking powder and flour to the mixture. You will want to scrape the sides don’t and pulse again 2-3 times to make sure everything is mixing together without over mixing,
Now the time has come where we must wait. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. This is the minimum wait time, but you could also refrigerate overnight. Letting the mix sit will make it easier to form tight falafel balls but will also help meld the flavors together and be that much more delicious.
Once your mixture has refrigerated for at least 2 to 3 hours, preheat your air fryer to 350F. While the air fryer is preheating, take the mixture our of the fridge and form the mixture into 10 balls and set on a clean surface as you form the balls (i.e. plate or cutting board). If you notice the mix is too sticky to form a tight ball, you can add a little flour to your hands and/or work surface to help.
Completely transparently, I did spray the falafel balls with oil when I placed them in the air fryer to cook. This is totally optional if you are trying to be 100% oil free this is an easy one to omit on.
You may need to cook the falafel in batches depending on the size of your air fryer. My air fryer basket is pretty big so I was able to complete in one batch. Cook for 14 minutes, turning halfway, or until golden brown.
There you have it! Perfectly crispy falafel. Ready to enjoy in a gyro, as a side, with my homemade Tzatziki, or however else you like!
Crispy Falafel Air Fryer
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 15 ounce Chickpeas Equivalent of 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 Small Onion, chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup Parsley, roughly chopped loosely packed
- 1/3 cup Cilantro, roughly chopped loosely packed
- 1/3 cup Scallions (green onions), chopped
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 4 tsp All Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil, Or Olive Oil Spray. Or Omit if trying to remain oil-free
Instructions
To Prepare
- Drain and dry chickpeas on a few paper towels
- Place the onions and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade (note: I didn’t have a legit food processor so I used a nutribullet. You can use a hand blender or smoothie blender, whatever you have). Add the parsley, scallions, cilantro, cumin, salt, and red pepper flakes
- Process until blended 30 to 60 seconds, then add the chickpeas and pulse 2 to 3 times until just blended, but not pureed
- Sprinkle in the baking powder and the flour, scape the sides of the bowl down with a spatula and pulse 2 to 3 times
- Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate (covered) 2 to 3 hours
- Form the falafel mixture into 10 balls. Note: If it’s too sticky you can add a little flour to your hands and your work surface
- Preheat the air fryer 350F
- Spray the falafel with oil. Cook 14 minutes, (may need to do this in batches, my air fryer is pretty big so I was able to do in one batch) until golden brown, turning halfway
