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–+ servings
closeup shot of crispy air fryer falafel.
5 from 1 vote
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Air Fryer Falafel

Air Fryer Falafel is tender and flavorful inside, and crispy on the outside. It's easy to make with just a small amount of oil.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
4 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 12 oz dried chickpeas about 1 1/2 cups, soaked overnight
  • 2 shallots diced
  • 1 cup parsley tightly packed
  • 1 cup cilantro tightly packed
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour chickpea flour, or gluten-free flour blend
  • cooking spray

Instructions

  • Place the dried chickpeas in a large bowl. Fill the bowl with water, making sure that the water is about 3 inches higher than the chickpeas as it will absorb a lot of water. Let soak overnight. Rinse and drain the chickpeas.
  • Add the chickpeas, shallot, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, ground coriander, paprika, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and flour to a food processor. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to blend it in batches.
  • Pulse the food processor until the mixture is combined and coarse, scraping down the sides as needed. It should not be completely smooth.
  • Refrigerate the falafel dough for about 30 minutes.
  • Shape the falafel mixture into 1-inch balls. You should get about 18-20 total.
  • Spray the air fryer basket with the cooking spray. Place the falafel balls in the air fryer basket in a single layer with space in between. You may need to cook the falafel in batches depending on the size of your air fryer basket. Spray the top of the falafel balls with additional cooking spray.
  • Air fry at 350°F/180°C for 15-18 minutes, turning halfway through, until the falafel is golden and crispy.
  • Serve immediately with your favorite toppings or as part of a pita sandwich.

Video

Notes

  • 1 1/2 cups of dried chickpeas ends up being about 3 cups of soaked chickpeas. I do not recommend using canned chickpeas, as they have a bit of a metallic taste and not as good of flavor as the dried chickpeas.
  • I used a cookie scoop to portion out the falafel mixture into 1-inch balls and then rolls them in my head to smooth them out. You can either air fry them as balls or flatten them into disks.
  • This recipe makes 18-20 falafels. You may get more or less depending on the size of your balls. Keep in mind, if you make them bigger, you will need to cook them for longer. I would recommend if you do make them bigger to flatten them slightly so the center will cook evenly.
  • Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the "Air Fry" function.
  • Pro Tip: Check your food as it cooks. Each air fryer runs a bit differently. Sometimes airfrying is a trial and error process. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! When cooking a new recipe or food items be sure to check your food often to help avoid over/under cooking.
Have oven recipes that you’d like to convert to an air fryer recipe? Use our Air Fryer Calculator to help you estimate cooking times and temps! Calculator here: https://airfryereats.com/air-fryer-conversion-air-fryer-calculator/

Nutrition Information

Calories 360kcal | Carbohydrates 62g | Protein 18g | Fat 6g | Saturated Fat 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat 2g | Monounsaturated Fat 2g | Sodium 617mg | Potassium 964mg | Fiber 17g | Sugar 11g | Vitamin A 1855IU | Vitamin C 30mg | Calcium 144mg | Iron 8mg
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