Why can't you use canned chickpeas for falafel?

Turns out that dried chickpeas are essential to good falafel. See, canned chickpeas have already been cooked. Starch molecules within them have already burst and released their sticky contents, much of which get washed away in the cooking liquid, leaving the remaining chickpeas with very little clinging power.

How do you make falafel less crumbly?

A binding ingredient can help keep it together, especially if you are using canned beans instead of dried . And the perfect binding ingredient for falafel is flour. Nothing fancy, just plain all-purpose flour. Add a few tablespoons at a time to your mixture, until you can press it easily into balls or patties.

How long does homemade falafel last?

The raw minced mixture is sometimes allowed to rest to integrate the flavours and textures, ideally refrigerated. Use the uncooked mixture within a day: cooked, refrigerated falafel should be eaten within three days.

How do you know when falafel is done?

Bake the falafel patties in the oil on the baking sheet, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides , 20 to 25 minutes.

Can you substitute canned chickpeas for dried in falafel?

Yes, you can make falafel from canned chickpeas instead of dry ones that you have to soak ahead of time . It's a huge time saver! Baked, not fried. This recipe uses significantly less oil, and they bake all at once for maximum efficiency.

Why does my falafel fall apart when I fry it?

If the mixture is too wet , the falafel has a tendency to fall apart when being fried so please pat dry the ingredients before using them. If you find the mixture is too wet, simply add little more breadcrumbs. The falafel mixture after prepared can be shaped by hand or with a tool called an alb falafel (falafel mold).

Cut Down on Prep Time With This Easy Falafel Recipe (2024)

Saad Fayed

A restaurateur and food writer, Saad Fayed has published hundreds of recipes and articles about Middle Eastern cuisine.

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Updated on 02/21/24

Tested by

Diana Andrews

Tested byDiana Andrews

Diana has served as head recipe developer and editor for the Emmy-nominated PBS series Moveable Feast, food editor and test kitchen manager at Fine Cooking Magazine, and recipe developer and product tester at Food Network.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 5 mins

Total: 15 mins

Servings: 4 servings

Yield: 18 falafel

236 ratings

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This easy falafel recipe brings together chickpeas and a handful of seasonings to create an enviable texture that's crispy on the outside and fluffy and moist on the inside. Falafel is a popular food in and around the Middle East, where vendors sell it on street corners in places such as Egypt, Greece, Syria, and Israel. It's also popular among vegetarians; falafel is flavorful, thanks to the parsley, garlic, cumin, and coriander, and it contains a good deal of protein because of the chickpeas.

Cut Down on Prep Time With This Easy Falafel Recipe (2)

Traditional falafel recipes use dried chickpeas and can be time consuming because of the soaking needed to make the chickpeas soft before you cook them. Proponents of this method believe that cooking the chickpeas from their dried state results in falafel that tastes better and doesn't fall apart when you fry it in a hot pan. (It helps to make sure your chickpeas are completely dry before you incorporate them with the rest of the ingredients.) This recipe, however, is for falafel from canned chickpeas, which cuts down on preparation time, and the flour helps to bind it. It's perfect for those who want an easy falafel recipe that can be made on a weeknight.

Falafel is great on its own, with chunks of cucumber, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and tahini sauce or a yogurt-based tzatziki sauce for dipping. Or tuck the falafel into a warm pita with any of those ingredients, along with some red onion, too. You can also serve it as part of a bigger meze spread with hummus, tabbouleh, and other dishes.

What You'll Need to Make This Falafel Recipe

A Great Garlic Press

A Zippy Food Processor

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil, more as needed

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper (to taste) in amedium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and combine well.
Mash chickpeas, making sure ingredients are thoroughly mixed together and mixture binds easily when shaped into a ball. (Alternatively, combine ingredients in a food processor. Pulse, then process, scraping down bowl occasionally with a silicone spatula, until mixture is mostly smooth, about 1 minute.) Add an extra tablespoon of flour if mixture is too sticky. The result should be a thick paste.
Form mixture into pingpong-sized balls. Slightly flatten.
Add oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high until oil shimmers. Shallow-fry falafel in batches to avoid crowding pan, 2 to 5 minutes per batch, flipping when browned on one side and adding more oil, if needed. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Serve falafel by itself, or with warm pita bread with veggies, or tahini sauce.

Can you replace all-purpose flour with chickpea flour?

Yes, you can replace the all-purpose flour with chickpea flour if you have it in your pantry. It would give the falafel an extra nutty taste and boost the protein content slightly from the chickpeas. You can even make your own chickpea flour if you like.

Recipe Variation

If you don't want to deep-fry or pan-fry the falafel, you can bake it instead. Here's how:

Heat the oven to 375 F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper. Place the falafel balls 3 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for an extra 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
934	Calories
85g	Fat
37g	Carbs
11g	Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	934
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 85g	109%
Saturated Fat 6g	32%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 608mg	26%
Total Carbohydrate 37g	13%
Dietary Fiber 9g	31%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 7mg	33%
Calcium 71mg	5%
Iron 4mg	22%
Potassium 388mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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Cut Down on Prep Time With This Easy Falafel Recipe (2024)

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

Can you replace all-purpose flour with chickpea flour?

Recipe Variation

FAQs

Why can't you use canned chickpeas for falafel? ›

References