Editors' Pick
Falafel
photo by Swirling F.
- Ready In:
- 38mins
- Ingredients:
- 22
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 4 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, halved
- 1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1⁄4 cup coarsely chopped of fresh mint
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1⁄2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- vegetable oil cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 pita pockets, warmed
- shredded lettuce
- chopped tomato
- sliced onion
-
Herbed Cucumber Yogurt
- 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 kirby cucumber, seeded and chopped
- sea salt
- pepper
directions
- To make Herbed Cucumber Yogurt: Add all yogurt ingredients to a mixing bowl; whisk to combine; cover and chill until ready to serve.
- To make Falafel: Add the scallions, garlic, cilantro, and mint to the container of a food processor; pulse until mixture is finely chopped.
- Add the chickpeas, breadcrumbs, cumin, baking powder, salt, and Tabasco; continue to pulse until the batter has the consistency of cooked oatmeal.
- Lightly oil hands and form mixture into 4 burger shaped patties.
- Spray each patty lightly with cooking spray.
- Let the olive oil get hot (but not smoking) in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Fry patties for about 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crisp.
- Transfer cooked patties to a paper-towel lined plate.
- Put cooked patty into warmed pita pocket with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and sliced onions.
- Serve with Herbed Cucumber Yogurt.
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Reviews
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Never thought I'd make a falafel recipe because I don't have a deep fat fryer and don't like to eat high fat foods. So I read the reviews and decided to make this by cooking it at 400F for 20 minutes. It turned out terrific! It browned very nicely. Since I didn't have a food processor, I used my blender and blended it in batches. It wasn't the optimal tool, but it worked. Since I was baking them I added the 2 tbsp oil to the falafel mix. It wasn't too much oil, and I think it helped it hold its shape. I really loved the yogurt in this recipe. It may have been tastier with a tahini sauce, but with the yogurt it was lower fat. I'll be making this again! BF loved it.
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This was the best falafel I have ever had! Really, it was better then any restaurant. I was nervous about the mint, I thought, how could that be in there, but I made it exactly as written anyway, and it was perfect. I just ate some plain, to try right away, but will probably make a tahini sauce to go with them for next time. I made extra, and flash froze them, so will let you know how they turn out once unthawed. I plan on heating them up in the oven after defrosting. Edit - I defrosted them in the microwave until heated through, and they tasted just as good as they did when fresh.
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Tweaks
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GREAT recipe! The falafel was a wonderful flavor. I did omit fresh mint and used a little dry instead. I used fresh parsley instead of cilantro and I chopped up a few dried, pitted dates and put them in the mixture. The patties formed really well. I cooked them in my air fryer instead of frying on the stove and they turned out perfectly. I added dill to the tazhiki sauce. Excellent recipe. Will make again!
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This recipe has become an obsession in our house - we can't get enough of it! We don't care if it's authentic or not, it's just fun, delicious food. I make the patties really small, using a small cookie scoop (1T.) for each, then flatten slightly into discs. Sometimes they fall apart a little while cooking and other times they hold up well - I'm not sure what the difference is (probably operator error) but I don't really care. We smush the falafel into our pitas anyway, so it doesn't matter in the end. I make tahini sauce instead of the cucumber sauce to keep it dairy free, then load on the toppings. This is fabulous, and the single most requested meal in our house. ** Updating to add that I've begun baking the falafel - it cuts the fat a bit and is handier than standing by the stove. I spray a little oil on a baking stone, lay on the falafel, and spray the tops of them. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes (no need to turn) and they're ready to go. Yum!
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These were tasty! I left out the cilantro and mint because I have never had falafel with those flavors in them before. I added parsley instead of the cilantro, and I thought they were delicious. They did not hold up very well when frying, as others have said, so next time I'll add a bit of water or an egg to help bind them. Flavor was right on for restaurant falafel! I served with some sour cream sauce and sliced cucumbers in the pita.
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