Falafel

"A Middle Eastern delight. I don't know how authentic this recipe is but it is my favorite."
 
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photo by Swirling F. photo by Swirling F.
photo by Swirling F.
photo by brianna.artz photo by brianna.artz
photo by sophietorrens9 photo by sophietorrens9
photo by Oliver1010 photo by Oliver1010
photo by Ssiilluminati photo by Ssiilluminati
Ready In:
38mins
Ingredients:
22
Serves:
4
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ingredients

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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

  1. 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.
     
  2. This is SO good! It's become a regular favorite in my house. I like to skip forming it into patties and frying in a skillet more like loose hashbrowns, then mixing everything together with the vegetables and sauce in a bowl before putting into the pita pocket. Thanks!
     
  3. 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.
     
  4. This was a very good recipe, but you HAVE to fry it. Baked falafel is way too dry... the only way to keep it from drying out is the oven is to put oil on it, so you might as well just fry it! I added one egg to the mixture to help it stay together while frying.
     
  5. Again there are variations of all recipes. Adding about a 1/4 cup of tahini and a squeeze of lemon gives it more flavor. I also recommend using curly parsely instead of cilantro.
     
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Tweaks

  1. 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!
     
  2. 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!
     
  3. See above comment.
     
  4. 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.
     
  5. I absolutely love falafel and have been searching for a good recipe. This one is it!! Great recipe with fantastic flavor. So much better than the mixes. Instead of pita pockets I used sun-dried tomato wraps. Fabulous!! Thanks :)
     

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