Do you love falafels? I crave falafels like some girls crave chocolate!! I used to run out of time time to make them. Mostly because of a lack of planning on my part. So, here’s what I do now when we crave falafels.
After dinner, I just pour 2 cups of dried chickpeas into a pot and cover with twice the amount of water and then enjoy my evening tea. Want the no fry recipe? You’ll find it below!
No Fry Falafels
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas*
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 small onion cut in quarters
- 3/4 cup parsley leaves chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves chopped
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp Muskoka Pantry Garlic & Herb Sea Salt
- Olive or Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- The day before you would like to eat falafel soak dry chickpeas in a large bowl or pot. Fill it with enough water to more than cover all the chickpeas. They will grow and absorb water. Soak overnight or for at least 18 hours.
- The next day: Drain the chickpeas completely and pat dry with paper towel. Transfer the “soaked” chickpeas along with the spices and other ingredients to a large food processor. If you have a small food processor like me, you’ll need to work in batches. Pulse and scrape down the sides of the food processor and blend again until the mixture is well combined, but not mushy.
- Refrigerate the falafel mixture in a large bowl or your food processor for about 45-60 minutes.
- Use a tablespoon to scoop the falafels and shape to form a ball or make a flat patty.
- Use the cooking spray to lightly spray the falafel balls. Or quickly roll them through a plate lined with oil and coat the balls or patties. Minimally grease the air fryer basket or pan if you’re baking falafels in the oven, otherwise they may stick to the pan.
- Heat the air fryer to 375ºF (190ºC) and set the timer for 12 minutes. Cook the falafel balls in the air fryer, flip them after 10 minutes. They should be crispy and slightly brown on the outside. You might need to fry them in batches if necessary.
- Serve hot over a large Greek salad with a side of hummus. Or make falafels sandwiches with pita bread with lettuce, tomato, cucumbers and a drizzle of tahini or hummus.
Makes approximately 20 falafels.
NOTES:
Don’t waste your time trying this recipe with canned or cooked chickpeas. You’ll just be sad and frustrated. It just doesn’t hold together nicely.
Also, sometimes, I need to add a flour to this recipe to get it to stick together better. I think this happens when the mixture is “under processed”. Have a 1/4 cup of flour on reserve .
