Crispy, golden, and bursting with fresh herbs, these air fryer falafels are everything you love about the classic, made simpler! No deep frying, no mess, just perfectly fluffy falafels that come together effortlessly in your kitchen!
Once you try making falafels in an air-fryer, there's no going back! Its an easy, hands off recipe that fits right into busy days yet is special enough when entertaining. Pile them into warm homemade pitas, with veggies and hummus, tuck them into wraps, or serve them over a salad, drizzled with a tahini dressing - they are wonderfully versatile and full of flavor in every bite.
Jump to:
What Is Air-Fryer Falafel?
Falafel is a fried patty made with chickpeas and spices. The popular Middle Eastern recipe originated in Egypt but has now become a much-loved dish all over the world. Although making falafel from scratch sounds complicated, it’s rather simple to put together.
Traditionally, falafels are deep-fried, but I wanted to take the easier route, so this I just air-fried them! In all honesty (and as a disclaimer), fried falafels taste amazing, but these air fryer falafels come close enough!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
✨ You get that golden crispy crunch without frying! No hot oil, no mess, air-fryer does all the work!
✨ These homemade falafels are easy, simple, and fuss-free to make.
✨ No fancy ingredients. There's a good chance everything you need to make these falafels is already in your kitchen!
✨ Perfect for meal prep! The falafel mixture keeps well in the refrigerator, so you can air-fry them whenever you want.
✨ They are so versatile! Excellent with pita, in wraps, in salads, grain bowls or just as a yummy snack with your favorite dip!
Recipe Ingredients
Chickpeas: For best texture and flavor, use dry chickpeas. These need to be soaked for 12-24 hours. I do have a delicious vegetable cheese falafel recipe that uses cooked chickpeas, but for this recipe, I recommend only dry chickpeas!
Herbs: Garlic and onion are aromatics that add depth and complexity to the flavor. Besides them, you can use any combination of herbs – cilantro, dill, parsley, or mint.
Sesame seeds bring in the nuttiness and that extra crunch.
Baking powder is a must! It gives the falafels an airy, soft texture.
Spices: Cumin and coriander are the traditional choices. I love the taste roasted cumin imparts. You can stick to regular cumin powder. Chili or paprika is optional. Use as little or as much as you like. If you want to make this crispy falafel recipe your own and up the heat, try green chilies.
Please see the recipe below for full information about ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Air Fryer Falafels
Step 1: Wash and soak chickpeas for 12 to 24 hours.
Step 2: Rinse and drain the soaked chickpeas and then pulse in a food processor with a half-small onion, garlic, parsley, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, and paprika.
Step 3: Mince to a coarse and granular texture, not smooth.
Step 4: Transfer into a bowl. Combine with sesame seeds.
Step 5: Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to up to even overnight.
Step 6: When you’re ready to air fry falafel, mix in baking powder. Shape the mixture into balls. Flatten it slightly with your palm.
Step 7: Brush both sides of the falafel with olive oil. Place in the basket of the air fryer in a single layer. Cook for 5 minutes.
Step 8: Flip the falafels and air fry for another 5 to 6 minutes or until crispy, brown, and cooked through.
Final step: Serve!
Top Tips
- Please don’t grind air fryer falafel into a very fine mixture. We want it a bit coarse, for that wonderful texture. You pulse for a few seconds, scrape the sides, and then pulse gain till everything is blended but still has structure. You’ve reached the right texture when you hold the mixture in your palms, which sticks together.
- Chilling the raw falafel helps the ingredients meld and ensures the mixture holds its shape better.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer. Leave sufficient space between falafels.
- 10 to 12 minutes worked for me, but I recommend keeping an eye on the falafels after the 8-minute mark because every air fryer is different. Yours may be faster or take longer!
How To Serve Air Fryer Falafels
Homemade falafel is a first-rate snack, but in my house, we love it in a meal with all the fixings.
- Stuff it in a homemade pita to make a sandwich
- Serve it as a wholesome side with classic hummus or tzatziki
- Dip it with labneh or even yum yum sauce for an easy appetizer
- Make it part of a mezze platter
- Add them to salads like this Greek salad, roasted sweet potato and chickpea salad, or a buckwheat tabbouleh salad.
How To Store Air Fryer Falafels
You can store cooked falafels in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Warm them up in the oven, stovetop, or air fryer.
You can also keep the falafel mixture in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Raw falafel patties can be frozen for 2 to 3 weeks. Store in a freezer-friendly bag.
📖 Recipe
Easy Air Fryer Falafel Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Chickpeas
- 1/2 Onion, chopped
- 7-8 cloves Garlic
- 1/2 cup Fresh parsley
- 2.5 tsp Cumin powder I used roasted cumin powder
- 2 tsp Coriander powder
- 1.5 tsp Paprika
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp Sesame seeds
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1-2 tbsp Olive oil, for brushing on top
Instructions
- Wash and soak the chickpeas for 12 to 24 hours.
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas well.
- Add the chickpeas, chopped onion, garlic cloves, parsley, cumin powder, coriander powder, paprika, and salt to your food processor.
- Mince to a coarse texture.
- Transfer to a bowl and mix in the sesame seeds.
- Cover and refrigerate this mixture for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- When you are ready to cook the falafels, mix in the baking powder.
- Shape the mixture into balls and flatten them slightly.
- Brush both sides of the falafels with olive oil and place them in the basket of your air fryer in a single layer.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 200 C/ 400 F. Flip them and continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes or until crispy and browned.
- Remove carefully from the basket and serve on a platter. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Please don’t grind air fryer falafel into a very fine mixture. We want it a bit coarse, for that wonderful texture. You pulse for a few seconds, scrape the sides, and then pulse gain till everything is blended but still has structure. You’ve reached the right texture when you hold the mixture in your palms, which sticks together.
- Chilling the raw falafel helps the ingredients meld and ensures the mixture holds its shape better.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer. Leave sufficient space between falafels.
- 10 to 12 minutes worked for me, but I recommend keeping an eye on the falafels after the 8-minute mark because every air fryer is different. Yours may be faster or take longer!
Shruthi Shetty says
Lovely and healthy!! Can we bake it oven ?? If yes what temperature and roughly how many minutes!!
Thank you
Natasha Minocha says
Hi Shruthi, yes these can be baked in the oven.
180 C for 15-18 minutes. Do flip them over once for even browning.
Hope this helps. Happy cooking! xoxo