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    Home » Recipes » Air Fryer

    Air Fryer Falafel

    Published: Oct 19, 2022 by Kristen Wood - This post may contain affiliate links.

    Skip to Recipe Pin Recipe

    Crispy and tender air fryer falafel made with delicious, nutritious ingredients. Naturally gluten-free and vegan.

    A close shot of a falafel ball with a bite taken out of it revealing its green insides.
    Jump to:
    • ❤️ Why You Will Love This Recipe
    • 🥣 What You Will Need To Make This Recipe
    • 🌿 Ingredients and Substitutes
    • 🔪 How-to Make Air Fryer Falafel
    • 🍽️ Serving Ideas
    • 🥡 Storing and Reheating
    • ♨️ More Delicious Air Fryer Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ❤️ Why You Will Love This Recipe

    • It's a super easy falafel recipe!
    • Air-fried falafel makes excellent leftovers or a nutritious meal prep idea.
    • Packed with flavor and protein.
    • This is very much a traditional falafel recipe - just made in the air fryer!
    • The outside is crispy golden and the inside is vibrant green and tender.
    • Versatile and can be served in a large variety of ways.
    • Naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, soy-free, nut-free, and flour-free.
    A speckled ceramic plate topped with crispy golden falafel drizzled with white sauce.

    🥣 What You Will Need To Make This Recipe

    Air fryer: Needless to say, when you are making an air fryer falafel recipe, you need an air fryer! These days, I like to use this air fryer.

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    Blender or food processor: A good quality blender or food processor is needed to process the ingredients and form the falafel batter.

    Mixing bowl: A large mixing bowl is needed for combing the ingredients.

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    A close shot of falafel drizzled with tzatziki resting on a white ceramic plate.

    🌿 Ingredients and Substitutes

    Dried chickpeas: Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, make up the bulk of this recipe, so I do not recommend replacing them. Soaking dried chickpeas in water before pulsing in a blender or food processor produces the perfect falafel texture and flavor. I do not recommend using canned chickpeas in this recipe.

    Parsley and cilantro: Parsley and cilantro are responsible for the vibrant green falafel dough and a lot of the flavor. If you are not a cilantro fan, you can replace it with more parsley or fresh mint if you prefer.

    Onion and garlic: No good falafel would be without the flavor base that garlic and onion provide. You can use white, yellow, or red onions in this recipe.

    Spices: A combination of cumin, coriander, dill, and cayenne provide a classic falafel flavor. If you are not a fan of one of these, you can replace it with more of another used in this recipe.

    Baking powder: Baking powder helps the falafel mixture turn golden brown in the air fryer, as well as contributes to the fluffy tender insides of this falafel recipe.

    Sugar: You wonder what sugar is doing in this recipe, but trust me, it simply helps bring out the flavor of the spices and chickpeas, much like salt does, just in a slightly different way. Having said that, if you would prefer not to use it, you can omit it for very similar results. I like to use coconut sugar.

    Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil helps the dough stick together and provides flavor and crispiness to this recipe. You can replace it with any oil you prefer. Avocado oil and grapeseed oil also work well.

    Crispy falafel stuck in white pita bread drizzled with sauce and topped with fresh green herbs.

    🔪 How-to Make Air Fryer Falafel

    A blender container filled with garbanzo beans.
    1. Soak and drain chickpeas.
    A silver mixing bowl filled with blended chickpeas.
    2. Blend soaked chickpeas and place into a large mixing bowl.
    A clear plastic blender container filled with herbs and spices.
    3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor.
    A clear plastic blender container filled with green batter.
    4. Blend until smooth.
    A silver mixing bowl filled with green falafel batter.
    5. Add the mixture to the chickpea mixture. Mix until well combined.
    A greased air fryer basket filled with uncooked green falafel balls.
    6. Using wet hands, shape the falafel mixture into rounds and place them into an air fryer basket that has been sprayed with oil.
    Crispy golden falafel balls resting in a black air fryer basket.
    7. Air fry.
    A white speckled ceramic plate topped with brown falafel balls.
    8. Enjoy!

    🍽️ Serving Ideas

    • Serve on top of a salad for a bit of extra protein and texture.
    • Serve in warm pita bread with diced tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese, hummus, and a good tahini sauce.
    • Serve appetizer-style with a good dipping sauce such as tzatziki sauce.
    • Serve with this baked feta with fresh herbs and olives.
    • Drizzle with a good hot sauce.
    • Serve between toasted bread or buns with fresh veggies for a falafel sandwich.
    • Serve over rice with a favorite condiment.
    Top view of a white plate topped with golden falafel, fresh green herbs, white tzatziki sauce and pita bread.

    🥡 Storing and Reheating

    You can store leftover falafels in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. You can also store air fryer falafel in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. To reheat, pop the refrigerated or frozen falafel into an air fryer at 400°F for about 10 minutes or until warm throughout. Alternatively, you can pop the falafel patties on a baking sheet and reheat in a 350°F oven until warm.

    Close shot of a falafel ball with a bite taken out of it.

    ♨️ More Delicious Air Fryer Recipes

    Air Fryer Hush Puppies

    Air Fryer Halloumi

    Air Fryer Cauliflower

    Air Fryer Summer Squash

    Air Fryer Parsnips

    Crispy falafel balls topped with white sauce and green herbs resting on a plate with pita bread.

    📖 Recipe

    Air Fryer Falafel

    Crispy and tender air fryer falafel made with delicious, nutritious ingredients. Naturally gluten-free and vegan.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
    Course: Appetizers, Entrées, Sides, Snacks, Vegan
    Cuisine: Egyptian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Chickpeas Soaking Time: 12 hours
    Total Time: 12 hours 30 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Author: Kristen Wood

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups dried chickpeas soaked in water for 12-24 hours, then drained
    • 1 cup fresh parsley stems included
    • 1 cup fresh cilantro stems included
    • 1 onion red, yellow or white, halved
    • 8 garlic cloves
    • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
    • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
    • 2 ½ teaspoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
    • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar optional
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper omit if you do not want subtle heat
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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    Instructions

    • The day before making the recipe, be certain to soak the dried chickpeas in water for at least 12 hours, then drain before moving on to the next step.
    • In a blender or food processor, add the soaked chickpeas and blend until mostly smooth (it's okay if there are a few chunks of chickpeas throughout). Place the blended chickpeas into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
    • To the same blender or food processor, add the parsely, cilantro, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, baking powder, black pepper, dill, sugar, cayenne and olive oil.
    • Blend until smooth.
    • Add the green mixture to the chickpeas in the mixing bowl, then mix by hand until well combined.
    • Spray the air fryer basket with oil.
    • Using wet hands, grab golf ball-sized mixtures of falafel batter and shape into rounds. Place the falafel rounds in single layer of the sprayed air fryer basket, working in batches if necessary.
    • Air fry at 370°F for 15 minutes, or until the falafel is crispy and golden brown. Repeat with any remaining batter.
    • Enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 5falafel balls | Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 1599mg | Potassium: 1096mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1681IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 232mg | Iron: 9mg

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    Have you tried this recipe?Please Rate + Comment Below!
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    More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Air Fryer Recipes

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    • Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash
    • Air Fryer Parsnips
    • Air Fryer Halloumi
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tara says

      October 19, 2022 at 11:03 pm

      5 stars
      My husband loves falafel so I'm bookmarking this recipe for the future. Love the suggested seasoning and spices in this. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    2. Charla says

      October 19, 2022 at 10:58 pm

      5 stars
      I cannot wait to try this recipe it looks so good.

      Reply
    3. Suja md says

      October 19, 2022 at 8:28 pm

      5 stars
      Outstanding recipe thanks so much! tasted so much good!

      Reply
    4. MacKenzie says

      October 19, 2022 at 7:24 pm

      5 stars
      Can’t wait to try! This recipe looks perfect. I will plan accordingly to soak the chickpeas.

      Reply
      • Kristen Wood says

        October 19, 2022 at 8:16 pm

        Thank you! I hope you enjoy. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Gina Abernathy says

      October 19, 2022 at 6:47 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! Super, easy, and packed with lots of flavor.

      Reply
      • Kristen Wood says

        October 19, 2022 at 8:16 pm

        So happy to hear that! Thank you!

        Reply

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    kristen wood

    About Kristen Wood

    Hi, I'm Kristen! A mama, food writer, photographer, recipe developer, and cookbook author. I enjoy sharing both wildly creative and ridiculously practical gluten-free vegetarian recipes that are approachable for all. Welcome!

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