Crispy Vegan Falafel Recipe

Mumma always said sharing is caring.

Falafel is universally loved. Seriously, I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t enjoy them. Light and fluffy with a crispy exterior and fully flavoured with herbs and spices, it’s easy to see why they are.

I have made many falafels over my years of cooking. It was one of the first ever dishes I made when I moved out of home. Back then I didn’t have a food processor, so I used to mash the chickpeas with a potato masher. This process takes forever and never gave proper smooth falafels but they still tasted amazing and 100% worth the pain. The recipe for my falafel has stayed pretty much the same over the years with a few tweaks here and there. I finally have the perfect Falafel recipe and am so excited to share it with you!

This falafel recipe ticks all the boxes:

✔️Super simple to make require only 9 super simple ingredients

✔️ Full of flavour from the herbs and spices

✔️ Super crispy and golden brown on the outside

✔️ Fluffy and moist interior

✔️ Other than the soaking time for the chickpeas and resting time for the dough, the falafel recipe comes together in minutes!

✔️ Healthy and full of plant protein

✔️ Gluten-Free & Vegan!

✔️ Easy to make in big batches and prep ahead

Watch the video for Crispy Vegan Falafel Recipe here:

3 tips for the perfect falafels

1. You must must must use dried chickpeas! I use to think it was fine using canned ones until I tried using dried chickpeas. I’ve never looked back. The reason canned chickpeas don’t really work is because they are too wet.
   
2. Some recipes say to add baking powder, some don’t. Imo the baking powder helps make the falafel extra fluffy.
   
3. Do not skip soaking the chickpeas or try and get away with only soaking them for an hour or so. The need at the minimum 5 hours to make them soft enough. If you not you will have hard pieces of chickpea in your falafel. Not very nice, kinda of like biting a rock.

Cooking Falafels

Falafels are traditionally cooked by being deep fried which helps create that crispy dark crust, but this method requires a lot of hot oil in a frying pan and let’s just say I’m pretty clumsy and already have scares on me from hot oil so I prefer other cooking methods which also makes these falafels healthier – yay.

First one is pan fried in a little bit of oil. Olive oil (if you’re a purist) or sometimes I like to use coconut oil for a little bit of coconut flavour. This also adds some healthy fats to the dish.

Alternatively you could bake them in the oven by adding a generous amount of olive oil to baking tray. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 375°f/190°c for 30 minutes flipping half way through.

Serving Falafels

My favourite way to eat falafel is on fresh pita or Lebanese bread with hummus, shredded iceberg lettuce and tabbouleh drizzled with sriracha or some other kind of hot sauce.
Other sauces that go well with falafel are tzatziki, tahini, garlic sauce and lemon style yogurt sauce.

Otherwise falafels make for a great addition to a middle eastern style mezze platter or perfect topper for a salad.

Falafel is best served when freshly cooked so if you want to make ahead I would suggest not cooking them until serving time. The dough will last in the fridge for 5 days or frozen up to a month. Otherwise if you do cook them, just reheat in the microwave. You will loose some crunchiness tho!

USE #tillyeats or TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM @TILLYEATS IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, I LOVE SEEING YOUR CREATIONS!

Also if you could rate the recipe below I would be forever grateful – it makes me feel good ( yay internet points) and also helps me understand what you guys like 😛

Other Vegan recipes you might love!
– Creamy Cashew and Coconut Lentil Curry: Quick 20 minute Creamy Cashew and Coconut Lentil Curry that is packed full of Indian flavours and nutrients.
– Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burger : These Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers with caramelised onions are going to be your favourite veggie burger ever!

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NOTE: All images and text on this website are protected by copyright. Please do not post or republish this recipe/images without permission from me -Tilly. If you want to share this recipe, please share the link rather than the whole recipe. Thank you so much! 

Mumma always said sharing is caring.