Recipes · Snacks & breakfast
Falafel from the Air Fryer
AI-written · not yet kitchen-tested
Falafel only work with dried chickpeas soaked overnight: cooked canned ones make a soft mush that falls apart in the hot air. A coarse grind (like grains of rice) and well-drained chickpeas matter just as much. Without a deep-fry bath, a crust only forms where there is oil on the surface. A basket of about 4 liters holds eight patties, so you cook in two batches.
This recipe was written with AI assistance and has not yet been kitchen-tested. Check quantities and times as you cook, and follow safe core temperatures for meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
Ingredients
- 200 g (7.1 oz) dried chickpeas soaked for at least 12 hours, not canned
- 1 yellow onion small, roughly chopped
- 3 clove garlic peeled
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems
- 0.5 bunch cilantro leaves
- 2 tsp ground cumin ground
- 1 tsp salt level
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 20 g (0.7 oz) chickpea flour
- 2 tbsp canola oil for greasing and brushing
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp cold water one tablespoon at a time
- 1 clove garlic small, finely grated
- 1 pinch salt
Method
- Soak the chickpeas in plenty of cold water (at least three times their volume) for 12 hours; they double in size. Do not use canned chickpeas, they will not give a mixture you can shape.
- Drain, rinse and let them drip for 10 minutes, then pat them dry on a kitchen towel. Roughly chop the onion, garlic and herbs.
- In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, salt and baking powder for 20 to 30 seconds to a grainy mixture the size of rice grains; it must not turn creamy. Stir in the chickpea flour.
- Test: squeeze some of the mixture together; it must hold but not feel greasy. If it is crumbly, knead in 1 tablespoon of water; if it is wet, add 1 tablespoon of chickpea flour. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, stir the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt together for the dip, then stir in the water one tablespoon at a time until it flows creamy.
- With damp hands, shape the mixture into 16 balls of about 1 1/4 oz (35 g) and press them into patties 5/8 inch (1.5 cm) thick. Brush the patties with oil.
- If the instructions for your air fryer call for preheating, preheat it for 3 minutes at 375 °F (190 °C). Grease the basket, put 8 patties in with space between them and cook at 375 °F (190 °C) for 15 minutes. Halfway through (after 8 minutes), turn them carefully with a flat spatula.
- To check, the falafel should be golden brown and firm outside, and a patty broken open should be greenish beige and dry-crumbly inside, not wet and pasty. If it is still damp, cook another 3 minutes.
- Cook the second batch the same way. The basket is hot, so take care when lifting it out. Serve the falafel warm with the tahini dip.
Tip: Run the food processor in short pulses only: a smooth paste turns dense and dry in the basket, a grainy mixture stays tender inside.
Tip: Shaped patties keep covered in the refrigerator until the next day; do not store the raw mixture with the onion and herbs any longer than that.