Falafel is super super versatile. A simple chopped vegetable salad topped with tahini sauce and topped with falafel makes a delicious light and healthy lunch or dinner, ditch the calories a bit and enjoy a different recipe during the week. This recipe is easy to make and a lot of fun, and it tastes so delicious you'll love making it!
Preparing these falafel balls at home is a piece of cake. These are herbaceous, salty and the crunchy exterior gives way to a perfectly tender and tangy interior. But this perfect recipe, except for frying (which you could make in an air fryer), falafel is really very healthy! A perfect meal for vegetarians, and even vegan if you opt for the tahini instead of the yogurt sauce. You can make the falafel mix ahead of time so you're not running around later when you want to eat them, in fact, letting the mix sit overnight could even help when forming the balls. You can make the mixture up to 3 days in advance. Just be sure to refrigerate it in an airtight container until ready to go.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE FALAFELS
- 1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas, drained
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 shallot, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Tahini Sauce (for drizzling)
FOR YOGURT SAUCE
- 1/2 c. Greek yogurt
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. freshly chopped dill
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
FOR SERVING
- Pitas
- Chopped lettuce
- Halved cherry tomatoes
- Thinly sliced cucumbers
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine chickpeas, garlic, shallot, parsley, cumin, coriander, and flour and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until mixture is coarse and mealy—do not over blend!
- Form mixture into falafel balls about 2" in diameter, squeezing to compact. Transfer to chill in the refrigerator while oil heats.
- In a pot, heat 1” vegetable oil until a drop of water added to the oil sizzles and pops.
- Fry falafels until golden, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season immediately with salt.
- To make the yogurt sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, lemon juice, oil, and dill. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve falafels in a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber and drizzle with either sauce.