A flavorful and authentic Falafel with Lemony Tahini Sauce that will blow your mind! Use fresh chickpeas and a muffin tin to create one of the most popular dishes in the Middle East.
One of the most popular vegetarian dishes is falafel. It’s loved by all, filled with protein from the chickpeas, and bursting with delicious flavor thanks to some really tasty herbs and spices. This homemade version can be either baked or fried, and we love it in a pita with hummus, on a salad, or by itself dipped in lemony tahini. The crispy outside of a properly-cooked falafel is so delicious and satisfying we could eat it every day!
What is Falafel?
Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty made of mostly chickpeas or fava beans (or even both!). They’re soaked and then ground up with delicious spices before being cooked. It’s a Middle Eastern food traditionally served in a pita pocket and drizzled with tahini sauce. Falafel is a naturally vegan food that’s also filled with protein, so it’s super popular!
Can I Bake Falafel?
Yes! While it’s usually fried, you can make a homemade falafel that is baked. We’ve included instructions to make it both ways!
Tips on How to Make Falafel at Home
It is surprisingly easy to make your own falafel right in your own kitchen. Here are our best tips for making restaurant-quality falafel at home!
- Use soaked dry chickpeas. Canned beans will not yield the same results. You just need a little planning to remember to soak the chickpeas the night before.
- Don’t skimp on the spices! they add a ton of flavor to the falafel.
- Add a lot of herbs. This is for flavor and to achieve that beautiful green color. If you don’t like cilantro add more parsley and some fresh mint.
- Do not cook the soaked chickpeas. This will yield a true falafel texture.
- Use a food processor. Pulse the ingredients to combine into a coarse mixture.
- Rest. Let the falafel rest for 20 minutes in the fridge before cooking.
- The falafel mixture may be a little sticky. Just slightly wet your hands and roll the falafel balls by transferring them from hand to hand or use a small ice cream scoop.
- Use mini muffin tins! Coat them with a generous amount of oil spray before putting the formed patties in. Bake or fry for a crispier texture.
- Freeze. If you want to freeze falafel, do it after cooking.
What to Serve with Falafel
This is the best part: eating your homemade falafel! Serve falafel with tahini sauce, Israeli salad, pickles, and hot sauce. Yum! Here are a few favorite recipes for serving alongside falafel:
More Falafel Recipes!
- Falafel-flavored Gluten-free Crackers
- Falafel Veggie Burger with Avocado Tahini Cream
- Falafel Bowl with Avocado and Tahini Sriracha
More Chickpea Recipes You Will Love
- Shawarma Spiced Chickpeas
- Cauliflower Bowl with Harissa Roasted Chickpeas
- Homemade Falafel with Lemony Tahini Sauce
- 20-Minute Shakshuka
- Creamiest Homemade Hummus
- Mashed Butternut Squash with Spiced Chickpeas
- Easy Hummus Recipe with Shawarma Mushrooms
- Shawarma Chickpea Rice Bowl
- Braised Curried Kale with Spiced Chickpeas
- Kale Salad with Chickpeas and Tempeh Bacon Bits
- Easy Pasta Salad with Chickpeas
- Fennel and Chickpea Stew
- Moroccan Harira Soup
- The Ultimate Grillable Veggie Burger
- Easy Tomato and Chickpea Salad
- Roasted Beet Hummus
- Chana Masala Over Celeriac Puree
- Cauliflower Chickpea Sheet Pan Dinner
- Wheat Berry and Chickpeas Soup
- Eggplant and Chickpea Curry
- Buddah Bowl
- Watermelon Steak Salad
- Cashew Ricotta Pizza
- Cauliflower Salad with Spiced Chickpeas
- Smashed Chickpea Salad
- Quinoa, Chickpea and Beet Burger
- Roasted Vegetables and Chickpeas with Cheese Croutons
- Food Memories Salad
- Sweet and Savory Moroccan Couscous
This post was originally published in June 2012 and updated on August 30, 2020
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Falafel with Lemony Tahini Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 falafel balls 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A flavorful and authentic Homemade Falafel with Lemony Tahini Sauce that will blow your mind! Use fresh chickpeas and a muffin tin to create one of the most popular dishes in the Middle East.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw dried chickpeas, soaked overnight. See Note 1
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley
- 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp sweet paprika or hot paprika if you want your falafel spicy
- ¼ tsp grpund allspice
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1/16 tsp ground cardamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Cooking spray
For the Lemony Tahini Sauce
- ½ cup tahini (sesame paste)
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup of cold water
For the Tomato Cucumber Salad
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes, multicolor, if available
- 1 cup chopped cucumbers, preferably Persian or Seedles
- 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼-½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven at 400F
- Generously spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray
- Combine parsley and cilantro in the food processor, pulse until very finely chopped.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the olive oil and baking powder to the food processor
- If baking the falafel, pulse a few times until all the ingredients are well combined, but not completely smooth. Check the image on the post for texture. If frying the falafel, process the falafel mixture until smooth otherwise it will fall apart in the frying oil.
- Place mixture in a bowl, add olive oil and baking powder and mix well
- Place the mixture in the fridge and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Using your hands, or a small ice cream scoop form small balls and place them in the mini muffin tin. The mixture will be a little loose, just squeeze it in your hands and transfer from hand to hand until you form a loose falafel ball. You should use approximately 2 teaspoons per falafel ball. To make it easier for form the falafel balls, use a small ice cream scoop, pressing the mixture tightly and then releasing it into the mini muffin tin cavities. See Note 3.
- Generously spray falafel with oil spray
- Bake at 400F for 15 minutes or fry in abundant oil about 2 minutes per side.
To make the lemony tahini sauce:
- In a medium bowl add tahini, lemon and salt and mix well with a fork. The tahini will thicken and will become like a thick paste. At this point, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. Mixing well after adding each tablespoon. Add water until you reach the desired consistency. If making the tahini sauce ahead, note that it will thicken in the fridge and you may have to add a little more water to loosen it.
For the tomato and cucumber salad
- Place tomatoes and cucumber in a bowl and add olive oil, lemon and salt. Mix well.
Notes
- IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS RECIPE YOU WILL NEED TO SOAK THE CHICKPEAS OVERNIGHT IN TWICE THEIR VOLUME OF WATER.
- IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO FREEZE THE FALAFEL FREEZE ALREADY BAKED.
- The falafel mixture may be a little sticky or loose just slightly wet your hands and roll the falafel balls by transferring them from hand to hand or use a small ice cream scoop. If you are having a hard time forming the balls, return mixture to the food processor and pulse a few more times until it the balls hold together better.
- Category: entree
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 falafel balls
- Calories: 182
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 420
- Fat: 7
- Unsaturated Fat: 4
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 24
- Fiber: 5.5
- Protein: 8.2
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: falafel, recipe, tahini, what is falafel, how to make falafel,
Apples and Arteries says
I can't wait to try this!
mayihavethatrecipe says
Hope you enjoy it!! Let us know what you think!!
Caitlin says
i need to make these, they look delicious! and i love that you baked them in muffin tins! so creative 😉
mayihavethatrecipe says
Thank you!! We love using muffin tins, they make the process so much easier!! Hope you enjoy them!!! 🙂
Lisa 0. says
These are soo easy to make, delicous and healthy!! how much better could you get??
M.S. says
I'm making these tomorrow and I've never used dried chick peas so I have a novice question before I end up with 24 bad balls. Your recipe says raw chick peas, so I take it that means just soak, but don't boil for the hour (like the package and goggle say). Is that right?
mayihavethatrecipe says
Soak the Chickpeas overnight, rinse them well and do not cook them just put them in the food processor with the other ingredients to make the falafel balls. Let us know how they come out!
M.S. says
These are fantastic and crazy easy. And they are just as good 2 days later out of the fridge. Thank you for such a simple recipe with great flavours. This will be a recipe I add to my collection.
mayihavethatrecipe says
Great. Who would have thought falafel was so easy to make! So glad you liked it. We love to hear feedback so please keep sharing!
Ann Mah says
Ooh, BAKED falafel -- genius. I also love the addition of lemon zest. You don't, by any chance, have an idea what might be in that addictive green chili sauce, do you?
mayihavethatrecipe says
Hmm... Not quite sure. We'll do some research and let you know 🙂
Dionne says
So excited to try this! I loooove falafel and like you, never thought to try to make it at home. I've been dying for fresh and light recipes, and it's on my grocery list. I'm going to only cook the balls that I'm going to eat for lunch and freeze the rest and bake them off as needed. Hopefully that will work out well! 🙂
mayihavethatrecipe says
That's a great idea. You might be able to bake them all and freeze them already cooked, then all you have to do is defrost them and heat them up.
Thanks for trying our recipe!
the wicked noodle (@thewickednoodle) says
I absolutely love falafel! Your photos are gorgeous.
mayihavethatrecipe says
Thank you very much Kristy. Have a great weekend !
berealyoga says
Wow, I'm so excited about these! I've never seen a recipe where you don't have to cook the chick peas in advance! Thank you for this!
Vicky & Ruth says
Raw chickpeas give the falafel its unique taste and texture. Hope you enjoy it!! 🙂
Yosef - This American Bite says
Congrats! This recipe has been nominated to win my Inspired Recipe of the Year Award. The shortlist will be announced on 12/30/2013.
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you. We have been wanting a Le Creuset for a long time, may be we will win!
Yosef - This American Bite says
You are a finalist for my most inspired recipe of 2013. The winner recives a 5.5qt Le Creuset dutch oven and voting is open until 1/8/2014 and you can vote here: http://www.thisamericanbite.com/2013-best-recipes/
Get your fans voting with this badge for your website http://bit.ly/198TklA or share this post http://on.fb.me/1dkqUti
Angela says
This falafel recipe sounds delicious. Could I use garbanzo flour in place of the raw chickpeas?? I was just given a bag of Bob's Red Mill chickpea flour and can't wait to try it. Thanks.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
We don't think the recipe will work with Garbanzo flour, but we have a couple of recipes with garbanzo flour that you can try:
https://mayihavethatrecipe.com/2013/10/23/savory-chickpea-flour-scallion-pancakes-with-greek-yogurt-caper-sauce/
https://mayihavethatrecipe.com/2014/09/05/gluten-free-falafel-crackers/
Sue says
can you use canned chick peas? would this work as good as the raw?
Vicky & Ruth says
We don't think it will be the same if you use canned chickpeas. They may get too mushy, but if you are going to try, please let us know the results, we are curious. Enjoy!
Pete says
My wife and I love this recipe - texturally the falafel is inferior vs frying but certainly much healthier - thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you Pete, we agree with you, but we feel that once you add tahini and the salad you can enjoy it even without frying it.
Jennifer K Considine says
Just made this to add to our lunch boxes for next week. My husband and I loved them so much that we might need to make another batch for our lunches!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
This falafel is great for lunch!
Andrea says
first time ever making felafel, and oh my goodness, this is AMAZING. Time-consuming, and you won't think the balls of felafel will stick together, but so, so worth it. I will triple the recipe next time to have some in the freezer!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you Andrea! So happy you liked the recipe.
marciabattles says
your sauce sounds great but what is the sauce with cucumber i like that one
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you for your comment. There are 3 recipes in a row for the Baked falafel. The last one is the tomato cucumber sald
Vyk says
These look incredible!
It’s morning where I am, if I soak my chick peas now could I make them tonight or do they need 24 hours to soak?
Thank you
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi!
We just realized that our reply did not go through for some reason. Our apologies!!!
The chickpeas can be soaked in the morning to use at night. Once again, our apologies for the delay 🙁
Kim says
This is going to be the dumbest question but do you cook the soaked chickpeas?
Vicky & Ruth says
It is not a dumb question at all. No, you do not cook the soaked chickpeas. Let us know what you think about our falafel recipe
DONNA SIMEK says
Mine came our very dry. Any thoughts?
Vicky & Ruth says
Did you spray it generously with cooking spray? Also this falafel since it's not fried it is meant to be eaten with the salad and tahini sauce to give it some additional moisture.
Lisa T says
These are very good! I forgot the 20 mins rest in the fridge & they still turned out well. Nice & easy - I will definitely make them again. Delicious with salad or dipped in tahini sauce. Thank you!
Susan Nathan says
Yum yum yum!!!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you Susan!
Annette Moschella says
So I made this recipe on 9.2.2020. Though it tasted delicious I was not able to roll into balls. It was too wet so I added about 1/4 C of almond flour . Still would not roll so using a cookie scoop I pressed down to try to compact mixture. I managed to get into muffin tins but still did not compact into round shape that held its shape and they looked like muffins when finished baking. Wonder what went wrong - did I not process enough? I processed the parsley then let it sit a while - could that have created more liquid than needed?
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Annette, we are so sorry that the recipe didn't work out as expected. Letting the parsley sit may have caused excess moisture. We would recommend that you process the falafel mixture a little longer in the food processor until the falafel balls are able to hold together. We will add a note in the recipe based on your feedback. Let us know if processing the falafel longer makes a difference for you.