Air Fryer Falafel Recipe

Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside Air Fryer Falafel are brightly herbaceous, vegan-friendly chickpea patties—perfect for meat-free meals!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 16

Soak Time 8

Total Time 9 16

Servings falafel

Calories 49kcal

In a medium bowl, cover the dried, uncooked chickpeas with 4 cups of cold water. Soak at room temperature overnight or up to 24 hours.
Drain the chickpeas and pat them very dry. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin, coriander, and pepper. Cover and process for about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides and bottom of the food processor as needed, until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, then let chill in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.
Sprinkle the baking powder evenly over the falafel mixture. Fold the mixture gently until the baking powder is absorbed.
Use a 1 ½-tablespoon sized triggered-cookie scoop to form the mixture into balls (33 to 35g each). With slightly wet hands, pack the balls firmly but gently into a disc shape, about ½ to ¾-inch thick. Set aside on a plate.
Spray the basket of an air fryer with cooking spray. Place half of the falafel in the air fryer, leaving space between each. Spray the tops with cooking spray. Air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes. Flip each falafel, then spray once more with nonstick spray. Air fry for another 6 to 8 minutes until the falafel are golden brown and crispy.
Serve the falafel with warm pita and tahini sauce.

Make them spicy! Add some heat to the falafel by adding ½ to ½ teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes along with the other spices.
Don’t skip or rush the soaking step. Since we’re starting with dried chickpeas, we need to rehydrate them properly. This will ensure they’re crisp on the outside with some texture on the inside but not unpleasantly hard in the middle. While dried legumes will last pretty much indefinitely on a shelf, the older your dried chickpeas are, the longer they’ll take to soak. For “fresh” dried beans (under 1 year), you can usually get away with just an 8-hour soak. For older ones, it may take 12-24 hours.
Don’t rush the resting step, either! This is crucial for allowing the flavors to develop and for the interior pieces of the chickpeas to continue to rehydrate and soften.
If the falafel mixture sticks to your hands during shaping, dampen them with cool water or spritz them with oil or nonstick cooking spray.