Celebrate International Falafel Day with this easy-to-make recipe
These crispy, herby falafels bring together chickpeas, fresh herbs, lemon, and garlic, with a creamy tahini sauce served on the side.
Today is International Falafel Day – a foodie celebration in honour of crispy, golden chickpea fritters that have taken on a whole new life through thousands of TikTok and Instagram twists, from loaded wraps to falafel bowls.
If you want your falafel to taste like the kind you buy from a great little takeaway, the trick is texture. You want a crisp shell and a soft middle. The second trick is the extras. Falafel is brilliant on its own, but it becomes a full meal when you add chopped cucumber and tomato, shredded lettuce, red onion, and pickles. Then finish with tahini sauce and a hit of chilli.
Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 15 mins | Serves: Four
Ingredients
• 2 x 400 g cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried well
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup fresh parsley
• ½ cup fresh coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp chilli flakes, optional
• 1 tsp salt
• Black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp flour or chickpea flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Oil, for frying, or a drizzle for baking or air frying
To serve:
• 4 pita breads
• Shredded lettuce
• Chopped cucumber and tomato
• Sliced red onion
• Pickles, optional
• Chilli sauce, optional
Tahini sauce:
• ⅓ cup tahini
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• ⅓ to ½ cup water
• Salt, to taste
Method
- Add the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, spices, salt, and pepper to a food processor.
- Pulse until the mix looks like a coarse, damp crumb. Do not blend into a paste.
- Tip into a bowl and stir in the flour and baking powder.
- Rest the mixture for 10 minutes, then shape into small balls or patties.
- For the sauce, whisk tahini, lemon, garlic, and salt, then add water a little at a time until creamy and pourable.
- To fry: Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the falafel for 2 to 3 minutes per side until deep golden. To bake: Brush with oil and bake at 200°C for about 20 minutes, turning once. To air fry: Spray with oil and cook at 190°C for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once.
- Serve with pita bread and tahini sauce for dipping.
