Whipping up a batch of these after a late night at the bar
is not going to work, since soaking the dry beans overnight is a crucial step.
While you can use canned beans for this, word on the street is not to do it. Those
are cooked, and apparently just aren’t as good.
No matter what method you use to cook yours, I think you’ll
be surprised how close this is to your favorite falafel stand, assuming they
used the exact ingredients and amounts I did, which may not be the case. So, be
sure to taste and adjust until you get it just right. I really hope you get
this try very soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 12 falafel balls:
1 cup dried garbanzo beans aka chickpeas
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 rounded tablespoon flour
2 tsp lemon juice
- Fry at 350°F for about 5 minutes or until browned and
crispy
79 comments:
Hi Chef, can we use canned chickpeas for this?
What is your feeling on canned beans?
Hi Chef,
I see you went with an adaptation of the more modern Israli version. The Palestenian, or traditional versions, have no greens in them. Also, they are usually drier.
Btw, I almost never use flower, nor do I add baking soda nor lemon to activate it.
Regardless of these minor (or crucial if you're a purist) points, the real idea is to get the basics and then develop you're own recipe. This is a good step in the right direction. When you feel like experimenting I suggest trying it with a mixture of chickpeas and fava beans, and cilantro instead of half the parsly.
Enjoy!
Ha! What a coincidence, I just made a bowl of mixture yesterday, before the feed popped in my reader. As you are my most trustworthy source, I made the necessary additions before frying them. Pired with some tahini sauce and a salad, they are a perfect lenten meal.
There is always garbonzo flour for extra flavor ;). Great video as always, thanks!!
Thank you for making this video, chef John. I was very anxious to see your version of this wonderful dish.
Nonetheless, I have a few questions/conundrums in my mind. According to severeral so called traditional recipes I've found that they use the burghul kind of wheat instead of regular all-purpose flour. Having made them the two ways myself, I have come to the conclusion that the texture and the flavor (but mostly the texture) were way better with the former. So, is there any other reason, besides accessibility, to use plain flour instead of the burghul?
The other infpgredient that I thought you were going use to prepare the battter was some olive oil; though in I havent made falafels without it. I dont know for sure, but I think it adds some lightness and silkiness to the interior. Tell me what do you think.
Thats all chef. Sorry if I sound arrogant or as to appear knowledgeable. These are just genuine doubts, or, who knows, something that ends up being a tiny retribution to all the things I have learned from you.
The very best wishes to you,
Vicente
What's the dip featured in the video?
I didn't realize these were so easy to make. Can you use canned beans?
Hi Chef John! Can I use canned garbanzo beans for this?
Hi Chef John! Can I used canned garbanzo beans for this?
I'm willing to try making this, if only to see if the Falafel Pita I had last month was their fault. I'm one of those people that likes pretty much everything set in front of me and I like trying new things (I had never had it before), but I thought it was pretty bad.
People asking about canned beans, also know as people who didn't read the post, please see 2nd paragraph.
The sauce you saw was tahini sauce, it was our previous video.
hi Chief, great video as always, you should try amba sauce instead of tahini with it, that's the way we eat it back home
I've had really good luck with broiling falafels, personally. Just flatten them out and spray with cooking spray, and broil for a few minutes on each side. Works just as well as pan-frying, and less cleanup afterwards. :)
A pun a day keeps the appetite in play.
This looks amazing! I, apparently, have never had good falafel as I've always found them to be dry and tasteless, and pretty much awful (no pun intended). As a lover of chick peas, I must try this out for myself.
Let's say you make a double batch of the mix and you cook half. Do you think the remainder would keep in the fridge for 2 or 3 days to fry some up later? Or would it mess up the texture and or recipe. I live alone in the man cave and some days it's late when I get home from work. It would be great to get home and fry some up and sit down and fantasize about me and J Lo as I watch American Idol.
"Falafel"...feel-aw-ful! Man, that might have been your best, subtle word pun yet, Chef John. Congrats!
I've kept for a full day and it was fine, but not sure how much longer than that it will last.
Hey Chef John, how much flour do you think this recipe can take before it turns into a fala fail? Thanks!
Canned bean == cooked beans. You can't grind them to a meal, they will always turn o a paste - even in a grinder (which is better for falafel than a food processor)'
You can make humus from canned beans, but nit falafel.
Sorry, but I'm not sure, since I've never added more than the spoonful you see in the clip. Why? Are you trying to work more white flour into your diet? ;)
Another great recipe, Chef John. I must give this a try.
I'm not sure where I'm supposed to request this but I have a food wish for you. Here in Ireland Wheaten bread is eaten - I'm not sure whether this is also possibly a Scottish/English thing. Maybe it's American too! But could you do something on either making Wheaten bread or combining it with something.
I think I've had it toasted with cream cheese and smoked salmon. But I can't remember.
Thanks,
Mark
What kind of oil should I use in my deep fryer for these?
Thank you sir.
I don't own a sorbet scooper...what else do you suggest for perfect size?
I have done a ton of your recipes and always recommend your wedsite to people who tell me they don't really know how to cook and would like to learn. Made these falafels last night and was really pleased. I made your tahini sauce as well and even used homemade pita bread from the Artisan Bread In Five cookbook. I was so happy with how simple everything came together. Keep up the great work, you really are fun to watch and learn from.
I have done a ton of your recipes and always recommend your wedsite to people who tell me they don't really know how to cook and would like to learn. Made these falafels last night and was really pleased. I made your tahini sauce as well and even used homemade pita bread from the Artisan Bread In Five cookbook. I was so happy with how simple everything came together. Keep up the great work, you really are fun to watch and learn from.
Can you complete the Mediterranean trifecta and fulfill my foodwish with Tabbouleh?!?!?!
PS: I know you have posted your friend's version back in 2012 but I want the real Chef John's recipe!
@Jeremy - any vegetable oil will do.
@rancholyb - just make balks that are relatively uniform in size. Whwn I don't have my "authentic" falafel scooper (which is impossible to get in the US) I use a regular tablespoon to both measure and shape. Just dip it in cold water After each ball.
What type of oil did you use to pan fry them? Thanks!! Can't wait to try!
I used canola oil, but peanut, or other neutral-flavored, high-temp oil is fine!
Yes, what Azi said! ;)
Would this hold up in a waffle iron? I make a non-fried falafel waffle with store bought mix and a little extra water added. Holds the hummus better, 1/4 fits perfectly in a pita, and falafel waffle is fun to say. But I've failed before with a bad mix, and that falafel waffle was awful!
Would this hold up in a waffle iron? I make a non-fried falafel waffle with store bought mix and a little extra water added. Holds the hummus better, 1/4 fits perfectly in a pita, and falafel waffle is fun to say. But I've failed before with a bad mix, and that falafel waffle was awful!
Sorry, but I have to admit I don't even own a waffle iron! I imagine it work work though since it panfried quite well. Give it a try!
I must admit a falafel waffle is such an intriguing idea (especially when considering the crisp to sauce ratio) that it might be the idea that will make me buy an iron.
Hi chef
I recomend to add a fresh coriander
it will upgrade the flafel.
Flafel is an oriental arab food, it happens to be i'm one of them and also one of your fans.
God bless you
Last time I made this I used dried 'banzos, but I used to use canned. They tasted fine with canned, but always fell apart. Better with dried.
Thanks !
I have never dared to make these, this is the occasion ! I probably would add fresh cilantro...
Hi Chef John! Just tried your falafel recipe and, although I've been making falafel for many years, this is by far the best recipe yet.
But why am I surprised? Every one of your recipes that I've tried has come out perfect on the first attempt. Your videos make your recipes almost foolproof.
Whenever I'm looking for a specific recipe I always search your blog first because I know if I use you've made it, it will come out delicious and without any problems.
Your humor is great and some of my friends who don't even cook enjoy watching your videos. A few have even been inspired to attempt your recipes with great success. You take the intimidation out of cooking, even to the novice.
Love you, keep up the great work!
Thank you!!
Mine ended up disintegrating while frying, possibly because I didn't use enough flour or threw them all in at once and lowered the temperature enough to end up cooking them instead. The cleanup was still delicious, though!
Chef John, thanks for this. I have really tried to incorporate some meatless dinners. My boys (14,12,10) were watching your video with me. Watching it made them say, "I want to eat that." And I made it, and they ate it.
For those of you asking for canned beans alterations, I made them both ways. Canned chickpeas have so much liquid in them! So if you follow the recipe exactly you end up with mush that is crispy on the outside. I added more flour which gave you a denser gummy falafel. To counter the more flour added in I put just a tad bit of baking powder to get a more bread like consistency. Just don't go overboard. I say if you want to do a bit more work go with canned chickpeas. When I followed the recipe exactly from chef John it turned out ok. Just remember the recipe said a rounded tbl of flour.
Can this recipe be adapted to make a Samurai sword?
Hi Chef John!
I'm a big fan of both your amazing channel AND puns AND falafel.
Needless to say, I loved your recipe, although there is a problem I need to solve first:
I first need some kind of food processor!
What kind of model/manufacturer is the one you use??
For fluffier even more othentic Falafel...
No lemon juice and no flour.
for the perfect consistancy, instead of a food prosessesor use a meat grinder.
If food prosessor is your choice nince the garlic seperatly and add it to the falafel mixture only after you are done usung the food prosessor and mix by hand... reason is, the heat from the engin will dull the garlic flavour and will reduce the overall falafel flavour.
as for the parsly... its more othentic using cilantro or half cilatro and half parsly. If you dont like cilantro parsly is definitly an option.
Last but not least, instead of cayenne peper use fresh jalapeno.
For those who are asking if you can fry some now and some later... The answer is a big fat yes!!
When I make falafel, I make a nice big batch of the mix and devide it in to portions, zip lock them and off to the freezer they go. When ever Im craving falafel I defrost one of my portion bags in the fridge over night and fry them beautifull falafel as described. Tada!
I love this site! I only discovered it 2 days ago and already made the best baguettes I have ever ate in north america.
I love cooking and on top of my hungarian/romanian/marocan/israeli heritage in the kitchen I am a food curious that is always learning and experimenting.
My absolute favorite thing about this site is that you John are flowing so naturally and that means at times making mistakes or not comming up with what you thoght the dish would be like and that for you is just the nature of things. So true. So simple. So authentic. Love it!! its part of the jurney others hide making people think they are sopose to have it perfect every time and if they dont its becouse they are not good at cooking or some other versions of that thoght. I love your vegiterian esquargo experiment and I will totaly make it with the mushrooms made a different way ofcorse :) The idea itself inspired me.
Boapetite to you and all
Cheers
Edith.
Greetings Chef! I gots' me a small problem. My fawful mixture that I've had chillin' in the fridge since yesterday seems to be a bit too crumbly. Crumbly in the sense that it won't hold its shape as either a ball or patty. My finicky-lady friend suggested that I mix in an egg as a binder. Any suggestions on your end?? Thanks! You be da' best!
Yes an egg may bind it, but would change the texture little bit and make it denser, I think. Sounds like your garbanzo mixture needed a little more moisture, or grinding a little finer. You could put it back in the machine and pulse a few times with little bit of water to see if it gets stickier. good luck! thanks!
Greetings again Chef,
Pulsing my garbanzo mixture and adding a little water as suggested did indeed work. I made the cutest little falafel patties and even better yet they all held their shape. Unfortunately my frying technique needs a little work. Evidently my oil wasn't hot enough and the patties too cold when they went into the frying pan. Needless to say, I made a mess and even worse yet, my finicky lady-friend is still giving me grief. I'm so purse-whipped. **sigh** Thanks anyways.
Hi chef, I'm a student going to cook this for our class. I'm not really good at cooking but can you tell me how many cups of oil did you use or any measurement of oil did you use. I'm sorry if it's a bit stupid. But I really don't know how to cook, but we have an activity where 5 groups will cook. That's why I really need to know.
Hi chef, I'm a middle schooler. And My group was tasked to cook this. It really looked very simple! But can I ask you a question? How many cups of oil did you use? Sorry for asking such a stupid question, but Ireally don't know how to cook 😅
My fryer uses about 1 quart of oil. I hope that helps! Good luck and enjoy!
I just made these and I'm afraid I was so impatient to try them I used a can of chickpeas that we had kicking around... results not fantastic, also not ideal solidity to hold shape, but this recipe and techniques are really quite advanced for me. In the end the result was still very nice to eat, with your tahini dip (which I made earlier, with the correct amount of garlic, it is very good)
The best part is that I got a little experience of pan-frying and using a food processor, and certainly learned a thing or two. Plus it was good to finally use that can of chick peas. Next time will be much better of course.
(P.S. sooner or later I'm going to make my own ghee -- Indian-style clarified saltless butter -- which supposedly is excellent for frying as it has a very high flash point. I will fry a few things in a little ghee and report if interesting)
Dear Chef John:
As I posted very recently, I tried your Falafel, with unadvised canned chickpeas, and the result was certainly tasty; but after the frying in so much oil and all, I eventually concluded it was somewhat, je ne sais pas, un peu trop, comment c'est ineffable, mais trop c'est trop, point. For me in any case.
Later, after a few beers (Beck's) I found myself thinking about the falafel mix in the fridge, and I suddenly had a vision: FRENCH TOAST
I thereupon Innovated, Experimented, and Invented.
I pulled out a slice of Jim Lahey/Mark Bittman no-knead bread--which I'm a whiz at making now and always have around--and:
-- vegetable oil
-- your tahini dip (made earlier today, turned out excellently)
-- cream
-- the uncooked falafel.
I heated a non-stick pan with a little vegetable oil, spread some falafel dip on both sides of a slice of bread, and fried up the slice like french toast. (Initially I only intended to have one such slice, so I used only the vegetable oil; but the result was so satisfying I got another slice coated and experimented by frying one side with olive oil and the other with butter.)
When it was cooked and ready, I spread some tahini dip on one side of the slice and drizzled on about a teaspoon of cream.
Result: After several Beck's I couldn't really tell the difference between the oil or butter fried sides, and maybe I'm flatly incapable of doing so, but certainly it was a completely satisfying late night after-drink snack. I went very easy on the oil or butter, and the combination of the robust falafel/tahini combo with the nice familiar homely bread struck me as just right.
Note: I used a fork and a steak knife to cut this with, as the no-knead bread is sheathed in full plate armor. I keep forgetting to rub each loaf with butter as it comes out of the oven (trick from my late french-canadian grandmother who was born in 1900)
Update on my previous post about french toast falafel:
When I came up with that, I was a bit in my cups, as I suggested; so this may have turned out to be a case of "10 by night, 2 by light." However, Herodotus relates that the ancient Persians used to make important decisions in a two-stage process; they would discuss matters once when they were drunk, and again the next day when they were sober -- or vice-versa. I read that many years ago, and have emulated that wisdom ever since.
Accordingly, I tried my little falafel invention again in the cold harsh light of the morning after, and it was still good. Now it's late at night and I've had a few glasses of wine on an empty stomach, and I tried the invention yet again. This time I find it reaches perfection (as opposed to mere outstandingness) with the addition of a little more salt and a few drops of Tabasco sauce. I'm on my way back to the kitchen to make another round.
Yours,
Beemo
P.S. Chef John, you are the Vahchef of America
do I not need to boil the chick peas after soaking ? they are rock hard ?!
thank you
Chef i need ur help pls, i followed the recipe step by step, but unfortunately once i put the flafel to fry it started to broke down!!
Made these a few days ago...
My wife and daughter loved them (as did I).
I soaked the chick peas closer to 24 hours (not claiming that had any effect), added some minced fresh cilantro to the parsley, and skipped the flour.
Absolutely terrific! Thanks so much.
I made Falafal and I feel great! I threw about a 1/4 c of dried chickpeas in my Vitamx and made my own chickpea flour too! Yummy! 😋
Hey Chef John, can I bake these instead?
I just received a mini deep fryer and decided to do this recipe which I already made twice before using a fry pan. The problem I had was that the falafel was sticking to the basket. I noticed that Chef John did not use the basket. I think I will try it that way next time.
Would i be able to bake these?
My falafel fell apart too, and I used egg white. They felt quite sticky and wet when I formed them. I used canned Garganzo's/Chicpeas so this might be the reason. However the taste was so much more delicious than the dried falafel mix that I used in the past. Worth the effort. Thanks Chef John. I follow your videos religiously listening several times for all of your subtle tips. My family loves your greek lemon chicken recipe.
Chef John, thanks for the recipe -I just made these. Half the balls were deep fried for my hubby and half were baked with no oil at all, for me. The falafel mix held up well and I didn't even need to dampen my hands to mould them into balls. I used one bunch of cilantro and extra garlic! The deep fried balls were perfection embodied! The baked ones will only brown on the bottom where they touch the pan but they will dry on the exterior to create somewhat of a crust. Obviously mine had NO oil at all but I imagine if you wanted to bake them with oil, brush oil on the pan, add the balls and brush the tops with extra oil. That way, you'll get a more crunchier/golden brown exterior.
Now, the one CON and someone tell me - the 1.5tsp salt - is that right? I used fine pink himalayan salt and these came out SO salty. My husband who normally adds salt to everything even said so. My question is - does the himalayan salt taste saltier (lol if there is such a thing!) or what? I used 1 tsp only.
I've been wanting falafel for ages and found your recipe. I finally had the time to make it today, along with the amazing pita bread. Delicious! They were a big big hit with my family. My pita didn't puff like I wanted, though they were still delicious. Thank you!
First time attempt via pan fried and the mixture was watery and difficult to handle they wouldn’t hold properly together as a patty. Tasted good though otherwise. Where am I going wrong?
Hi Chef John! My husband and I had a fight. Pre-fight, I mentioned making falafel and tahini sauce, to which he said that falafel is normally dry and crumbly, and tahini is bitter and boring. Post fight, which had nothing to do with this recipe by the way, I decided just to make some for myself for a veggie lunch. He came home and caught a whiff of the smell, asked to try them, and of course I shared because that's what being married is, and he loved it so much he swore and then asked for me to make him a wrap with onion and cucumber. The falafel was moist and held together great and the tahini had a wonderful lemony-garlicky tang, it was perfect (of course I made my own little adjustments)! And then we made up. Your falafel/tahini combo brought us back together! So thanks!
Hi Chef John. I'm a big fan of your recipes, and even though my wife thinks it's more complicated because it isn't our first language, they always turn out to be pretty good. What I noticed is that you often deep fry to 350F, which you can easily do in a deep fryer. I don't have one of these and my kitchen is too loaded and small to get one. So usually I fry my things in a cauldron with oil inside. However, I would like to get your opinion on how to do-it reliably, temperature wise, knowing that my thermometer is not very reliable either... Any tip would be vastly appreciated, and if you insist on a thermometer, if you could suggest a brand that I can get on internet that's reliable, that would be great!
Hello Chef John - OH MY GOODNESS! I made the falafel balls for the first time and they were a HUGE success - I brought them to work for my coworkers to try and they absolutely LOVED them. Thank you very much for this recipe and the tzaziki sauce which was also a big hit.
I warn people to cut back the salt to 1 tsp . As with one 2017 commentator; we also found the mix TOO salty. Just add less at first and taste. Otherwise, great!
We highly recommend cutting the salt back. Just add more if needed. Way too salty, as per another commentor from 2017 posted. Otherwise YUM!
Chef John, you da man!!
When the recipe calls for 1 cup of dried chick peas, is that the measure for after or before theyre soaked?
Thank you!
David
Thank you soooo much!! My family love them!
Just made these, they came out awesome!
I may have gone a little light on some of the spices, but just a touch. And probably didn't put enough parsley, because my color wasn't as green at the end.
The only real change I made was using chickpea flour instead of regular. They were very tasty. Not the best I've ever had, but better than any I've had in the states.
Thank you!!
Just to let others know about canned beans: it does not work at all. When you drop the balls in the deep fryer, they disappear completely in a green goo. Does not work in a frying pan either.
I made this today and it was so good! I had no idea how to serve it in a pita, so I did a bunch of research. It seems that most often people do falafel in a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, tahini sauce and tzitziki. I thought it was weird that everyone uses two sauces, but they are so different and I was really glad I had both.
Anyway, Chef John, thank you so much! I loved the video so I could see how much to blend it, and I also quite enjoyed your narration. I watched it over and over before and during making it.
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