Air Fryer Falafel

Air Fryer Falafel are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and packed with delicious flavor! Stuff them in pita bread and top with tomatoes, parsley and a drizzle of Tahini sauce and there you have it;  a vegan, healthy and easy to make meal! Falafel and Tahini sauce is one of those amazing flavor pairings.

Air Fryer Falafel

These Air fryer Falafel balls are a lightened up version of the traditional Lebanese falafel that is deep fried! Instead of deep frying them in oil, I bake them in the Air Fryer where they crisp up to golden brown perfection. This Air Fryer was best addition to my kitchen! 

 What is Falafel?

Falafel is popular Middle Eastern street food, made with deep-fried ground chickpea balls or patties. Falafel is commonly served in a pita pocket or wrapped in a flatbread, topped with some herbs, veggies and tahini sauce. Falafel is also vegan and gluten free . A Wonderful healthy recipe for an easy meatless family meal everyone will enjoy!

 Air-Fried Falafel Ingredients:

Chickpeas

Onion

Parsley

Garlic

Cumin

Black pepper

Salt

Corn starch

How to Make Air Fryer Falafel:

( Scroll all the way down to get detailed recipe with exact measurement’s and a printable option)

• Soak the chickpeas. Plan ahead and soak dry chickpeas in water overnight or up to 24 hours to soften them. 
• Process. Using a food processor, pulse soaked chickpeas with onion, parsley, garlic, corn starch and spices. Keep pulsing until a coarse texture forms. If you forgot to soak them overnight, no problem. Bring a pot of water to boil, remover from heat, add the chickpeas and soak for 1 hour covered. 
• Make the falafel mixture. Using a food processor, add the soaked chickpeas, parsley, onion, garlic, salt, spices and corn starch and process until everything is blended together. 
• Chill. Let the falafel mixture rest for an hour in the fridge to allow it to firm up; making it easier to form the falafel balls.  Speed things up, and stick it in the freezer for 20 minutes instead. 
• Form the falafel. I use my hands to form the falafel it into a golf ball shape, but you can use a small cookie scoop or get fancy and use a falafel scoop to get the authentic falafel disk shape, if you’d like.
• Air Fry. Fifteen minutes in the air fryer and you’ll have perfectly crispy, golden-brown falafels ready to eat.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS AIR FRYER FALAFEL RECIPE

• Quick and easy recipe
• Crispy and fluffy falafel
• Healthier than traditional deep-fried falafel
• A wonderful meatless recipe the whole family will love
• Gluten Free and Vegan!
• Great for meal prepping!

Baked Falafel Option:

If you don’t own and air fryer, then you should get yourself one now! 🙂 You can also bake the falafel balls at 400F. Place the falafel balls on the greased baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil, and bake for 30 minutes. Flipping half way though until golden brown and crisp on the outside. Try not to overbake them, as they tend to dry out. 

Tips for Making the Best Air-Fried Falafel Recipe:

1. Used dried, NOT canned chickpeas. The perfect cakey, crumbly texture comes from dried chickpeas that have been soaked, but not cooked, before being blended into patties. Make sure to soak dried chickpeas ahead of time to make this recipe. Substituting cooked, canned chickpeas does not work here – your falafel will turn out wet and mushy.
2. If your falafel mixture is too crumbly when shaping the falafel balls. Stick it back in the fridge for another half an hour or until it hardens up. 
3. If your falafel mixture is too wet. Add more corn starch. 
4. Spray falafel balls generously with cooking oil before air frying. This will help get nicely crisp and golden brown falafel. Also spray again when when you flip them half way through cooking. 
5. Don’t over crowd your air fryer basket. To help them cook evenly. 

In full disclosure: While I do love this recipe 100% (I wouldn’t have shared it otherwise!) It is important to me to tell you that you shouldn’t expect the same results from air fryer falafel as you should from deep-frying.

This recipe here does make a crispy air fryer falafel balls, but it’s not identical to regular deep fried falafel. It’s very delicious though (I do really recommended you serve it with lots of tahini sauce and a bunch of fresh chopped veggies)!

How to Store Air Fryer Falafel:

• Air-fried falafel can be stored in an airtight container in fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 350 F for about 15 minutes or until warmed through.
• Uncooked falafel balls freeze so well, making meal prep super easy. After forming the falafel balls, arrange on a baking sheet or tray and stick it in the freezer for few hours until the falafel balls harden up. Then place in a freezer-safe container or bag. They will keep well for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. 

How to Serve Falafel:

My favorite way of serving falafel is in a pita pocket or flatbread wrap, topped with veggies, herbs such as tomatoes, and parsley and finished with a drizzle of tahini sauce. But you can also enjoy it on a salad, or with hummus on the side.

These air fryer falafel get so crispy on the outside and incredibly fluffy on the inside, so  delicious! I could eat these every day!  

If you’ve tried this Air Fryer Falafel recipe or any other recipe on The Salt and Sweet Kitchen, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more recipes! 🙂

How to Make Falafel in Air Fryer: