READY IN 9+ hrs

Authentic Falafels

Read Reviews (4)

"These falafels are the closest thing to NYC street vendor falafels! Made the traditional way with dried soaked chickpeas! Great on a pita with lettuce, cucumber and yogurt. Asafoetida is usually found in Middle Eastern or Indian food stores. If you prefer, you can use 2 to 3 garlic cloves and 1 small chopped onion instead. This is a great base recipe, customize it to your own tastes." — Kathleen

Directions

Place dried chickpeas in a bowl. Fill with water to cover; stir in baking soda. Soak at least 8 hours or overnight in refrigerator. Drain.
Place soaked and drained chickpeas in a blender or food processor; blend to a paste.
Pour water into chickpea paste and blend until smooth. Scrape down sides of blender with spatula if needed.
Place sesame seeds, cumin, salt, baking powder, coriander, black pepper, red chili powder, sugar, turmeric, and asafoetida powder in blender with chickpea paste; blend until well mixed. Transfer chickpea mixture to a bowl.
Chill chickpea mixture in refrigerator to allow flavors to blend, at least 1 hour and up to two days.
Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 1 inch in a deep skillet over medium heat and heat to 370 degrees F (188 degrees C).
Scoop up chickpea mixture by heaping tablespoons and form into balls the size of ping pong balls.
Fry balls in hot oil until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes on each side.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
COOK 10 mins
READY IN 9 hrs 40 mins

Footnotes

Editor's note:
We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and the specific type of oil used.

Reviews More Reviews

Jun 22, 2012

Delicious! They come out moister than previous falafel recipes I have tried, and I can say first hand, that these are indeed just like the type you get at a halal foods cart in NYC. I also omitted the sugar, baking soda, and powder as another member suggested, and it turned out great! I'm going to be making these again for my graduation party... I just might have to double the recipe!!

—TanyaR90

See full review »

Apr 11, 2012

I omitted the baking soda, baking powder and sugar. These are great tasting burgers that I dry fried instead of deep fat fried. I'll be making them again!

—sueb

See full review »

4 Ratings

See other versions of this recipe!

May 06, 2012

I agree with sueb that you can certainly forego the soda baking powder and sugar. I first learned about falafel from a Lebanese student in my class but for years relied on packaged mix (never as good!). Another great twist is to buy whole spices and grind them your self - it only adds 2 minutes to prep time but the flavors are so much more vivid. Also you can finely chop a bit of cilantro or parsley into the mixture. These make great finger food for parties too!

—Vicky

See full review »

Aug 08, 2012

The only reason for the low rating is to warn people to be sure to plan on soaking the chickpeas at least overnight. After 6 hours of soaking I thought I'd better cook them since they were still pretty crispy. BAD idea. They absorbed too much water and when I tried to cook them I ended up with falafel mush and had to throw it all out. The flavor was excellent and I'm going to try this again. But there's no way I'll cook them and I'd warn people away from using canned beans for the same reason

—grammyjammy

See full review »

Edit

Glad you liked it! Your friends will, too:

Did you tweak the recipe? Edit and save your own version of it!

Edit this recipe

More Recipes Like This See all

Falafels with Yogurt-Dill Sauce

Authentic Middle Eastern Hummus (Chummus)

Authentic Chile con Queso

Authentic Kicked-Up Syrian Hummus

Authentic Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (Coctel de Camarones estilo Mexicano)

Authentic Patatas Bravas

Authentic Mexican Restaurant Style Salsa

Authentic Chinese Egg Rolls (from a Chinese person)

Pan-Fried Falafel

Kala (Black-Eyed Pea Fritters from the Dutch Antilles)

Nutrition

Calories
262 kcal
13%

Carbohydrates
20.8 g
7%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
17.7 g
27%

Fiber
5.9 g
23%

Protein
6.7 g
13%

Sodium
582 mg
23%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Authentic Falafels

Serving Size: 1/6 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 262
Calories from Fat: 159

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 17.7g 27 %
** Saturated Fat 2.2g 11 %
** Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
** Sodium 582mg 23 %
** Potassium 232mg 6 %
Total Carbohydrates 20.8g 7 %
** Dietary Fiber 5.9g 23 %
Protein 6.7g 13 %
** Sugars 3.7g
Vitamin A 2 %
Vitamin C 2 %
Calcium 14 %
Iron 30 %
** Thiamin 10 %
** Niacin 12 %
** Vitamin B6 8 %
** Magnesium 16 %
** Folate 67 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.