Quick & easy air fryer falafel with canned chickpeas (or oven baked)

Air fryer falafel in bowl with olives and salad.

5 from 5 votes

Quick & easy air fryer falafel with canned chickpeas (or oven baked)

Falafel is so easy to make in the air fryer or oven, especially when you use canned chickpeas! There's no waiting for chickpeas to soak, or vats of bubbling oil on the stove.

These satiating falafel balls are crispy on the outside, light & tender on the inside. Serve with tahini dressing for dipping.

Makes 12 or 13 falafel balls.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Air fryer, Middle Eastern, Vegan

Keyword: chickpea recipe, easy lunch, mezze

Servings: people

Calories: 148kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed (1 ½ cups)
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tablespoons chopped onion
½ cup loosely packed cilantro roughly chopped
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon hot sauce
3 to 4 Tablespoons chickpea flour
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Spritz oil spray

Instructions

Put the following into a food processor: drained chickpeas, minced garlic, chopped onion, cilantro, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and hot sauce.
Pulse the food processor several times, stopping to scrape down the sides to get everything.
The mixture should be fully combined and broken up, but not smooth like hummus. You want it to be coarse & mealy.
Add the above mixture into a large mixing bowl along with 3 Tablespoons of chickpea flour, cumin, coriander, baking powder, and salt.
Fully combine with a spoon until it is combined enough to use your hands. The mixture should be soft but firm enough that it can be rolled into balls. If it seems too wet, add an additional Tablespoon of chickpea flour.
Form the mixture into 12 or 13 round, golf ball-sized balls. (The balls should be about 1 ½ inches in width.) Spray the falafel balls with oil spray.
TO AIR FRY: Put the falafel balls into the air fryer. Air fry at 370 degrees for 15 to 16 minutes. Flip the balls halfway through when they are starting to look brown on the outside.
TO BAKE: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, stopping once halfway through to flip with a spatula. When they're ready, they should be nicely browned.

Notes

Make sure the drained chickpeas don't have any water on them before adding to the food processor. Too much moisture means you'll have to add more flour to make them stick. If necessary, blot the chickpeas dry on a clean kitchen towel.

Don't worry about removing the leaves from the stems on the cilantro. The leaves & stems alike can go into the food processor. Just give a rough chop first.

If you'd prefer, cilantro can be replaced with parsley and/or fresh dill.

If you don't need the dish to be gluten free, chickpea flour can be replaced with all purpose flour.

I do not recommend pan frying or deep frying these falafel. They firm up in the oven or air fryer, and are prone to breaking apart in oil alone.

To reheat, air fry at 360 degrees for about 5 minutes, or until fully warmed.

Nutrition