Home

Chef John's Falafel

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry garbanzo beans
  • ½ yellow onion, diced
  • ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or more as needed
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Gather all ingredients.
  2. Place dried chickpeas into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 12 to 24 hours. Drain.
  3. Blend chickpeas, onion, parsley, garlic, flour, lemon juice, salt, cumin, coriander, baking soda, and cayenne pepper together in a food processor, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until mixture is finely ground and holds together when pressed.
  4. Transfer falafel mixture to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until flavors blend, 1 to 2 hours. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  5. Divide falafel mixture into 12 portions and roll each with moistened hands to form a ball.
  6. Working in batches, cook falafel balls in hot oil until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to drain.