Air fryer falafel (oven directions included)

Flavorful air fryer falafel is crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and perfect on salads or stuffed into a pita. Drizzle with homemade tahini dressing!

My air fryer obsession continues with this crispy air fryer falafel. I'm including oven directions, as well, so you can make these even without an air fryer.

A friend on Instagram recently mentioned that he bought an air fryer but is having trouble finding vegan recipes to make in it, so this one's for you, Ian!

Table of Contents

• Recipe notes
• How to serve and store
• Air fryer falafel (oven directions included!)

Recipe notes

Traditional falafel uses raw, soaked chickpeas. For the sake of time, I'm using cooked chickpeas instead. You can use canned or homemade.

The thing about cooked chickpeas is that they have more moisture than uncooked. To make up for that and add back some of the texture you lose, this recipe starts with a coarse cashew-oat flour that you make in the blender.

Once those reach a flour-like consistency, transfer it to a large bowl, then pulse the rest of the ingredients in your food processor until you have a finely-diced mixture.

Now, mix everything together in that large bowl with the cashew-oat flour, and form the dough into balls.

You should be able to get the dough to hold together by pressing it into a ball shape. Rolling it between your hands will not work. If they simply won't hold together, add water to the mixture, a tablespoon at a time, until you can form balls that hold up.

You have the option to spray these with oil before cooking. If you want the super crisp outside that comes with deep fried falafel, I recommend spraying with oil.

Remember: don't use propellant oil spray in your air fryer! You want a manual pump instead. That super fine mist from a propellant spray can damage your basket over time.

Now, either bake or air fry the falafel balls until they're golden brown.

How to serve and store

These little balls of deliciousness are super versatile. Serve them up over salad greens with lemon tahini sauce, or stuff them into a sandwich or wrap.

For sandwiches and wraps, you may want to flatten these a bit, rather than cooking them up as big spheres. They can be a little bit cumbersome in a sandwich, as-is.

You can also dish them up as part of a meze spread, with hummus, baba ghanoush, stuffed grape leaves, and fresh and pickled veggies to go with.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator. They'll keep for three to four days.

You can eat leftovers cold or warm them back up. I like to toss them back into the air fryer at 350° F for five minutes or so to warm them. You can also pop them into the microwave, if you're in a hurry.