Flavorful air fryer falafel is crispy 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!
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What are falafels made of?
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.
Recipe notes
Once the cashews and oats reach a flour-like consistency, transfer them 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.
Make-ahead directions
You can make the falafel dough ahead of time. Just store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for two to three days.
When you're ready to air fry, just pull it out, knead it briefly, and form into balls. Then, cook as directed in the recipe.
Nut-free option
If you can't do cashews, you can replace them with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds instead.
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 with a spritz of oil 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.
Air fryer falafel recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup cashews - raw or roasted is fine
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 cups cooked or 1 15 ounce can chickpeas - drained and rinsed
- 1 carrot
- ½ cup fresh parsley leaves
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- juice of 1 fresh lemon
- 1 tablespoon flax meal
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- spray oil - optional
Instructions
- If you're baking, preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Put the cashews and oats into your food processor and grind until you get a coarse meal --- think cornmeal consistency. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients to your food processor, and pulse until everything is finely minced. Transfer the chickpea mince to the bowl of cashew-oat flour, and mix until you have a crumbly dough.
- Use your hands to create around 12 falafel balls from the dough, then arrange them in a single layer in your air fryer basket. You should be able to get them to hold together by pressing the dough 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.
- To air fry: Arrange the balls in a single layer in your air fryer basket. Spritz with oil, if you want a crispier outside. Cook at 370° F for 12 minutes, shaking gently after 8 minutes.
- To bake: Arrange the balls on a lined baking sheet, and spritz with oil, if you want a crispier outside. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until they're golden brown.
Nina from So Cal
Becky, I love falafel that is green inside and moist rather than the dry ones I seem to find in every Middle East restaurant. I want to try yours, but I will bump up the parsley to one cup and maybe the cilantro as well. Will let you know how it goes.
Please Becky, it's time for another picture of you. The current one does not do you justice.
Claire
These are sooooo delicious! Thank you for the recipe. It's going to become a favourite in my home :-)
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Claire! I’m so happy to hear that!
Becky Striepe
Gotcha. Thank you for the feedback!
Mary Chittick
These falafels are delicious. I cooked at 400 for 12 minutes for better browning. I have a Nu Wave. They came out perfect. Thank you. Oh and I didn't have time to make the sauce so I got some Tahini Sauce at Trader Joe's and added in some dill. Worked great.
Becky Striepe
I love to hear that! And I love this cheater tip for the sauce! I'm all about shortcuts for busy nights.
Laura
These came out great! The only thing I did that was different was I threw the onions and carrots in the blender along with the chick peas, because I'm not a great dicer and I thought my carrot pieces were too big. I love using the Air Fryer- I shudder to think how much oil I used making these before, in a frying pan!
Becky Striepe
Ooh that is smart! I'm making these for an event this coming weekend, and I may steal your idea for the sake of time!
Laura
Air fryer is the best. Your pictures of the dish are awesome
Becky Striepe
Thank you!
Jenn
I love everything about this - especially that tahini sauce!!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Jenn!
Ian
These look amazing. Thanks for doing the hard work so we don't have to. And thanks especially for the shout out!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Ian! I appreciated the kick in the pants. I'd really gotten into a routine and stopped experimenting with my air fryer!
Aimee | Wallflower Kitchen
You're really making me want to buy an air fryer with all these recipes!
Becky Striepe
Haha thank you, Aimee!