Air Fryer Falafel
Try these Air Fryer Falafels! Packed with flavor and made with nutritious ingredients, they’re perfect with air fryer pita, a quick tzatziki sauce, and fresh veggies for a tasty, protein-rich vegetarian meal.
Servings: 4 servings (with pita/veggies/sauce)
Cost: $9.12
Equipment
- Cookie scoop 1-1/2 tablespoon
Ingredients
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas also called Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 4 cloves chopped garlic see note 1
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley not curly parsley, see note 2
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/3 cup chopped green onions 2 green onions
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons olive oil plus more as needed
- Cooking spray
- Optional veggies see note 3
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1/2 cup grated Persian/English cucumber unpeeled
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt I love Greek Gods, use non-dairy yogurt for vegan
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Drain and rinse chickpeas, then dry thoroughly with a paper towel or salad spinner. Coarsely chop red onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and green onions, then add them to a large food processor. Pulse for about 45 seconds until blended but not pureed. Scrape down the sides, add chickpeas, and pulse until chopped but not pureed. Scrape down the sides again, add remaining falafel ingredients, and pulse a few more times.
- Use a 1-1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop to compress mixture, form patties, and place on a parchment-lined plate. Flour your hands/surface with a bit more flour if needed; if falafel mixture is too wet to work with, refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Continue forming patties until all the mixture is used, making about 15 falafels. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and freeze for 20 minutes or until ready to cook.
- Tzatziki: Grate an unpeeled cucumber with the large holes of a grater and squeeze out as much extra moisture as you can from the cucumber (to keep the sauce from being watery). Zest and juice lemon to get 1/2 teaspoon zest and 1 tablespoon juice. Combine grated cucumber and lemon zest/juice with sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste (1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper). Stir, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Pita: Cut pita into 4 to 6 wedges per pita bread and place in a resealable plastic bag. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and add salt and pepper (1/2 teaspoon each). Shake to coat. Cook in the air fryer at 320°F for 5–7 minutes, tossing every 2 minutes until crispy and warmed through. Cook to your crispness preference.
- Preheat air fryer to 350°F. Remove falafels from freezer, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and spray with cooking spray. Flip, drizzle with another tablespoon oil, and spray again. Arrange in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook for 7 minutes, flip, and cook another 7–8 minutes or until golden brown. While falafel is cooking, prep the veggies and toppings.
- Arrange warmed pita, air-fried falafel, and tzatziki sauce (give it another quick stir before serving). Add toppings like halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, lemon wedges, and Kalamata olives. Serve immediately with a fresh lemon drizzle.
Notes
Note 1: I like lots of garlic in these falafels, so feel free to reduce the amount in this recipe if you don’t share that love.
Note 2: If you aren’t a fan of one of the herbs, use extra of another herb (keeping quantities consistent); try to use at least two herbs in this recipe.
Note 3: For optional additions, try halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced English/Persian cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, feta cheese, lemon wedges, and kalamata olives! Skip the feta for vegan.
Storage: Falafels are best right after air frying. Un-fried patties can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 609kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 864mg | Potassium: 981mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 4743IU | Vitamin C: 71mg | Calcium: 260mg | Iron: 8mg