Falafel, a vegetarian recipe from Lebanon

Name: Falafel
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Lebanon
Ingredients: 250 g dried chickpeas (soaked 24 hours, never cooked); 1 small onion, quartered; 4 garlic cloves; 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley; 1 bunch coriander; 1½ tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground coriander; ½ tsp chilli powder (optional); 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 2 tbsp sesame seeds (optional); Neutral oil for deep-frying

Falafel

Local name: فلافل

Fritters of raw soaked chickpeas ground with parsley, coriander, garlic and cumin, fried to a crackling crust around a soft green centre.

Published on 1 December 2025·Updated on 26 September 2026

VeganGluten-free#chickpeas#fried#herbs#street food#mezze

Method

Soak the chickpeas for 24 hours in plenty of cold water. They should triple in size. Drain and pat them dry.
Put the chickpeas, onion, garlic, herbs, spices and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture looks like coarse couscous and holds together when squeezed, without turning into a paste.
Transfer to a bowl, cover and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Just before frying, stir in the bicarbonate of soda and sesame seeds.
Heat 5 cm of oil in a saucepan to 175°C. A small piece of mixture should sizzle and rise straight away.
Shape walnut-sized balls or patties, pressing firmly between wet hands. Fry in small batches for 3 to 4 minutes until deep brown and crisp.
Drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot with tahini sauce, tomato, pickles and mint, in pita bread if you are not avoiding gluten.

Falafel holds together because the chickpeas go in soaked but still raw, never tinned; cooked ones collapse in the oil. If the balls break up while frying, process the mixture a little finer and press harder when shaping.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I use cooked or tinned chickpeas?

The raw starch of soaked chickpeas is the only binder in the recipe: it sets during frying and holds the ball together. Cooked chickpeas have lost that power, and the mixture will disintegrate in the oil whatever you add.

My mixture falls apart when I shape it. How do I fix it?

Blend it a little finer so it holds when squeezed in your hand, without ever becoming a purée, and chill it for thirty minutes. Then press each ball firmly between wet palms before it goes into the oil.

What is the bicarbonate for, and why add it at the last minute?

It lightens the inside of the falafel, which stays fluffy rather than dense. Its effect fades quickly: stirred in just before frying, it works during cooking. Added at the start of the rest, it does nothing.

The chickpea, from one kitchen to the next

The chickpea’s four states — raw ground, cooked whole, puréed, milled to flour — what each one makes possible, and why a tin cannot stand in for them.

Why falafel falls apart in the pan

One mistake explains the overwhelming majority of falafel that disintegrates in hot oil. The six other causes, and why flour and egg fix nothing.

Lebanese mezze, a table that is mostly vegetarian

Why the Lebanese table puts vegetables at the centre, how to balance tahini and lemon, and how to build a mezze for guests.

Falafel

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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