Falafel in the Air Fryer
Falafel is one of the most time-honored dishes of Levantine cuisine, and we reintroduce it in the air fryer so it stays crisp on the outside and tender on the inside with just a tiny oil spray instead of submersion.
Soak the dried chickpeas in plenty of water overnight until they swell and double in size, then drain them well and pat them dry with a towel. Soaked, not boiled, chickpeas are the secret to the firm texture that does not fall apart.
Place the drained chickpeas with the parsley, coriander, garlic, and onion in the food processor, and grind until you get a fine, cohesive mixture resembling wet sand. Do not grind it into a sticky dough, so it stays firm.
Add the cumin, ground coriander, and salt, and mix. Let the mixture rest in the fridge for 20 minutes so the dough firms up and is easy to shape.
Add the baking powder right before shaping and mix, then form small discs 1.5 cm thick with a wet palm so they do not stick.
Brush both sides of each disc with a light spray of olive oil, and preheat the air fryer to 180°C for three minutes.
Arrange the discs in the air fryer basket in a single layer without crowding so air circulates around them, and cook them at 180°C for 15 minutes, shaking the basket at the eighth minute so they brown evenly on both sides.
Take them out when the surface turns golden and crisp and the inside is green and tender. This way they are far lighter in oil than deep-fried falafel because we used a tiny spray instead of submersion.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Air-Fryer Falafel, and how to fix them:
We used boiled chickpeas instead of soaked ones, or did not grind the mixture enough; go back to soaked chickpeas and grind until cohesive.
We did not spray enough oil; brush both sides with a light spray before frying.
The discs are too thick; shape them thinner and extend the time by two minutes.
We forgot to shake the basket midway; always shake it at the eighth minute.
Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days, and reheat in the air fryer for two minutes at 180°C to restore their crispness.
Freeze the raw mixture as discs separated by paper for up to a month, and fry them frozen with two extra minutes.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chickpeas | Split fava beans | 1 to 1 | Gives the authentic Egyptian falafel (ta'meya) flavor. |
| Parsley and coriander | Fresh dill | Partially | For a different flavor, while keeping most of the parsley for the green color. |
| Onion | Chives | To taste | For a lighter flavor. |
| Ingredient | 2 servings | 4 servings (base) | 8 servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soaked dried chickpeas | 125 g | 250 g | 500 g |
| Chopped parsley | 15 g | 30 g | 60 g |
| Garlic | 8 g | 15 g | 30 g |
| Olive oil spray | 5 ml | 10 ml | 20 ml |
The air fryer cooks with hot circulating air that swirls around the food, giving it the crispness of frying with a simple oil spray; the key is not to crowd the pieces so air reaches every side.
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