Delicious made from scratch falafel is fried until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside for a healthier version of this classic Mediterranean recipe.
One day ahead: In a large bowl, add the dry chickpeas and water to cover them by about 3 inches. Soak overnight and have in mind that the chickpeas will double in size as they soak. For this reason use a bigger container. Cover and place inside the refrigerator for 24 hours.
The next day, remove the chickpeas from the refrigerator, drain them and rinse with running water to remove any skins floating in the water. Leave them draining while preparing the other ingredients.
In a food processor, add the drained chickpeas, onion, fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, garlic cloves, chickpea flour, salt, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground black pepper, ground cardamom and the baking powder.
Pulse until you get a smooth consistency. Note: Pulse several times instead of doing a long pulse. This will help your processor to work properly, and this way you’ll be able to spot big chunks. Use a spatula to remove big chickpea chunks or herbs that are stuck on the food processor walls, and pulse again.The desired consistency is a smooth mixture, but definitely not a purée. You should be able to spot little chickpea chunks, like a finely minced onion.
Using a small ice-cream or cookie scoop, make small balls and place them on a baking sheet separately.It is important to keep the balls separated. If you put them next to each other in a bowl, they will stick together and the ones at the bottom will deform. This is why placing them separated on a baking sheet will make things easier for you and will keep a nice shape.
You should be able to hold the ball in your hands, and the mixture should hold together without breaking or splitting. If the falafel won't hold together, you need to process the mixture once again and make sure to get a paste-like consistency. If the mixture is too wet, try adding 1 tbsp of chickpea flour first and test the consistency. If the mixture is too dry, add 1 tbsp (or 2) of water to the mixture and test the consistency.
Place inside the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (preferably 2). Note: This step is crucial to get a stronger consistency that will help to maintain the shape when the balls are inside the air fryer.
Remove the falafel balls from the refrigerator and place them inside the air fryer basket making sure they aren't overcrowded.
Inside the air fryer basket, brush the falafel balls with olive oil using a basting/pastry brush. Or, you can spray with olive oil spray.
Cook at 350ºF for 10 minutes. Remove the air fryer basket and shake it, then cook for 5 more minutes.
When ready, the falafel balls should have a golden brown color on the outside. The perfect falafel is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Place the falafel balls in a wire rack and let them cool for 5 minutes, then serve immediately. You can serve falafel alone, or you can also assemble the falafel balls in pita bread with tomato slices, cucumber slices, lettuce & tahini sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
For best results, plan your portions and cook only the balls you want to eat right away. Refrigerate or freeze the uncooked falafel in the fridge for the next meal. This will allow you to have the perfect falafel every time.