Air Fryer Falafel

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Air fryer falafel cooks up easily in the air fryer for a healthier spin on this classic street food! Packed with so much flavor, perfectly crispy, and incredible piled into a soft pita bread.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Soaking Time 8

Total Time 8 30

Servings falafel

Calories 137kcal

Ingredients

1 cup dried chickpeas
1 small shallot, roughly chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1/2 cup firmly-packed fresh parsley
1/2 cup firmly-packed fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Nonstick cooking spray
For serving: pita, hummus, sliced cucumber and tomato, tzatziki sauce, and additional fresh cilantro and parsley

Instructions

Place chickpeas in a medium bowl and cover with water (about 2-3 inches above chickpeas) Soak chickpeas overnight or 8 hours.
Drain chickpeas and rinse well with cold water. Place in a food processor with shallot, garlic, lemon zest, flour, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper. Pulse mixture several times until finely chopped (do not pulse long enough to form a smooth puree)
Scrape falafel mixture into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Scoop mixture into 1-in balls and place on a large baking sheet. Note: at this point, you can store falafel balls in a container in fridge up to 6 days and cook as needed.
Spray the grate of a 4-qt air fryer and preheat to 375F for 3 minutes. Working in batches if necessary, lay falafel in a single layer in air fryer and air fry at 375F 8 minutes until golden brown and crispy, flipping falafel halfway through frying. Repeat cooking with remaining falafel.
Serve falafel warm in a pita with hummus, sliced cucumber and tomato, tzatziki sauce, and fresh herbs on top. Enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Notes

Storing:

Store cooked falafel in refrigerator up to 6 days. Uncooked falafel may be stored in fridge up to 6 days or frozen up to 2 months.

Reheating/Cooking:

Reheat falafel in air fryer 4-6 minutes at 400F.

If cooking falafel from frozen, add an additional 2-4 minutes to cook time.

Nutrition