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Of all the diets out there, I think vegetarian or vegan would be the hardest for me to follow—I love bacon too much! But if I were forced to follow a meat-free diet for the rest of my life, falafel would be something I’d eat every week. For some of you, I’ve already lost you with the name, so think of them as little fried vegetable donuts or cakes… that gets your attention I bet!
The first time we had this for dinner, I thought it might be the last time I’d make it. I really didn’t think my kids would like it. To my surprise, they scarfed it down! When this is on the menu we rarely have leftovers, but that’s fine, because it’s so cheap to make!
Our frugal falafel recipe is based on a recipe from Budget Bytes, but I’ve made it a bit easier and even cheaper by using more dry ingredients.
Don’t balk at the fact that you fry these in oil. I have tried other versions of falafel where you bake them or cook them in the slow cooker, and none of them compare. This is the best version of falafel I’ve ever found, and in the end you don’t use that much oil to cook them. Grab your air fryer if that makes you feel better.
Ingredients
- 2 15-oz cans chickpeas
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4-1/3 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
Directions
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Put the chickpeas to a food processor with the rest of the ingredients except the baking powder and flour. You may have to scrape the inside of the food processor and pulse a few more times to make sure it's evenly mixed.
- Scoop the mixture into a bowl and add the flour, starting with 1/4 cup. Add a tablespoon at a time after that until you can form the mixture into small patties with your hands without the mixture sticking to your hands OR falling apart. You will use about 3-4 tbsp. of mixture for each piece of falafel.
- Heat the oil in a deep pot until the oil is very hot. Cook the patties on each side until they turn golden brown. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate.
My kids’ favorite way to eat falafel is on pita bread with a homemade yogurt sauce that I make by mixing some lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, and parsley into plain Greek yogurt. On the side, we’ll have a vegetable of some kind or we’ll just dip raw veggies in the yogurt sauce as well.
I’ve heard from a friend who spends time in the Middle East that this isn’t the most authentic falafel recipe, but in terms of ease, convenience and taste, this one is my favorite, hands down.
If this falafel recipe isn’t jumping out to you, here are some of our other favorite vegetarian recipes:
