Zero Waste Kitchen: DIY Chickpea Falafels Recipe

I buy dry chickpeas in bulk, a couple of kilos at a time. I soak them, then cook them, and then proceed to make every chickpea recipe I can think of. (I do freeze the spare for later, so it’s not about needing to use them up. More a celebration of this delicious and super versatile legume.)

One of my staples is chickpea falafels.

Falafels are actually only a recent staple. Well, the DIY version are. Back in 2011, before I left the UK, I’d buy little plastic tubs of falafels all the time. Plastic tub with plastic lid, and cardboard packaging outer – with 8 falafels inside. I could polish those off in one sitting! Oh, the single-use packaging waste! {Cringe.}

Then I went plastic-free, and falafels were no more.

I’ve tried making falafels many times over the years, but every attempt was a dismal failure. Dismal and messy, I should add. (Which is why I purchased the little tubs.)

I figured they were just too hard, until I went to a party where we had to bring a dish, and my friend brought homemade falafels. And they were ah-mazing! I demanded the recipe, and vowed that I would make them too.

Confession: the first time I made them, they were a disaster. But I knew that my friend had mastered it, so I knew it was possible. I stole all her secrets (we spent rather too much time discussing the finer details of falafel making), I tweaked the recipe a billion times to adjust to my taste and what was in my pantry, and now I have a recipe that works every time. Hurrah!

So if you’ve tried to make falafels before, and you’ve found that they’ve been a disaster, I want to encourage you to try again. Not all recipes are equal, and a homemade falafel is worth striving for, in my view!

But first, let me quickly talk about chickpeas.

How to Cook Chickpeas from Scratch

Tinned chickpeas tend to have added salt and sugar, not to mention come in a steel tin can that ends up in the recycling. Bulk dried chickpeas are a fraction of the price, and there’s no (or next-to-no) packaging or additives.

Plus fresh always tastes better.

I buy chickpeas a couple of kilos at a time, and cook a big batch. First, I soak.

I take my soaking very seriously. Soaking makes chickpeas and other pulses more digestable because they release anti-nutrients. It’s not just about reducing the cooking time.

I soak my chickpeas for 2 – 3 days, changing the water every 8 – 12 hours.

After the first couple of days, bubbles start to appear. Then I know that biology is happening and they are becoming more digestible. (They are actually gearing themselves up to sprout, which is what will happen if they get soaked for about 5 days.)

I usually change the water a couple of times after the bubbles start appearing, over the space of a day or so.

After the final rinse/water change, I cook on the stove for 1.5 hours.

Then they are drained (don’t forget to save the water! This rather murky looking liquid is actually the stuff of magic – aquababa!) and left to cool. After that, I pack the chickpeas into jars and containers. They will keep in the fridge for at least a week, and can be frozen.

Or, I make falafels! Here’s how.

Recipe: DIY Chickpea Falafels

You’ll need a food processor or stick blender with a chopper for this.

Ingredients:

4 cups chickpeas
1/2 cup coarsely ground oats
4 tbsp potato flour or tapioca flour
2 onions, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
2 big handfuls fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 big handfuls fresh parsley, finely chopped

Oil, for frying.

Method:

If you don’t already have coarsely ground oats, take regular oats (you’ll need slightly more than 1/2 cup oats, as you get more ground oats in a cup than you do whole oats!) and whizz them in a food processor until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Set aside.

Next, whizz the coriander, garlic and parsley together to make a green paste and set aside.

Add the chickpeas to the food processor and grind until coarse. Add the onion and blend again until combined. It’s fine to be a little chunky. You’ll continue to blend as you add other ingredients so it doesn’t need to be super smooth.

Add the flour, oats and spices, and mix again until combined.

Finally, add the green herb/garlic paste and stir to combine. I do this last as it’s easy to see when it has all combined evenly.

If the mixture feels hot and sticky, pop in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.

Next, heat up the oil (enough to fill the base about 1/2 inch deep) in a shallow pan.  Take the chickpea mix, and roll into balls, then press down to flatten slightly. Mine tend to be an inch or so across, and a cm or two thick.

The oil needs to be hot or the falafels will disintegrate when they are added to the oil (learned from experience). My hot plate has a range from 1 – 9, and I use setting 7. Put one in the oil to test, it should bubble immediately. If not, wait until it does before adding any more to the oil.

Add the falafels a few at a time, and after a minute or two turn over to cook the other side.I use a fork to flip rather than tongs.

I tend to roll a few, then add them to the oil, roll another few, then turn the first ones over to cook the other side, add the newly rolled ones to the oil, roll a few more then remove the first ones from the oil, turn the second, add the third to keep things moving. If it’s your first time, you might find it easier to have them all rolled in advance – this will take longer.

Once they are done, place on a cooling rack to drain the excess oil.

Store in the fridge, or can be frozen.

Troubleshooting:

If they start to disintegrate, stop. Drain the oil into a bowl using a tea strainer to remove all the bits, then put back in the pan and try again. It might have been that the oil wasn’t hot enough first time.

If disintegrating is still a problem, consider baking in the oven. You’ll need to brush with olive oil. They won’t taste exactly the same but they will still taste good.

If they don’t taste completely cooked all the way through, finish them off in the oven for a few minutes on a medium setting.

Note about the Ingredients:

I’m a big believer that recipes are there to be broken. Meaning, try things out but then make them your own! Add extra spices, substitute ingredients you don’t have for those you do and try things out.

This recipe was originally given to me by a friend (a photograph out of a cookery cook she had) but I’ve changed pretty much every ingredient. The original recipe used breadcrumbs and I changed to oats as I always have oats and don’t always have breadcrumbs. The few times I’ve tried breadcrumbs, they tended to disintegrate. Now I stick to oats.

I used potato flour by mistake thinking it was regular flour (I really should label my jars) and it worked so well I stuck to it. Both potato flour and tapioca flour are great at binding, which is why I use them and it keeps them gluten-free.

Fresh herbs are great and I use parsley and coriander as I have both, but I’ve also made with just parsley. If you like other herbs, try those. I’ve heard that dill is also great.

After chatting on Instagram with an Egyptian lady who makes falafels every day, I tried using raw chickpeas (bear in mind I soak them for three days, so they are pre-sprouted). The mixture is much wetter, but actually they seem to cook even better and the resulting falafels are firmer. The taste is a little different but equally good. I make these if I’m a bit behind schedule and don’t have time to cook the chickpeas first.

Next spring I intend to try with fresh broad beans!

Now I’d love to hear from you! Have you made falafels? Are you game to try these? Any tips or “how-not-to-do-it”s that you’d like to share? Any other chickpea recipes that you love? Leave a comment below!

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Zero Waste Kitchen: DIY Chickpea Falafels Recipe
45 replies
  1. ALB
    ALB says:

    So, just to clarify for me (I’m easily confused!) the four cups of chick peas in your recipe above are already cooked, is that right?

    Reply
  2. Ann
    Ann says:

    any suggestions of what to substitute for oats as they’re not gluten free…….the rest of th recipe sounds yummy!

    Reply
    • Lindsay (Treading My Own Path)
      Lindsay (Treading My Own Path) says:

      Hi Ann, you could try gluten-free breadcrumbs. It is possible to find gluten free oats in some places – oats themselves don’t contain gluten but they are usually processed in factories that also process gluten. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Quaker gluten-free oats in a cardboard box…

      Reply
    • boldorangebetsy
      boldorangebetsy says:

      Oats are naturally gluten free! Here in the US GF-oats are widely available, which means they are guaranteeing there is no risk of contamination from other grains. Even when the bin is not labeled “gluten free oats,” it’s because there is a risk of contamination through processing facilities that also process wheat. I am not celiac so that’s not a big issue for me.

      Reply
    • Lindsay (Treading My Own Path)
      Lindsay (Treading My Own Path) says:

      Hi Jan! As I said above, you could try gluten-free breadcrumbs. It is possible to find gluten free oats in some places – oats themselves don’t contain gluten but they are usually processed in factories that also process gluten. Hopefully you can find some near you :)

      Reply
  3. John
    John says:

    Flax meal is good for binding. I put 2 tablespoons of Linseed into a coffee grinder. For Vegans It’s a good substitute for eggs.

    Reply
  4. Jackie McCloskey
    Jackie McCloskey says:

    I’m told by a home made falafel queen that you must absolutely use uncooked chickpeas. Apart from that I too buy raw chickpeas and soak and cook (with salt) in bulk then freeze but I’ve never soaked them as long as this; I only soak overnight. What’s the advantage? And btw, have you made meringues with aquafaba? They are amazing.

    Reply
    • Lindsay (Treading My Own Path)
      Lindsay (Treading My Own Path) says:

      They both work and they both taste great, but different so it depends on your personal taste, I think! Soaking longer is all to do with digestibility really. You’re basically sprouting them (or starting to) so they are easier to digest. When they’ve been soaked this long they don’t go mushy either which I prefer. Aquafaba meringues – of course! Magical! ;)

      Reply
  5. Heather
    Heather says:

    I will have to try these as I have tonnes of dried chickpeas that really should be used up. Your soaking/cooking method looks like they will be softer. I only soaked them overnight before.

    You can order gluten free oats called “Only Oats”. They have them on Amazon.

    Reply
    • Lindsay (Treading My Own Path)
      Lindsay (Treading My Own Path) says:

      Actually Heather they are firmer! Because the soaking starts the sprouting process, they seem to become firmer. When they are raw they have a slight crunch! I prefer them to keep their structure, mushy chickpeas don’t do it for me!

      I’ve seen gluten free oats in a few places but not heard of this brand before so thank you!

      Reply
  6. ourrubbishblog
    ourrubbishblog says:

    Must try this, following our successful humous experience. Same reason as you mentioned, we eat at least a tub of falafel in a week but need to find a plastic alternative. So far using tinned chickpeas and wondering where to find bulk buying options. Getting a tad bit hungry now looking at your photos.

    Reply
    • Lindsay (Treading My Own Path)
      Lindsay (Treading My Own Path) says:

      I currently double the recipe and then freeze all the ones I won’t eat in the week ahead. I make such a mess of the kitchen that it is worth it, even though it doesn’t save a huge amount of time. Oh, and I’m sure it means using less oil overall than doing two separate batches in different weeks. Nothing better than wanting a snack and being able to defrost a couple of falafel – and they defrost super fast! Maybe just 15 mins on a low temp in the oven.

      Reply
  7. Krista
    Krista says:

    You cook them them for 1.5 hours even after soaking for days? I just cooked a batch of chickpeas that have been soaking for a few days (I forget how many), and it took maybe 30min when they were done to my taste.

    Also, do you find they shed their outer shell after soaking for a few days? I spent some time getting rid of the shells before cooking the chickpeas, it took a few goes.

    Reply
    • Lindsay (Treading My Own Path)
      Lindsay (Treading My Own Path) says:

      Hi Krista! Yes, maybe that’s just my taste but I never think they are ready before that! I don’t bother removing the skins, I did once to make extra smooth hummus (once they were cooked) and it took forever – and I don’t think the hummus was much different. So I remove any that are floating on top (both raw and once cooked) but don’t worry about the others!

      Reply
  8. juliamaurus
    juliamaurus says:

    I have made falafels a couple of times (with bulk chickpeas and with canned chickpeas) but I have never found it easy. I only have a stick blender so it takes a bit more fussing around to make it work. They always taste pretty good though, even if they’re a bit chunkier than if I had a food processor.

    How long do chickpeas last in the freezer? I presume you thaw them before processing them into falafels.

    Fresh is best, of course :) I will keep trying.

    Reply
  9. Mariana Kirova
    Mariana Kirova says:

    Hi Lindsay

    As yourself I always thought I won’t be able to make falafels at home ever. Reading your article though changed my mind and I will try out a ‘creative version’ but following the valuable points you mention. Thank you for the inspiration! I love your website and what you do!

    From a fellow zero waste enthusiast and clothing upcycler from Perth
    Mariana :)

    Reply
  10. Wendy
    Wendy says:

    Another alternative for the gluten free flour could be lupin flour; or they could be rolled in lupin crumbs for a crunchier taste? The lupin range consists of flour, crumb, flake and split. Grown and milled in WA.

    Reply
  11. Swati
    Swati says:

    I regularly cook chickpeas. After soaking them overnight, I usually pressure cook them with salt and it takes between 10-15 minutes only. Chickpea curry freezes very well. Red kidney beans curry freezes great too!

    Reply
  12. Erin
    Erin says:

    Hi Lindsay, I love everything with chickpeas but they just don’t agree with me, unfortunately. Have you or anyone else made falafels with other legumes, like cannellini beans for example? Thank you! Erin

    Reply

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