Air Fryer Falafel Burgers

These simple, hearty Falafel Burgers are made in the air fryer for a quick, tasty, meatless meal that my family raves about it. We start with canned chickpeas to keep things simple and use the air fryer instead of the deep fryer to make these veggie burgers extra healthy and flavorful.

I’ve been having a major love air fryer with falafel for the past couple of years, but unfortunately it’s just not a very popular dish here in the middle of nowhere, Illinois (where I live).

I make our air fryer falafel recipe quite often, but when I had a craving for falafel and didn’t have any pita, I decided to try my hand at falafel burgers! Major win in my house – my family likes these better than traditional falafel!

These are way better than the frozen veggie burgers you’d get in the store. There’s no meat here but they’re still perfectly filling and very nutritious.

These falafel burgers are simple to prepare on your own with a food processor and the air fryer makes cooking them quick, easy, and tasty!

Every good burger needs some sauce to go with it. What could be better than our homemade tzatziki sauce? It’s the perfect way to top these falafel burgers along with some lettuce, tomato, and red onion.

What else would you serve with a burger but potatoes? Try our air fryer frozen french fries or these Greek fries on the side, along with some pickles!

What is Falafel?

Falafel is a Middle Eastern dish that is made from ground chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) with fresh herbs and spices. They are usually shaped into balls or small patties and deep fried. They get crispy and golden on the outside but remain soft and moist on the inside.

They’re often served in pita wraps or on their own but in this case we’re shaping them into patties and turning them into veggie burgers!

Ingredient Notes:

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For the falafel burgers:

Chickpeas – Also known as garbanzo beans, the chickpeas are the main ingredient in a falafel. We’re keeping it simple and using canned chickpeas here.

Herbs & Spices – You’ll need fresh parsley and cilantro, plus ground cumin, coriander, salt, and cayenne pepper. You can use less (or more) of the cayenne pepper to taste. It does add a bit of spice to the falafel burgers, but nothing too intense.

Carrot & Garlic – We’ve added lots of chopped garlic and grated carrot to the mix. They’ll add texture and flavor to the burgers!

Sesame Seeds – These add a nutty flavor and bit of texture to the mix.

Flour – The all-purpose flour will help to bind all the ingredients together and make for easier shaping of the patties.

For serving:

Toasted Buns – You could serve these burgers with just regular, untoasted hamburger buns but you’d be skipping out on so much extra flavor. We always toast our hamburger buns with some butter on a skillet whether we’re making regular hamburgers or these veggie falafel burgers! It’s easy to do and really improves the flavor.

Toppings – We’re topping these falafel burgers with some lettuce, tomato, and red onion!

Tzatziki Sauce – I’m obsessed with our homemade tzatziki sauce recipe and always serve it with falafel. However, a nice drizzle of tahini would work here as well.

How to Make Falafel Burgers:

• Process – To begin drain and rinse the canned chickpeas and pat dry. Add the chickpeas, herbs, spices, carrot, garlic, and flour to the bowl of your food processor with a blade attachment. Pulse those together until well combined, but do not overmix or this will turn very pasty.
• Shape – Remove the falafel mixture from the processor and portion it into 4 balls, equally sized, which you can then shape into patties that are about the size of your burger buns!
• Air Fry – Spritz your air fryer basket with some oil spray and place each of the falafel patties in the basket, leaving enough space between each one for air to flow. Spritz the tops with a bit more oil spray, then air fryer at 370 degrees for 10 minutes or until the falafel burgers are crispy on the outside.
• Serve – We always serve burgers (veggie or otherwise) with toasted hamburger buns. Butter the buns and toast them on a skillet or in the air fryer for about 1 to 2 minutes at 350 degrees or until the insides are golden brown. We also serve the falafel burgers with lettuce, tomato slices, red onion, and our homemade tzatziki sauce! Thin slices of cucumbers would make a great topping as well.

Storage & Reheating:

Raw: Want to make your patties fresh? Prepare the mixture and store in a covered dish in the fridge for up to 4 days. Air fry as directed when ready to eat!

Cooked: Store your cooked falafel patties in a covered dish in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes or until warmed through before serving.

Freezer: Both the raw falafel burgers and the cooked falafel burgers can be frozen for up to 3 months. Cook at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until the falafel burgers are crispy on the outside and heated through on the inside.

FAQ:

More Vegetarian Air Fryer Recipes:

• Air Fryer Breaded Cauliflower
• Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets
• Air Fryer Cabbage Steaks
• Air Fryer Eggplant
• Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
• Air Fryer Crispy Tofu