Air Fryer Falafel

This AIR FRYER FALAFEL is a quick, easy way to get that falafel fix! We started with canned chickpeas, fresh herbs, and plenty of seasonings. The falafel balls get fried in the air fryer in just 13 minutes!

I had falafel for the first time in Austin, Texas served from a food truck! If you haven’t experienced the plethora of food trucks in Austin you are missing out! They are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Anyway, needless to say, I fell in love with falafel that day. Since then, I have had it restaurants a couple of times, and I have cooked myself several times.

Making the falafel mixture is easy enough and you can pan fry, bake, or air fry them. We, obviously, LOVE the air fryer method. It makes the best falafel, in my opinion. Plus, it’s super easy!

How to air fry falafel:

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• Drain and rinse your canned chickpeas to remove excess sodium. Pat them dry.
• Add the chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne to a food processor and pulse until well combined.

• Use a large cookie scoop to form the falafel into balls.
• Spritz the air fryer basket with your preferred oil spray (we use avocado oil).

• Space out the falafel balls in a single even layer in your air fryer basket then spritz them with the same spray.
• Air fry them for 13 minutes at 370 degrees F.

Helpful tips for this recipe:

• If your mixture is too wet to press together you can add a tablespoon of flour to the mixture. Repeat this if necessary until the mixture comes together. Alternatively, if it is too dry (which shouldn’t be the case with our recipe, but may be with others) you can add a small amount of oil to the mixture.
• Falafel is best served hot and fresh! If working in batches, keep them warm on a baking sheet in a low oven until the rest of the falafel are cooked.
• Reheat leftover falafel in the air fryer. Spritz with oil again and cook at 350 degrees F until they are heated through.
• We serve our falafels in a pita, but they are also great piled on top of rice. They go great with a fresh salad, French fries, and chips too!

Air fryer tips and tools for this recipe

Cookie scoops are one of my most commonly used kitchen utensils. They are easy to find in any store, we have small, medium, and large cookie scoops. I think you would find you use them often in your kitchen too!

This recipe requires a food processor. Honestly, food processors are workhorses in the kitchen. If you have the counter space and budget for one, they are worth it. However, if you need a more budget-friendly option, or need something easy to hide away, then try this mini-prep processor. It will still get the job done for your falafel!

We use the Cosori 6qt air fryer. It’s a good size, cooks evenly, and is dishwasher safe. You can use any air fryer you want. We do like the basket models better than the toaster oven-style air fryers, but we have and continue to use both types. You can’t go wrong here!

Last, you should never use cans of non-stick spray in your air fryers. They can damage your air fryer basket over time. So instead, you should apply your vegetable oil using a refillable pump spray mister. This will lengthen the time you own your air fryer.

More air fryer recipes you might like:

• Air fryer fried shrimp
• Crab cakes in the air fryer
• Crispy sweet potato fries in the air fryer
• Homemade air fryer taquitos
• Crispy chickpeas in the air fryer