Go Back

Classic Falafel with Tahini Sauce

Classic falafel with tahini sauce is made with soaked chickpeas, fresh herbs, and warm spices, then fried until deeply golden and crisp. Serve the compact falafel balls with a smooth, pourable lemon tahini sauce.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Soaking and chilling 1 day 30 minutes
Total Time 1 day 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Calories: 600
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the falafel
  • 8 cups water cold, for soaking
  • 1 lb chickpeas dried, picked over
  • 1 yellow onion small, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup parsley leaves fresh, packed
  • 0.5 cup cilantro leaves fresh, packed
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1.5 tsp kosher salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 6 cups canola oil for frying
For the tahini sauce
  • 0.5 cup tahini
  • 0.25 cup lemon juice fresh
  • 1 clove garlic finely grated
  • 0.5 tsp kosher salt
  • 0.33 cup water cold

Equipment

  • 1 11-cup food processor
  • 1 3-quart heavy saucepan

Method
 

Soak and mix the falafel
  1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl, cover with the cold water, and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours, until plump and easy to split when pressed.
  2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then spread them on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry; discard the soaking water.
  3. In an 11-cup food processor, pulse the chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper, and cayenne in batches until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and holds together when squeezed.
  4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  5. Stir in the baking powder and flour until evenly combined, then shape the mixture into compact balls about 1 1/2 inches wide.
Make the tahini sauce
  1. Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, grated garlic, and salt in a small bowl; gradually whisk in the cold water until smooth and pourable.
Fry the falafel
  1. Pour the canola oil into a 3-quart heavy saucepan and heat over medium heat to 350°F, checking with a deep-fry thermometer.
  2. Fry the falafel in batches for 4 to 5 minutes, turning as needed, until deeply golden and crisp; let the oil return to 350°F between batches and drain the falafel on a wire rack.

Notes

For the best texture, pat the soaked chickpeas thoroughly dry before processing. Refrigerate cooked falafel for up to 3 days; falafel can be frozen. For a gluten-free option, replace the all-purpose flour with chickpea flour.