Air Fryer Falafel

If you love falafel but find deep-frying a faff, this air fryer version is going to change your weeknights. You get that golden, crispy outside and fluffy, herby interior — without a pan of hot oil on your hob.

This recipe uses a tin of chickpeas for convenience, blitzed with fresh parsley, coriander, cumin, and garlic. The air fryer does the work in about 15 minutes, giving you proper falafel with very little effort. Brilliant for wraps, pittas, salads, or snacking straight from the basket.

They’re naturally vegan and easy to make gluten-free by swapping the plain flour for chickpea flour. If you enjoy these, you might also like our muhammara roasted red pepper dip as a dipping sauce, or these cauliflower pakoras for another air fryer-friendly snack.

Ingredients

• 1 tin (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 30g fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 30g fresh coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 3 tbsp plain flour (or chickpea flour for gluten-free)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil, for brushing

How to Make Air Fryer Falafel

1. Dry the chickpeas. Spread the drained chickpeas on a clean tea towel and pat thoroughly dry — this takes about 2 minutes and is the most important step. Wet chickpeas lead to falafel that fall apart.
2. Blitz the mixture. Add the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, and coriander to a food processor. Pulse 10–12 times until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Do not over-process — you want texture, not hummus.
3. Season and bind. Add the cumin, ground coriander, chilli flakes (if using), salt, flour, and baking powder. Pulse 3–4 more times to combine. The mixture should hold its shape when pressed together.
4. Shape the falafel. Scoop heaped tablespoons of the mixture and roll into balls, or press into flattened patties (patties cook more evenly in the air fryer). Aim for about 16–18 pieces.
5. Preheat and brush. Preheat your air fryer to 200°C for 3 minutes. Brush both sides of each falafel lightly with olive oil — they should look glossy but not soaking.
6. Air fry until golden. Cook in a single layer for 12–15 minutes, flipping halfway, until deep golden brown and firm to the touch. The outside should feel crisp when you tap it. Cook in batches if needed.

Tips and Notes

Storage: Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 180°C for 4–5 minutes to crisp back up. They also freeze well for up to 1 month — freeze in a single layer first, then transfer to a bag.

Gluten-free swap: Use chickpea flour (also called gram flour) instead of plain flour. The texture is almost identical and it keeps the recipe entirely gluten-free.

Practical tip: If the mixture feels too wet to shape, refrigerate it for 30 minutes — it firms up considerably and is much easier to handle.