Vegan Air Fryer Falafel
Crispy on the outside, tender and herb-packed on the inside — these air fryer falafel deliver everything you want from the classic street food without a drop of oil for deep frying. The base is a coarse, vibrant dough built from chickpeas, fresh parsley, cilantro, garlic, and a warm spice blend of cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and a little cayenne heat. Every ingredient in this recipe is naturally plant-based, so there's no swapping or substituting required — it just works as written. The key moves here are drying the chickpeas thoroughly before processing and letting the dough rest in the fridge for at least an hour, both of which give you falafel that holds its shape and crisps up beautifully in the air fryer. A light brush of olive oil on each disc is all it takes to get that deep golden crust without the mess of a pot of hot oil. This batch makes 16 falafel, enough to serve four people generously, and they're fantastic alongside tahini sauce or hummus if you want to round out the plate. Whether you're stuffing them into pita, piling them over a grain bowl, or just eating them straight off the tray, these are the kind of falafel you'll want to make on repeat.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the falafel
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For serving
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
- tahini sauce or hummus, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Spread the drained chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and pat them as dry as possible, then let them air-dry for 10 minutes. Excess moisture is the main reason falafel falls apart or turns out dense.
- 2
Add the parsley, cilantro, garlic, and onion to a food processor and pulse 8–10 times until finely chopped but not puréed — the mixture should look like coarse, bright-green crumbs.
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