Pan Fried Falafels with Canned Chickpeas

This homemade pan fried falafel recipe uses canned chickpeas, spices, parsley, green onions, fresh lemon juice, flour, and egg. Deep frying is not required.

Falafels are a Middle Eastern "chickpea fritter" and are traditionally deep fried.

This is my slightly healthier pan fried version, but falafels can also be baked on an oiled pan at 400F for ~ 25-30 minutes or until brown (flipping once).

How To Make Pan Fried Falafels with Canned Chickpeas

Combine canned chickpeas and and all ingredients except baking powder, flour, and oil in a large food processor. Pulse ingredients lightly until the mixture is smooth but not creamy. A couple larger chunks are good.

Transfer mixture to a bowl and fold in baking powder and flour. Chill the uncooked falafel mixture for at least 30 minutes but longer is better.

Falafels will fall apart if you don't let the dough set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This gives the liquid in the egg a change to hydrate the starch in the flour and firm it up so the falafels will hold together and not fall apart.

This also allows the ingredients to bind together and develop flavor. The falafel dough can rest in the refrigerator covered up to 24 hours so it's a great prep ahead recipe.

Place ½ cup - 1 cup flour on a large plate.

Form the patties into any size you want.  Mine are generally around 2 ½" wide and ½" thick. You can also form balls but this will require more oil for frying.   I like to get ten total falafel patties so eyeball it or go with your gut.  

The falafels will expand a little in the pan and make more tender, airy, and light (thanks to the baking powder).

Press each falafel patty lightly into the flour on the plate

Fry homemade falafels for around 2-3 minutes per side or until crispy on the outside and tender and cooked through on the inside.

Cool falafels on a wire rack.

How To Pan Fry Falafels

Use a neutral high smoking point oil like safflower, corn, or vegetable oil for pan frying falafels. Another high heat oil that gets a lot of attention is the more expensive avocado oil alternative. That oil will work too.

I prefer using a 12" cast iron skillet and adding a wee bit more oil to get the inside cooked faster. It's not deep frying. It's still a shallow fry and if the oil is hot enough when adding the falafels they will not soak up too much oil anyway.

Having said that, use a 12" non stick skillet and less oil if you are looking for a healthier pan fried falafel. A 12" pan / skillet will generally fit 5-6 falafel patties and only take two batches of cooking.

You may need to wipe out the hot pan between batches if you decide to use less oil and / or the oil is gone and there are brown bits leftover in the pan. If you try to fry the second batch in minimal old dirty oil, the falafels will soak up that taste and may burn.

Falafel with Canned Chickpeas Ingredient Substitutions

Falafels are versatile. That means you can change out the spices and some of the ingredients as long as the proportions remain the same with the beans, flour, and egg, lemon juice, and baking powder.

Don't have all those spices?  Don't be de-toured.  Just skip it or add something else.

Like fresh herbs? Throw in more and any kind. Some falafels are practically completely green on the inside due to the amount of herbs. Don't be shy, throw in as much as you like and any kind. Mint and cilantro taste amazing in addition to the parsley.

A little curry powder and/or cardamom is amazing in place of the cumin and changes the flavor profile.

Likewise, chives or a little bit of regular onion could be a substitute if you don't have green onions. Or just leave the onions out all together!

Don't want to use canned chickpeas for falafels?  Check out my blog post on dry beans. Cook ~5.5 ounces dry chickpeas to substitute a 28 oz drained can of chickpeas.

Freeze Leftover Falafels

Falafels with canned chickpeas are freezer friendly, both cooked and uncooked.

Make an extra batch of the dough and freeze uncooked (formed or unformed), defrost and fry them later.

You can also freeze cooked falafels individually on a baking sheet until frozen and transfer them in a ziploc bag to freeze. They won't be as crispy but dinner will be done fast.

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