This easy falafel recipe made with canned garbanzos makes dinner fun and healthy!

Yes! Dinner CAN be fun and tasty at the same time. Try making this fresh Falafel Recipe and you’ll see what I mean.

Everyone loves fresh falafel because they’re dip-able or you can stuff them in sandwiches. Or DO BOTH!

Tender canned garbanzos, a few common spices, and a little time make this falafel recipe a dish you’ll want to make again and again.

all the toppings for a fresh falafel sandwich

How to Eat Fresh Falafel

You can enjoy them any way you see fit. Stuff them in pita bread with all your favorite toppings. This is my favorite way to enjoy them. I put out pita bread, sour cream with dill and mint, sliced veggies, pickles if I have them, and usually some sort of greens.

OR

fresh cooked easy falafel made with canned beans

Set out all your favorite sauces and have a dipping party. You can use anything you have in your fridge or make something up. There isn’t really a wrong dipping sauce here.

Sauces for Dipping Your Falafel:

tzatziki sauce, that delicious traditional sauce is perfect for dipping
sour cream with dill
yogurt with dill
hummus, although that seems a little cannibalistic to me (HA!)
your favorite salad dressing

Is this a Traditional Falafel Recipe?

From everything I’ve read, no. A more traditional falafel is made with soaked garbanzos, not cooked garbanzos. But I never remember to soak the beans overnight so I just use canned garbanzo beans.

If you want to make a traditional falafel recipe simply soak dried beans overnight AT LEAST and then drain them. From there you follow my directions for falafel. No cooking of the soaked beans is required!

You can serve these with ANY flatbread you happen to find in your grocery stores like these pita bread or Naan on Amazon. OR better yet try making your own Pita or Naan Bread OR this Roti Recipe with my EASY to follow recipes! Either way works for me, seriously.

A few notes on this Easy Falafel Recipe:

Use fresh cumin seeds for best results, the fresh flavor burst you get when you crush them between two spoons before adding them to the mix is worth it!
You can make these into patties if you prefer, either way works for this recipe!
you can ALSO use a deep fat fryer, I looked through them on Amazon, and all the kinds I’d used before were unavailable so I linked up to one I would LIKE to have but honestly can’t justify having one more appliance…

If you LOVE garbanzo beans but you’re short on time try this AMAZING Chick Pea Burger! It’s gluten-free AND Vegan, and quick to make. And if you’re looking for a quick and easy sauce that happens to be low carb to offset the carbs in falafel try this Keto Tzatziki Sauce.

Falafel

No ratings yet

This easy falafel recipe made with canned garbanzos makes dinner fun and healthy!

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 20

Additional Time: 20

Total Time: 1

Servings: falafel

Calories: 5kcal

Author: Laura

Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

3 cups drained canned garbanzo beans
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley you can sub in dried parsley
2 tsp cumin seed crush these between for the full fresh cumin effect (I wrote about it above!)
1 tsp coriander
1 TBSP minced garlic add more to taste
1 tsp salt taste and add more as desired, remember canned beans are already salted
2 TBSP flour you may need more depending on how well drained your beans are
oil for frying

Instructions

Put everything in the bowl of a food processor except the oil
pulse to combine
put the mixture in a big bowl
see if it will hold together as balls if the mixture is too loose add a little more flour
once it will hold together make all the falafel and lay them on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper
put them in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm up
put 1 inch of oil in a deep frying pan and heat to 350˚, use a candy thermometer to check this!
once the oil is heated fry the falafel in 2-3 batches keeping them farm enough apart to make turning them over easier
turn carefully to brown them on both sides
remove to rack or plate covered with absorbent paper towels to let them drain
serve as desired