How to Make Egyptian Falafel

How do you make Egyptian Falafel you ask? Well, you’ve come to the right place! I’m going to walk you through the ins and outs of creating the most droolworthy authentic Egyptian Falafels around. This falafel recipe was taught to me by my mom who has spent her whole life perfecting classic Egyptian dishes such as this one.

My mom was born and raised in Egypt before making her way to America, so she knows a thing or two about true Egyptian cuisine. The very first falafels ever made were speculated to have originated in Egypt. So, I like to think of this recipe as one of the originals, passed on from generation to generation. 😉

I’m going to go through all the tips and tricks on how to make Egyptian falafel in detail to make sure you guys don’t miss a beat. But if you’d prefer to skip straight to the recipe, click the link below!

Jump to Recipe

HOW TO MAKE EGYPTIAN FALAFEL

LET’S START WITH THE BEANS

Most falafel recipes you see out there today include ONLY chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans). But for this Egyptian version, we use a combination of chickpeas AND lima beans. Here’s some very important tips you’ll need to know about preparing the beans:

• ONLY use DRY beans! The canned stuff will NOT work for this recipe. Using canned beans will result in a very loose, mushy mixture that will not hold together. You must start with dry beans and use the soaking method to prepare them for processing which I go over in the next step.

• The soaking method: It’s important to soak your beans AT LEAST 24 hours before you start making your falafel. Place the lima beans and chickpeas in SEPARATE bowls. Cover them completely with water (there should be about 2 inches of water above them).

• Check on your beans regularly because they will absorb a lot of water within the first 12 hours. Add more water as needed so that they are always completely submerged.

• When you’re ready to cook, drain and rinse the beans!

OTHER INGREDIENTS NEEDED

Once you’re done preparing the beans, the rest of the recipe is smooth sailing! Other than the beans, the main ingredients you’ll need to make the falafel mixture are the following:

• 1 small yellow onion
• 7 sticks green onions
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley (about 2 packed cups)
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro (about 2 packed cups)
• 2 tsp garlic salt
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp coriander
• 2 tsp cumin

My mom always says a true Egyptian falafel batter needs to be strikingly green. And with this recipe, you’ll get the greenest falafel mixture around! 😉

MAKING THE FALAFEL MIXTURE

This is my favorite part because you can just throw all your ingredients into a food processor and pulse away! If you have a large enough food processor, you should be able to fit the beans and all other ingredients in at the same time. If your food processor is a little smaller, then you will have to split your ingredients evenly and work in batches.

You should end up with a green mixture that has a somewhat pasty, yet grainy consistency. At this point, I would highly suggest transferring your falafel mixture to an air tight container and refrigerating it for at least 1 hour. This will help set the mixture and make it easier to mold into patties.

FORMING THE FALAFEL PATTIES

Now it’s time to start forming your falafel patties and get them ready for cooking. The size and shape of falafels can vary greatly between different cultures and recipes. For Egyptian falafels, they are usually in a small, rounded shape and slightly flattened. Giving them the appearance of a small patty. To give you an idea of the measurements:

• I used about 2 tablespoons of falafel mixture for each patty
• Each patty was about 2 inches in diameter
• I yielded 40 patties total

FRYING THE FALAFEL

You’ve made it to the last step! Frying the falafel. I’ve compiled a helpful list of important tips to keep in mind when frying the falafel:

• Add your oil to a large skillet filling it about half way. Start by heating the oil on HIGH for about 5 minutes.

• CAREFULLY drop your falafels into the hot oil, making sure they don’t touch each other.

• Depending on how big your skillet is, you should be able to fit about 7-9 falafels in at a time.

• Fry one side until it turns a deep golden brown. It should take about 5 minutes depending on how hot your oil is. You’ll then flip the falafel and fry the second side until golden brown as well.

• One important thing to note: if the falafels start to brown too quickly, your oil might be too hot. You can adjust the temperature by lowering the heat to medium in between each batch.

• Lastly, place the finished falafels on a plate lined with paper towels to help drain any excess oil.

Now that you’ve got your patties all fried and ready to go, it’s time to start thinking about what to serve with falafels. Traditionally, falafels are put into a sandwich using pita bread pockets. You can add all kinds of flavorful fixings to your falafel sandwich such as lemon, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, lettuce and of course HUMMUS! 

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LOOKING FOR A GREAT HUMMUS RECIPE TO SERVE WITH YOUR FALAFEL? CHECK OUT MY BLOG POST ABOUT HOW TO MAKE HUMMUS FROM SCRATCH!

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And there you have it! A complete guide on How To Make Egyptian Falafel! Full of authentic Egyptian flavors and a classic ethnic feel, this is one meal that will definitely have you coming back for more. Read on to see the detailed recipe for these mouthwatering Egyptian Falafels!

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MORE EGYPTIAN CUISINES TO CHECK OUT NEXT!

1. Egyptian Kofta Meatballs
2. Stuffed Eggplants with Zesty Garlic Sauce
3. Egyptian Beef & Okra Stew

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