Falafel Sandwich Recipe

Falafel sandwiches on platter with tzatziki sauce

Falafel Sandwich Recipe

My trick to making the lightest, crispiest falafel for stuffing into pita sandwiches? Soak dried chickpeas overnight before blitzing them in a food processor with the other ingredients. If you use canned chickpeas instead, your falafel will turn out dense and doughy - not what you want!

Course Sandwich

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Keyword falafel sandwich

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Overnight soaking of chickpeas 8

Total Time 8 30

Servings

Calories 455kcal

Equipment

12-cup food processor

Ingredients

For the Falafel:

8 ounces dried chickpeas, covered with 3 inches of water and soaked overnight, drained
½ cup chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
2 tablespoons parsley, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon tahini
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
grapeseed or canola oil for frying

For the Pita Sandwiches:

4 pitas
½ cup tzatziki sauce
slivered lettuce
sliced cucumber
sliced tomato
sliced red onion
fresh mint, slivered

Instructions

In a food processor, add the soaked and drained chickpeas and blitz until finely chopped. Scrape the sides and blitz again. Add ½ cup chopped onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons parsley, 1 tablespoon tahini, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Cover and process, pulsing until the mixture is coarsely pureed. Add 2 tablespoons flour and ½ teaspoon baking soda, and pulse until blended.
Wet your hands, then form the mixture into 12 patties, about 1 ½ inches across. Chill the patties for 15-30 minutes.
Heat 1 inch of grapeseed oil to 350°F in a heavy-bottom skillet or Dutch oven over medium. Fry the patties in batches until golden, flipping halfway through, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
To make the sandwiches, open the halved pita and slather with a few dollops of tzatziki, then layer lettuce, cucumber, and tomato. Place 3 falafels in each pita half, top with sliced onion, and enjoy.

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