Lebanese Recipes – Lebanese Cooking Academy

Lebanese Falafel

Falāfil Lubnāniyyeh

Lebanese falafel should be deeply crisp outside, tender and aerated within, and distinctly fragrant with fresh herbs, cumin, and coriander. The essential technique uses dried legumes soaked until fully hydrated but never cooked before grinding. A coarse, cohesive grind, a brief rest, and bicarbonate added shortly before frying produce the characteristic light interior. This lesson teaches the mixed chickpea-and-fava preparation familiar in Lebanese homes and falafel shops, with the chickpea-only variation noted separately.

Prep20 min

Cook25 min

DifficultyIntermediate

Yield24 falafel, approximately 30 g each before frying

Know what you are cooking

Falafel is prepared throughout Lebanon for hot mezze, sandwiches, and casual meals. Lebanese formulas vary by household and shop: many combine chickpeas with peeled split fava beans, while others use chickpeas alone. Herb proportions, sesame coating, and seasoning also vary without changing the core soaked-legume technique.

Serve immediately as hot mezze or tuck into Lebanese flatbread with tarator, tomato, parsley, radish, mint, and pickles. For a gluten-free service, omit bread or use verified gluten-free bread and check all condiments for cross-contact.

By the end, you can:

Hydrate dried chickpeas and peeled fava beans safely without cooking them.
Recognize the coarse, moist-sand texture required for light falafel.
Balance fresh herbs, aromatics, cumin, and coriander without making the mixture wet.
Use bicarbonate correctly and conduct a test fry before shaping the full batch.
Maintain safe frying temperature for a crisp exterior and thoroughly cooked center.

Method

Soak the legumes

Place the chickpeas and split fava beans in a large bowl and cover with at least three times their volume of cold water. Refrigerate for 12 hours. The legumes must remain submerged; add more cold water if necessary.

Look, smell, feelThe legumes are swollen and can be split with firm pressure from a fingernail, but remain raw and starchy rather than soft like cooked beans.SafetySoak under refrigeration at 4°C or colder. Do not use legumes left soaking at room temperature for prolonged periods, and follow local health guidance where stricter limits apply.

Drain and dry

Drain the soaked legumes thoroughly and shake the colander to remove trapped water. Spread briefly on a clean towel if visibly wet. Excess surface water weakens the mixture and increases oil spattering.

Look, smell, feelThe legumes look hydrated but are not dripping, and no puddle forms beneath them.SafetyKeep the hydrated legumes refrigerated whenever preparation is interrupted. Wash hands, utensils, and work surfaces before continuing.

Grind the mixture

Working in batches if necessary, pulse the drained legumes, onion, garlic, parsley, fresh coriander, cumin, ground coriander, pepper, and salt. Scrape the bowl frequently. Stop when the mixture resembles coarse damp sand and holds when firmly squeezed; do not purée it. If it remains crumbly after thorough processing, pulse in cold water 5 ml at a time, using no more than 30 ml.

Look, smell, feelVisible fine flecks of legumes and herbs remain. A squeezed spoonful holds its shape without releasing liquid or becoming pasty.SafetyNever reach into the processor while the blade is installed. Do not taste the raw legume mixture.

Rest and aerate

Cover and refrigerate the ground mixture for 15 minutes. Stir in the bicarbonate evenly immediately before frying. Avoid prolonged storage after adding it because its lifting effect diminishes.

Look, smell, feelAfter resting, the mixture feels evenly hydrated and cohesive; after adding bicarbonate, it remains loose rather than compact or gummy.SafetyKeep the mixture at 4°C or colder during the rest.

Heat the oil and test the mixture

Fill a heavy saucepan no more than halfway with oil and heat to 175–180°C. Shape one level 30 g test piece, about 5 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick. Coat lightly with sesame if using, then fry it. If it breaks apart, pulse a small portion of the mixture slightly finer and combine it back into the bowl; if dense, shape subsequent pieces with less compression.

Look, smell, feelThe test falafel rises after entering the oil, bubbles steadily, and forms a firm crust without rapidly blackening.SafetyUse a thermometer, keep the pan stable, and keep children and water away from hot oil. Never fill the vessel more than halfway or leave it unattended.

Shape and fry in batches

Shape the remaining mixture into 30 g discs with a falafel mould or two spoons. Apply sesame sparingly if desired. Lower pieces carefully into the oil and fry in uncrowded batches for about 3–4 minutes, turning as needed, while maintaining 170–180°C. Drain on a rack or paper towels. Allow the oil to recover its temperature between batches.

Look, smell, feelThe falafel are an even deep golden brown, crisp and dry-sounding outside, with a green-flecked, tender, aerated center rather than a wet or pasty core.SafetyVerify representative pieces reach at least 74°C at the center. If the exterior darkens before the center cooks, lower the oil temperature slightly and make thinner pieces. Never extinguish an oil fire with water; turn off the heat, cover with a metal lid if safe, and follow local fire-safety guidance.

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Chef notes

Dried, soaked legumes are fundamental. Cooked or canned chickpeas contain too much retained moisture and starch differently, producing soft falafel that may disintegrate.
The correct grind is finer than chopped nuts but coarser than hummus. Overprocessing creates a heavy, pasty center.
Dry herbs after washing. Water clinging to the leaves can loosen the mixture and cause dangerous oil spattering.
Add bicarbonate only shortly before frying; excess bicarbonate gives an alkaline taste and overly dark crust.
A single test falafel is the professional control for seasoning, cohesion, thickness, and oil temperature.
Maintain the oil near 175°C. Oil that is too cool increases greasiness; excessively hot oil scorches the exterior before the center is cooked.

Common mistakes

Using canned or boiled legumes instead of dried, soaked legumes.
Leaving excess soaking water on the beans or wetting the mixture unnecessarily.
Grinding to a smooth paste, which creates dense falafel.
Packing the mould too tightly and compressing the interior.
Adding bicarbonate before long storage rather than just before frying.
Crowding the fryer, causing the oil temperature to fall sharply.
Serving falafel after prolonged holding, when steam has softened the crust.

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Practical substitutions

For a chickpea-only Lebanese variation, replace the 150 g dried fava beans with 150 g additional dried chickpeas; expect a slightly firmer texture and adjust grinding only after the test fry.
If fresh coriander is unavailable, replace it with an equal weight of additional parsley; the aroma will be milder.
Sesame may be omitted completely without changing the core method.
Use any neutral oil approved locally for deep frying, such as refined sunflower or canola oil; observe the manufacturer's temperature limits.
Do not replace sodium bicarbonate with the same quantity of baking powder, which contains additional ingredients and may alter flavor and gluten-free status.

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Plan and store

Make ahead: The legumes may be soaked, drained, and ground with the seasonings up to 24 hours before frying when continuously refrigerated at 4°C or colder. Do not add bicarbonate until shortly before frying. For best quality and conservative handling, fry the mixture the day it is ground.

Storage: Refrigerate cooked falafel within 2 hours of frying in a shallow, covered container and use within 3 days. Do not store at room temperature. Cool used frying oil completely before handling; strain or discard it according to local food-safety and waste-disposal guidance.

Reheating: Reheat refrigerated falafel in a 200°C oven or air fryer until crisp and the center reaches at least 74°C, generally 6–10 minutes depending on size and appliance. Avoid repeated cooling and reheating.

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Plate and serve

Arrange four falafel per serving on a warm plate and serve immediately. Accompany with tarator, Lebanese pickles, tomato, radish, parsley, and mint, or use as a sandwich filling. Keep sauces beneath or beside the falafel rather than pouring them over the crust before service.