Easy Thermomix Falafel

These Thermomix falafel are easy to make and incredibly delicious! There are only four quick steps for making a great falafel recipe, a Middle Eastern snack popular worldwide!

I adore these Thermomix falafel! I could have them daily, for lunch, breakfast, dinner, or as a quick snack. They are herby and flavorful, crispy on the outside yet moist and soft on the inside.

Despite the flavor and consistency that will still be there even if you don’t use a Thermomix, this kitchen gadget makes the entire procedure even simpler and faster. There are only four main steps for making these gorgeous bites: soak chickpeas, mix everything, form the balls, and cook them. Here, you have three options: deep-fry them, air-fry them, or bake them.

You can have them as they are; you can make pita sandwiches, serve them with the Best Hummus without Garlic, make a falafel platter or Falafel Sandwich, or serve them as mezze together with other Middle East-inspired appetizers. Try this Easy Lebanese Lentil Soup as well; it is healthy and full of flavor.

Jump to:

• What do you need?
• How to make falafel in the Thermomix?
• Tips
• Recipe FAQs
• How to serve them?
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

What do you need?

• Chickpeas: NOT canned chickpeas. You need dried chickpeas that need to be soaked and then used uncooked.
  • I always make falafel using 2 cups (400 g) of dry pulses. When soaked, you will have about 5 cups (800 g). This amount makes about 20 large falafel; you can halve the recipe if that’s too much for you. Although I never bother for less, we love them and eat them every day until they are all gone.
• Gram flour: Also called besan flour. It’s flour made from a particular sort of chickpea called gram chickpea, and it is commonly used in the Indian subcontinent. It is pretty easy to get in most larger supermarkets. Otherwise, you can purchase it online.
• Fresh herbs: I always use a mixture of fresh flat parsley and fresh cilantro. You could use them half-half, but I tend to use a little more parsley than cilantro. But the choice is yours. You can also add a few large mint leaves, which I always do in spring and summer when mint grows in my garden.
• Baking soda: It’s commonly used to make falafel and boil chickpeas for other dishes. Baking soda is alkaline, raises the pH level, breaks down the pectin, and helps the pulses cook faster. Without it, the falafel would taste slightly raw even after cooking and be less puffy.
• Spices: Generous amounts of ground cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, fine sea salt, and ground black pepper
• Other ingredients: 1 onion, 5 large garlic cloves, and 2 tablespoons sesame seeds.

How to make falafel in the Thermomix?

• Soak chickpeas overnight. Drain well.

• Step #1: Pulse the onion for 5 seconds on level 5. Add already grated garlic and all the ingredients except the sesame seeds. Process for 30 seconds on level 5. Scrape the mixture down the sides of the bowl and process again for about 10 seconds. Scrape again, and repeat a couple more times. Don’t overprocess; you should not have a paste. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 (2).
• Make balls: Add sesame seeds just before forming and cooking the balls. Scoop some of the mix with an ice scooper or with your wet hands and form balls or discs. I usually get about 20 balls of approximately 1.7-2 oz (50-55 g) each (3).
• Cook: deep fry, air-fry, or bake the Thermomix falafel.

How to deep fry them?

• My least preferred method, yet the technique that makes the best falafel. I rarely deep-fry anything; when you find me deep-frying anything, it would probably be falafel…
• Pour oil into a large skillet, about 1 inch (2 ½ cm) depth. Heat on medium-high heat to 360 degrees Fahrenheit (185 degrees Celsius). If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a small amount of the mix into the hot oil. If it sizzles nicely, you can start frying.
• Place the balls into the hot oil using a slotted spoon, and be careful not to burn yourself. Don’t drop them, or the oil might splatter (4).
• Cook in batches for about 4 minutes and turn the balls a few times in between to cook on all sides. When cooked, they should be crispy and deeply golden brown (5).
• Remove with the slotted spoon and place on paper towels to remove the excess oil.

How to air fry them?

• Heat the fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
• Spray the air fryer basket and the falafel with a bit of oil. You can also brush them if you don’t have a spray.
• Fry the balls in two batches; they should fit in the basket in a single layer and not touch each other much (6).
• Cook for 7 minutes, flip, and cook for another 7 minutes, until golden brown, crispy, and cooked through (7). Repeat with the second batch.
• If they are flat, cook them for only 10-12 minutes.

How to bake them?

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush it with oil. Brush or spray the chickpea balls with oil as well.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Flip, spray with oil again, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until they are crispy and brown.
• If they are flat, cook them for 5 minutes less, and check to see if they are cooked through.

Tips

Recipe FAQs

How to serve them?

They are at their best when they are really fresh and still warm. However, I also adore eating them straight from the fridge.
You can serve them with hummus, as part of a large mezze plate, in pita bread sandwiches with tahini sauce, or make bowls with fresh vegetable sticks, roasted vegetables, hummus, tahini sauce, or tzatziki.

Our favorite tahini sauce as a bonus: mix 3 tablespoons tahini with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 grated garlic cloves, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper to taste. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cold water to loosen it up a bit more if desired.

📖 Recipe