Air Fryer Falafel (Authentic Taste with Minimal Oil)

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1 cup fresh cilantro (coriander) - I also include the stems
• 10 large fresh mint leaves
• 4 green onions
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons chickpea flour, or you can use all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons water
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Cooking oil spray - I've used olive oil spray

Instructions

1. 1

   In a large bowl, soak the dried chickpeas in water for 8 hours or overnight in the fridge. *Note they will double in size so ensure there is room in the bowl to allow for this

2. 2

   Drain the soaked chickpeas and rinse well under cold water in a colander. Add them to a food processor and pulse a few times so the chickpeas are chopped up

3. 3

   Roughly chop the fresh herbs and add them to the food processor along with the green onions, garlic, flour, cumin, baking powder and water. Season with salt and pepper

4. 4

   Pulse the ingredients together until they're well combined together. Don't over blend so you still have some texture, but they should be all finely minced

5. 5

   Using wet hands, spoon a heaped tablespoon of the mixture in your hands and shape into balls. You should have between 14-16 falafel balls, depending on the size you make them**Note if the falafel mixture feels too crumbly or falling apart, add an extra spoon of water. If it feels too wet, add a spoon of flour

6. 6

   Place the shaped falafel patties on a tray lined with parchment paper. Place in the fridge and allow them to set for 30-60 minutes

7. 7

   Preheat the air fryer to 400℉/200℃ Spray the bottom of the air fryer basket with oil and gently place some of the falafel balls inside in a single layer, making sure there is room in between and they're not touching. You'll have to work in batches depending on the size of your air fryer

8. 8

   Spray the falafel balls generously with oil and cook for 4-5 minutes until lightly golden

9. 9

   Open the air fryer and gently flip them around. Spray them again with oil and cook for a further 4 minutes until golden brownRemove and repeat the above steps for the remaining falafel

10. 10

    Serve your tasty air fryer falafel with pita flatbread, hummus and tabbouleh with a drizzle of tahini sauce or make a falafel wrap and enjoy!