🧆 Falafel with Creamy Homemade Hummus
Crispy, golden falafel served with silky homemade hummus makes an irresistible Middle Eastern-inspired meal. The falafel is packed with soaked chickpeas, fresh herbs, garlic, onion, and warm spices, while the hummus is smooth, creamy, nutty, and bright with lemon.
Perfect tucked into pita, served as a mezze platter, or enjoyed with fresh vegetables and pickles.
⏱ Recipe Information
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Chickpea Soaking: 8–12 hours
Cook Time: 15–20 minutes
Total Time: About 9 hours
Servings: 4–6
Difficulty: Easy–Intermediate
🧆 Homemade Falafel
🛒 Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- ½ cup fresh coriander/cilantro
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Oil, for deep frying
Instructions
🫘 1. Soak the Chickpeas
Place the dried chickpeas in a large bowl.
Cover generously with cold water—the chickpeas will expand considerably as they soak.
Leave them covered for 8–12 hours or overnight.
Drain them extremely well before making the falafel.
Do not boil the chickpeas. Traditional falafel is made with soaked, uncooked chickpeas. Boiled chickpeas can make the mixture too soft.
🌿 2. Process the Ingredients
Add the drained chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, cumin, ground coriander, salt, and black pepper to a food processor.
Pulse repeatedly until the mixture becomes a coarse, grainy paste.
It should hold together when pressed but should not become smooth or purée-like.
Scrape down the sides as necessary.
🧊 3. Rest the Mixture
Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
Cover and refrigerate for approximately 30–60 minutes.
This makes the mixture easier to shape and helps the falafel hold together during frying.
🥄 4. Add the Baking Soda
Just before shaping and frying, mix the ¼ teaspoon baking soda thoroughly into the falafel mixture.
Don’t add it hours in advance.
🧆 5. Shape the Falafel
Scoop out approximately 1½ tablespoons of mixture per falafel.
Shape into small balls or slightly flattened patties.
If the mixture feels too loose to shape, refrigerate it longer.
Avoid making the falafel too large, as thick pieces can brown on the outside before cooking properly inside.
🔥 6. Heat the Oil
Pour enough neutral oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot to allow the falafel to float freely.
Heat the oil to approximately 350°F (175°C).
Use a thermometer if possible.
🧆 7. Fry
Carefully lower several falafel pieces into the hot oil.
Don’t overcrowd the pot.
Fry for approximately 3–5 minutes, turning occasionally, until deeply golden brown and crisp on the outside.
Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or, preferably, a wire rack to drain.
Repeat with the remaining mixture.
🥣 Homemade Hummus
🛒 Ingredients
- 1½ cups (about 250 g) cooked chickpeas, drained
- ¼ cup (60 g) tahini
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt, to taste
- Cold water, as needed
Instructions
🫘 1. Prepare the Chickpeas
For exceptionally smooth hummus, remove the skins from the cooked chickpeas if you have time.
This isn’t essential, but it produces an especially silky texture.
🍋 2. Blend the Base
Add the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, and salt to a high-powered blender or food processor.
Blend until the mixture begins to become smooth.
💧 3. Add Cold Water
With the blender running, gradually add cold water, a tablespoon at a time.
Continue blending until the hummus becomes smooth, creamy, and light.
You may need several tablespoons depending on the chickpeas and the desired consistency.
The key is to add the water gradually—you can always add more, but it’s difficult to correct hummus that’s become too thin.
🫒 4. Add the Olive Oil
Drizzle in the olive oil and blend again until silky.
Taste the hummus.
Adjust with additional:
- Lemon juice for brightness
- Salt for seasoning
- Cold water for a thinner consistency
🥣 5. Serve the Hummus
Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl.
Use the back of a spoon to create a shallow swirl across the surface.
Drizzle with olive oil.
For garnish, try:
- Paprika
- Ground cumin
- Fresh parsley
- Whole chickpeas
- Sesame seeds
- A few chopped fresh herbs
🧆 How to Serve
Arrange the hot falafel around the creamy hummus and serve with:
- Warm pita bread
- Pickled red onions
- Cucumber
- Tomato
- Lettuce
- Radishes
- Fresh parsley
- Lemon wedges
- Olives
- Tahini sauce
- Garlic sauce
For a complete meal, tuck the falafel into warm pita with hummus, vegetables, and pickles.
⭐ Chef’s Tips
Keep Falafel Coarse
This is one of the most important steps. A grainy mixture gives falafel its characteristic texture. Don’t process it into a smooth paste.
Drain the Chickpeas Thoroughly
Excess moisture can make the mixture difficult to shape and cause the falafel to fall apart in the oil.
Chill Before Frying
A short rest in the refrigerator helps the mixture firm up.
Test One First
Fry a single falafel before cooking the whole batch. If it falls apart, chill the mixture longer or adjust its consistency before continuing.
Keep the Oil Hot
If the oil temperature drops too much, the falafel can become greasy rather than crisp.
Make Hummus Extra Smooth
Blend longer than you think you need to, adding cold water gradually. A powerful food processor makes a noticeable difference.
🌿 Easy Variations
Spicy Falafel
Add ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or a finely chopped fresh chili.
Extra-Herby Falafel
Increase the parsley and coriander for a fresher, greener interior.
Sesame Falafel
Add 1 tablespoon sesame seeds to the falafel mixture.
Roasted Garlic Hummus
Replace the raw garlic with 2–3 roasted garlic cloves.
Lemon Herb Hummus
Add extra lemon zest and fresh parsley to the finished hummus.
🧊 Storage
Falafel Mixture
Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before frying.
Cooked Falafel
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheat in an oven or air fryer to restore crispness.
Hummus
Refrigerate in an airtight container for approximately 4–5 days.
Add a splash of cold water and stir before serving if it has thickened.
❄️ Freezing
Falafel freezes particularly well.
Arrange uncooked shaped falafel on a tray and freeze until solid.
Transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag.
Fry or air-fry from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
Cooked falafel can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
🧆🥣 Recipe Summary
This Falafel with Homemade Hummus is a delicious combination of crispy herb-packed chickpea falafel and silky tahini-lemon hummus.
The secret to great falafel is using soaked—not boiled—chickpeas and processing them into a coarse mixture rather than a smooth paste. For the hummus, blend thoroughly while gradually adding cold water to create that creamy, silky texture.
Serve everything with warm pita, crunchy vegetables, pickled onions, and plenty of lemon for a fantastic homemade mezze feast. 🧆🫓🍋