Name: Falafel Burger
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 2 cups dry chickpeas or garbanzo beans; soaked overnight; 1/2 red onion, diced; 1/2 white onion, diced; 1/4 cup parsley; 1/4 cup dill; 5 cloves garlic,minced; 2 teaspoons coriander; 2 teaspoons cumin; 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper; 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 2 Tablespoons chickpea flour; 2 Tablespoons Tahini; Burger Buns of Choice (Gluten-free or While-grain oil free) or without a bun (try lettuce); Vegan tzatziki; Cucumber slices; Tomato Slices

I love falafel, and recently, I ate a falafel burger at a local vegan restaurant near our home. Although it was fabulous, the restaurant version wasn’t as healthy as I would make at home. So, I took my Air Fried Falafel recipe and made oil-free falafel burgers at home.

Topped with my Vegan Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt Sauce), my falafel burgers are crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. And, WOW! These falafel burgers turned out better than I possibly imagined.

I buy my beans, legumes, and chickpeas on Amazon in bulk. They are cheaper and store well. In fact, buying food like this (especially if you are an Amazon Prime member) is great, because there isn’t any shipping cost, and it arrives in a day.

THE TRICK IS TO USE DRIED CHICKPEAS INSTEAD OF CANNED!

One of the biggest mistakes I made trying to make my own falafel at home was using canned chickpeas. What I didn’t know then, which I learned since is authentic falafel is made by soaking dried chickpeas and NEVER cooking them. Instead, the soaked chickpeas cook for the first time when baking or air-frying the falafel dough.

First of all, dried chickpeas absorb a lot of water. One cup of dried chickpeas, for instance, will expand 3 times its size, yielding 3 cups of chickpeas. So, when soaking chickpeas, always use a bowl three times the size and add 3 times the amount of water to cover the chickpeas. Then, soak the chickpeas overnight.

The trick, however, is you don’t ever cook the chickpeas for baked falafel. Instead, the chickpeas are drained and then rinsed a second time, prior to making the falafel dough.

Then, rinse the chickpeas before you plan to make the falafel mixture in a food processor. My Kitchen-Aid food processor is a large 9 cup variety, so the falafel mix can be made in one batch. If you have a smaller food processor, I suggest making the falafel dough in batches.

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE NEEDED FOR FALAFEL BURGERS?

Dry chickpeas or garbanzo beans; soaked overnight
White onion, diced
Red onion, diced
Parsley
Dill
Garlic
Coriander
Cumin
Ground pepper
Cayenne pepper
Lemon juice
Chickpea flour (or flour of choice)
Tahini

USE A FOOD PROCESSOR TO FALAFEL BURGER DOUGH

Once the soaked chickpeas are soaked and rinsed, it’s time to make the air-fry the falafel burgers. First, you need to use a food processor to grind the chickpeas and make the falafel dough.

Next, you simply add all the ingredients to the ground chickpeas and process on high until you achieve a grainy dough.

Then, transfer the dough to a bowl, cover it, and place it in the refrigerator for about an hour before making the burger patties.

One of my favorite veggie burger tools is my Cuisinart Burger Press. Once the falafel dough is chilled, I form the patties using the burger press.

HOW TO COOKED AIR-FRIED FALAFEL RECIPE IN AN AIR-FRIER…A FEW LITTLE HELPFUL TRICKS

In order to make oil-free falafel burgers, that taste great, there are a few other tricks.

For instance, pulse the mixture in the food processor, rather than processing on high. And, it is necessary to refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour to have it set up prior to forming the patties.

Since the falafel dough is a bit sticky, I suggest forming the patties and placing them in the freezer for 15 minutes before placing it in the airf-fryer. As a result, the falafel burgers are firmer and less likely to stick.

Another helpful suggestion is to flip the falafel burgers halfway through cooking with a spatula, so they cook evenly on both sides.

FREEZING AND REHEATING AIR-FRIED FALAFEL BURGERS

Since falafel burgers take only 20 minutes to cook, it’s a quick and easy meal once the dough is made ahead of time. Also, if you plan to freeze extra burgers, cook them first. Reheating is simple!

If you have leftover falafel burgers, place in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Similarly, air-fried falafel burgers can be stored in a freezer in a ziplock bag.

For reheating, I recommend cooking in a 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Or, you can also reheat air-fried falafel burgers in a microwave for 5-7 minutes.

FALAFEL BURGER TOPPINGS…KEEPING IT GREEK

Because I love the Mediterranean flavors of falafel, I kept in tradition by using traditional falafel topping rather than typical burger toppings.

My Vegan Tzatziki (Greek Yogurt Sauce), for example, is the perfect topping. Also, I added cucumber slices and tomato slices as well.

As side dishes, I served garlic roasted potatoes and grilled corn on the cob I marinated in greek dressing.

Not only do falafel burgers taste fantastic, but they are also men approved, which in my house is always a vegan win!

DO YOU LOVE MEDITERRANEAN FLAVORS? CHECK OUT THESE RECIPES

4 servings

Falafel Burger

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Take your veggie burger to the next level with this oil-free falafel burger topped with vegan tzatziki (Greek yogurt sauce), cucumbers, and tomato, air-fried to perfection in 20 minutes. Crispy on the outside, soft and delicate on the inside, this falafel burger recipe will be your new go-to veggie burger.

Ingredients

2 cups dry chickpeas or garbanzo beans; soaked overnight
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup dill
5 cloves garlic,minced
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons chickpea flour
2 Tablespoons Tahini

Other Ingredients

Burger Buns of Choice (Gluten-free or While-grain oil free) or without a bun (try lettuce)
Vegan tzatziki
Cucumber slices
Tomato Slices

Instructions

MAKING THE FALAFEL DOUGH

Soak dried chickpeas overnight; make sure you cover the chickpeas with at least three times the amount of water since the chickpeas absorb a lot of water.
Rinse and drain the chickpeas and transfer them to a food processor with the large blade.
Process on high until the chickpeas are ground up
Then, add all the other ingredients.
Pulse until all ingredients are combined; you may need to scrape down the sides to make sure all ingredients are included.
Now, transfer the falafel dough to a bowl and cover for at least one hour before forming falafel balls.
Once chilled, remove the dough from the refrigerator and using a burger press or your hands, form individual falafel burger patties.
Place the burger patties on a baking sheet and cover. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before air-frying.
Once all patties are similar-sized patties, you are ready to cook in the air-fryer in batches. I cooked two at a time.

AIR-FRYING FALAFEL

Remove burger patties from the freezer and cook 2 at a time in the air-fryer.
Place 2 patties in the base of the air-fry pan, making sure not to overlap falafel patties.
Cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping over each falafel patty at 10 minutes and then cooking the other side for the remaining 10 minutes.
Remove air-fried falafel burgers and place them on a cooking sheet and place it in a warm oven to keep warm if making more burgers.

Notes

Don't have an air-fryer? No worries! You can bake falafel burgers in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Place burger patties on a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper to avoid sticking

Cook for 30 minutes, flipping burgers over at 15 minutes.