Sean's Falafel and Cucumber Sauce Recipe

I had to make a few alterations... this recipe would best be used as a "guide" for making falafel. First - DOUBLE the recipe! The mixture will hold for a few days in the refrigerator and also freezes well - especially important for busy individuals/families. Mashing the chickpeas by hand is very important for texture/consistency. I used 2 (15 oz) cans of chickpeas and it took less than 5 minutes to mash by hand - so it's not as laborious as others have stated. My best recommendation: Use a generous handful each of fresh parsley and cilantro for great flavor. The seasoning measurements are perfect. DO NOT use egg or breadcrumbs, use flour instead. You will need approximate 4-8 tablespoons - start with 4 T and add additional flour as needed until you are able to form a small ball and it doesn't stick to your hands. I recommend test frying one ball (or disk); if it falls apart you must add more flour. It is also highly recommended to refrigerate the mixture for a few hours to allow the flavors to mingle. I typically make the mixture the night before or the morning of - and fry in the evening for a quick fix meal. These can be baked but are must tastier fried! Fry in 2-3 inches of oil at 375 degrees. Traditionally falafel is served with a tahina sauce - but I much prefer using homemade Tzatziki instead (made with strained yogurt, strained shredded cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and dill). MMMM delicious!

Both my husband & I like falafels, and thought this was a good recipe. I made a few changes, most note worthy would be warming the beans in the microwave for a minute 1st so they mash quicker and only using 2/3 cup of bread crumbs. I will make this again.

I used green onions (1/4 cup) instead of a regular onion, plus added 1/2 cilantro and 1/4 cup mint to the mixture, as I've seen in other falafel recipes. I omitted the baking powder (other recipes don't call for it), and cut the salt to 1/2 tsp. (just a personal preference). I also cut the bread crumbs down to 3/4 cup, which was perfect. I pan-fried in olive oil the first time, and baked them at 450 on parchment paper for 20 minutes (flipping after 10 minutes) the second time, which was healthier. Thanks for the recipe!

Delicious! I made the recipe as written except used baking soda instead of baking powder as others recommended. I baked the falafel (10 patties) at 425° for 15 minutes after spraying the pan and patties with cooking spray. I then flipped them for another spray and 15 minutes of baking. Perfection! Nice and crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Served them in pita bread with the cucumber sauce and tomatoes. Will definitely make again! Thanks for the recipe!

Made two batches at the same time. Mashed chickpeas with a fork as suggested, and did the onion/parsley/garlic in my food processor. Added 1/2 cup Panko to one batch and 1 cup Panko to the other instead of bread crumbs, then chilled for an hour. Used my George Foreman grill to eliminate frying in oil. The softer patties (less Panko) became quite large on the grill, which took 4-5 min to cook. These were suitable over rice or grain, and were appealing with a softer texture to eat. The firmer patties stayed thicker and smaller (more suitable for pita stuffing. Served with fresh veg, grain and topped with tzatziki and corriander / cilantro chutney - which was amazing. I could eat this every day.

Amazing! These are as good as any great Greek restaurant. To note, 1) used Panko bread crumbs, and 2) got everything chopped, mixed kitchen aide mixer, then ran through the accompanying sausage maker. For people with the issue of them falling apart in the oil, 1) after forming, be sure to chill in fridge for 30 minutes. It changes the consistency of the ball. Honestly, freezing them would be better than trying to cook them at room temperature, like good french fries. 2) Use an appropriate thermometer to ensure your oil is hot enough. If it isn't 350+ the oil will just soak in and destroy your balls instead of resisting as a result of the water content rapidly evaporating. I did a last batch after eating and not only did the balls warm up, but I was lazy and didn't let the oil get all the way up to temperature. The first 3 batches were perfect, that last batch not so much. The good ones had a distinctly serious sizzle to them, the bad batch was lackluster. Good luck! Tl;dr chilled balls and properly hot oil temperature are critical to quality results. Blame science.

This was my first time making falafel and they turned out great. I followed these two suggestion from other reviewers: • I cut the amount of bread crumbs in half. • I sprayed a cookie sheet and the patties with vegetable oil spray and baked at 400 for 12 mins each side instead of frying. I also pressed the falafel mix into a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scooped out with a spoon, and pressed them down well on the cookie sheet to get the patties all one size. I was able to make 9 patties using this method. I will definitely make them again!

The flavor of the falafel was great. After reading the reviews, I chose to use 1/4 cup flour instead of bread crumbs. I baked the patties on a pan greased with olive oil at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, turned them over and baked for another 10 minutes. They were golden and great. For the sauce. I do love sour cream but not a fan of yogurt. I substituted sour cream for the yogurt, added powered garlic and used English cucumbers (no peeling or seeding). I had corn tortillas to use up so that was my substitute for pita bread. My husband thought they were delicious.

I followed the recipe except for the bread crumbs. Typically I substitute wheat germ which I process in a blender to bread crumb consistency. After combining all the ingredients I let it rest in the fridge until I was ready to cook. The falafel mixture became firm enough to form into balls and didn’t break apart when turning them over. I also took the suggestion to bake instead fry. Delicious! Thanks for sharing.

I made this recipe as instructed except my favorite brand comes in a 19 oz can (so increased parsley, garlic, onion slightly - red onion) and omitted coriander. Used extra large eggs. I did leave it slightly sticky. No breaking apart. Heated oil to level 6 and turned down to level 4. 4 minutes per side. I will tell you that this is my second time making them and, well, just YUM. Used store bought tzadziki and sliced cucumber on the side. As for the look of them...you be the judge.

Delicious-I used Greek yogurt and fresh dill and left out the mayo and salt and thought it tasted great! ... I also baked them and used parchment paper so I didn’t have to spray any oil.

Way too much salt in the dry ingredients. Cut back to 1/4 tsp. Probably needs a little more lemon. The sauce was good but could have used a little garlic powder and maybe a little lemon juice to brighten it up a bit.

One of my family favorite recipes. It is delicious!

Made it last night — still craving it.

Best falafel I've had. Admittedly I'm not an expert on falafel but they always seem bland and dry (or greasy) to me. Made these with some adjustments for a vegetarian friend and he gave them 2 thumbs up. Per other reviews - I added some fresh cilantro, used flour instead of bread crumbs and doubled the recipe. These were super flavorful and I'll be making them again.

I made this numerous times. The last few times, I made the falafel in the air fryer. YUM! I somehow ran out of cumin and used curry instead. Double YUM!

Great recipe! I cooked up dried chickpeas with a clove of garlic for 1 hour to use instead of canned chickpeas. It may need one more egg because although I was able to form them into patties... they were very fragile when flipping them in the pan when frying them. I also used cashew milk yogurt in the sauce and also a crushed clove of garlic in the sauce. I added a mix of diced tomatoes, onion, and cilantro to the sandwich. Loved the recipe.

I made it without the cucumber sauce for reference loved it. oily and crunchy but smooth on the inside with so many spices. I was skeptical at first but it's really good.

I used a different recipe for the falafel, but made this cucumber sauce. DELICIOUS. Thanks!

The recipe makes pretty tasty falafel. The sauce is also quick and delicious. However, making them really left a mess. These falafel are extremely fragile. I made the mistake of trying to make slightly smaller patties and cooking them in batches. But as I was flipping them, a couple fragmented and made a mess of my oil. When the small pieces started to burn, I had to start a new pot of oil. Deep frying is already messy. WIth two pots of oil, it is even worse. I probably will try a different recipe next time, but the sauce will be probably be remade.