Falafel doesn't have to mean a trip to a specialist shop or a long list of specialist ingredients — a tin of chickpeas, a spoonful of harissa, and ten minutes in a hot pan gets you there. These spicy falafels are quick enough for a weeknight lunch, spiced enough to hold their own, and just as good crumbled over a salad as they are stuffed into a warm pitta with goat's cheese and whatever salad's to hand.
Homemade Falafel - The Flexible Chef
Ingredients Spicy Falafel Recipe
(serves 2, makes 8–10 small patties)
- 400g tin chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp harissa paste
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- Sea salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil, for frying
- Pitta bread, to serve
- Goat's cheese, crumbled, to serve
- Salad of your choice, to serve
Method
- Put the chickpeas, garlic, cumin, coriander, harissa, flour and a pinch of salt into a food processor. Pulse until fairly smooth — you want it to hold together, not a purée.
- With wet hands, form the mixture into small patties.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the falafels for a few minutes on each side until golden and crisp. Remove onto kitchen paper to drain any excess oil.
- Toast the pittas, split them open, and fill with the falafels, crumbled goat's cheese and salad.
A Few Notes
If you don't have harissa to hand, a pinch of chilli flakes and a little extra cumin will get you most of the way there, though the harissa's smokiness is worth seeking out if you can. The mixture can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for a day before frying — it firms up nicely and is, if anything, easier to shape with wet hands after a rest. These also freeze well once cooked: lay them out on a tray to freeze individually, then bag them up and reheat from frozen in a hot oven for 10–12 minutes.
Beyond the pitta, crumbled falafel works well scattered over a bowl of hummus and salad, or alongside flatbread and a dollop of yoghurt. Leftover goat's cheese and salad make this an easy way to use up whatever's sitting in the fridge at the end of the week.
If you fancy chickpeas in a completely different direction, my One-Pan Chickpea Rice Bowl turns the same tin into a creamy, spiced supper.
This spicy falafel recipe is part of my Veg, Fruit & Pulses collection. Wonky photos, proper produce, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef
