Air Fried Falafel with Lemon Tahini Dressing (Vegan)
Air Fried Falafel with Lemon Tahini Dressing is on the menu for this week! I love falafel, and I love my air fryer, so this recipe was really just inevitable. Serve it up with some warm pita and veggies for a super easy and delicious meal.
This falafel recipe is a little untraditional in the sense that it uses canned chickpeas rather than dry, but I really wanted to create a super quick and simple recipe that anyone can whip up on the fly. When using dry chickpeas, you have to soak them for up to 24 hours prior to using them in a falafel recipe, and I know I can’t be the only one who NEVER remembers to do those necessary steps a day before I want to cook or bake something. There’s nothing worse than when you go to start cooking dinner only to read the recipe and realize you should’ve prepped something an entire day beforehand. This is exactly the misstep I wanted to avoid with this recipe!
Canned chickpeas are so easy to grab at the store and keep on hand to use whenever you fancy. The added chickpea flour helps to make sure the falafel mixture isn’t too soggy, and they fry up perfectly in the air fryer to become oooh so crispy! No frying oil necessary. The falafel mixture is filled with fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro, and dill, as well as spices such as cumin and coriander to make some seriously flavorful bites.
Let’s talk about the Lemon Tahini Dressing. It’s a little sweet from the maple syrup, a little zesty from the lemon, and a little creamy from the tahini. The flavors compliment the falafel so incredibly well. All together, this recipe is SO quick and easy to pull together. Can’t beat it.
If you do give this Air Fried Falafel with Lemon Tahini Dressing recipe a try, be sure to comment below and/or tag me on Instagram and let me know how you like it! I love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for stopping by!
Take care xx
Slim
Air Fried Falafel with Lemon Tahini Dressing (Vegan)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serves: 5 (makes 15 falafels)
Ingredients
For the falafel:
1 15oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¾ cup chopped parsley (remove the long stems)
¼ cup dill, chopped
¾ cup chopped cilantro (remove the long stems)
2 tbsp chopped garlic
⅓ yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp chickpea flour
For the Tahini Dressing:
⅓ cup unsweetened tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp water
Instructions
In a food processor, add the chickpeas, parsley, dill, cilantro, garlic, onion, cumin, coriander, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar. Pulse together several times until well combined and a grainy texture is formed.
Stir in the chickpea flour until well mixed. If the mixture is too wet or soggy, just add more chickpea flour 1 tbsp at a time until a dryer texture is reached.
Using a cookie scoop or spoons, scoop out and roll ~1 inch sized balls from the mixture. Should make about 15 balls. Place them in the air fryer, ensuring there’s at least an inch or two of space between them. Do more than one batch if you have to.
Air fry at 400°F for 15 minutes. The outside should be browning and crispy to the touch.
In the meantime, add the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and maple syrup to a bowl. Whisk together until well combined. If the texture is too thick, add water 1 tbsp at a time until a runny consistency is reached.
Drizzle the tahini dressing over the air fried falafel and serve with a warm pita and veggies!
