Quick and Easy Instant Pot Falafel

Instant Pot Falafel is one the recipes that makes my Instant Pot worth every penny and every inch of storage space in my small kitchen.

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The best Falafel starts with dried chickpeas. Using dried beans is absolutely key to getting the right texture for your fried falafel patties.

A good falafel recipe combines soaked raw chickpeas with a perfect balance of fresh herbs and spices. But that requires remembering to soak the chickpeas ahead of time. With the instant pot, all you need is about 20 minutes to do a “quick soak” of the beans.

Once the chickpeas are tenderized either by traditional overnight soaking or by quick soaking in the Instant Pot, the ingredients are pureed together.

Cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley are added for flavor.

Then the mixture is formed into patties and deep fried, pan fried, or air fried until the outside is golden-brown and crisp. The inside stays moist and tender.

Is falafel vegan?

Yes! Falafel is made with chickpeas, seasonings, and a few other vegetarian and vegan ingredients. It makes a great vegetarian protein!

What are the ingredients for Instant Pot Falafel?

• Dried chickpeas
• Baking soda
• Onion
• Garlic
• Parsley
• Cumin
• Coriander
• Cayenne
• Baking powder
• Cooking oil

Do you really need to start with dried chickpeas?

Yes. Dried chickpeas are starchier than the ones from a can. This means that the patties will have the correct texture and will hold together much better.

Try making falafel from canned beans and they’ll completely fall apart when you cook them.

That’s why I love this Instant Pot recipe so much. Using an electric pressure cooker to cook the beans means that you don’t have to soak the beans first. And they cook in just 30 minutes!

Can you make gluten-free falafel?

Yes! This recipe is gluten free.

Most falafel recipes include a small amount of flour to hold the dough together. Usually this is all-purpose flour.

But you can use any flour you like. I have made these with regular wheat flour, rice flour, chickpea flour, and almond flour. All of them work great.

I don’t include any flour in this recipe because I find it can make the patties dry. If you find that your patties aren’t holding together well, though, mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons of your flour of choice.

How do you make Instant Pot falafel?

Instant Pot falafel is surprisingly easy to make!

1. First you quick-soak the chickpeas in water, salt, and a bit of baking soda in the Instant Pot. This takes just 10 minutes of pressure cooking time (plus 10 minutes or so for the pot to come up to pressure and about 10 minutes to release the pressure).
2. Next you puree the chickpeas with the other ingredients.
3. Form the mixture into patties.
4. Deep fry or pan fry them in cooking oil or fry them in an air fryer.
5. Enjoy!

Do you have to deep fry the patties?

I prefer to deep fry my falafel patties because they get the crispiest that way. My trick for deep frying without making a huge mess is to use a tall-sided pot and fill it with just 2 or 3 inches of oil. This keeps the splatter inside the pot.

If you don’t want to deep fry your falafel patties, you have plenty of other options. One is to shallow fry them in a skillet with just about ¼ inch to ½ inch of oil. You can even do this right in your Instant Pot using the Saute setting.

Another option is air frying them in an air fryer. Brush the outsides of the patties generously with oil and cook them on the highest heat setting.

You can also bake falafel in a regular or convection oven. Again, for the crispiest patties, brush them generously with oil before cooking.

How do you eat falafel?

You can eat falafel patties or balls on their own, dipped into flavorful dipping sauces like Tahini Sauce or Tzatziki. Or serve them as part of a mezze platter with Instant Pot Hummus, Spicy Zhoug Sauce, Muhamarra, and pita chips.

I love to stuff falafel into Homemade Pita Bread. Drizzle it with tahini sauce and add some fresh lettuce and tomatoes. Mmmm. A perfect lunch.

Crunchy falafel patties are also a great addition to a salad. Try it with this Tahini Dressing.

Falafel variations

There are lots of ways to get creative with your falafels, not just in how you serve them, but in what you put in them as well.

• Change up the spices: Add curry powder, garlic powder, turmeric, smoked paprika, or other spices.
• Turn up the heat: Make them spicy with extra cayenne, ground chipotle, or fresh jalapeno or serrano peppers.
• Use different fresh herbs: Parsley is my go-to for a basic falafel, but you can go crazy with fresh herbs. Try mint, cilantro, chives, dill or a combination.
• Try using different beans: Traditionally, falafel was made with fava beans, so those are a good bet. You can also make them with cannellini beans or lentils.

More Instant Pot Recipes You’ll Love

• Instant Pot Hummus
• Instant Pot Mulligatawny Soup
• Instant Pot Congee with Brown Rice and Turmeric
• Instant Pot Refried Beans
• Instant Pot Duck Confit

Instant Pot Falafel

Robin Donovan

Crispy, golden brown patties are tender and moist on the inside. They're seasoned just right with cumin, coriander, cayenne, and fresh parsley.

4.34 from 30 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Additional Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Instant Pot Recipes

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Calories 181 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups dried chickpeas
• 4 cups water
• 3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 onion quartered
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour ap, chickpea, almond
• 1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons to 3/4 cup cooking oil for frying or brushing quantity depends on which method you choose

Instructions

 

• Rinse the chickpeas and then put them in the Instant Pot and add the water, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the baking soda.
• Cover the pot, set the valve to the sealing position, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
• When the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes. Release any remaining pressure and drain the beans.
• Put the onion, garlic, and parsley in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
• Add the drained chickpeas, the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt, pepper, flour, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and baking powder and process to a chunky paste.
• Form the mixture into balls a bit larger than golf balls. You can cook them in balls or flatten the balls into 1-inch-thick patties.
• To deep-fry the patties on the stovetop, fill a heavy-bottomed pan with high sides with about 2 inches of the oil. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the balls or patties and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until they are golden brown and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the patties to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• To fry the falafel in the Instant Pot, add 1/4 cup of oil to the Instant Pot and use the saute function to heat it until it shimmers. Add the falafel balls or patties to the oil and cook for about 5 minutes per side, until the are golden brown and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the patties to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• To cook in your air fryer, brush the balls or patties with oil and arrange them in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook at 370 for 8 minutes. Flip the patties over and cook for 8 more minutes, until they are golden brown and crisp. 
• Serve hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 181kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 9gFat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 2159mgFiber: 8gSugar: 5g

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