No-Gadget Falafel (Falafel without a Food Processor) Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

How to make falafel if you don't have a food processor? ›

Add the shallot, parsley, and garlic to a blender and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the chickpeas, cumin, coriander, pepper, salt, flour, and olive oil and blend until combined, but still slightly chunky, 15–20 pulses, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed.

If you don't have a food processor, you can also use an immersion blender. Then it's easier to blend bit by bit. If the mix seems very dry, you can add a splash of water. Take a tablespoon of the falafel mix at a time and roll between your hands to form falafel balls that are about the size of walnuts.

A binding ingredient can help keep it together, especially if you are using canned beans instead of dried. And the perfect binding ingredient for falafel is flour. Nothing fancy, just plain all-purpose flour. Add a few tablespoons at a time to your mixture, until you can press it easily into balls or patties.

The blender is a food processor's close relative in the kitchen and makes a great food processor substitute for a few tasks. These two countertop appliances are sometimes interchangeable for things like emulsifying and pureeing, but a blender can more thoroughly break down foods for ultra smooth results.

You might be able to use a knife or grater

While food processors are great time savers, many of their functions like chopping or slicing can be done with a knife. "You can do a lot with a knife.

In short – yes! An immersion blender is a handheld blender with a small spinning blade that is immersed into ingredients to create smoothies, soups and sauces. A food processor has larger, flat blades at the bottom of the work bowl, or discs that sit at the top and can chop, shred, grind, puree and more.

If the mixture is too wet, the falafel has a tendency to fall apart when being fried so please pat dry the ingredients before using them. If you find the mixture is too wet, simply add little more breadcrumbs. The falafel mixture after prepared can be shaped by hand or with a tool called an alb falafel (falafel mold).

Common kitchen tools can sometimes be a sufficient blender substitute when you don't have access to handheld or countertop appliances. Tools like rolling pins, a masher or a mortar and pestle can be used to mash or puree soft ingredients like ripe fruit, or help you crush ice in a pinch.

Canned chickpeas do not work for falafel. They're far too wet. If you try to use canned chickpeas instead of dried and soaked chickpeas, you'll end up with sad falafel pancakes. Some recipes try to counteract the wetness by adding flour, which significantly dulls the flavor and makes the texture more doughy.

Why won't my falafel fall apart? ›

Chilled falafel mixture is less likely to break apart during frying. Aim for at least 30 minutes to let the mixture firm up and enhance its structural integrity, this will also give the baking soda time to soak into the mixture.

Baking soda and powder: Baking soda breaks down and softens the chickpeas as they soak. Baking powder, mixed in just before baking, makes the falafel light and airy. Fresh herbs: The tender leaves of parsley, dill, and cilantro bring fresh, herbal flavor and color.

One of the most popular uses for a food processor is to puree food, but you can do it by hand if you need to. To start, simmer, boil, or stew the food until it's soft and almost falling apart. Then, mash the food with a fork or a potato masher until it takes on a smooth, even consistency.

A blender is going to be the next best thing to a food processor. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend. Just remember to put in your thicker ingredients first, like the chickpeas and tahini.