What can I use instead of a food processor for falafel?

Grind the spices in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Drain the soaked chickpeas VERY WELL and mix all the ingredients except the baking powder and cooking oil. The chickpeas need to be very dry before mixing so the falafel mix is not too wet. Grind the falafel mix using a 5 mm grinder die.

Can you make falafel with hand blender?

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.

How do you keep falafels from falling apart?

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).

How to make food without food processor?

Combine liquids and solids in a mixer . Whether you're using a hand mixer, a stand mixer, or an immersion blender, your mixer can function as a useful substitute for a food processor. Just place the food into a large, durable bowl and lower in the mixer, then turn it on.

What is difference between blender and food processor?

What are the Differences Between a Food Processor and Blender? Blenders usually have one blade, tall jars and are typically used for wetter recipes. Food processors, on the other hand, usually have multiple blades and wide work bowls and can usually shred and slice in addition to pureeing.

Why do you put baking soda in falafel?

Baking soda — It may seem odd to add baking soda to a savory recipe, but it helps keeps the interior texture of the falafels fluffy .

What can I use instead of a food processor for hummus?

Mash chickpeas, 2 tablespoons reserved chickpea liquid, tahini, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder together in a bowl using a potato masher , adding more reserved liquid if desired, until hummus is desired consistency, 50 to 100 strokes.

Can you use a hand blender instead of a food processor?

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.

How do you make falafel stick together?

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 .

Does a hand blender work like a food processor?

The hand blender when used with the right attachments can substitute for the food processor , however, as the volume of the food processor bowl is larger than the chopper or blending jug, it may be quicker when preparing a large quantity to use the food processor.

How is falafel originally made?

Falafel is made from fava beans or chickpeas, or a combination of both . Falafel is usually made with fava beans in Egyptian cuisine, where it most likely originated, with chickpeas in Palestinian cuisine, or just chickpeas or a combination of both in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria and the wider Middle East.

How is falafel processed?

It's made by soaking the dried legumes, grinding them, and mixing them with herbs and spices. Then, they're shaped into balls and deep-fried .

What makes falafel stick together?

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.

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

Fry

by: Izy Hossack

May18,2015

2 Ratings

No-Gadget Falafel (Falafel without a Food Processor) Recipe on Food52 (1)

Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 45 minutes
Makes 12

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

Don't have a blender OR a food processor? Not even a potato masher!? Who *are* you!? You are me. And thank goodness, I've found a way we can still make falafel without all the gadgets.
(Note: I'm a parsley and dill-hater, hence why I prefer to make my own falafel! I used a small amount of parsley in this recipe, but if you want to amp up the herbs, feel free to add more chopped parsley and/or dill). —Izy Hossack

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the falafel:
one 14-ounce can of chickpeas
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoonall-purpose flour (or buckwheat flour, if gluten-free)
¹/₂ teaspoonground cumin
generous pinch of salt
¹/₄ cupfinely chopped parsley
¹/₂ red onion, finely chopped (use the other half for serving)
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
¹/₂ cupfinely chopped cilantro
vegetable or canola oil, for frying

To serve (all optional!):
¹/₂ cupplain yogurt
handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
handful of cilantro, finely chopped
¹/₂ red onion, finely sliced
hummus
mixed salad leaves
flatbreads, to serve (gluten-free, if needed)

Directions

Open the can of chickpeas and pour them into a strainer to drain. Rinse the beans and the can under cold water. Keep the can as we're going to use if for smushing!
Pour the drained, rinsed chickpeas into a wide bowl with the lemon juice. Use the base of the empty can to smush and squish the chickpeas into as smooth a paste as possible. If the cut-edge of the empty can is sharp and not safe to hold, just use the base of an unopened can and rinse it off after you're done.
To the chickpea paste, add the flour, ground cumin, salt, and parsley. Stir together well, then add the onion, garlic, and cilantro. Mix together using your hands until very well combined.
Divide the mixture into 12 equal balls (roughly 2 tablespoons of mixture per ball). Flatten each ball slightly with your fingertips.
Heat a skillet over a medium flame and fill to about 1/4-inch depth with oil. When the oil looks shimmery, place a few of the flattened balls into the skillet. Fry until golden, then flip and cook on the other side until golden. Remove to a tray or plate lined with paper kitchen towel to drain.
To serve: Mix together the yogurt, mint, and cilantro. Spread some of this herbed yogurt over a flatbread along with some hummus, slices of red onion, salad leaves, and falafel. Wrap up and eat!

Tags:

Falafel
Sandwich
Middle Eastern
Cilantro
Cumin
Mint
Chickpea
Bean
Parsley
Make Ahead
Weeknight Cooking
Fry

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Peony
Yvetta Lukoff
Nodirjon Akhdiyor Sattarov
Izy Hossack
ncindc

Recipe by: Izy Hossack

topwithcinnamon.com

Passionate about cakes, roasted vegetables and anything involving Maldon salt or maple syrup. Izy is a student living in London, UK who spends her spare time blogging and rambling on topwithcinnamon.com

Popular on Food52

9 Reviews

Peony February 8, 2018

Followed the recipe exactly and ended up with mushy oily crumbs...I added a bit of extra flour and let them rest over night and still did not hold. :-(

Nodirjon A. August 24, 2019

They fall apart because the recipe asks for canned chickpeas. Don't use canned chick peas ever for falafel. Sometimes, to avoid having to soak them over night, I quick soak them by cooking chickpeas in boiling water for 2 min, taking them off the stove and letting them sit in the hot water for an hour. After the hour I just drain the water and let them dry.