Giant Falafel

Looking for a fun twist on traditional falafel? This giant falafel is crispy on the outside, soft and flavorful on the inside, perfect for sharing at parties or enjoying as an easy weeknight meal. Serve it with fresh cucumber salad and a creamy lemon yoghurt sauce for a delicious Mediterranean feast!

Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20-25 min
Equipment Needed: Instant Pot Airfryer

Ingredients

Falafel:

• 400 g canned chickpeas, drained
• ½ red onion, diced
• 25 g parsley, finely chopped
• 80 g courgette (zucchini), grated
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp self-raising flour or gluten-free flour
• 2 tbsp chia seeds or ground flaxseeds

Optional – Cucumber Salad:

• 3 Mediterranean cucumbers or 1 large English cucumber
• ½ red onion
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 25 g fresh mint leaves
• Salt and pepper

Optional – Yoghurt Sauce:

• 1 cup full-fat yoghurt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

Method

Prepare the Falafel Mixture:

• Place all falafel ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture comes together but still has small, breadcrumb-sized pieces of chickpea (do not puree!).

Cook the Falafel in the Air Fryer:

• Lightly grease a baking tin that fits into your air fryer basket with oil.
• Spoon the falafel mixture into the tin, flatten the top with a spatula, and brush the top with a little more oil.
• Place the tin in the air fryer basket.
• Select 'Air Fry', set the temperature to 185°C, and the timer to 25 minutes.
• Ignore any prompts to add or turn food.
• Cook until golden brown and set. Check after 20 minutes, as cooking time depends on the thickness.

Prepare the Cucumber Salad (Optional):

• Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a teaspoon.
• Cut into bite-sized pieces and toss with salt. Let sit in a bowl to drain.
• Thinly slice the red onion, place in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and lemon juice, and let soften.
• Pick the mint leaves off the stems.

Make the Yoghurt Sauce (Optional):

• Mix the yoghurt with lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve:

• Once cooked, remove the giant falafel from the air fryer and let cool slightly.
• Drain the liquid from the cucumber and red onion, then toss together with mint leaves, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Cut the falafel into wedges and serve with the lemony yoghurt sauce and cucumber salad.

Enjoy:

• Perfect for sharing as a party platter, dinner, or leftovers in your lunchbox the next day!