If you love falafels, you will love this Air Fryer Falafel (from mix)! It's not only quick and easy to make, it's healthier than deep frying, creates less mess, and is a safer way to cook falafels. I love falafels but don't have time to make homemade falafel from scratch, so I've always used a box mix. Making falafels in the air fryer from a mix is a game changer! I used to fry my falafel balls on the stovetop in at least an inch of oil or deep fry them and it wasn't exactly the healthiest. Then I got an air fryer and decided to try it out and it makes the most delicious falafel balls!
Air fried falafel is healthy, ww friendly, vegan, economical, and the ideal quick and easy meatless Monday meal. And it's great for any time of the year. I have been converting several of my recipes to the air fryer these days. You can check out my Air Fryer recipes HERE (and there are more to come). You will love this Easy Air Fryer Falafel recipe!
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And if you love healthy wraps, try my Turkey Bacon Ranch Wrap. You can use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon!
🥘Ingredient Notes
For this delicious air fryer falafel, you'll need these basic ingredients:
- Falafel mix. I prefer Casbah Natural Foods Falafel mix to other brands, but you could use any brand you prefer.
- Cooking oil spray (with no propellants). See Expert Tips below.
And to make Falafel Pitas, you'll need these ingredients:
- Pita bread. Make sure you are buying pita pocket bread, which means it's split open like a pocket you can put other food in. Greek pitas generally do NOT split open.
- Tahini sauce. *You generally cannot buy "tahini sauce" unless it's from a deli. You buy tahini (which is ground-up sesame seeds), then you need to make the sauce by adding lemon, garlic, and water. Just be sure to check the ingredients if it says "tahini sauce".
See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Falafel mix - you can use any type of falafel mix, including Trader Joe's
- Falafel balls - you can make falafel patties instead
- Lettuce - Instead of iceberg lettuce, you can use romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, or butter lettuce
- Pita bread- Use whole wheat pita instead of white
- Gluten-free -Use gluten-free pita instead of white or whole wheat to make this gluten-free
- Sauce for falafels - You can use tahini sauce, tzatziki sauce, or homemade hummus.
- Cooking spray - you can use olive oil spray, canola oil spray, or avocado spray
- Spicy - add red pepper flakes
- Oil - The best oil to use in an air fryer is avocado or canola, as they have a high smoking point. Also, it's important to use a non-propellant spray (see Top Tip) You can learn more about the best types of oil to use in your air fryer HERE!
🔪How to Make Air fryer Falafel Balls
Combine water and falafel mix together in a large bowl, as per package directions, and let stand (as per package directions - usually about 10 minutes)
Meanwhile, spray the inside of your air fryer basket or drawers with a couple of pumps of cooking oil spray.
Form falafel batter into small balls (approximately 1 inch - 1.5 inch) - you'll get 18 -20 depending on how big you make them.
You can use your hands or a cookie scoop.
Place falafel balls in a single layer in a basket or drawer.
*Try to keep them spaced apart, but it's okay if they touch
Spray with another 2-3 pumps of oil spray.
Cooking time:
Air-fry at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10 minutes. You can shake or turn at the halfway point (5 minutes) and you can spray a couple more pumps of oil, but you don't have to if you have a Ninja Foodi (I didn't).
*The falafel balls will be golden brown and look a little cracked, but this is fine.
Falafel Pita Wrap
Then you can add whatever fillings you like and make it into a falafel pita.
- Add your desired fillings and 2-3 falafel balls to a ½ a pita.
- Drizzle with tahini sauce (See NOTES for recipe)
🥗 What to serve with Falafel Pitas
You can serve this air fryer version of falafel pitas with fresh veggies, as well as the following side dishes Greek rice (with lemon)(shown below), Artichoke and Red Pepper Coleslaw, Mandarin Orange Salad, and Air Fryer Parsnip Fries.
Expert Tips
- You will need an air fryer. I have a Ninja Foodi, which I love, but if you don't, not to worry, you can make these in a variety of air fryer brands. If you don't have an air fryer, but are in the market for one but not sure what type to get, check out my article on What to Look for in an Air Fryer.
- Use silicon tongs. I also recommend using silicon tongs so you don't damage the finish on the inside of your air fryer.
- Spray your falafel balls (and anything you put in the air fryer) with a light spray cooking oil, but do NOT use an aerosol cooking spray with propellants (like Pam). This can cause damage to the surface of your air fryer and cause the coating to flake off and potentially onto your food. *The label will tell you whether it has propellants or not.
🌡️Storage
Store leftover falafel in an airtight container in the fridge. The wet ingredients (lettuce, tomato, onion, etc.) should be stored separately from the falafel balls in the fridge for 3-4 days. The pita bread can be stored at room temperature to the expiry date on the package.
These falafel balls can be frozen (once cooled) in an airtight container for up to 3 months. The pita bread can also be frozen.
👪 Serving Size
This Healthy Falafel recipe for the air fryer makes about 18-20 falafel balls. Each pita has about 3 falafel balls. If you are making them into pitas, you'll get 6 pitas.
🔢WW Points
These Air Fryer Falafels are Weight Watchers friendly @3 ww points. This does NOT include tahini sauce (you'll need to calculate that separately if you use it). Using my WW hummus or WW friendly Tzatzki will be fewer ww points.
Choosen Foods Avocado Oil Spray is 0 points for a 5-second spray. If you use more, you'll need to calculate the points in the app.
❔ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When you make falafels in the air fryer you use less oil, so they are healthier and less messy to cook.
Falafels will fall apart in the air fryer if they are turned too soon. They need to cook for at least 2 minutes (ideally 4-5 minutes) before they are turned or they are likely to fall apart. They can also disintegrate if the mixture is too wet. If you are using a box mix, make sure you use the amount of water directed on the package instructions and let it sit for the recommended amount of time, as instructed on the package.
If your falafel balls or patties don't have a crunchy texture, you likely didn't cook them long enough or the falafel dough was too wet.
Air frying your falafels is a healthier, less messy, quick, and easy way to make them. And this Falafel Pita recipe makes for an ideal weeknight dinner! So, if you're looking for an easy falafel recipe for the air fryer, you'll love this one!
And if you are looking for more meatless, hearty dinner ideas, check out my Red Lentil Soup with Spinach.
🌯More Healthy Wraps
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📋Air Fryer Falafels (from mix) recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
falafel balls
- 10 oz box of falafel mix
- water
falafel sandwich
- 3 -8 inch pita bread (sliced in half)
Optional fillings
- 3 tomatoes
- 2 cups lettuce
- ⅓ cup celery
- ⅓ cup pickles
- ¼ cup red onion
- ½ cup cucumber
- 1 cup tahini sauce
Instructions
- Combine water and falafel mix together as per package directions and let stand (as per package directions - usually about 10 minutes)
- Meanwhile, spray the inside of your air fryer basket or drawers with a couple pumps of cooking oil spray.
- Form into approximately 1 inch - 1.5 inch balls - you'll get 18 -20 depending on how big you make them.
- Place falafel balls in single layer in basket or drawers.*Try to keep them spaced apart, but it's okay if they touch
- Spray with another 2-3 pumps of oil spray.
- Air-fry on 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10 minutes. You can shake or turn at halfway point (5 minutes) and spray a couple more pumps of oil, but you don't have to if you have a Ninja Foodi (I didn't).*The falafel balls will look a little cracked, but this is fine.
Falafel Pita Wrap
- Add your desired fillings into warm pita bread (½ an 8 inch pita pocket) and add 2-3 falafel balls.
- Drizzle with tahini sauce, tzatziki sauce or hummus(See NOTES for Tahini sauce recipe)
Notes
-
- You will need an air fryer. I have a Ninja Foodi, which I love, but if you don't, not to worry, you can make these in a variety of air fryer brands. If you don't have an air fryer, but are in the market for one but not sure what type to get, check out my article on What to Look for in an Air Fryer.
-
- Use silicon tongs. I also recommend using silicon tongs so you don't damage the finish on the inside of your air fryer.
-
- Spray your falafel balls (and anything you put in the air fryer) with a light spray cooking oil, but do NOT use an aerosol cooking spray with propellants (like Pam). This can cause damage to the surface of your air fryer and cause the coating to flake off and potentially onto your food. *The label will tell you whether it has propellants or not.
Christine says
These didn’t airfry properly whatsoever , I ended up scooping everything into a frying pan and cooking them like “ground beef” to get crumbles.
Terri Gilson says
Hi Christine,
Sorry to hear it didnt' work for you.I've never had anything like that happen.
What type of air fryer are you using and what type of falafel mix did you use?
Terri
Monica Tannehill says
It sounds wonderful but here's the problem, Rani falafel mix does not have the directions on the package. It specifically says we have to look up the directions to make it online 🤦♀️.
Terri Gilson says
Hi Monica,
That's odd they don't put the directions on the box. When I googled it, I found these directions:
To prepare Rani Falafel Mix, use a 1:1 ratio of dry mix to water (such as 1 cup of dry mix to 1 cup of water), or roughly 3/4 cup of water to 1 cup of mix depending on the preferred firm consistency.
Step-by-Step Instructions
• Mix: Combine the dry falafel mix with water in a bowl.
• Rest: Cover loosely and let the mixture stand for 30 to 60 minutes to allow the liquid to absorb properly.
• Shape: Form the mixture into small balls, pucks, or patties by hand. Make sure to press them tightly so they hold their shape.
Then follow my directions for making them in the air fryer.
Enjoy!
Terri
Terri Gilson says
I love making falafels, but I've always shied away from deep frying them. This Air Fryer Falafel recipe is a fantastic solution! Using a box mix saves so much time, and the air fryer method makes them healthier and less messy. The falafels turn out delicious and crispy, just like the deep-fried version. It's great to have a quick and easy way to enjoy this Middle Eastern favorite at home.