I am a total sucker for any dish that rhymes, which is why I love falafel waffles—but this dish goes beyond the gimmick because falafel works so well as a waffle shape (you get lots of crispy grooves) and savory waffles are a perfect, filling addition to brunch. It feels complete enough to be the star and bonus: you don’t have to fry them and they still get super crisp!
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (87 grams) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons (90 grams) tahini
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (42 grams) honey
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch ground cayenne
- 1/2 small head purple cabbage (575 grams)
- 1 small carrot (90 grams)
- 3 radishes (80 grams), halved and thinly sliced
- 1/2 red onion (95 grams), thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup (6 grams) fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup (7 grams) fresh Italian parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1 3/4 cups (300 grams) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 cup (10 grams) fresh cilantro leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
- 1 cup loosely packed (12 g) fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 large egg
- 1 lemon, zested, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 medium onion (190 grams), coarsely chopped
- Olive oil spray, for the waffle maker
- Flaky salt
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- For the slaw: Whisk the lemon juice, tahini, yogurt, olive oil, honey, cumin, kosher salt and cayenne in a large bowl. Remove and reserve one-third of it in a small bowl. Whisk 1 to 2 tablespoons of water into the remaining mixture to make a thick dressing that drizzles from the spoon.
- Shred the cabbage and carrot either by hand, with a box grater or using a food processor with the shredding attachment. (Wipe out the processor and use it later for the falafel.) Add the cabbage, carrot, radish and red onion to the dressing in the large bowl and toss well. Add the cilantro and parsley and toss once more. Set aside to let the flavors blend while you make the waffles.
- Place a baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to its lowest possible temperature.
- Preheat a waffle maker (see Cook’s Note) to a medium-high setting.
- For the waffles: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the chickpeas, cilantro, parsley, flour, kosher salt, coriander, cumin, baking soda, cayenne, cinnamon, garlic, egg, lemon zest and juice and onion. Process to make a thick, almost smooth paste.
- Grease the waffle maker well with olive oil spray. Use a dry measuring cup or an ice cream scoop to add a scant 1 cup falafel mixture and spread almost all the way to the edges. Close the waffle maker and cook until the waffle is crisp and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the waffle to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm and repeat with the remaining batter to make 4 waffles total. (You can also form into patties for a more traditional falafel shape and fry in 1/2 inch of oil in a large cast-iron pan, about 4 minutes per side.)
- Serve the waffles sprinkled with flaky salt and garnished with the remaining parsley and cilantro. Serve with a scoop of slaw on the side, a drizzle of the reserved dressing and a lemon wedge. Leftover slaw will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The falafel waffles will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator as well and are best reheated in the toaster oven.
Reviews
My husband is Lebanese so he expects authentic flavors and textures. We do not like the traditional way of frying in oil, but cooking them in an air fryer makes them gummy. We tried this recipe and it gave him that great texture and flavor. Two quarters fit perfectly in a pita half with some homemade toom (garlic sauce), tomatoes, cucumbers, and banana peppers…just like home! This is our new ‘go to’ when we have a taste for falafel.
Loved this recipe! The falafel had so much flavor!! I used canned chickpeas and a Belgium waffle maker because that’s all I had. They still came out crispy and not dry at all. The sauce and the coleslaw were so good and complimented it so well.
Really enjoyed the waffles, tasted just like falafel is meant to. But the slaw was a miss for us, ended up in the trash and that’s rare at our house.
This came out exactly like hers did on the show. We really enjoyed this dinner and every part of it. What’s not to love about falafels? Everything tasted bright, crisp, fresh and healthy. I will put this into our meal rotation for sure. Great recipe.
I am making this for a birthday party celebrating Israel’s 75th birthday. I found the mixture too dry and under seasoned. Added 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup water, an extra egg, and 1;2 tsp each of cumin, black pepper and salt. Came out delicious!
I made the waffles yesterday, they were delicious, so flavorful. I used canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed and removed the skin from the peas… no problem!
Served with air fryer chicken thighs.
Served with air fryer chicken thighs.
I followed exzcley and even have a round non Belgian walffle maker. They stick. I even oilled after every waffle.
These turned out so well – using the dried chickpeas really helps keep the falafel from being too wet/gummy. They definitely need the slaw & sauce to round out the dish, and we added a drizzle of sriracha too.
Delish! The dressing for the slaw is so tasty that I immediately started thinking of other things to dip into it. The falafel is packed with flavor. This dish has found a spot on our weekly rotation.
A lot of work but the result is yummy!