Air Fryer Falafel Burger

Vegan burgers can be so boring. If you’re cooking for a vegan or like to experiment with plant-based dishes, add this air fryer vegan burger to your menu. It’s a twist on classic falafel, with chickpeas and coriander as well as dukkah and tahini.

Air fryer falafel

Falafel are traditionally made using soaked chickpeas which haven’t been cooked. But since this means starting a day ahead, we wanted to find a shortcut. Tinned chickpeas contain more moisture, which can cause problems with vegan burgers (falling apart). So we added gram (chickpea) flour to create a mouldable texture.

You can spice the mixture with ground cumin, coriander and chilli (use 2tsp of each) but we’ve used dukkah, a spiced mixture which contains sesame seeds and adds crunch as well as flavour.

You can use this recipe to make air fryer falafel to add to wraps or simply to snack on!  Just roll smaller balls and cook for a few minutes less.

Air Fryer Falafel Burger

Makes 3 – Keeps in fridge for 1-2 days. Can be frozen.

1 small red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp dukkah (or use 2tsp each ground cumin, coriander and chilli flakes)
1 tin chickpeas, drained well
3 tbsp gram flour
Oil spray

1 – Put the onion, garlic, salt, lemon juice, and tahini in a blender and blend until smooth.

2 – Add the spices and half the tin of chickpeas. Blend again.

3 – Remove to a bowl and add the remaining chickpeas, squashing them in but leaving some whole for texture.  

4 -  Add the gram flour and mix, adding more if needed to get a mouldable texture.

5 – Oil your hands and form the mixture into 3 burger shapes.  

6 – Place a piece of baking paper on the crisper rack and spray lightly with oil. Add one burger and spray the top of it with oil.

7 – Cook at 200°C for 18-19 minutes. (Keep the other 2 in the fridge for later!)

Serving suggestions

Considering it’s such a 1970s classic, falafel has stood the test of time. These spicy chickpea nuggets add heft to sandwiches and can be served as party food, or any time you want a nutritious snack. Try our air fryer falafel burger inside a flatbread for a high-protein lunch.

-      🍴      Make a simple Greek flatbread by combining a cup of flour with a generous tablespoon of natural yoghurt, one teaspoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and enough water to bring the mixture together into a dough. Knead until smooth and roll out golf-ball-sized pieces to 20cm rounds. Heat a frying pan until very hot and add one round, then cover with a lid for about 30-60 seconds. The flatbread will puff up; turn over, cover again, and cook for about 30 seconds – check it’s cooked on both sides. Serve the flatbread with falafel burger and salad!

-      🍴      Serve in a toasted brioche with vegan slaw: combine 2 grated carrots with ½ sliced red onion and 3tbsp sliced cabbage, then mix with 2 tbsp of plant-based mayonnaise.

-        🍴    Serve on top of a salad bowl with quick pickled pink onions – in a bowl, combine 2 tbsp water and 3-4 tbsp of cider or white wine vinegar with 2tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt, stirring to dissolve. Then add half a red onion, finely sliced, and leave to marinate for five minutes. Drain and drape the pink onions over your freshly air fried falafel.

FALAFEL LOVE

If you make this recipe, please tag us @KelenandWillian – and follow us for more inventive air fryer recipes!