Air Fryer Falafel Bowl with Creamy Garlic Toum

4 servings · 30 minutes preparation · 16 minutes cooking · 750 minutes cooling, chilling or resting

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water in the refrigerator for 12 hours and drained thoroughly
• 0.5 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 0.5 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 0.5 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon chickpea flour or all-purpose flour
• 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, for brushing falafel
• 0.5 cup peeled garlic cloves, for toum
• 1 teaspoon fine salt, for toum
• 0.25 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup neutral sunflower oil, chilled
• 4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 0.5 cup sliced pickled pink turnips

Step-by-step instructions

1. Place the soaked and thoroughly dried chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, chopped onion, smashed garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and cayenne pepper into the bowl of a food processor.
2. Pulse the mixture in 2-second bursts until it resembles coarse, uniform meal, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, ensuring it does not turn into a pureed paste.
3. Sprinkle the chickpea flour and baking soda over the falafel mixture, pulse three times to combine, transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up.
4. Prepare the toum by adding the 0.5 cup of garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon of salt to a clean food processor, pulsing until finely minced, then slowly alternating drizzling chilled sunflower oil and fresh lemon juice in a thin stream until a thick, fluffy white emulsion forms.
5. Preheat the air fryer to 375 F (190 C) for 3 minutes.
6. Shape the chilled falafel mixture into 12 equal patties, roughly 1.5 inches in diameter and 0.75 inches thick, then lightly brush both sides with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
7. Arrange the patties in a single layer in the air fryer basket, leaving space between each patty, and air fry at 375 F (190 C) for 8 minutes.
8. Gently flip each patty with a spatula and air fry for an additional 6 to 8 minutes until the exteriors are deep golden-brown and crispy. The centers should be fully cooked, hot throughout, and no longer taste raw; continue cooking if necessary.
9. Divide the shredded romaine lettuce among four wide bowls, top each with three hot air-fried falafel patties, halved cherry tomatoes, and pickled pink turnips, then spoon a generous dollop of creamy garlic toum alongside.

Kitchen notes

Never use canned chickpeas for homemade falafel, as their high moisture content causes the patties to disintegrate or turn dense in the air fryer. Soaking dried chickpeas overnight hydrates them while preserving essential raw starch structure. For the garlic toum, remove any bitter green germs from the center of garlic cloves before blending, and keep your oil cold. Drizzle the oil at an exceptionally slow, pencil-thin trickle to establish and maintain a stable, fluffy emulsion.

Storage & make-ahead

Store leftover falafel patties in an airtight container lined with a paper towel in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store homemade toum in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Reheat chilled falafel patties in a preheated air fryer at 350 F (175 C) for 4 to 5 minutes until heated through to 165 F (74 C) and crisp. Do not microwave.