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What is falafel and where can you buy it?

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small patties of falafel on a white wooden board with a bowl of smooth hummus and a filled pitta, with a pink linen napkin and grey background

What is falafel and where can you buy it?

|fala-fel|

Helen Salter

Published: July 12, 2023 at 12:28 PM

Discover what falafel is, where to shop for it, and how to use it in our ingredient glossary

Check out our guide to falafel, including where to buy it and plenty of recipe inspiration, then read about tempeh, couscous and halloumi.

What is falafel?

Falafel is a deep-fried ball made of ground chickpeas or broad beans. It’s a popular street food in Middle Eastern cuisine, commonly served in pitta, topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce and a tahini-based sauce. Falafel can also be eaten on its own as a snack, or as part of a wider meze spread. In Egypt, falafel is made with fava beans, whereas it’s more common in Palestine to use chickpeas as the base. Thanks to migration it’s gained popularity with vegetarians and vegans around the world, since hailed as an alternative to meat-based street food.

Where to buy falafel

Cauldron falafel, £2.65/200g, Waitrose

M&S 8 fresh herb falafels, £3.40/160g, Ocado

Falafel recipes

Avocado hummus, falafel and broad bean baguettes

These simple sandwiches are packed with creamy hummus, vibrant broad beans and flavoursome falafel, making a perfect lunchtime meal.

Sweet potato falafel with coriander chutney and carrot salad

This recipe for sweet potato falafel with coriander chutney and carrot salad is vegan, low-calorie and gluten-free. Plus, it's ready in under an hour – perfect for midweek.

Syrian falafel

Try this spiced falafel recipe from Imad’s Syrian Kitchen as part of a meze-style feast. They are best served with a fresh salad and lemony tahini sauce.

Falafel, beetroot and hummus grain bowl

Check out this colourful vegan bowl with fragrant falafel, crunchy beets and warm grains. This easy recipe is a simple yet stylish midweek meal for two.

Spiced falafel burgers

Pack in plenty of punch with our healthy vegetarian burgers, brightened up with pickled chillies and hummus.

Carrot falafel

Try our take on the Middle Eastern classic, falafels. Use up your leftover carrots to give these delightful balls a lighter taste and texture. Plus, they're low calorie and full of flavour, and of course, carrots can help you to see in the dark, even in falafel form. Bonus!