Homemade Hummus and Falafel Plate
Homemade hummus and falafel is the plate to make when you want both at once: a bowl of creamy, lemony chickpea dip next to a pile of crisp, herb-flecked chickpea fritters, with warm flatbread to scoop up everything in between. This post is less about one more dip or one more batch of fritters and more about how the two come together as a single shared meal, from the order you cook them in to the way you lay out the platter.
I keep plenty of standalone versions of each on the blog, but this is the pairing I actually cook when friends come over, because it feels generous without being fussy. The thing that changed how I approach it was treating the two as one project instead of two recipes: the hummus comes together in minutes while the falafel mixture rests, so nothing sits around getting cold. Start the falafel from dried chickpeas soaked overnight (never canned, or they slump apart), and the rest of the plate falls into place around it.
Cook Them Together, in the Right Order
The whole point of making these as a pair is timing. Because both start from chickpeas, you can stagger the work so the hummus is chilling and the falafel is landing hot at the same moment, with no last-minute scramble. Here is the order I follow:
- The night before: soak the dried chickpeas for the falafel in plenty of cold water.
- First: blend the hummus and refrigerate it, so the flavours settle while you cook everything else.
- Next: pulse the drained soaked chickpeas with herbs and spices into the falafel mixture and let it rest so it firms up.
- Meanwhile: warm the flatbread, slice the vegetables, and set out the pickles and sauces.
- Last: shape and cook the falafel so it reaches the table crisp and hot.
Getting the Falafel Crisp Outside, Fluffy Inside
The single most important step is to use dried chickpeas soaked overnight, never canned or pre-cooked ones. Soaked raw chickpeas give that light, fluffy crumb and hold their shape as they cook; cooked chickpeas turn to mush and fall apart in the pan. Pulse the mixture until it is finely ground but not a smooth paste, and let it rest before shaping. If you would rather skip deep-frying, the same mixture works beautifully as falafel cooked in a pan with just a film of oil. Feeling playful? A batch of beetroot pink falafels turns the platter into a showstopper, and every version I make lives in my falafel recipes if you want to swap in a different one.
Blending Hummus Smooth Enough to Swirl
For hummus that is genuinely silky rather than grainy, blend the tahini and lemon juice first until pale and creamy, then add the chickpeas with a splash of their cooking liquid. Keep the blender running for a few minutes, and slip off the chickpea skins if you have the patience; both make a real difference. Good tahini matters here, so if you are unsure which to buy or how to store it, my guide on how to use tahini in recipes covers it. Once the base is second nature, it is easy to branch out into a silky pumpkin hummus for autumn, with plenty more gathered in my best hummus recipes.
Building the Mezze Plate
With the two anchors ready, the platter comes together fast. Spread the hummus in a wide, shallow bowl and drag the back of a spoon through it to catch a pool of olive oil, then pile the warm falafel alongside. Fill the gaps with warm pita or flatbread, sliced cucumber and tomato, olives, quick pickles, and a scatter of parsley, plus a small bowl of tahini or a herby yogurt sauce for dipping. For a shared plate, count on roughly four to five falafel per person and a generous scoop of hummus each; that comfortably feeds four as a light meal or six to eight as a starter. If you want to keep adding small plates around it, my complete guide to mezze has plenty of ideas to round out the spread.
Make-Ahead and Leftovers That Keep Giving
Both halves of this plate are friendly to prep ahead. The hummus keeps in the fridge for up to five days and often tastes better on day two, and the falafel mixture can be made in the morning and shaped just before cooking. Already-cooked falafel reheats well in a hot oven for a few minutes to bring back the crunch, so it never has to be soggy. Leftovers are where this meal really earns its keep: fold cold falafel into a wrap or stack it into a falafel burger for lunch the next day, and turn extra hummus into a quick hummus flatbread pizza in place of tomato sauce.
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Homemade Hummus and Falafel Plate
Equipment
- Food processor
- Serving bowl
Ingredients
For the hummus
- 1½ cups chickpeas cooked, 1 can, drained, liquid reserved
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tbsp olive oil plus more to drizzle
- ½ tsp cumin
- Salt to taste
- 2 to 4 chickpea liquid or water to loosen
For the falafel
- 1 cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight, drained; do not use canned
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup fresh parsley packed
- ½ cup fresh cilantro optional
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper optional
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp chickpea flour if needed, to bind
- oil for frying
Instructions
Hummus
- Blend the tahini and lemon juice until pale and creamy.
- Add the chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, cumin, and salt. Blend until smooth.
- Add chickpea liquid or water a little at a time until creamy.
- Spoon into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with cumin or paprika.
Falafel
- Soak the dried chickpeas in plenty of water for 12 to 24 hours, then drain well. Do not cook them – raw soaked chickpeas give falafel its structure.
- Add the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and cayenne to a food processor. Pulse to a coarse, sandy paste and stop before it turns smooth.
- Stir in the baking soda, plus the chickpea flour if the mixture feels wet. Chill for 30 minutes so it holds together.
- Scoop 2-tablespoon portions and shape into balls or small patties.
- Fry in 180C (350F) oil for 3 to 4 minutes until deep golden, or bake at 200C (400F) for about 25 minutes turning halfway, or air-fry at 190C for about 15 minutes.
- Drain on paper towels and serve warm alongside the hummus.
Notes
Easy Homemade Falafel
Equipment
- Food processor
- Frying pan or baking tray
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpeas dried, soaked overnight, do not use canned
- 1 onion small, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup parsley fresh
- ½ cup cilantro fresh
- 1 tsp cumin ground
- 1 tsp coriander ground
- 2 tbsp flour or chickpea flour for gluten-free
- ½ tsp baking soda
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Drain the soaked chickpeas well (do not cook them).
- Pulse the chickpeas, onion, garlic, herbs, cumin, and coriander in a food processor until finely ground but not pasty.
- Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Let the mixture rest 15 minutes.
- Shape into small balls or patties.
- Fry in hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes per side until deep golden, or bake at 400°F for about 25 minutes, turning halfway.
- Drain on paper towels and serve hot with hummus.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
It is not recommended. Canned or cooked chickpeas are too soft and make the falafel mushy, so they fall apart when fried. Use dried chickpeas soaked overnight for the best light, fluffy texture.
Blend the tahini and lemon juice first until creamy, then add the chickpeas with a little cooking liquid or water. Removing the chickpea skins and blending for a few minutes gives the silkiest result.
Yes. Shape the falafel, brush with oil, and bake at 400°F for about 25 minutes, turning halfway. They will be a little drier than fried but still crisp and delicious.
The hummus is gluten-free. For gluten-free falafel, use chickpea flour as the binder instead of wheat flour, and serve with gluten-free bread or vegetables.
Yes. Hummus keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days. Falafel are best fresh, but you can shape the mixture and refrigerate it, then fry just before serving. Cooked falafel reheat in the oven.
Warm pita or flatbread, fresh cucumber and tomato, pickles, olives, and a tahini or yogurt sauce all complete the platter. A simple chopped salad rounds it out.
