Falafel: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Falafel are small fried patties or balls made from ground chickpeas (Cicer arietinum, a legume in the pea family), herbs and spices. They are eaten in wraps, with salads and as a snack. People choose them for plant protein and fiber from the chickpeas, but the deep frying adds fat and calories. This page covers falafel as a prepared food. It keeps the fried dish apart from plain cooked chickpeas, and puts safety points first where they apply.

Read this first

• Fava beans: falafel is usually described as chickpea-based, but if a recipe or product includes fava (broad) beans, people with G6PD deficiency should avoid it. MedlinePlus Genetics lists eating fava beans as a trigger for hemolytic anemia in G6PD deficiency. [5] A 2023 review says cooking does not guarantee safety: cases have followed boiled and fried beans. [6] The review does not mention falafel, so check the ingredients.
• Frying makes it energy dense. USDA lists 333 kcal and 17.8 g of fat per 100 g of home-prepared falafel; one patty (17 g) is about 57 kcal. [1]
• Acrylamide: the FDA says acrylamide forms during high-temperature cooking such as frying, and that there is no consistent evidence of cancer risk in people from dietary exposure. [3] A 2024 study of falafel in Tehran found higher acrylamide with high-temperature frying and concluded the health risk was not significant. [2]
• Evidence in one line: pooled trials of beans and other pulses show a small LDL cholesterol drop. Falafel was not tested, and frying changes the food. [7]
• Allergy: for trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat after any food, call 911 (or your local emergency number). [9]

What is in it (USDA values)

The values are for falafel, home-prepared (USDA FoodData Central item 172455, SR Legacy). [1] The only USDA household portion is 1 patty, about 2-1/4 inches across, 17 g. USDA lists no fiber or sugars value for this item. Commercial and restaurant falafel differ.

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values. [4] The patty column is the per-100 g value multiplied by 0.17. Three patties (51 g) would be about 170 kcal; that is our multiplication, not a USDA portion. USDA also lists a high vitamin D value for this item (9.67 mcg per 100 g), which we left out of the table because it looks unusual for a chickpea food and we could not verify it. Values vary a lot with the recipe, the oil and how much fat the patties absorb.

Plant compounds: the sources we read do not measure specific compounds in falafel. Chickpeas contain resistant starch and oligosaccharides that gut bacteria ferment, which causes gas in some people. [8]

What research says

The chickpeas versus the frying. The benefits in pulse trials came from plain cooked pulses. Deep frying adds fat and calories and can form acrylamide. We did not read a study that compares baked and fried falafel for health outcomes.

How much is a normal serving

The only USDA household portion is 1 patty (17 g, about 57 kcal). [1] How many patties are in a wrap or plate varies, so the label or menu is the better guide. This is information, not a prescription.

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Fava beans and G6PD deficiency (favism). MedlinePlus Genetics says about 400 million people worldwide have G6PD deficiency, it is most common in parts of Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, many people never have symptoms, and people with the condition should avoid fava beans. [5] A 2023 review says symptoms such as jaundice and dark urine usually appear about one to three days after eating beans, that boiled and fried beans have caused cases, and that medical care should be sought promptly if dark urine or jaundice follows. [6] See fava beans. Ask the cook or read the ingredients if you have G6PD deficiency.
• Is the chickpea mix cooked enough? Many recipes use soaked chickpeas that are not boiled first. We did not find a source that tests how well frying inactivates lectins or trypsin inhibitors in that mix, and the FDA's bean-safety guidance concerns kidney beans, so we make no claim either way. [11]
• Acrylamide and frying. See the table: levels were higher with high-temperature frying and varied by oil. [2] [3] For general frying and oil questions see smoke points and cooking with oil.
• Fat and sodium. USDA lists 17.8 g of fat and 294 mg of sodium per 100 g. [1] Sauces, pita and toppings add more, and we reviewed none.
• Allergy. Falafel is often served with sauces or coatings. The FDA lists nine major allergens, including sesame, soy and wheat; read labels or ask. [12] MedlinePlus says to call 911 or your local emergency number for a serious or whole-body reaction. [9] Chickpea allergy is covered in legume allergy. See also food allergy basics and emergency signs.
• Digestion. Gas and bloating can occur; see beans, gas, FODMAP and digestion. [8]
• Kidney disease. USDA lists 585 mg of potassium and 192 mg of phosphorus per 100 g. [1] We did not read falafel-specific kidney advice. See foods, kidney disease, potassium and oxalates.
• Medicines, pregnancy, children: proper evidence not found in the sources we read. See foods and medicine interactions and foods in pregnancy.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Ask what the patties are made of (chickpeas, fava beans or both), what oil is used, and whether the sauces contain sesame or other allergens.
• Oven-baked falafel had lower acrylamide than high-temperature immersion frying in the Tehran study, though that study compared commercial products with other differences too. [2]
• We did not read storage or reheating guidance specific to falafel. See hummus and chickpeas for related foods.

Related pages

• Chickpeas
• Hummus
• Chickpea flour (besan)
• Fava beans
• Smoke points and cooking with oil: what matters
• Legume allergy: peanut, soy, lupin, chickpea and cross-reactivity