Falafel

Allergens at a glance

• UsuallySesameTahini sauce on the sandwich or plate; some falafel are rolled in sesame seeds.
• UsuallyGlutenWheat pita or wrap; some mixes add flour or breadcrumbs to bind.
• SometimesEggsA few kitchens and packet mixes bind the batter with egg.
• SometimesFishCross-contact if the fryer is shared with fish or seafood.
• SometimesMilkYoghurt or garlic sauces in some wraps; shared fryer with cheese items.

Usually in the standard recipe. Often in many versions. Sometimes in some kitchens, or a cross-contact risk.

Diets

• Usually vegan: the patty itself is beans, herbs, onion, spices and oil.
• Not reliably gluten-free: wheat bread, flour binders and shared fryers are common.
• Egyptian ta'ameya is made from fava beans: ask if you avoid them, for example with G6PD deficiency.

Recipes change from kitchen to kitchen. If you have an allergy, confirm every ingredient with the restaurant before you order.

What is falafel?

Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty of ground, soaked (not cooked) chickpeas or fava beans mixed with fresh herbs, onion, garlic and spices. It's crisp and brown outside, green and fluffy inside. Most often you'll eat it stuffed into pita with salad, pickles and tahini sauce, or on a mezze plate with hummus.

What's in it

The batter is raw soaked pulses ground with parsley, coriander (cilantro), onion, garlic, cumin and coriander seed, plus salt and often a pinch of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to lighten it. It's shaped by hand or with a falafel scoop and fried in hot oil.

The main split is the bean:

• Levantine falafel (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan): chickpeas, or chickpeas mixed with fava beans.
• Egyptian ta'ameya: fava beans only, very green with herbs, and often coated in sesame seeds.

In a sandwich you'll usually get tomato, cucumber, pickled turnip, parsley, sometimes chips (fries), and a drizzle of tahini or chilli sauce.

Allergens and diets

Sesame turns up in two places: the tahini sauce poured over almost every falafel sandwich, and the sesame seed crust some cooks press onto each ball. Ask for the falafel without sauce and check the coating.

Gluten is the next problem. Pita, saj and lavash wraps are wheat, and some cooks add flour or breadcrumbs to hold a loose batter together. Even with a bread-free plate, the fryer matters: falafel is often cooked in the same oil as breaded items, kibbeh or fish. If you're coeliac (celiac), ask about the fryer as well as the recipe.

Egg as a binder is uncommon in traditional falafel but does appear in some kitchens and frozen or packet mixes. Yoghurt and garlic sauces (some made with milk or egg) show up in European takeaway versions.

On the menu

In Arabic it's written فلافل (falāfil). In Egypt look for طعمية (ṭaʿmiyya). A sandwich is often listed as ساندويش فلافل (sandwīsh falāfil), and a plate as صحن فلافل (ṣaḥn falāfil). It's one of the cheapest meals on any street, usually sold from a counter by the piece or in a wrap.

Last checked 1 November 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email support@inventum.com.au.