Falafel (; Arabic: فلافل, [fæˈlæːfɪl] (listen)) is a deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter of Arab origin, featuring in Middle Eastern cuisine (especially in Egyptian and Levantine cuisines) made from broad beans, ground chickpeas, or both.

Falafel is often served in a pita, samoon, or wrapped in a flatbread known as taboon; "falafel" also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way. The falafel balls may be topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze tray (assortment of appetizers).

Falafel is eaten throughout the Middle East, and is a common street food. Falafel is usually made with fava beans in Egyptian cuisine, where it most likely originated, with chickpeas in Palestinian cuisine, or either just chickpeas or a combination of both in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria and the wider Middle East. It is popular with vegetarians worldwide.

The Palestinian chickpea-only version of the falafel has also been adopted into Israeli cuisine, where it now features prominently – a situation which has been lamented by Palestinians, Lebanese and other Arabs alike as amounting to cultural appropriation.