Crispy Baked Falafel Salad with Lemony Tahini Sauce
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Looking for a delicious plant-based meal? Try our Crispy Baked Falafel Salad with Lemony Tahini Sauce.
This recipe combines golden, baked falafel patties with fresh salad greens, crunchy vegetables, and a zesty tahini dressing, creating a delightful and wholesome meal bursting with Middle Eastern-inspired goodness.
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While you may prefer to skip to the recipe card, we suggest reading the entire blog post to avoid missing valuable tips and substitution suggestions and to ensure you have the necessary ingredients, equipment, and understanding of the steps and timings.
Baked Falafel
Falafel is a Middle Eastern deep-fried fritter made with chickpeas (and sometimes broad/fava beans).
They are popular street food, often served in a pita or wrapped in a flatbread with salad, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, or a tahini-based sauce.
Our crispy baked falafel are a healthier twist on the traditional deep-fried version, making them a guilt-free delight for any occasion!
These falafel patties are a harmonious blend of soaked chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, and cumin, resulting in a satisfyingly crunchy exterior and a moist, flavorful center.
The aromatic herbs and spices infuse each bite transporting your taste buds to exotic culinary destinations.
Whether you’re planning a themed party or craving a flavorful addition to your dinner spread, baked falafels are a versatile and crowd-pleasing option.
Why not serve them as part of a Mediterranean-style meze or as finger food at a cocktail party?
Or simply on a bed of salad drizzled with a lemony tahini sauce, as we have.
Reasons You’ll Love Baked Falafel!
- Healthier Alternative: These baked falafel patties offer a healthier option compared to their deep-fried counterparts, allowing you to enjoy a crispy and flavorful experience without excessive oil.
- Plant-Based Delight: Perfect for vegetarians and vegans, these falafel patties are packed with plant-based protein and nutrients, making them a wholesome and satisfying choice.
- Bursting with Flavor: The combination of aromatic herbs, spices, and chickpeas creates a taste sensation that excites your palate and adds a delightful twist to your meals.
- Versatile and Customizable: These falafel patties can be enjoyed in various ways, from stuffing them into pita bread with fresh veggies to serving them atop salads or grain bowls, allowing you to explore different culinary creations.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, ingredients, and equipment needed for this recipe have been linked to Amazon, Amazon Fresh, or other stores if available online.
Ingredients Needed For Baked Falafel with Tahini Sauce
- Fresh Produce – Onion, Garlic, Parsley, Lemon
- Pantry – Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Black Pepper
- Dried Chickpeas – soaked overnight in water and drained
- Ground Cumin
- Tahini – a sesame seed paste.
- For Serving – Leafy Greens and Salad Vegetables as desired.
The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found on the recipe card at the end of this post.
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Equipment Needed For This Recipe
The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales useful tools for trying out all the recipes. I provide US customary, imperial, and metric measurements, but it’s important to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).
More Recipes Using Chickpeas
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is chickpeas, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Creamy Chickpea Avocado Toast
- Gluten-Free Gazpacho Recipe with Chickpea “Croutons”
- Chickpea and Cannellini Bean Burgers
How Do I Make Baked Falafel?
The printable recipe card with the full ingredients list and instructions can be found at the end of this post.
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes
Step 1 – Preheat & Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6. Grease a large, rimmed baking sheet with one tablespoon of olive oil and set it aside.
Step 2 – Make Falafel Mixture: Place the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, and the remaining olive oil into a food processor.
Pulse a few times to break down the chickpeas, then process for 1-2 minutes until a smooth and thick mixture forms.
Step 3 – Form Falafels: Scoop 2 tablespoons of the mixture and form into a patty using your hands.
Repeat until you have used all of the mixture – approximately 18 falafel patties.
Step 4 – Cook Falafels: Arrange the falafels onto the prepared baking sheet and place them in the oven to roast for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and crisp, flipping halfway through the baking time.
Step 5 – Make Tahini Sauce: Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce by whisking the tahini and lemon juice in a small bowl and lightly seasoning with salt.
The mixture will become very thick – don’t panic; this is supposed to happen!
Thin the sauce to your desired consistency by adding water, 2 tablespoons at a time. The amount needed with vary based on the liquid content of your tahini and lemon.
Step 6 – Serve: Serve the crispy falafel patties on a bed of leafy greens and salad vegetables. Drizzle with lemony tahini sauce, and enjoy!
More Vegetarian Recipes
Looking for more vegetarian dishes to make? Check these recipes out next:
- Red Kidney Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos
- How To Make Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie with Feta)
- Gluten-Free Baked Avocado Fries with Homemade Garlic Dipping Sauce
Storing Leftovers & Freezing
- Storing Leftovers:
- Leftover falafel patties can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheat them in a preheated oven at 350°F/180°C/Gas 4 for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.
- Freezing Instructions:
- Not suitable for freezing.
- With all leftovers, ensure the food looks and smells okay before consuming.
- You can always consult the Food Standards Agency in your country for the most up-to-date advice on storing and freezing foods: Food Standards Agency (UK) | Food Safety (USA).
Printable Baked Falafel Recipe Card
To save ink, any demonstration photos on the recipe card do not print.
Crispy Baked Falafel with Lemony Tahini Sauce
Indulge in the flavors of the Middle East with crispy baked falafel, served with a lemony tahini sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1½ cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water and drained
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
For the Sauce
- 6 Tbsp tahini
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup water (or more depending on desired consistency)
For Serving
- Leafy greens
- Raw Salad vegetables of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6. Grease a large, rimmed baking sheet with one tablespoon of olive oil and set it aside.
- Place the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, and the remaining olive oil into a food processor. Pulse a few times to break down the chickpeas, then process for 1-2 minutes until a smooth and thick mixture forms.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons of the mixture and form into a patty using your hands. Repeat until you have used all of the mixture - approximately 18 falafel patties.
- Arrange the falafels onto the prepared baking sheet and place them in the oven to roast for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and crisp, flipping halfway through the baking time.
- Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce by whisking the tahini and lemon juice in a small bowl and lightly season with salt. The mixture will become very thick - don't panic; this is supposed to happen! Thin the sauce to your desired consistency by adding water, 2 tablespoons at a time. The amount needed with vary based on the liquid content of your tahini and lemon.
- Serve the crispy falafel patties on a bed of leafy greens and salad vegetables. Drizzle with lemony tahini sauce, and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 373Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 118mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 9gSugar: 6gProtein: 12g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Dinner Party Menu Suggestions
You’ve made the main dish, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a dinner party or special meal:
- Appetizer: Mediterranean Layer Dip with Hummus, Feta, and Fresh Vegetables
- Soup: Greek-Cypriot Avgolemono – Egg Lemon Soup
- Salad: Watermelon Feta Salad
- Side Dish: Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables
- Beverage: Watermelon Kiwi Cocktail with White Wine
- Dessert: Greek Baklava Recipe with Honey & Walnuts
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.