A common street food in the Middle East, falafel is a fried patty made with ground chickpeas, fresh herbs, and spices and served with hummus and tzatziki inside pita bread. We love how nutritious and flavorful this authentic vegetarian dish is. For the very best flavor, use dried chickpeas soaked in water and 1 tablespoon of baking soda for 24 hours.
STEP ONE – Preparations
- Lightly spray a large baking sheet with canola spray.
- Get out a food processor or blender, a large bowl, and a small bowl.
STEP TWO – Make the Falafel
Ingredients:
1 cup dried and soaked chickpeas
½ small peeled and halved onion
2 peeled and halved garlic cloves
½ cup fresh parsley
½ cup fresh cilantro
¼ cup fresh dill
1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large egg
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions:
- In the food processor or blender, blend the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, dill, flour, cumin, cayenne, and egg for 2 minutes until incorporated.
- Spoon into the large bowl and mix in the baking powder and sesame seeds.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Towards the end of the hour, preheat the oven to 350°F.
STEP THREE – Bake the Falafel
- Rub your hands with a little olive oil and form the mixture into 12 balls.
- Place on the baking sheet and gently press down into patties.
- Bake for 5 minutes.
- Flip and bake for another 5 minutes until lightly browned.
- Let cool while you make the sauces.
STEP FIVE – Make the Hummus
Ingredients:
1 cup drained and rinsed chickpeas
1 peeled and halved garlic clove
¼ cup tahini (sesame paste)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions:
- In the food processor or blender, blend the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, oil, paprika, and salt until very smooth.
- Add a little water to adjust the consistency as needed.
STEP SIX – Make the Tzatziki
Ingredients:
½ cup finely diced cucumber
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon dill weed
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Squeeze the diced cucumber with paper towels to remove most of the moisture.
- Add to the small bowl with the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and dill and mix well.
- Serve inside warm pita bread with the falafel and hummus.
Recommended Serving Size: 1 sandwich (1 small pita with 3 falafel and 2 tablespoons each hummus and tzatziki)
Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 protein, 1 fat
Nourish 
Perfect! I ate this snack on the Greek island of Corfu and loved it!
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Thank you! We’d love to visit Greece someday, if at the very least to enjoy an authentic falafel sandwich!
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This is a very special meal.
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Very special indeed!
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Loving these bakes falafels, thank you for sharing it with us !
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You’re very welcome! They’re a favorite of ours too!
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Wow! This looks delicious, I’ve never had falafel before, but it sounds so delicious! 🙂
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It’s super delicious! We’d highly recommend giving it a try 😊
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I love falafel. I haven’t had one of these pita sandwiches in a long time. They are so delicious 😋
I tried making falafel at home once and it was a disaster! I should try again but of course buying it is much easier. 🙂
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Thank you! Falafel is definitely a bit of an undertaking to make at home but well worth it to us 🙂
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My mother cooked many different cuisines, but not Middle Eastern, for some reason. But when I went off to college, there was a falafel stand on campus! That’s what happens in Southern California! And boy I was addicted. I’ve made them once before from scratch, and it’s been way too long. Great recipe!
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Thank you! Before this blog, it had been a long time since we’d made falafel too. But we enjoyed it so much that we’re making an effort to make it at least once a month now!
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oh this is very nice. I am mad about Falafel. When I visited Jerusalem I had at least 1 falafel every day and the pairing with hummus is simply exceptionsl. Good job!!
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Thank you! We’re huge fans of falafel too, and the hummus truly makes it that much more delicious!
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This looks amazing!
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Thank you so much!
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this looks tempting
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Thank you!
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Looks delicious 🤤 I love falafel 💙
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