Get your falafel fix with this healthy Middle Eastern-inspired baked falafel bowl recipe! Homemade baked falafel made from dried chickpeas, healthy veggies, and a flavorful tahini sauce all in one big bowl! Vegan, gluten-free and clean eating approved!
Falafel night is a ritual in my house and it’s honestly the highlight of my week. Now here's the thing. I felt I needed more falafel in my life and wanted to come up with a healthy and sustainable way to curb those cravings - sans pita bread and sneaky take-out falafel wraps.
Enter this plant-based Baked Falafel Bowl aka. a heaping-bowl-of-yum: A meal that has become one of my new go-to’s. It includes a base of healthy low cal veg, like cucumbers, lettuce and purple cabbage, and is topped with homemade baked falafel, and my creamy dreamy tahini sauce to top it all off.
I’m pretty convinced I could eat this every day for the rest of my life and twice on falafel night day and never tire of it.
Why you will love this baked falafel bowl recipe:
Savory, crunchy, satisfying, flavorful, SO easy & SO delicious! Think of these as a nice little gift for yourself to get you through the busy workweek.
The falafels in this recipe are made the “right” way, with soaked dried chickpeas, instead of canned. This gives the falafels the best texture. As we are baking them with very little oil they are also way healthier and lower in fat and calories.
Get creative and embellish! You can pack these bowls with whatever you have in your fridge. Grate carrots, beets, daikon, jicama or turnips, add leafy greens, microgreens, and fresh herbs.
It's also a great meal prep recipe. I usually make a whole bunch of falafel at once and freeze some for later. Seriously, knowing I have these on hand in the freezer whenever I need my falafel fix brings me such joy. A joy I want you to experience!
How to make this Baked Falafel Bowls recipe:
Warning: you will need to start this recipe the day before!
Step 1 - Place chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with water. Place in the fridge and soak overnight (up to 24 hours). Rinse and drain well. Preheat oven to 430F/220C. Generously spray a baking sheet with olive oil.
Step 2 - Add all the falafel ingredients to the bowl of your food processor.
Step 3 - Pulse until it reaches a granular paste consistency, scraping the edge of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Don’t over blend, you’re not looking for a smooth paste.
Step 4 & 5 - Using your hands, squeeze about 1.5 tablespoons of mixture into a ball and flatten with the palm of your hand to form a pattie. Arrange on a prepared baking sheet and repeat. You should get about 16/17 patties, each about 1.5-inch/4 cm wide.
Step 6 - Spray falafels with olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden, flipping them halfway through baking. Falafel should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
While falafels are baking, prep the veggies (lettuce, cucumber, cabbage, tomatoes, onion) and make the tahini sauce. Arrange the veggies in four bowls, top with three or four falafel patties and drizzle with tahini. Serve and enjoy!
Can I freeze leftover falafel?
If you have falafel leftovers, they freeze great. Freeze in a single layer for an hour or so (until firm) and then pack in a freezer bag or airtight container. Be careful not to smash them with other items until they are frozen solid.
What else can I serve with baked falafel?
There are many many options when it comes to serving your healthy baked falafel! You can obviously make this delicious falafel bowl, which is also endlessly customizable. But you can also eat falafel on their own, or as an appetizer with hummus or my tahini sauce. Or in a pita sandwich.
Tips & Variations for making baked falafel bowls:
- Serve this bowl with my homemade Tahini Sauce.
- Instead of tahini, you can use tzatziki.
- More toppings you can use: hummus, harissa, pickled onion, goat or feta cheese, pita bread or pita chips.
- Make these bowls more filling by serving over brown rice and quinoa.
- Cauliflower rice tabbouleh would make another great low carb base for these bowls.
Baked Falafel Bowls Recipe
Get your falafel fix with this healthy Middle Eastern-inspired baked falafel bowl recipe! Homemade baked falafel made from dried chickpeas, healthy veggies, and a flavorful tahini sauce all in one big bowl! Vegan, gluten-free and clean eating approved!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried/uncooked chickpeas not chickpeas in a can!
- olive oil spray
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley about ½ cup packed
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro about ½ cup packed
- 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ freshly cracked black pepper
Bowl
- 8 cup romaine lettuce shredded (about two medium heads)
- 2 English cucumbers chopped (or 4 Lebanese cucumbers)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 2 cups red cabbage shredded
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro and/or mint 4 tbsp
- Tahini dressing to serve - see notes
Instructions
-
Warning: you will need to start this recipe the day before! Place chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with water. Place in the fridge and soak overnight (up to 24 hours). Rinse and drain well.
-
Preheat oven to 430F/220C. Generously spray a baking sheet with olive oil.
-
Add all the falafel ingredients to the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until it reaches a granular paste consistency, scraping the edge of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Don’t over blend, you’re not looking for a smooth paste.
-
Using your hands, squeeze about 1.5 tablespoons of mixture into a ball and flatten with the palm of your hand to form a pattie. Arrange on a prepared baking sheet and repeat. You should get about 16/17 patties, each about 1.5-inch/4 cm wide.
-
Spray falafels with olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden, flipping them halfway through baking. Falafel should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
-
While falafels are baking, prep the veggies (lettuce, cucumber, cabbage, tomatoes, onion) and make the sauce.
-
Arrange the veggies in four bowls, top with three or four falafel patties and drizzle with tahini. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Serve this bowl with my homemade Tahini Sauce.
- If you have falafel leftovers, they freeze great. Freeze in a single layer for an hour or so (until firm) and then pack in a freezer bag or airtight container.
- Instead of tahini, you can use tzatziki.
- More toppings you can use: hummus, feta cheese, pita or pita chips.
- Make it more filling by serving over rice and quinoa
If you tried this Baked Falafel Bowls Recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
Tawnie Kroll
This was such a fantastic recipe, I had it for lunch 2 times this week. Thank you!
Alyssa
So fresh and delicious. There is so much flavor packed into this bowl, and I love the addition of cilantro because I'm a cilantro addict.
Dannii
I love a loaded bowl like this, and falafel is always a great addition.
Raquel
Love this recipe! Big fan of falafel and don't always like to eat my salad but this just makes sense:)
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
What a delicious way to get my falafel fix, this bowl looks so good!