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Straight on view of a crispy, baked falafel sandwich with lettuce, tomato and tahini yogurt sauce on a white plate surrounded by the sandwich ingredients and a dish towel on an off white surface.

Crispy Baked Falafel with Tahini Yogurt Sauce


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  • Author: Sabrina Russo
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4 to 5 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Do you love falafel but feel intimidated to make it at home? I have the perfect solution with my Crispy Baked Falafel with Tahini Yogurt Sauce. It’s just as delicious as the fried version, without all the mess and hassle.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup dried chickpeas*
  • 2 tbsp chopped white or yellow onion*
  • 1 large clove garlic (or 2 small cloves)
  • 1 cup loosely packed cilantro (leaves and tender stems)*
  • ½ cup loosely packed parsley (leaves and tender stems)
  • ¾ tsp ground cumin, or to taste
  • ½ tsp ground coriander (optional)
  • 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour*
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

Sauce:

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 2%)*
  • ¼ cup tahini (white sesame seed paste)
  • 2 tbsp water, or as needed
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 small clove garlic, crushed
  • Kosher salt

Pita bread, lettuce and sliced tomatoes, for serving


Instructions

  1. Soak chickpeas: Place dried chickpeas in a large bowl. Pour over enough water to cover by two inches. Cover bowl and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.* Drain and pat dry.
  2. Heat oven and prep tray: Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Make falafel base:* In a food processor, combine drained chickpeas, onion, garlic, herbs, spices, salt and pepper. Pulse and process until finely ground. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, flour and baking powder. Pulse to combine. Wipe down sides of bowl and stir in any unincorporated flour. Do not over-mix into a puree. If you only have a small food processor like me, make in two batches and then stir batches together to evenly combine ingredients.
  4. Shape: Coat parchment-lined baking sheet with remaining ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) of olive oil. Spread evenly on surface. Using a ¼ cup ice cream scoop, scoop into falafel rounds 1-2 inches apart on prepared pan. You may use a smaller ice cream scoop or spoon of choice. Do not tightly pack mixture into scooper or falafel will be too dense. Flatten and shape into about ¾ inch rounds.
  5. Bake: Bake on center rack of oven for 12-15 minutes, or until well-browned on bottom side. Remove pan from oven and carefully flip falafel using a small offset spatula. Return to oven and cook an additional 12-15 minutes, or until well-browned on opposite side and cooked through. Season lightly with additional salt on top while hot.
  6. Make sauce: While falafel cook, make the sauce. Combine yogurt, tahini, garlic, water (if using), lemon juice and salt in food processor and blend until smooth and well-combined. For a thinner sauce, add water a teaspoon at a time until you reach desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. 
  7. Serve: Serve falafel sandwich-style in pita bread with lettuce, sliced tomato and tahini yogurt sauce. You may also serve over a salad or with rice. Enjoy.

Notes

It’s important the dried chickpeas are fresh. As dried chickpeas age, they become more dried out, and take longer to cook and soften. I once used dried chickpeas that were in my cabinet for over 2 years, and they were too crunchy in the falafel.

If you’re not an onion lover, you can omit it. I made this recipe many times without onion, however, I like the bite that it adds to the falafel.

If you dislike cilantro, just substitute with the equivalent amount of additional parsley!

If you’re gluten free, I suggest substituting an all purpose gluten free flour, however, I did not test that in this recipe. I did, however, make falafel numerous times without any flour and they still come out great. Without flour, the falafel don’t hold together as well, but they do have a nice light texture, and get very crispy.

You can substitute regular plain yogurt or soy yogurt for Greek yogurt. In this case, omit the water in the first step, and only add water after mixing all the ingredients to achieve your desired sauce consistency.

You can even soak the chickpeas several days before you make this recipe. After soaking at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours, drain the chickpeas. Place in an airtight container in the fridge and store for up to a week.

You can make the falafel base and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days before baking the falafel.

To store cooked falafel, place in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yogurt sauce will last up to 3-5 days in the fridge, depending on freshness of yogurt.

To reheat, lightly coat a nonstick pan with olive oil and crisp up falafel on the stove top over medium heat, flipping half way through.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Main
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 falafel with 1/4 cup sauce
  • Calories: 280
  • Sugar: 3g
  • Sodium: 300mg
  • Fat: 17g
  • Saturated Fat: 3g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 14g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 22g
  • Fiber: 5g
  • Protein: 13g
  • Cholesterol: 7mg