This Falafel Bowl is a fantastic lunch or dinner dish you can whip up any day of the week. Fill up your bowl with a bed of greens, crispy falafels, fresh tomatoes, red onions, and a drizzle of tahini sauce.
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This recipe takes my internet-famous vegan falafel and takes it up a notch by tossing them into these hearty falafel bowls!
You won't believe how simple it is to throw together. Make your falafels with soaked chickpeas and chickpea flour. Then pan fry or bake them and assemble your bowl! I love adding some feta (vegan or not) on top.
These Falafel Bowls are great as a main or a side dish! If you're serving it as a main, pair it with a tasty, refreshing Mediterranean cucumber salad. Alternatively, you can serve the ingredients of your Falafel Bowl in a pita instead of a bowl!
This Falafel Bowl recipe is..
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
How to Make a Falafel Bowl
- Start by soaking your dried chickpeas for 12 hours as directed. Or reach for canned chickpeas.
- Place onion, garlic, and parsley in a food processor.
- Once mixed, toss in all remaining ingredients except the flour.
- After mixing, add the flour and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
- Form falafel mixture into balls, pan fry them in olive oil, and then place on paper towel-lined plate to soak up the oil.
- In a bowl, add lettuce, cherry tomatoes, falafel balls, and a drizzle of tahini sauce.
Full directions for how to make Falafel Bowl are in the printable recipe card below.
Tips & Tricks
Make Ahead
You are more than welcome to make your falafel balls ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator. Then you can simply reheat them when you are ready to make your bowls.
You can store your falafels in an airtight container in the fridge. Then, when you're ready to eat them, simply reheat and assemble your bowls.
You can even eat the falafel balls cold if you want!
Blender
If you don't own a food processor, you can use the pulse feature on your blender. Just make sure to not overmix your ingredients as that can affect the texture of the falafel.
Variations for Falafel Bowl
Sauce
For this recipe, I used a tahini sauce. If you don't want tahini, you can swap out another a creamy dressing to help balance out the flavors. I love using a tasty ranch dressing!
Salad Fillers
Add in some red onions, top your bowl with pita chips for crunch, or even toss in some olives. Feel free to add in other ingredients to your salad to add even more flavor to the dish!
Falafel Bowl FAQs
What is a falafel bowl?
A falafel bowl is a green salad with falafel balls on top. It's a light and refreshing salad-type dish that is loaded with nutrients to fuel your body.
What greens should you use for the falafel bowl?
You can use any type of greens you would like for your bowl: classic iceberg lettuce, spinach leaves, a few pieces of arugula, etc. Go ahead and create a salad that fits your flavor preferences.
How do I meal prep falafel bowls?
I recommend cooking your falafels and then letting them cool completely. Place your lettuce in a container, top it with tomatoes and other veggies, and finally top with a few falafel balls.
Store your sauce in a separate container so that it doesn't make the lettuce leaves too soggy. Pour the sauce over your bowl right before eating. Enjoy!
Recipe
Falafel Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cups dry chickpeas soaked for at least 12 hours
- 3 cloves garlic
- ⅓ cup chickpea flour
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 2 cups green leaves
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ⅓ cup oil for frying
- ½ red onion or 1 whole onion if it's small
- ¼ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
Instructions
- Add chopped onion, garlic cloves, and parsley to a food processor.
- Pulse a few times.
- Add previously soaked and drained chickpeas, cumin, salt, and ground pepper.
- Blend until the mixture has a granulated texture.
- Transfer mixture to a bowl and add chickpea flour. Stir well and let it rest for 5 minutes. After that, you should be able to form the falafel into balls. Add one more tablespoon of chickpea flour if needed, then let the mixture rest for another 5 minutes before forming balls.
- Pressing very well with your hands, roll falafel mixture into 14–16 falafels. Its easier to make them one by one and then fry them at the same time.
- Add olive oil to a heated skillet and fry falafels. Roll them over when they get brownish on one side to make sure both sides get equally fried.
- Place fried falafels on a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil.
- Assemble bowl with green leaves, cherry tomatoes, fresh falafels, and tahini sauce.
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