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Home By Meal Lunch and Dinner

Easy Baked Falafel Recipe with Tahini Sauce

★★★★★ 5 Reviews Recipe Print
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By: Erin6/16/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

easy baked falafel
easy baked falafel

Get ready for this Easy Baked Falafel Recipe with Tahini Sauce. It’s a vegan-friendly Mediterranean-inspired dish that’s filled with flavor and made complete with a delicious lemon juice tang.

healthy falafel on plate

A Mediterranean inspired meal

I don’t know about you, but going to Mediterranean restaurants is always a treat. Everything is so delicious, from the salads and sandwiches to the pita bread and falafels and everything in between.

The last time I found myself in the mood for a relaxing Mediterranean dish, I decided to try my hand at creating one myself. I did a bit of thinking before ultimately deciding on falafels. I had never tried making these before, but I figured they couldn’t be that difficult, right? It’s kind of like making meatballs from scratch, but without the meat!

Luckily, I was right. These easy baked falafels took hardly any time at all, with the bulk of the time devoted to baking. I only had to do about 10-15 minutes of actual prepping, most of which involved shaping the falafel mix into patties.

This recipe is made of a chickpea base and is filled with red onion, cilantro, parsley, and loads of spices. It’s made complete with a zesty lemon juice tang that ties everything together for the better! Finally, the falafels are topped off with a delicious vegan tahini sauce that’s absolutely to die for.

healthy falafel on plate

Ingredients used to make falafels with tahini sauce

Falafels are made from a delicious blend of red onion, cilantro, parsley, and other flavorful ingredients. The base is made from chickpeas, making this a wonderful high-protein meal that’s accidentally perfect for vegans too!

As for the sauce, a blend of tahini, lemon juice, and seasonings makes for a delicious final touch.

Falafel:

  • Chickpeas
  • Red onion
  • Cilantro
  • Parsley
  • Garlic
  • Lemon juice
  • Cumin
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Oat flour

Tahini sauce:

  • Tahini
  • Lemon juice
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Cold water

Tools needed to make this recipe

To make this easy baked falafel recipe, you only need a couple of kitchen tools. Grab your baking sheet, food processor, favorite mixing bowl, and a stirring item, and you’ll be good to go!

Recipes that require minimal tools are the best because less items used = faster cleanup. This recipe is perfect for anyone who doesn’t want a super messy kitchen!

makings of falafel
baking falafel

How to make easy baked falafel with tahini sauce

We will start by preparing and forming the falafels. While they bake, we’ll create the tahini sauce! In total, this recipe will take about 40 minutes.

To start, preheat the oven to 400F and grease a dark baking sheet with olive or avocado oil.

In a food processor, pulse the onion, cilantro, parsley, and garlic until roughly chopped. This should take about three pulses.

Add the chickpeas, lemon, cumin, salt, and pepper. Pulse five times for about 1 full second, scraping down the side after three pulses. You do not want your mixture to turn into mush. You want it to stick together, but you should still have some small pieces of chickpeas throughout.

Next, take out the blade and stir in the oat flour.

Form the mix into patties (make hamburger shapes), and place on a greased baking sheet.

Bake the patties for 13 minutes, then flip and bake for another 13 minutes.

While the falafel is baking, make the tahini sauce by combining all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Add as much water as needed to reach the desired consistency.

Finally, serve and enjoy!

hand grabbing falafel

Falafel recipe tips

Here are answers to a lot of commonly asked falafel questions! Use these to help with making your recipe. Have some additional questions? Leave them in the comments below!

Is a falafel the same as a gyro?
Nope! Though often mixed up, these are two recipes that are completely different. Falafels are traditionally plant-based chickpea patties, whereas gyros are made of pita bread filled with lamb, pork, select vegetables (like peppers, onions, and cucumbers), and a tzatziki sauce.

How do you perfect a falafel?
To really perfect your easy baked falafel recipe, you can soak the chickpeas overnight to soften them just slightly. Before adding them to the food processor, make sure they’re completely dry. Additionally, don’t be afraid to go heavy on the seasonings. The more you use, the more flavor you’ll have! Feel free to add them to taste as you see fit.

Is this recipe vegetarian or vegan?
This recipe is both vegetarian and vegan. It uses zero animal products, instead requiring a simple blend of chickpeas, veggies, spices, and more.

How to store falafels
Extra falafels and tahini sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Keep them stored in separate containers.

More inspired Mediterranean food ideas

If you loved this tasty falafel recipe, you’ll want to try some of my other Mediterranean-inspired dishes too! Here are some of my favorites. The One Pan Salmon Dinner is incredible (and requires minimal clean up)!

  • Lemon Garlic Hummus
  • Healthy Green Pasta Salad (Gluten-Free)
  • Easy One Pan Salmon Dinner
  • Pear Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette
healthy falafel on plate

Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by Quarter Soul Crisis

healthy falafel on plate
★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews

Easy Baked Falafel Recipe with Tahini Sauce

Get ready for this Easy Baked Falafel Recipe with Tahini Sauce. It’s a vegan-friendly Mediterranean-inspired dish that’s filled with flavor and made complete with a delicious lemon juice tang.

Prep: 10Cook: 25Total: 35 minutes
Yield 12 falafel 1x
Print Pin it Rate

Ingredients

Falafel

  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried.
  • 1/4 of a large red onion
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1 cup fresh parsley
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 cup oat flour

Tahini Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1 small garlic clove, pressed.
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2–5  tbsp cold water (depends how thin you want your sauce)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F and grease a dark baking sheet with olive or avocado oil.
  2. In a food processor, pulse onion, cilantro, parsley, and garlic until roughly chopped. About three pulses.
  3. Add in chickpeas, lemon, cumin, salt, and pepper. Pulse five times for about 1 full second, scraping down the side after three pulses. You do not want your mixture to turn into mush and want to have some small pieces of chickpeas throughout, however you do want it able to stick together, just not mush!
  4. Take out the blade and stir in the oat flour. 
  5. Form into patties almost like making hamburgers, and place on greased baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 13 minutes, then flip, and bake another 13 minutes.
  7. While falafel is baking, make tahini sauce by combining all ingredients together in a bowl. Add as much water as needed for desired consistency.
  8. Serve! Store in fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for 3 months.
Author: Erin MorrisseyCategory: dinner, lunch, vegan, gluten-freeMethod: bakeCuisine: MediterraneanDiet: Gluten Free
healthy falafel on plate

Did you make this?

Leave a comment below and tag @erinliveswhole on social media!

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There may be affiliate links in this post! By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat 🙂

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Have a question? Use the form below to submit your question or comment. I love seeing what you made!

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Morgan says

    Posted on 7/16 at 7:58 pm

    SO good! Loved how simple they were to put together.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 7/16 at 11:02 pm

      Hi Morgan, I am so glad you loved them!

      Reply
  2. Katelyn says

    Posted on 6/22 at 7:57 pm

    Loved these! So easy to make and tasted great in a pita with cucumber, avocado, tomatoes and spinach for an easy lunch!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 6/22 at 8:35 pm

      Hi Katelyn, I am so glad you loved it!

      Reply
  3. Faith Simon says

    Posted on 6/14 at 1:11 pm

    Probably my favorite recipe to make. I’ve served them over a greek salad and wrapped in warm naan; both were amazing.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 6/14 at 4:20 pm

      Hi Faith, so happy you love it!

      Reply
  4. Kim says

    Posted on 7/1 at 6:31 pm

    So sooo good!! I’ll do a bit less salt next time but really delicious and simple!! This will definitely be a new staple for us!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/2 at 11:48 pm

      Hi Kim, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and it is part of your cooking routine now!

      Reply
  5. Ashley says

    Posted on 6/25 at 10:29 am

    Sooo yummy and easy! Paired the falafel with tzaziki instead of the tahini sauce and it was delicious

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Erin says

      Posted on 8/3 at 9:34 pm

      Hi Ashley! I’m thrilled you love the falafel and made it your own. 🙂

      Reply

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I’m Erin. Creator of Erin Lives Whole, a food blog with delicious and easy healthy recipes that will leave you feeling good. We’ve got everything from wholesome baked goods to comforting savory dishes. I can’t wait to see what you whip up! Read More...

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