This falafel bowl recipe makes a delicious Mediterranean-inspired meal with baked falafel, hummus, and crispy vegetables. Perfect for meal prep, it’s a satisfying and healthy vegan dinner or lunch!
If there’s one meal idea I never get tired of, it’s a good bowl meals. As an expert in the Mediterranean diet, I’m constantly trying to find new delicious meals that fit this style. Enter: the falafel bowl.
I started making this bowl on repeat after I found out how much easier baked falafel is compared to the traditional version (no soaking chickpeas overnight, no deep frying). Add hummus, veggies, and pickled cucumbers and onions, and it makes a literal explosion of flavor for a satisfying healthy dinner or lunch. You can make many of the components in advance, making it perfect for meal prep!
5 Star Reader Review
“This falafel recipe was absolutely delicious!!!!! I have always loved falafels, and have tried making them in the past, but these are definitely the best, and very healthy too. With your tahini sauce, I could not eat enough of them! Thank you!” -Jennifer
Key Components for a Falafel Bowl
What are the ingredients in a falafel bowl? Essentially, you can mix up whatever veggies you like with falafel. I like serving it with hummus, so you have a creamy texture that brings everything together and you don’t have to make a separate sauce. My falafel bowl recipe includes:
- Falafel: If you don’t have time to make baked falafel, you can also use purchased falafel of any kind (frozen, takeout, etc). You can also use classic falafel.
- Pickled cucumbers and onions: We like having a tangy pickled element, which is key to many Mediterranean-style meals. You can also use fresh cucumber and red onion.
- Hummus: Creamy hummus is important for bringing the bowl together. If you don’t use it, consider a sauce like tzatziki sauce or cilantro sauce.
- Olives: Olives add a salty, briny element. We like using a mix of Kalamata and Castelvetrano olives.
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes add a pop of tangy, sweet flavor.
- Greens: We used baby arugula to fill up the bowl; you can also use any other type of greens like romaine, butter lettuce, and so forth.
- Feta cheese (optional): Feta adds a nice salty element and bit of protein, but it’s not required.
Pro Tips for the Perfect Bowl
After making these falafel bowls countless times, I’ve learned a few tricks.
- Try not to over-process the falafel dough: you want it to hold together but still have some texture. This is especially important since my version uses canned chickpeas as a time saving trick.
- When forming the patties, because they’re baked you’ll want to slightly flatten them into discs rather than keeping them as balls (it helps them to cook evenly). I use a size 40 cookie scoop to keep them uniform.
- For the pickled vegetables, let them sit for at least 30 minutes before using. These are best made ahead if you can (they last for 1 month refrigerated).
Serving Suggestions and Variations
To make this falafel bowl more filling, you can serve with a grain like rice, farro, quinoa, couscous, Israeli couscous, or bulgur.
This quinoa tabbouleh would also pair perfectly! Pita wedges or pita chips are also natural for scooping up the fillings.
You can also serve it over greens, like arugula, romaine, butter lettuce, or mixed greens. This cabbage salad also adds a filling element.
Want to switch up the sauce? Try my cilantro sauce for a herbaceous kick or tzatziki sauce for a cool, creamy element. Sometimes I also add a drizzle of tahini sauce alongside the hummus.
Storing Leftovers and Meal Prep
The baked falafel in this recipe store very well, making this a simple idea for meal prep. Make the baked falafel and store them up to 1 week refrigerated, or freeze them for up to 3 months. You can also repurpose them in a falafel sandwich.
The pickled cucumbers and onions last up to 1 month refrigerated. They’re great for using to garnish bowls, salads, sandwiches, and more.
Dietary Notes
This falafel bowls recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free (without the optional feta).
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use cooked dried chickpeas. For authentic falafel, you’d use dried chickpeas that are soaked but not cooked. This recipe is designed for canned chickpeas, which create a slightly different texture.
Yes! Go to my Classic Falafel recipe.
If you can’t tolerate tahini, peanut butter or almond butter will work for binding, though the flavor will be slightly different.
Yes! Use frozen falafel, purchased falafel from a restaurant, or even falafel mix. This recipe is flexible: the key is having all the fresh components to build a balanced bowl.
Make sure you’re not over-processing the mixture: it should hold together but still have some texture. The baking powder helps bind everything, and don’t skip patting the chickpeas dry before processing. Let the formed patties rest for a few minutes before baking.
Falafel Bowl
Pin RecipeThis falafel bowl recipe makes a delicious Mediterranean-inspired meal with baked falafel, hummus, and crispy vegetables. Perfect for meal prep, it’s a satisfying and healthy vegan dinner or lunch!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For the Falafel Bowl
- 1 recipe Baked Falafel (recipe below; or purchased falafel), plus leftover cilantro to garnish
- 1 handful Pickled Cucumber and Onions, plus leftover sliced English cucumber
- 1 dollop hummus (purchased)
- 1 handful sliced or chopped tomatoes
- 1 handful olives
- 1 handful baby arugula
- Feta (optional; or vegan feta)
- Olive oil, to drizzle
- Sumac (optional)
Baked Falafel
- 15-ounce can chickpeas
- ½ cup Old Fashioned rolled oats (or use ½ cup oat flour)
- ¼ cup red onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- ½ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, loosely packed (or fresh parsley)
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the Pickled Cucumbers and Onions: Start the Pickled Cucumbers and Onions, which take 30 minutes to pickle (or make in advance). Alternatively, you can use fresh sliced cucumber and red onion.
- Make the Baked Falafel: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Dab the chickpeas with a paper towel to remove extra moisture and set them aside. Place the rolled oats in a bowl of a food processor. Process 30 seconds to 1 minute until they are the texture of flour. Pour into a separate bowl and set aside. (If using oat flour, skip this step.)
- Roughly chop the red onion and peel the garlic. Place them into the food processor with the cilantro and pulse until finely minced, stopping and scraping down the bowl once. Add the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, cumin, coriander, baking powder, salt and pepper and process until combined, stopping and scraping the bowl once. Then add the oats and pulse until a uniform dough forms. (Try not to over-process the dough: you’ll want it uniform and shape-able with a little texture.) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use your hands to roll the dough into 16 balls that are 1 ½ tablespoons each, then flatten them into discs (it’s helpful to use a size 40 cookie scoop, if you have it). Place the discs on the baking sheet and brush the tops with olive oil. Bake the falafel for 15 minutes until golden brown, then flip. Brush the tops with more olive oil. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown on the other side. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before eating. (Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 3 months; consider making a double batch and storing leftovers.)
- Make the Falafel Bowl: To make the bowl, add a generous handful baby arugula and dollop of hummus to a shallow bowl. Surround with handfuls tomatoes, pickled cucumbers and onions, fresh cucumber (left over from the pickled recipe), olives, and feta cheese (if using). Add the falafel to the bowl and drizzle with olive oil. If desired, sprinkle with sumac.
Notes
Serving suggestions: To make this falafel bowl more filling, you can serve with a grain like rice, farro, quinoa, couscous, Israeli couscous, or bulgur. This quinoa tabbouleh would also pair perfectly! Pita wedges or pita chips make an easy pairing.
Other sauces: Creamy hummus is important for bringing the bowl together. If you don’t use it, consider a sauce like tzatziki sauce, tahini sauce, or cilantro sauce.
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