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    Home > Vegan Entrees

    Falafel Gyros with Tzatziki

    By My Pure Plants on 01/06/2023 - May contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure.

    Jump to Recipe Print Pin

    Make a delicious Greek-style falafel gyro with crispy homemade falafel balls, paired with chilled, tangy tzatziki salad, as well as some sweet tomatoes and piquant purple onion. Served it with pita bread for a perfect and easy lunch or dinner.

    3 pitas folded and stuffed with 2 brown falafel balls, white grated cucumber salad, tomato and purple onion slices. A black bowl of white grated cucumber sauce is placed next to them.

    Do you need more ideas to serve with falafel? Take a look at these gorgeous falafel sandwiches with maple dijon tahini dressing. Not to mention we also show you how to build the ultimate falafel platter.

    Table of Contents hide
    1. What to expect from this recipe?
    2. Ingredients
    3. Instructions
    4. How to serve it?
    5. FAQs
    6. Allergen info
    7. More recipes with falafel
    8. More chickpea recipes
    9. Falafel Gyros with Tzatziki

    What to expect from this recipe?

    When you think of gyros, you may first think of the popular Greek street food, where meat slices (pork or chicken usually, sometimes lamb or beef) are stacked on a large skewer. The skewer is turning around its axis to get all sides roasted. The server trims the edges of the meat as it gets crispy. Then the meat is wrapped up or stuffed into pita bread with tomato, onion, and tzatziki.

    However, as a vegetarian alternative, falafels are also served just like a gyro in pita bread and with tzatziki or with a fresh tomato cucumber salad. So this is exactly what we did. We deep-fried some crispy falafels, whipped up a fresh dairy-free yogurt-based tzatziki, and stuffed our pita pockets with them.

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    So what will it taste like? You’ll have some crunchy falafel balls that are fluffy, and grainy on the inside with a slightly nutty, herby flavor. Pair it with a chilled, tangy, and freshly grated cucumber salad, as well as some sweet tomatoes and piquant purple onion. All these flavors combined will give you a well-balanced meal that you can grab and go.

    1 pita folded and stuffed with 2 brown falafel balls, white grated cucumber salad, tomato and purple onion slices.

    Ingredients

    If you want to guild you only falafel gyro, you will need 1) pita bread, 2) falafel, 3) tzatziki, and 4) raw veggies. You can definitely make this recipe using store-bought falafels and premade sauce, but you are here to make them from scratch, am I right? So let me show you what exactly you need.

    Falafel

    As explained above there are many ways to make falafel, but this is our tried and tested falafel recipe that I am sure you’ll love too.

    Ingredients of falafel in glass bowls like chickpeas, water, sesame seeds, green herbs, cumin, garlic, onion, pepper and salt.
    • Dried chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) – Don’t make a mistake by using canned chickpeas. You’ll end up with something similar to our chickpea meatballs instead of a proper falafel. You only need to soak them and they are ready to be used.
    • Onion – White or red onion for sure. Purple onion only is you really don’t have anything else and you want falafels right this second.
    • Garlic
    • Fresh parsley – This cannot be substituted with dried herbs. For consistency, flavor, and color you need freshly chopped leaves.
    • Fresh cilantro (aka coriander leaves) – The same goes here.
    • Cumin
    • Sesame seeds – It is a great addition to make a spotty falafel instead of an all-out brown ball. But you can skip them if you don’t have any at hand.
    • Salt
    • Black pepper
    • Baking soda – You need just a pinch really to make sure that it is fluffy inside.
    • Cold water

    🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    Tzatziki

    You can add hummus or other tahini-based dressings (like maple dijon tahini dressing or lemon herb tahini), but that just makes it more like a Middle Eastern falafel sandwich rather than a Greek falafel gyro. Here is what you need to make vegan tzatziki sauce.

    • Grated cucumber
    • Garlic – We prefer fresh, but you can sub ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder per clove.
    • Fresh dill (or dried)
    • Yogurt – We used this unsweetened dairy-free yogurt, but you can use your favorite brand.
    • Sour cream – We used this dairy-free sour cream, but you can also use your favorite brand. If you need a homemade nut-free recipe, try our vegan sour cream recipe.
    • White wine vinegar –
    • Olive oil
    • Salt
    • Black pepper

    🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    Instructions

    We made deep-fried falafel balls for this gyro recipe, but for other ways to prepare them, visit our detailed guide on how to make falafel.

    Making homemade falafels

    1. Soak dry chickpeas in cold water overnight, but don’t cook them.
    2. Use a food processor and add chopped onion, garlic, fresh herbs, salt, black pepper, cumin, baking soda, and water.
    3. Pulse them until you get a creamy, grainy texture. Just pulse, not puree. If you overwork them, you’ll get a mush (see the below picture for reference).
    4. Empty the food processor into a large mixing bowl. Add sesame seeds and mix them well.
    5. Chill the falafel mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour before using a spoon or your palms to form balls out of the chilled mixture.
    Food processor container from above showing a light green crumbly mixture.
    1. Preheat a large pan over medium heat. Add sunflower oil or coconut oil (not olive oil, but something that is high-heat resistant and suitable for deep frying).
    2. Gently place a couple of balls in the hot oil. Don’t drop it as hot oil can splash up and can cause blisters. Don’t overcrowd the pan as well.
    3. Fry them for approx. 5 minutes. Fried balls should be brown but not burnt and vibrant green in the middle (see the below picture for reference). We usually place them on a paper towel to capture any excess oil.
    A wooden spoon with one dark brown crispy falafel ball just above a pan of boiling oil.

    Making tzatziki

    1. Wash the cucumber and use a large hole cheese grater and grate it. I never peel them and you don’t need to either.
    2. Take a large bowl and place the grated cucumber in it. Sprinkle it with salt and wait for 5-10 minutes for the cucumber to release water.
    3. When you see water, squeeze the grated cucumber in between your palms or use a cheesecloth, or kitchen towel. Squeeze it as hard as you can. The more moisture you live, your chances will be higher to end up with a runny sauce.
    4. Take a small bowl and add all sauce ingredients (yogurt, sour cream, white wine vinegar, olive oil, finely chopped garlic, dill, salt, and black pepper). Mix them well.
    5. Finally, add the sauce to the grated cucumber and mix again. Now it is ready to be added to your falafel gyro sandwich.
    3 pitas folded and stuffed with 2 brown falafel balls, white grated cucumber salad, tomato and purple onion slices. A black bowl of white grated cucumber sauce is placed next to them.

    Assembling a falafel gyro

    1. Warm the pita bread in a grill pan, in a skillet, or in the oven. We don’t recommend using a microwave because it just makes it dry.
    2. Especially if you have large wraps, you can fill them like you would a tortilla wrap. Or you can cut the upper ⅓ and open it up to shape pita pockets.
    3. Depending on the size pita you can add 2-4 falafel balls, 2-3 Tablespoons of tzatziki, a couple of tomato pieces, and some purple onion slices. If you make pita pockets, we recommend scooping some tzatziki first, then the balls, and drizzling some more on top.
    3 pitas folded and stuffed with 2 brown falafel balls, white grated cucumber salad, tomato and purple onion slices. A black bowl of white grated cucumber sauce is placed next to them. Leftover ingredients are placed in balls and on plates around it.

    How to serve it?

    • In pita pockets – You can serve falafel gyro wrapped in a large pita or naan bread. Or cut the upper ⅓ and open it up to shape pita pockets.
    • On a plate – You can also serve it as a main dish with french fries or roasted potatoes. Place a small bowl of tzatziki sauce as a dip next to it.
    • As a salad bowl – Make a vegan greek salad, tabbouleh, or any other Mediterranean or Middle Eastern-inspired lettuce or bean salad, and place the falafel balls on top.
    • Part of a platter board – We have this amazing Mediterranean grazing board as well as this gorgeous falafel platter (pictured below).

    We also have a whole list of creative ideas you can serve with hummus. Since falafel and hummus are a must-have pairing, you can go and choose one or more out of those 16 ideas as well.

    Lot of items in a white board including falafel balls on top of lettuce leaves, charcoaled pita breads, grated cucumber in yoghurt sauce, orange hummus, olives, chopped green red salad, light brown sauce, cherry tomatoes, orange peppers, sliced cucumber, breadsticks and crackers.

    FAQs

    How to store it?

    You can store falafels and tzatziki in a separate airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The falafel will lose its crispy outer crust the next day though. You can pop them back in the oven to make them crispy again. Reheating them in a microwave will not do that.

    We don’t recommend storing the complete falafel gyro pitas for a long time since the pita will likely soak up the yogurt-based sauce and will get soggy if you don’t eat it within 24 hours or overnight.

    Can you freeze it?

    Yes, you can store the falafel balls in a freezer. It is a perfect recipe for batch booking. We don’t recommend freezing the un-fried balls as excess moisture can ruin the texture after thawing. Re-heat them in the oven to make them crunchy and crispy again. Only take out the amount you need to build your falafel gyro sandwich.

    3 pitas folded and stuffed with 2 brown falafel balls, white grated cucumber salad, tomato and purple onion slices. A black bowl of white grated cucumber sauce is placed next to them. Leftover ingredients are placed in balls and on plates around it.

    Allergen info

    This Falafel Gyro recipe is meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. 

    • Vegan – All ingredients are supposed to be vegan.
    • Nut-free – All ingredients are supposed to be nut-free. Check for cross-contamination issues in any products you buy especially for store-bought dairy-free yogurt and sour cream since they can be made of cashews, almonds, or coconut.
    • WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) – This recipe is oil-free if you bake the falafels or use an air fryer. We add a dollop of oil to the tzatziki sauce, but you can skip them without any issues. Make sure you use oil-free yogurt and sour cream as well.
    • Gluten-free – All ingredients are supposed to be gluten-free but pay attention to which apple cider vinegar or baking soda you choose. They are usually gluten-free, but worth checking them to make sure. You also need to use gluten-free pita bread. In any event, always check the packaging for cross-contamination info as well.
    • Soy-free – All ingredients should be soy-free, but check the store-bought dairy-free yogurt and sour cream since they can be made of soy.

    More recipes with falafel

    • Falafel balls are served on a large plate. A light brown sauce in a white shallow bowl sprinkled with white sesame seeds and topped with a twig of parsley is next to them..
      Classic Crispy Vegan Falafel
    • Two pita breads stuffed with 4 dark brown falafel balls, drizzled with a light brown sauce with sliced purple onion, tomato pieces and lettuce. All elements of the sandwich is around it on different plates.
      The Best Falafel Sandwich
    • Lot of items in a white board including falafel balls on top of lettuce leaves, charcoaled pita breads, grated cucumber in yoghurt sauce, orange hummus, olives, chopped green red salad, light brown sauce, cherry tomatoes, orange peppers, sliced cucumber, breadsticks and crackers.
      The Ultimate Falafel Platter with Hummus, Tahini, Tzatziki & More

    More chickpea recipes

    • Creamy Oil-free Hummus
    • Silver baking tray from above with 2 orange butternut squash cut in half and stuffed with rice, spinach, chickpeas, olives and crumbles feta cheese drizzled with black balsamic vinegar
      Mediterranean Stuffed Butternut Squash
    • A cast iron skillet from above. 3 fried egg lookalikes with white and yolk part on top of a red chunky sauce sprinkled with green spring onion rings and chopped parsley. You can see chickpeas, chopped tomato and chopped yellow bell peppers.
      1- Pot Vegan Chickpea Shakshuka
    • White plate with several brownish-redish balls on top of each other sprinkled with sesame seeds. In the background a small glass jar with red sauce.
      BBQ Vegan Chickpea Meatballs
    • Large saucepan from above with brown-yellow liquid chickpeas and mushroom slices sprinkled with chopped green leaves
      Chickpea Mushroom Curry
    • White bowl with a red soup full of red kidney beans, chickpeas, potatoes, carrots and shell pasta. It is topped with fresh parsley. A spoon is taking a carrot.
      Easy Vegan Minestrone Soup (Gluten-free)

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    3 pitas folded and stuffed with 2 brown falafel balls, white grated cucumber salad, tomato and purple onion slices. A black bowl of white grated cucumber sauce is placed next to them.

    Falafel Gyros with Tzatziki

    Nandor Barta
    Make a delicious Greek-style falafel gyro with crispy homemade falafel balls, paired with chilled, tangy tzatziki salad, as well as some sweet tomatoes and piquant purple onion. Served it with pita bread for a perfect and easy lunch or dinner.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Chilling time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Servings 8 pitas
    Calories 304kcal

    Equipment

    • Food processor

    Ingredients
     
     

    Homemade Falafel

    • 1+½ cup Chickpeas (dry not canned) dried
    • 1 Onion (medium)
    • 4 cloves Garlic
    • 0.8 oz Fresh parsley
    • 0.6 oz Fresh cilantro
    • 1+½ tsp Ground cumin seeds
    • 2 Tbsp Sesame seeds
    • 1 tsp Salt
    • ¼ tsp Black pepper
    • 1 tsp Baking soda
    • ½ cup Cold water

    Tzatziki

    • 8 oz Cucumber
    • 2 cloves Garlic
    • 1 tsp Fresh dill or dried
    • ½ cup Dairy-free yogurt (plain)
    • ½ cup Vegan sour cream
    • ½ Tbsp White wine vinegar
    • 1 Tbsp Olive oil
    • ½ tsp Salt
    • ⅛ tsp Black pepper

    Other items

    • 8 Pita bread use gluten-free
    • 16 Cherry tomatoes
    • ½ Purple onion
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    Instructions
     

    How to make homemade falafel?

    • Soak dry chickpeas in cold water overnight, but don’t cook them.
    • Use a food processor and add chopped onion, garlic, fresh herbs, salt, black pepper, cumin, baking soda, and water.
    • Pulse them until you get a creamy, grainy texture. Just pulse, not puree. If you overwork them, you’ll get a mush.
    • Empty the food processor into a large mixing bowl. Add sesame seeds and mix them well.
    • Chill the falafel mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour before using a spoon or your palms to form balls out of the chilled mixture
    • Preheat a large pan over medium heat. Add sunflower oil or coconut oil (not olive oil, but something that is high-heat resistant and suitable for deep frying).
    • Gently place a couple of balls in the hot oil. Don’t drop it as hot oil can splash up and can cause blisters. Don’t overcrowd the pan as well.
    • Fry them for approx. 5 minutes. Fried balls should be brown but not burnt and vibrant green in the middle. We usually place them on a paper towel to capture any excess oil.

    How to make tzatziki?

    • Wash the cucumber and use a large hole cheese grater and grate it. I never peel them and you don’t need to either.
    • Take a large bowl and place the grated cucumber in it. Sprinkle it with salt and wait for 5-10 minutes for the cucumber to release water.
    • When you see water, squeeze the grated cucumber in between your palms or use a cheese cloth, or kitchen towel. Squeeze it as hard as you can. The more moisture you live, your chances will be higher to end up with a runny sauce.
    • Take a small bowl and add all sauce ingredients (yogurt, sour cream, white wine vinegar, olive oil, finely chopped garlic, dill, salt, and black pepper). Mix them well.
    • Finally, add the sauce to the grated cucumber and mix again.

    Assemble

    • Warm the pita bread in a grill pan, in a skillet, or in the oven. We don't recommend using a microwave because it just makes it dry.
    • Especially if you have large wraps, you can fill them like you would a tortilla wrap. Or you can cut the upper ⅓ and open it up to shape pita pockets.
    • Depending on the size pita you can add 2-4 falafel balls, 2-3 Tablespoons of tzatziki, a couple of tomato pieces, and some purple onion slices. If you make pita pockets, we recommend scooping some tzatziki first, then the balls, and drizzling some more on top.
    Tried this recipe? Can we see it?Please share a picture with us by uploading an image to Pinterest below ours.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Falafel Gyros with Tzatziki
    Amount Per Serving (1 pita)
    Calories 304 Calories from Fat 63
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 7g11%
    Saturated Fat 2g13%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
    Monounsaturated Fat 2g
    Cholesterol 1mg0%
    Sodium 900mg39%
    Potassium 415mg12%
    Carbohydrates 52g17%
    Fiber 7g29%
    Sugar 9g10%
    Protein 11g22%
    Vitamin A 584IU12%
    Vitamin C 16mg19%
    Calcium 93mg9%
    Iron 4mg22%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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