Fresh lettuce leaves, sweet and tangy tahini dressing and crispy falafel in pita bread are how to make a delicious falafel sandwich. We show you how easy it is to make this popular Middle Eastern vegetarian street food from scratch.
Do you need more ideas to serve with falafel? Take a look at these gorgeous falafel gyros. Not to mention we also show you how to build the ultimate falafel platter.
What to expect from this recipe?
Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern vegetarian dish that became well-known all over the world. Since its origins are not clear and many nations and cuisines fight for it, there is no exact recipe when it comes to how to make it. However, if you make our grab-and-go falafel sandwich, this is what you get:
- Falafels are grainy and crumbly on the inside, but crunchy and crispy on the outside.
- The focus is on fresh herbs so they are actually mildly spiced.
- They have a slightly nutty flavor, but you can’t really tell that it is made of chickpeas.
- You need to serve them with a juicy dip or sauce or dressing otherwise they are too dry on their own.
While there are many ways you can make a delicious falafel sandwich by adding a different dressing, let me tell you why you need this maple dijon tahini dressing.
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- It is still a rich dip with a sweet, tart, and savory flavor.
- It is easy to make since you need only 5 minutes to whip it up.
- You don’t need any fancy equipment just a mixing bowl and a spatula.
Ingredients
You only need 4 elements to make this falafel sandwich: 1) pita bread, 2) falafel, 3) tahini dressing, and 4) lettuce. You can definitely make this recipe using store-bought falafels and premade dressing, 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.
- Dried chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) – This recipe typically uses soaked but uncooked chickpeas since it needs a grainy and not mushy consistency. If you use canned or cooked chickpeas, you will end up with something similar to our chickpea meatballs.
- Onion – We recommend red onion purely for color. A purple onion will make the expected color a bit off.
- Garlic
- Fresh parsley – They give not only the best flavor but a vibrant green color as well.
- Fresh cilantro (aka coriander leaves) – The same goes here.
- Cumin
- Sesame seeds – You can skip them since you can’t really taste them, but they make the falafel look nicer.
- 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.
Maple Dijon Tahini Dressing
You can add oil-free hummus, vegan tzatziki, or other tahini-based dressings, but we encourage you to try our oil-free maple dijon tahini dressing.
- Tahini paste (ground sesame seeds turned into a paste) – This is a must-have ingredient since it determines the main flavor profile. However, if you want to look for a substitute for any reason, check out our complete list of tahini substitutes.
- Garlic – If you use garlic powder, then you only need a bowl and a spatula.
- Dijon mustard – There is a difference between yellow mustard and Dijon mustard. We chose the latter because it is creamier and spicier than the classic version.
- Maple syrup – A lot of recipes use honey, but since honey is not vegan, we choose pure maple syrup out of these honey substitutes.
- Water – It is to get the desired consistency.
- Apple cider vinegar – I don’t know about you but a bit of tangy after-taste makes it a refreshing sauce just like in chimichurri sauce. You can use lemon juice, but we love it more with ACV.
🛒 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 sandwich recipe, but for other ways to prepare them, visit our detailed guide on how to make falafel.
Making homemade falafels
- Soak dry chickpeas in cold water overnight, but don’t cook them.
- Use a food processor and add chopped onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, salt, black pepper, cumin, baking soda, and water.
- Pulse them until you get a creamy, grainy texture. Don’t overwork it. You don’t need it to be pureed (see the below picture for reference).
- Take a large bowl and empty the food processor into it. Add sesame seeds and mix them well.
- Chill it 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 (see the below picture for reference). We usually place them on a paper towel to capture any excess oil.
Making the tahini sauce
You can have more details if you visit our maple dijon tahini sauce post, or follow the below instructions:
- Peel garlic clove.
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor (tahini, dijon mustard, maple syrup, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and water).
- Blend it until you get a smooth sauce. The desired consistency is like a thick flowing paste (see the below picture for reference). Add a tablespoon of water to adjust it if needed.
Assembling a falafel sandwich
- Warm the pita bread in a grill pan or in the oven. We don’t recommend using a microwave because it just makes it dry.
- Depending on the size of your pita sandwiches or wraps you can add 4-5 falafel balls, 1-2 leaves of lettuce, a couple of tomato pieces, and some purple onion slices, and drizzle them with 1-2 Tablespoons of this creamy tahini sauce.
Other sandwich toppings
- Let’s change it up and use this lemon herb tahini sauce just to make things interesting.
- Add a yogurt-based vegan tzatziki sauce instead, and you’ll get yourself falafel gyros.
- Serve it with your favorite hummus. We have recipes for oil-free hummus, beet hummus, harissa hummus, and roasted red pepper hummus. Even one where we make hummus without tahini.
- Grab one of the dips, sauces, or tomato cucumber salad from our ultimate falafel platter (pictured below) or this Mediterranean grazing board to accompany your falafel in pita.
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.
FAQs
How to store it?
You can store falafels and the sauce in a separate airtight container in your fridge 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 pita sandwiches for a long time. The vegetables, but especially the lettuce may get wilted and the pita will likely soak up the tahini sauce 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 sandwich.
Allergen info
This Falafel Sandwich recipe is meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free.
- Vegan – All ingredients are supposed to be vegan.
- Nut-free – Tahini is made of sesame seeds, which means it is nut-free. All ingredients are supposed to be nut-free. Check for cross-contamination issues in any products you buy.
- WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) – This recipe is oil-free if you bake the falafels or use an air fryer. The tahini sauce is also oil-free, and maple syrup is a compliant sweetener.
- Gluten-free – All ingredients are supposed to be gluten-free but pay attention to which apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, 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 are supposed to be soy-free.
More recipes with falafel
More chickpea recipes
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Falafel Sandwich with Maple Dijon Tahini Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 7 Pita bread use gluten-free
- ½ Lettuce
Homemade Falafel (30 balls)
- 1+½ cup Chickpeas dried, uncooked
- 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 -> gluten-free brands
- ½ cup Cold water
Maple Dijon Tahini Sauce
- ½ cup Tahini
- 2 cloves Garlic or ¼ tsp of garlic powder per 1 clove
- 4 Tbsp Dijon mustard -> gluten-free mustard brands
- 2 Tbsp Maple syrup
- ½ cup Water
- 2 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar -> gluten-free vinegar brands
Instructions
How to make homemade falafel?
- Soak dry chickpeas in cold water overnight. Don't cook them.
- Drain them and add them to a food processor. Add peeled and roughly chopped onion, peeled garlic cloves, parsley, cilantro, salt, black pepper, cumin, baking soda, and water.
- Blend until you got a creamy but not completely pureed texture.
- Take a large bowl and empty the food processor into it. Chill the falafel mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour. This is easier to form a ball after that.
- Use a spoon or your palms and form balls or patties out of the chilled mixture.
- Preheat a large pan over medium heat. Add sunflower oil or coconut oil (something that is high-heat resistant and suitable for deep frying).
- Gently place the balls in the hot oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry them for approx. 5 minutes. They should be brown but not burnt and vibrant green in the middle.
How to make the tahini sauce?
- Peel the garlic clove and measure all ingredients.
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor (tahini, dijon mustard, maple syrup, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and water). Blend it until you get a smooth sauce. The desired consistency is like a thick flowing paste. Add a tablespoon of water to adjust it if needed.
Assemble
- Warm the pita bread in a grill pan or in the oven. We don't recommend using a microwave because it just makes them drier.
- Depending on the size of your pita pockets or wraps you can add 4-5 falafel balls, 1-2 leaves of lettuce, and 1-2 Tablespoons of dressing.
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