Fresh lettuce leaves, sweet and tangy tahini sauce, and crispy falafel in pita bread are how to make the best falafel sandwich. We show you how easy it is to make this popular Middle Eastern vegetarian street food from scratch and from the comfort of your home.
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.
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What to expect?
Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern vegetarian dish that has become well-known all over the world. 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, let me tell you why you need this maple Dijon tahini sauce.
- It is 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.
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Ingredients
You only need 4 elements to make this falafel sandwich: 1) pita bread, 2) falafel, 3) tahini sauce, and 4) lettuce.
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 chickpeas, you will end up with something similar to our chickpea meatballs.
- Onion
- 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 seed
- Baking soda – You need just a pinch to make sure it is fluffy inside.
🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Tahini sauce
While there are other choices, we encourage you to try our oil-free maple Dijon tahini sauce.
- 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.
- 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 from the chilled mixture.
- Preheat a large pan over medium heat. Add sunflower oil or coconut oil
- Gently place a couple of balls in the hot oil. Don’t drop it. Hot oil can splash up and 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.
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 paste. 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, add 4-5 falafel balls, 1-2 leaves of lettuce, a couple of tomato pieces, and some red onion slices, and drizzle them with 1-2 Tablespoons of this creamy tahini sauce.
Variations
- 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.
Equipment
- Deep-frying pan with a strainer basket – The best would be to use a dedicated pan that is deep enough to avoid a lot of splatters. A strainer basket is also helpful if you want to do a larger batch. If you don’t have one, use a deep stockpot or an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven.
- Deep-frying thermometer – It helps to measure how hot the oil is before deep-frying.
- Strainer ladle or slotted spoon – If you want to deep-fry a larger batch, it is essential to work quickly and take them out as soon as they are ready. I also love to use simple tongs to pick them out one by one.
Storing tips
In the fridge: 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.
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.
Reheating: You can pop the falafel balls back in the oven to make them crispy again. Reheating them in a microwave will not do that.
In the freezer: Falafel is perfect for batch booking. We don’t recommend freezing the un-fried balls, as excess moisture can ruin the texture after thawing. Only take out the amount you need to build your sandwich.
FAQs
Both, to be honest. Our falafel sandwich is the perfect grab-and-go lunch. You can enjoy them while the falafel is still warm, but it is also delicious the next day without reheating.
Warm a pita bread and add fresh lettuce, tomato, and red onion slices. Then cover them with a couple of falafel balls. Drizzle them with your favorite sauce: maple Dijon tahini, lemon herb tahini, tzatziki sauce, oil-free hummus, or hummus without tahini.
If you have a large pita bread, add all filings in the middle and wrap both sides of the pita to cover it. If you have a smaller one, cut off the top and open it up to see the pita pockets. Stuff everything inside, falafel balls, veggies, and sauce.
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Falafel Sandwich with Maple Dijon Tahini Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 7 Pita bread
- ½ Lettuce
Homemade Falafel (30 balls)
- 1.5 cup Chickpeas (dry not canned) dried, uncooked
- 1 Onion (medium)
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 0.8 oz Fresh parsley
- 0.6 oz Fresh cilantro
- 1.5 tsp Ground cumin seeds
- 2 Tbsp Sesame seeds
- 1 tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 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
- 2 Tbsp Maple syrup
- ½ cup Water
- 2 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
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 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, add 4-5 falafel balls, 1-2 leaves of lettuce, and 1-2 Tablespoons of sauce.
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