Baked Falafel Salad
This Falafel Salad features baked falafels, fresh leafy greens, cucumber, tomatoes, and creamy tahini dressing is easy to make and simply delicious! It’s a vegan and oil-free recipe.
Chickpeas are an amazing bean and I’m finding out just how versatile they are!
I’ve used them in a lentil stew, and roasted them for snacking and sprinkling on top of salads. You can make socca bread and chickpea omelets. They are the main ingredient in hummus, which is just as versatile as the chickpea itself.
And now, I have come across this falafel salad, which is another great way to use chickpeas! High in protein and full of fiber, anything made with chickpeas is a great addition to a healthy lifestyle!
Falafels are a Mediterranean food and make great toppers for this simple salad, adding a good dose of heartiness and protein.
Along with the falafel recipe are 2 creamy style dressings. One is a more traditional tahini based dressing, while the other uses avocado and refreshing cucumber. I couldn’t pick just one to share, so they both are here for varying tastes.
Everything is super easy to make and I hope you enjoy it all!
Falafel Salad Notes
Use canned or fresh-soaked chickpeas. Falafels are typically made with soaked dried chickpeas that have been soaked for 8 hours which can take time and forethought. For convenience, you have the option of using canned garbanzo beans. I have used both, and once everything is blended together, there isn’t a big difference in taste.
If using dried beans, there isn’t any need to cook them, just soak them as they will be soft enough to use in the recipe. Use whatever is easiest and convenient for you. You may like to try both ways and see which way you like best.
These are flour and oil-free. I’ve made baked falafels with flour and oil, as some recipes call for, and found them unnecessary.
Herbs. Feel free to use only parsley or cilantro.
Salad. Use your favorite leafy green spring mix. The veggies are simple with cucumber, carrots, and tomatoes.
How To Make Baked Falafel Salad
In the bowl of a food processor/blender, add the chickpeas, fresh parsley, cilantro, and dill, along with the onion, garlic, cumin, garlic & onion powder, cayenne, lemon, and salt. Blend until fairly smooth but not pureed, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
Scoop and shape your falafels into medium-sized patties like the ones you see here or make bite-size nuggets. The falafels shown above are made with a 4 tablespoon trigger scoop, and I was able to get 6 patties.
Once falafels are formed, place on a lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Once the falafels have cooled, you are ready to assemble the salad. Fill each bowl with leafy greens and top with falafels, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, and a drizzle of your choice of dressing.
Now you are ready to dig into this most delicious and healthy salad!
More Healthy Vegan Salads!
- Black Bean, Broccoli + Avocado Salad (with Cumin-Lime Tahini Dressing)
- Mediterranean Salad
- Vegan Caesar Salad
- Apple + Coconut Bacon Salad (with Peanut Dressing)
- Classic House Salad
If you try this falafel recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think or any changes you make.
PrintBaked Falafel Salad + Two Creamy Dressings
Falafels are incredibly easy to make! There is no need to fry falafels in tons of oil as they bake up perfectly in the oven. Add them to a fresh salad with a creamy tahini-dill dressing and you’re in for a delicious meal!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 3
- Category: Entree, Salad
- Method: bake, food processor, mix
- Cuisine: Mediterranean, Vegan
Ingredients
Salad Base
- leafy greens (I used a spring mix)
- shallot or red onion, thinly sliced
- tomatoes, sliced
- cucumber, thinly sliced
- shredded carrot
Falafel
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed or 1 cup dried and soaked overnight
- 1/3 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped
- 1/3 cup loosely packed parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (optional)
- 1/2 small shallot or 1/4 small onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional but for good measure)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (optional but for good measure)
- pinch or two red pepper flakes, cayenne, chili powder or smoked paprika (depending on your mood)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt + pepper, to taste
Lemon-Tahini Dressing
- 4 tablespoons tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- juice of 1 large lemon
- few dill fronds, cilantro or parsley, minced
- salt, to taste
- 1/3 cup water, + more to thin
- pinch of cayenne
Avocado-Cucumber Dressing
- 1 avocado
- 3 – 4 inches cucumber, peeled (leave the peel on if you like)
- a few sprigs cilantro and dill fronds
- 1 clove garlic
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- dash of onion powder
- salt, to taste
- water as needed to thin
Instructions
FALAFELS
Chickpeas: If using dried chickpeas, place beans in a large pot and cover with at least two inches of water (they will puff up), let soak overnight or at least 12 hours. There is no need to cook them as they will soften enough to use in the recipe. If using canned chickpeas, be sure to drain and rinse well by running the beans under cool running water. If using freshly cooked chickpeas, you will need about 1 1/ 2 cups.
Preheat oven to 400. Coat your cast iron skillet or cookie sheet with olive oil.
Falafel mix: In a food processor/blender, combine all the ingredients for the falafel. Blend until blended and fairly smooth but not pureed, scraping down the sides as needed.
Form falafels into whatever size you like:
- Medium (shown above): Scoop 4 tablespoons per patty will yield approx. 6 patties.
- Small: Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon per patty will yield approx. 9.
- Mini nuggets: Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon will yield approx. 16.
Bake: Place on greased skillet/cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake for 15 minutes. Total cooking time 25 minutes. If you find that your falafels are not as browned as you like, place them under the broiler for a minute or two. Just be sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
Store: Leftover falafels can be kept in an airtight container for 5 days. They will soften overnight. To warm them up and return crispness to the outside, place under broiler or in a toaster oven at a high temp for a minute or two while keeping an eye on them so they don’t burn.
DRESSING
While the patties are in the oven make your falafel dressing of choice.
Lemon Tahini Dressing: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until well combined. Taste for seasoning and add more water as needed 1 tablespoon at a time or add more lemon juice. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
OR, for something different and refreshing…
Avocado-Cucumber Dressing: In a food processor/blender, combine all the ingredients except for the water. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Add water a tablespoon or two at a time until desired consistency. Best chilled in the refrigerator before serving. Leftovers will hold up a day or two in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It may last a little longer but it’s gone by day two around my house.
ASSEMBLE SALAD
Once patties are ready, make your salad by layering leafy greens into individual bowls and top with falafels, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, onion, and choice of dressing.
Notes
Nutrition information is calculated without dressing.
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They were DELICIOUS! I will definitely make them again. And the lemony dressing was the perfect zing on top of the spicy goodness. Can't wait to try the avocado-cucumber dressing!
Just made these to put on top of a lemony kale salad…by far the best falafel I've ever made!!!! Thank!
What a great salad that must've been! I will definitely try that combo as I love lemony kale salads. Cheers…and thank you for the inspiration. :)
i am in love with this recipe! i cannot wait to try it! those little falafels are adorable!
They are too cute and so tasty! :)
Thanks for this lovely recipe – nice and clean and simple! Falafel is one of my favorites and I can't believe I've never tried to make it at home. I have cooked chickpeas in the fridge and this is going on my to-do list for the weekend!
Perfect…give it a try!
I love falafel in salad! Yours look great :)
Thank you. :)
This looks divine, Julie. I pinned it to my vegan recipes board. Just gorgeous! We recently went to VegFest and enjoyed a very delicious falafel wrap. I have never made falafels but it's about time to!
Thank you Aubrey!
*SWOON* I love me some falafels! I much prefer to have them baked rather than deep-fried, which is unfortunately how they are usually sold in shops here in London. I love those two salad dressings you shared, as well. I'm so picky with my salad dressings, I hate the sour ones you always get in restaurants, I prefer mine quite creamy. I will definitely give these a shot :)Oh, and chickpea omelette? CANNOT WAIT.
I've never had fried falafels but I'm sure I wouldn't want to eat it anyway either. Baked is great! Would love to know what you think of these if you get a chance to try them. Cheers to creamy dressings. :)
They're baking in the oven as I type this. I don't have a food processor, only a blender, so the texture is still very rough, and I found it hard to shape the falafels as the batter was so sticky, so I used a bit of gram flour to keep my hands from sticking. I'm adding roasted peppers and tomatoes to the salad–it's a bit chilly tonight, so I want a bit of warmth :)
I hope you love them as much as I did! Your take on this sounds wonderful. I love roasted peppers and tomatoes…and in a salad…oh my!
It's true that the hands may get sticky with the dough. I like to rinse my hands every now and then. I find that helps with the stickiness. I will make a note of that. :)
Beautiful Pictures! It looks delicious. Have a wonderful day!
Thank you! You too :)
Wow! These look fantastic, I really want some falafel now! Have you ever tried making falafel with sweet potato? I've heard good things about it!Just stumbled upon your blog and am really enjoying it so far, looking forward to hearing more! Laura xx
Thank you Laura!
I've heard of squash, sweet potato sounds great too! I will have to try the sweet potato since I have a whole bag waiting to get made into something. :)
This looks delicious!!! I love falafel and I'm definitely gonna try your recipe, home made is so much better than store bought! Thanks :)
Amy
Thank you, and your welcome! Would love to know how they go for you. Enjoy :)