Baked Falafel Pitas with Tahini Sauce
Herb-packed falafel made from soaked dried chickpeas and baked until crisp, tucked into pitas with tomato, cucumber, pickled onions and lemony tahini.
Great falafel starts with dried chickpeas, not canned. Soaked overnight but never cooked, they grind into a coarse, fluffy mixture that holds together and turns crisp outside and tender inside. Canned chickpeas are too soft and make falafel dense and pasty.
Instead of deep frying, we bake ours on an oiled sheet pan in a hot oven, flipping once. They come out golden with far less mess. Stuff them into warm pitas with crunchy vegetables, quick-pickled red onion and a creamy tahini sauce for a lunch that never feels like a compromise.
Baked Falafel Pitas with Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in water for 12 to 24 hours
- 1/2 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 cup packed parsley and cilantro leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 to 5 tablespoons cold water
- 4 whole-wheat pitas
- Sliced tomato, cucumber and pickled red onion, for filling
Method
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Drain the soaked chickpeas well and pat them dry. Add them to a food processor with the onion, garlic, herbs, cumin, coriander and salt.
- Pulse 15 to 20 times, scraping down the sides, until the mixture looks like coarse, damp sand and holds together when pressed. Do not puree it smooth.
- Stir in the baking powder. Scoop 2-tablespoon portions, form into slightly flattened patties and set them on the oiled sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining oil.
- Bake for 12 minutes, flip, and bake 10 to 13 minutes more, until both sides are golden and crisp.
- Meanwhile, whisk the tahini, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. It will seize up at first; keep whisking in cold water a tablespoon at a time until smooth and pourable.
- Warm the pitas, open them up and fill each with 3 or 4 falafel, vegetables, pickled onions and a generous drizzle of tahini sauce.
Kitchen notes
- If the mixture will not hold together, pulse in 1 to 2 tablespoons of chickpea flour or all-purpose flour.
- Quick-pickle the onion by soaking thin slices in 1/2 cup vinegar with a pinch each of sugar and salt for 20 minutes.
- Raw soaked chickpeas can be frozen, so you can soak a big batch and save some for later.
Keeping & reheating
Store baked falafel for up to 4 days in the fridge and reheat in a 375°F oven for 8 minutes to re-crisp. The tahini sauce keeps for 5 days. Freeze baked falafel for up to 2 months.
This recipe shares general cooking information and is not medical or nutrition advice. Please check ingredient labels for allergens. Read our full disclaimer.
