These hearty Mediterranean Falafel Bowls are a delicious and satisfying vegetarian meal! Rice bowls are topped with homemade baked falafels, a tomato cucumber salad, feta, and an incredible creamy tahini yogurt dressing. Balanced, healthy and great for meal prep!
I love that these baked falafels still turn out crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy inside even without the deep frying. The tahini yogurt dressing is thick and creamy and works great as a dressing, sauce, drizzle, or dip. You can make it as thick or thin as you want by simply adding water or milk to it.
Sometimes a vegetarian dinner can leave you feeling unsatisfied and hungry shortly after. Thanks to the carbs, vegetables, and protein from the chickpeas and Greek yogurt, this meal will keep you full and satisfied.
If you love a good bowl meal, you’ll be a fan of my Taco Salad Bowls, too.
Falafel Bowls
Ingredients
Falafel
- 15 ounce can chickpeas drained, rinsed, and patted dry
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- ½ cup flat leaf parsley
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons flour
Tomato Cucumber Salad
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- ⅓ cup chopped kalamata olives
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Tahini Yogurt Dressing
- ½ cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ¼ teaspoon coriander
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it with cooking oil.
- Place all the falafel ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, except the flour. Pulse until a crumbly dough forms. Add in the flour a tablespoon at a time pulsing the mixture after each addition. It should be dry enough that you can shape it into a disc with your hands.
- Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the mixture and form it into a disc. You should be able to get 12 falafels made from it. Place the falafels onto the baking sheet and spray the tops with more cooking oil or brush them with olive oil.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cooking time. You want them to be golden and the exterior should be crisp.
- While the falafels bake combine all the ingredients for the tomato cucumber salad in a bowl. Taste for seasoning.
- Add all the ingredients for the tahini yogurt dressing to a bowl or measuring glass and whisk them together. The dressing will be thick. To thin it out, whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of water or milk until your desired consistency is reached.
- To assemble the bowls, add ½ cup of rice to a bowl. Top it with 3 of the baked falafels, some of the tomato cucumber salad, crumbled feta, and drizzle the tahini yogurt dressing on top. Garnish with chopped parsley and dill, if desired.
Notes
- Falafels can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
- To reheat them I recommend putting them in a toaster oven so that they retain some of their crispness. You can also reheat them in the microwave if you’re short on time.
- To make these falafels gluten-free, simply swap the all-purpose flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour, oat flour, or chickpea flour.