Quinoa Falafel with Tahini Sauce
This Quinoa Falafel recipe is gluten-free, naturally vegan, and most importantly, makes the best falafels with chickpeas and quinoa that are wonderfully crisp on the outside with a tender, moist middle that is packed with flavor and protein. Make these as baked or air fryer falafels, cooked to perfection, then serve immediately or store/freeze for later!
Servings: 14 serving
Calories: 463kcal
Ingredients
Falafel:
- 2 cups quinoa dry
- 2 14 oz cans low sodium chickpeas drained & rinsed
- 1 medium onion coarsely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves large
- 2 cups parsley packed
- 4 tsp cumin ground
- 2 tsp coriander ground
- 4 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup water
- Cooking spray I use Misto
- 14 whole wheat pitas for serving
- 1 long English cucumber, thinly sliced for serving
- 3 tomatoes, thinly sliced for serving
Tahini Sauce:
- 1 cup tahini
- 1 cup water
- 2 lemons juice of
- 1 garlic clove large
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cook quinoa with a pinch of salt as per package instructions, get perfect results with this how to cook quinoa on stove. In the meanwhile, line 2 large baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper or silicone baking mats and spray with cooking spray. Also get a bowl with cold water and small trigger scoop ready. Set aside.
- In a large food processor, add chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, coriander, sesame oil, cornstarch, salt and water. Blend until semi-smooth with some smaller chickpea chunks left.
- In a large bowl, add cooked and fluffed quinoa, and blended chickpea mixture; mix with spatula until well combined.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Using small scoop, scoop falafel mixture, packing it tightly, roll into golf size balls (helps to dip hands in water in between) and place on prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
- Spray with cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy, turning once.
- While falafel is baking make Tahini Sauce. In a food processor, add tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic and salt; process until smooth.
- Serve falafel warm, in a pita pocket with some sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and drizzle with lots of sauce. Great for meal prep, lunches and potlucks.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Bake, cool and store in airtight container for 3 months.
- Meal prep: Lay rolled falafel on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, freeze completely and transfer to a large Ziploc bag. Bake from frozen following recipe's instructions plus extra 5-10 minutes.
- This recipe makes a lot: You can cut all ingredients in half for less servings.
- Cooking your own beans: I cook Instant Pot chickpeas or check out my tutorial how to cook dried beans from dried on the stove.
- If using not low sodium canned beans: Because cooked at home beans do not contain salt, add less salt if you can't find low sodium canned garbanzo beans.
- Blender: I do not recommend to use blender because falafel mixture is too thick.
- Air fryer falafel: You can air fry falafel at 350 degrees F for 14 minutes, no need to turn or shake. I experimented with both shapes, flat and rolled, and noticed no difference.
Nutrition
Serving: 5falafels with sauce in a pita | Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 681mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 2g