Falafel Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing
Homemade falafel recipe over crisp vegetables with a creamy lemon tahini sauce for drizzling or dipping. Vegan and gluten-free! Makes 26 falafel and 1 cup of tahini sauce.
Print
Pin
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 462kcal
Equipment
- 1 colander
Ingredients
For the Falafel
- 1 3/4 cup dried garbanzo beans
- 1 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1/2 small yellow onion, quartered
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 2 cups Grapeseed oil for frying, or vegetable oil
For the Lemon Tahini Sauce
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4-1/2 cup water
For Serving
- 5 ounces baby gem lettuce or Romaine hearts, washed, dried, and torn (about 1 small head Romaine)
- 2 cups arugula, washed and dried
- 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, halved
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 large ripe avocado, sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 4-6 pieces pita bread, toasted and quartered
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
For the falafel:
- Soak beans overnight. Place beans in a large container and cover by 3 to 4 inches with water; they will triple in size. Let soak overnight, add more water if necessary.
- Combine in food processor. Drain beans, saving the soaking water. Working in 2 batches, place half the beans in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Add half the parsley, garlic, onion, lemon juice, cumin, salt, coriander, pepper, baking soda, and cayenne.
- Grind into falafel mixture. Pulse in 2 second pulses until all ingredients are minced and mixture comes together, but doesn't form a paste. Stop motor occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl and add reserved soaking water a tablespoon at a time if necessary to get a nice mixture that holds together easily when you squeeze a handful. Repeat with remaining falafel ingredients.
- Shape and chill. Scoop into balls with a cookie scoop and leave as round balls or shape into 2-inch patties and set on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. If chilling overnight, cover loosely with plastic wrap. While falafel are chilling, make the tahini sauce and prep the salad ingredients.
- Heat oil. Pour oil in a large cast iron skillet or frying pan until it reaches an inch up the sides of the pan. Heat oil over medium heat until it reaches 350°F on a deep fat fry thermometer or until a wooden chopstick inserted in the oil is immediately covered with bubbles. This can take up to 5 minutes to heat.
- Fry. Add patties a few at a time and let fry until browned on one side, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side. (If they are browning too quickly reduce heat or raise the heat if not fast enough.) Remove from oil to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining patties.
- Enjoy! Continue with instructions to make the salad. You can also serve the falafel on their own with the tahini sauce as an appetizer or make into a sandwich by tucking them into a toasted pita or lavash with some lettuce, cucumbers and olives and a drizzle of sauce on top.
For the tahini-lemon dressing
- Puree. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Process until smooth, start with 1/4 cup of water adding more water if necessary to make into a pourable dressing. Taste and add more lemon juice or salt if needed .
For the falafel salad
- Assemble falafel salad bowl. Divide and layer the torn lettuce and arugula, then arrange the cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, red onion, olives, and sliced avocado around the bowl. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper (especially avocado and tomatoes). Top with falafel and parsley and drizzle the tahini lemon dressing over top (you may not need all). Cut pita into wedges and add a few to each bowl. Serve with extra lemon wedges for squeezing. Enjoy immediately while falafel and pita are still warm.
Notes
- Tahini sauce: If you don't feel like making the tahini-lemon dressing, stir together equal parts tahini and yogurt then add a few generous dashes of hot sauce. Taste and season with salt.
- Tahini: Look for tahini in a plastic jar. You should be able to squeeze the outside of the container incorporating the hard tahini that sits at the bottom into the oil at the top. Shake until it is smooth before measuring.
- Flour: Many falafel recipes call for flour or cornstarch for holding the falafel together but this makes them mushy and gummy. Don't be tempted to add it. If your falafel are not holding together, pulse the mixture longer and add another tablespoon of the soaking liquid.
- Baking soda: This is a controversial ingredient but I believe it makes the falafel fluffy and light.
- Make ahead: You can make and shape the falafel up to a day in advance then fry when you are ready to eat. Tahini dressing can be made up to a week in advance.