Easy Vegan Falafel with Tahini Dressing

Recipe Difficulty: Easy! You'll need a food processor to make the mixture.

My Falafel Recipe Notes
This is my easy falafel recipe. I really love them and I ONLY ever want them with LOTS of the tahini dressing I'm sharing. So good. 

Falafel using canned chickpeas
I've been making falafel this way for years and years. Purists will say you HAVE to start with dried and soaked, uncooked chickpeas. They are correct, that's the authentic way to make falafel as far as I am aware. I tried it that way once....they were decent...but I have always used canned chickpeas, and I really love the results. The texture is definitely different than the authentic version, but I like it....maybe better??? Simple & flavourful.  I use a bit of baking powder in the mixture to add a bit of lightness to the fritters. 

About Tahini Dressing
The tahini dressing is so tasty. I honestly put so much of it on my falafel...like every bite needs to be super saucy.  I make this ahead of time preferably. It will thicken up in the fridge. You can adjust the consistency by adding a little more water to thin it out, or a bit more tahini to thicken it up. If I'm using it on my salad I like it a bit thinner, in a wrap a bit thicker. So the recipe is a bit loose in that sense. If you like extra heat you could add a bit of sambal oelek to the dressing or some chipotle chili in adobo sauce. I always double the recipe because I will eat lots over several days with my falafels, and it keeps in the fridge for at least a week if not two. The sauce is also super delicious drizzled over all sorts of things. Drizzled over spiced roasted sweet potatoes are a favourite...or use it as a dressing to pour over any kind of healthy bowl with roasted veggies, grains, greens etc...

​Serving Falafel (Variations)
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Pita Wrap
 I just piled on loads of veggies, loads of sauce, and ate it with a knife and fork. Works for me! I made the falafel into "cakes" and used 3 per pita wrap. Then, a handful of chopped tomatoes, cucumber, some fresh lettuce, a bit of red onion, and PLENTY of sauce. 

Power Bowl.
You can also make a fun power bowl! It's basically a salad. Just load in spinach, greens, maybe some roasted sweet potato, tomato, cucumber, some pickled onions and olives would be nice. How about pita chips too? Or even make tabbouleh and have some of that in there. Then of course some falafels and ALL the tahini dressing (pictured below)

Green Lettuce Tacos
ANOTHER variation, is to make lettuce wrap tacos with some frilly green lettuce. I actually LOVE it this way. They were a bit messy to eat, so I just doubled up on my lettuce to make a sturdier "shell". I added in chopped tomato, cucumber, red onion, falafel, cilantro & sauce. Done!! I like to add just a bit of sauce to the tacos, then have extra on the side for drizzling on a bit before each bite. (That is what is pictured above)

Falafel Burger
Falafel patty on a toasted burger bun, spread a generous amount of tahini sauce, add shredded lettuce, slices of tomato, thin slices of cucumber, followed by the patty. Add another generous spoonful of tahini sauce and pickled red onion. They are messy if you are adding the right amount of sauce. Grab the napkins. 

Tips on Cooking Falafel
Balls
If my falafel are shaped into round balls, I prefer to deep fry them. I use a very large pot and just enough oil to cover the falafel by an inch. I use a thermometer, and when it reaches 350F it's good to go. I don't recommend using a pot set up like this at home, unless you have done it before and are very comfortable with the process. It can be dangerous due to potential oil overflow. Ideally you have a deep fryer set up at home.

The temperature is important, too Not hot enough and the falafel will break apart. Too hot and they will become too dark before being cooked. I wouldn't use an air fryer with this recipe.

Patties
If you want to cook them in a pan instead, shape the falafels into small patties instead of balls. Then you can shallow fry them. Heat enough oil so it comes up just a bit over the sides of the patties. Brown on one side, then flip over to finish other side. 

Burgers
I shape my falafel into 4 oz patties. Cook them in a 425F oven. Drizzle a bit of oil on a sheet pan, top with falafel. Into the oven until golden on one side, flip and cook until golden on the 2nd side. 6-8 minutes per side. You want to make sure the middle is hot and cooked. If in doubt just leave it in a bit longer. I haven't tried deep frying these, but I plan to try. 

Leftover Falafel
You only want to cook what you will eat in one sitting. I haven't tried reheating already cooked falafel, it isn't something I ever run into. The falafel mixture will keep in the fridge for several days, so I just roll or shape into patties and cook when I want a portion. 

Now for the recipes!
Much Love
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