Falafel Bowl

This falafel bowl makes a satisfying meal, full of bright Mediterranean flavors! Featuring homemade baked falafel and crunchy veggies, it’s…

Jan 14, 2025 - 15:35

This falafel bowl makes a satisfying meal, full of bright Mediterranean flavors! Featuring homemade baked falafel and crunchy veggies, it’s a delicious healthy lunch or dinner idea.

If there’s one meal idea we could never tire of, it’s a bowl meal with Mediterranean vibes. As experts in the Mediterranean diet (called one of the healthiest ways to eat by US News and World Report), Alex and I are constantly inventing new delicious ways to eat in this style, and this falafel bowl is a new favorite!

Falafel can be tricky to make at home, so this bowl stars our easy baked falafel made with canned chickpeas. Accessorize it with hummus, crunchy veggies, and pickled cucumbers and onions, and it’s an explosion of flavor and textures that makes a deliciously satisfying healthy dinner (or lunch). You can make many of the components in advance, making it perfect for meal prep!

Featured reader comments

“The falafels are delicious and very straightforward. The pickled onions and cucumbers added a nice tangy crunch! It made for an excellent meal that was lighter but satisfying! -Tanvee

A simple way to make falafel: baked

While we’re not of Mediterranean heritage, Alex and my expertise is in Mediterranean diet recipes: recipes that conform to the foods in this diet: lots of vegetables, olive oil, and some fish and chicken. Falafel happens to be one of our favorite foods in the world: because it’s so savory, delicious, and totally plant-based!

Traditional falafel can be tricky to make at home, because you need to remember to soak dried chickpeas and because it involves deep frying. Our favorite method for homemade falafel is our baked falafel! Here’s why we love it:

It’s made with canned chickpeas, so you don’t have to think ahead with dried (though if you want an authentic falafel, you should make it with dried chickpeas)
It’s baked, so you don’t have to mess with deep frying.
It’s easy to make ahead, so you can meal prep it if desired. It’s also easy to make a double batch and use for several meals.

Toppings for this falafel bowl

What are the ingredients in a falafel bowl? Essentially, you can mix up whatever veggies you like with falafel. We like serving it with hummus, so you have a creamy texture that brings everything together and you don’t have to make a separate sauce. Our falafel bowl recipe below has ideas for toppings, but you can use whatever you like! This bowl recipe includes:

Falafel: If you don’t have time to make baked falafel, you can also use purchased falafel of any kind (frozen, takeout, etc).
Pickled cucumbers and onions: We like having a tangy pickled element, which is key to many Mediterranean-style meals. You can also use fresh cucumber and red onion.
Hummus: Creamy hummus is important for bringing the bowl together. If you don’t use it, consider a sauce like tzatziki sauce or cilantro sauce.
Olives: Olives add a salty, briny element. We like using a mix of Kalamata and Castelvetrano olives.
Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes add a pop of tangy, sweet flavor.
Greens: We used baby arugula to fill up the bowl; you can also use any other type of greens like romaine, butter lettuce, and so forth.
Feta cheese (optional): Feta adds a nice salty element and bit of protein, but it’s not required.

Other serving suggestions

To make this falafel bowl more filling, you can serve with a grain like rice, farro, quinoa, couscous, Israeli couscous, or bulgur. This quinoa tabbouleh would also pair perfectly! Pita wedges or pita chips make an easy pairing.

Storing leftovers and make ahead notes

The baked falafel in this recipe store very well, making this a simple idea for meal prep. Make the baked falafel and store them up to 1 week refrigerated, or freeze them for up to 3 months.

The pickled cucumbers and onions last up to 1 month refrigerated. They’re great for using to garnish bowls, salads, sandwiches, and more.

Dietary notes

This falafel bowls recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free (without the optional feta).

Falafel Bowl

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This falafel bowl makes a satisfying meal, full of bright Mediterranean flavors! Featuring homemade baked falafel and crunchy veggies, it’s a delicious healthy lunch or dinner idea.

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4
Category: Dinner
Method: Baked
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

For the Falafel Bowl

1 recipe Baked Falafel (recipe below; or purchased falafel), plus leftover cilantro to garnish
1 handful Pickled Cucumber and Onions, plus leftover sliced English cucumber
1 dollop hummus (purchased)
1 handful sliced or chopped tomatoes
1 handful olives
1 handful baby arugula
Feta (optional; or vegan feta)
Olive oil, to drizzle
Sumac (optional)

Baked Falafel

15-ounce can chickpeas
½ cup Old Fashioned rolled oats (or use ½ cup oat flour)
¼ cup red onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled
½ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, loosely packed (or fresh parsley)
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper

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Instructions

Make the Pickled Cucumbers and Onions: Start the Pickled Cucumbers and Onions, which take 30 minutes to pickle (or make in advance). Alternatively, you can use fresh sliced cucumber and red onion.
Make the Baked Falafel: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Dab the chickpeas with a paper towel to remove extra moisture and set them aside. Place the rolled oats in a bowl of a food processor. Process 30 seconds to 1 minute until they are the texture of flour. Pour into a separate bowl and set aside. (If using oat flour, skip this step.)
Roughly chop the red onion and peel the garlic. Place them into the food processor with the cilantro and pulse until finely minced, stopping and scraping down the bowl once. Add the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, cumin, coriander, baking powder, salt and pepper and process until combined, stopping and scraping the bowl once. Then add the oats and pulse until a uniform dough forms. (Try not to over-process the dough: you’ll want it uniform and shape-able with a little texture.) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Use your hands to roll the dough into 16 balls that are 1 ½ tablespoons each, then flatten them into discs (it’s helpful to use a size 40 cookie scoop, if you have it). Place the discs on the baking sheet and brush the tops with olive oil. Bake the falafel for 15 minutes until golden brown, then flip. Brush the tops with more olive oil. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown on the other side. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before eating. (Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 3 months; consider making a double batch and storing leftovers.)
Make the Falafel Bowl: To make the bowl, add a generous handful baby arugula and dollop of hummus to a shallow bowl. Surround with handfuls tomatoes, pickled cucumbers and onions, fresh cucumber (left over from the pickled recipe), olives, and feta cheese (if using). Add the falafel to the bowl and drizzle with olive oil. If desired, sprinkle with sumac.

Notes

Serving suggestions: To make this falafel bowl more filling, you can serve with a grain like rice, farro, quinoa, couscous, Israeli couscous, or bulgur. This quinoa tabbouleh would also pair perfectly! Pita wedges or pita chips make an easy pairing.

Creamy hummus is important for bringing the bowl together. If you don’t use it, consider a sauce like tzatziki sauce or cilantro sauce.