Falafel Bowls with Tahini Sauce

Perfectly crispy falafel salad bowls with brown rice and veggies. Served with creamy tahini sauce, these falafel bowls are great for a tasty vegan lunch or dinner! Tasty, filling and the kids love them too!

I try to include a vegan meal in our weekly meal plan a couple of times a week. These mini falafel balls are so popular in my house we've been making them on a weekly basis lately! They're crispy tasty and perfect with all those lovely veggies.

Served with brown rice, roasted sweet potatoes, and lots of veggies then smothered in a tasty tahini sauce, what's not to love? These falafel salad bowls are so versatile too. You can switch them up to you include all your favourite veggies.

Why This Recipe Works

• Crispy mini falafel balls - everyone loves these!
• All those veggies - we love a mix of hot and cold!
• Versatile - switch it up to your heart's content. Add in more veggies, swap rice for quinoa. 
• Filling satisfying vegan meal - with brown rice and sweet potatoes this is a very satisfying meal
• Tahini sauce - perfect with those mini falafel balls and that roasted sweet potato.

What You'll Need 

- To Make The Falafel 

• Chickpeas - I use canned chickpeas, you can use dried if you prefer it's up to you.
• Red Onion - One small red onion or half a medium one is all you'll need here.
• Garlic -  I add 3 large cloves of garlic, but you can use less if you want.
• Herbs - Fresh flatleaf parsley and fresh coriander/cilantro. Fresh really is best for these.
• Spices - Cumin and ground coriander.
• Flour - You will need a couple of tablespoons of plain/all-purpose flour to help bind the falafel mixture
• Sesame seeds - These are optional, but they add some texture and a little more flavour.
• Lemon Juice - Freshly squeezed lemon juice added to the falafel mixture lifts up all those lovely flavours.

- To Make The Veggie Rice Bowls & Tahini Sauce

• Brown rice - We love brown rice with this but quinoa works really well too.
• Sweet Potatoes - Cubed and roasted these are great, we sometimes swap them for grated carrot if we want a lighter meal.
• Raw veggies - Cherry tomatoes, courgettes/zucchini and yellow bell pepper/capsicum are some of our favourites. Feel free to swap in your favourites.
• For the tahini sauce - you will need tahini this is a condiment made from toasted and ground sesame.  You will find in most large supermarkets. You will also need freshly squeezed lemon juice, minced garlic and water.

How To Make It

This really is so easy to make, but you will need a food processor. Full recipe instructions are in the recipe card below, but here is a quick visual guide.

1. Add the chickpeas, chopped red onion, chopped herbs, minced garlic, spices and herbs to a food processor and blitz until you have a rough paste. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of cold water and blitz again.
2. Measure one tablespoon of the paste and shape the paste into balls between the palms of your hands. Then roll the ball in sesame seeds. Repeat until you have used up all the paste. Pop in the freezer to chill.
3. Roast the sweet potatoes and cook the brown rice. If you want you can air fry the sweet potato cubes.
4. Make the sauce. Then cook the falafel. 

How To Serve Falafel Bowls

We love this with plenty of crisp raw veggies so add as many as you want! Add the rice or quinoa to a large bowl then add your raw veggies, the roasted sweet potatoes and top with a couple of those falafel balls. Then add a generous dollop of tahini sauce. We usually add a couple of lemon wedges and some extra coriander/cilantro. This dish can be served warm or cold.

Tips For Making The Best Falafel Bowls

• Dry the chickpeas - Once you have drained and rinsed the chickpeas give them a good dry with a kitchen towel. I also remove the skins from the chickpeas too.
• Chill the falafel - This will help keep the shape of the falafel when you cook them.
• Sesame seeds - Rolling the falafel in sesame seeds makes them extra crispy so I really do recommend doing this.
• Raw Veggies - Fresh veggies we love in this are listed but here are some more that work really well too: grated carrot, avocado, cucumber, celery, kalamata olives. 
• Not keen on tahini? Try adding a dollop of hummus or this minty yoghurt sauce, of course, this will change this dish from vegan to vegetarian. You could use plain vegan yoghurt instead to keep it vegan.
• Make it lighter - Swap the roasted sweet potato for a grated carrot or two. Bake the falafel instead of frying, this will take longer and the falafel may not be as crispy.

FAQs

Can I Freeze Falafel? If you want to freeze the falafel then I would freeze them before you cook them. So, shape them then place them on a parchment-lined baking tray and place them in the freezer. After an hour or two, transfer to a freezer-friendly container. Thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking. 

Can I make this ahead? You can make the falafel mixture and shape the falafel the day before, they are best cooked fresh. You can also make the tahini sauce a day or two in advance, just keep it covered in the fridge until you are ready to use it. It may need a little more water and a good stir before you use it. The roasted sweet potato is best cooked fresh and the rice must be cooked fresh. 

More Mediterranean Veggie Inspiration

If you want even more falafel, try my falafel burgers, these are great for a change to veggie burgers, serve them with fries or wedges. Not keen on falafel? Try these halloumi burgers or these Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes are really great too. If you fancy some pasta instead try this Caprese Pasta Salad. 

Have you made this Falafel Bowl Recipe? Rate it and leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!