If you love falafel, definitely try using this chickpea mushroom protein to make falafel-style balls. Perfect on a salad or stuffed into flatbread with your favorite falafel toppings!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 25 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: lunch, Main, Main Course
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

For the Falafel Balls

  • 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups chickpea mushroom mixture
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons baharat (or shawarma spice blend or other spice blend of choice)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped parsley (or cilantro)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon flour (or more, if needed)
  • 2 teaspoons oil

For the Tahini Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons tahini (stirred well)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons water

For Serving

  • pita or naan (or salad greens, for a falafel salad)
  • lettuce
  • cucumber
  • tomato
  • sliced onion
  • lemon juice

Method

Make the falafel balls.

  1. Mix the chickpea mixture with spices, herbs, and sesame seeds. Add flour, if needed, so that you can shape the mixture into sturdy balls that you can pan fry or air fry.
  2. To pan fry, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the falafel balls and let them sit undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir and cook so they get golden brown on most of the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes total.
  3. To air fry, brush them with the oil, and cook at at 370° F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce.

  1. Add the tahini, salt, and lemon juice to a bowl, and mix well. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing between additions. The tahini will first thicken up, then it will start to loosen up and become creamy. Adjust the consistency with the water based on the creamy consistency that you like.
  2. Serve the chickpea mushroom falafel in warmed pita or naan. You can warm the pita/naan over a gas flame or in the microwaves. Add the chickpea balls and some lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion, tahini sauce, and a drizzle of lemon juice. These can also be served as a snack with the tahini sauce as a dip.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.