Vegan Falafel Bowl

⁣Absolutely incredible rice bowl idea that combines so of our favorite things ever! ⁣
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Homemade falafels, turmeric garlic rice, marinated onions, and a delicious tahini sauce. ⁣
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This is perfect for meal prepping as you can make ahead and it will last all week. And we’re even dishing out how you can still make something similar with some shortcuts if you don’t want to make it all from scratch (but you’ll miss out on some flavors if we’re being honest). ⁣
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Allergens: Top 8 Allergen Free (yes, all four parts). ⁣

This one has a lot of moving parts, so ingredient list and recipes are linked in our bio. ⁣

Enjoy! ⁣

Vegan Falafel Bowl

Vegan Falafels are a popular Middle Eastern dish that's deep fried balls of dough made from chickpeas that are surprisingly gluten free. Can also be baked if trying to reduce oil consumption.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Mediterranean-Inspired

Keyword Falafel Bowl, Healthy Dish, Plant-Based, Recipe, Vegan

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 20

Servings bowls

Author Larisha & Andrew

Ingredients

For The Falafels

1 cup dried garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1/2 sweet onion chopped into 4 pieces
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup cilantro roughly chopped
1 tbsp chickpea flour
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper freshly cracked
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander

For the Marinate Onions

1 large red onion thinly sliced
hot water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup parsley chopped
1 tbsp za'atar
1 tbsp olive oil omit if oil free
1 pinch salt

For the Tahini Dressing

1 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 zest of one lemon
3 gloves garlic minced
1/4 tsp salt
water if needed

For the Garlic Turmeric Rice

1 recipe garlic turmeric rice

Additional Toppings

cilantro
cherry tomatoes halved
green onions sliced

Instructions

For the Falafels and Garlic Turmeric Rice

Soak dried chickpeas overnight.
Once soaked and ready to proceed, start by making the garlic turmeric rice.
Drain chickpeas from water and lay them out on a towel. Thoroughly pat them dry. Get as much moisture out as possible.
Add chickpeas to a food processor with the remaining ingredients.
Pulse, scrapping down the sides often, until all the ingredients are chopped up and a thick batter is left.
Roll into 1" balls (you can use a cookie scoop to ensure even size).

For Deep Fried Falafels (Traditional)

Once all the balls are made, heat oil in a deep fryer or heavy bottomed pot and bring the temperature up to 350 degrees F.
Add the baking soda to the oil.
Drop falafels into the oil and cook for 2 1/2-5 minutes, moving around to ensure golden brown on all sides.
Remove from the oil and lay on a towel lined plate to remove excess oil. Repeat with remaining balls.

Other Falafel Methods

To see how to make falafels in a skillet, air fryer or oven (oil free methods), read more about making vegan falafels.

For the Marinated Onions

Place sliced onion in a bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for 10 minutes.
Drain onions and dry with a towel.
Add red wine vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain anything more than a teaspoon of the vinegar from the bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients together and cover. Place in fridge until ready to serve (at least 30 minutes)

For the Tahini Dressing

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and stir until very well combined.
If needed, add water 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency.

Compiling the Bowls

Once everything is ready, layer the rice in the bottom of the bowl. Then add some of the falafels and marinated onions. Top with cilantro, green onions and sliced tomatoes. Drizzle with tahini dressing.