Falafel Pita is one of my top favorite recipes. It's packed with flavor on a warm pita with hot crispy falafel on the outside and soft on the inside. This is a must make recipe!
Cool cucumber tzatziki sauce, red onion, tomato, Kalamata olive, feta, cucumbers and spicy schug sauce are added to the pita. These are non-traditional toppings but you can also add a smear of harissa hummus on the pita!
There is so much flavor in these Falafel Pita, I could eat them every day. This is one of my favorite vegetarian recipes.
Falafel Pita are great for lunch or dinner and can easily be made gluten free. Use rice flour instead of all purpose in the falafel. Then serve with a gluten free pita or over rice.
If you like this Falafel Pita then you'll like Chicken Shawarma and Eggplant Shawarma!
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What is falafel?
Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food. It's traditionally made from chickpeas that have been mashed and spiced. They are then formed into balls or patties then deep fried.
Falafel is most often eaten with pita bread but can be served over rice or by itself with sauce. Falafel is a vegan and vegetarian dish on its own and has gained popularity in the those two communities in America.
This recipe is my own take on falafel. Another recipe I love with Mediterranean flavors is a lamb kabob.
Ingredients you'll need
- Chickpeas - I use canned chickpeas that are drained well
- Onion - Chopped onion adds flavor to the falafel
- Cilantro - Fresh cilantro adds a lot of flavor
- Parsley - Use fresh parsley, not dried
- Garlic - Garlic cloves are a huge part of the falafel flavor
- Cumin - Cumin adds great flavor
- Coriander - A little coriander will go a long way
- Kosher Salt - Salt enhances the flavor of all the ingredients
- All Purpose Flour - Rice flour works well here for a gluten free option
- Baking Powder - I add a bit of baking powder to mine to help with texture but it's not absolutely necessary
- Lemon Juice - I find that lemon juice really brings out the flavor of the falafel
- Schug - Schug is a flavorful Middle Eastern condiment full of fresh herbs, spices and garlic.
- Cucumber - Cucumber goes on the Falafel Pita and in the tzatziki sauce
- Plain Greek Yogurt - The base of the tzatziki sauce. Use dairy free yogurt for a vegan option
- Fresh Dill - Fresh dill will flavor the tzatziki sauce
- Red Wine Vinegar - This will give the tzatziki sauce a little kick
- Red Onion - This will go on top of the Falafel Pita
- Kalamata Olive - This is another topping for the pita
- Feta Cheese - This is a topping for the Falafel Pita. Use a dairy free feta or leave it off for a vegan option
Tips for the best Falafel Pita
- Warm the pita before building the Falafel Pita. It makes a big difference on texture
- Cook a small piece of falafel before rolling them all out. That way you can taste then adjust the salt level if needed before making all of them
- Make the schug sauce! The schug adds such amazing flavor to this Falafel Pita, you don't want to leave it off
- Make this Falafel Pita gluten free by using rice flour instead of all purpose. Then you can use gluten free pita bread or serve it over rice
- Make this Falafel Pita vegan by using dairy free yogurt then skipping the feta cheese or using dairy free feta
- Serve the falafel fresh out of the fryer when they're still hot
- Make the schug sauce a day ahead of time then the flavors have time to meld
- Store the schug sauce for up to 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge. Use it in my chicken shawarma bowl recipe too!
- Make the tzatziki sauce ahead of time then store it in the fridge for up to 5 days
- Make the falafel balls up to 2 days ahead of time before cooking them. Wrap them tightly and store in the fridge until ready to cook
- You can air fry the falafel instead of frying them in a pan if you'd like an even healthier version. They are slightly different in texture but still delicious. Brush falafel with a little olive oil. Air fry on 400°F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned on the outside and warm in the middle
How to make Falafel Pita
Add all falafel ingredients except the flour and baking powder to a food processor and pulse until almost fully blended but still a bit chunky. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your food processor.
Empty the blended falafel mix into a large mixing bowl then add flour and baking powder and mix well. Form falafel mix into 2oz balls and place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
Set aside until ready to cook. In the meantime, whisk all tzatziki sauce ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.
If you didn't make the schug ahead of time, make it now and set aside until needed.
Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 350°F. If you don't have a deep fryer, you can fill a heavy bottomed large pot with 2-3 inches of oil then heat it to 350°F.
Olive oil, peanut oil or canola oil will all work just fine. Once the oil is hot, add the falafel and fry until golden brown. This should take between 5-7 minutes, depending how full your fryer is.
Remove the falafel and set them on a plate lined with 4-5 paper towels to help absorb some of the oil. While the oil is absorbing, heat a medium skillet over medium heat and spray with non stick cooking spray.
Heat each pita on the skillet for 30 seconds per side or until warm. Build the Falafel Pita by smearing the schug and tzatziki sauce on the bottom of the warmed pita.
Top with falafel then add cucumber, red onion, tomato, olives and feta. Eat the Falafel Pita while still warm. Try serving this recipe with Mediterranean Cucumber Salad!
If you make this Falafel Pita recipe, please leave me a rating and/or review!
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Falafel Pita
Equipment
- mixing bowls
- deep fryer or deep pan
Ingredients
Falafel
- 64 oz chickpeas drained well
- 1 small onion small dice
- 1 cup cilantro rough chop
- 1 cup parsley rough chop
- 6 cloves garlic peeled, minced
- 1½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
Schug Sauce
- ½ teaspoon caraway seed toasted
- 1½ cups cilantro rough chop
- 1 cup parsley rough chop
- 5 fresh jalapenos large chop
- 6 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh squeezed
- ½ cup olive oil
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1.5 cups plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup English cucumber diced
- ½ cup English cucumber shredded, drained well
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill rough chop
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice fresh
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Pita and Toppings
- 6 pieces pita bread
- 2 vine ripe tomatoes sliced into halfmoons
- ¼ red onion very thinly sliced
- 1 English cucumber thinly sliced into circles
- 4 oz feta cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives
Instructions
Making the Falafel
- Add all falafel ingredients to a food processor except the baking powder and flour. Blend until almost pureed but still a little chunky
- Turn that mixture out into a large mixing bowl then add the baking powder and flour. Mix very well
- Roll the falafel mix into balls then set them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and set them aside until needed
- When ready to fry the falafel turn on the the deep fryer to 350°F. Alternatively, you can heat 2-3 inches of oil in a heavy bottomed tall pot to 350°F
- Carefully place the falafel in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes
- Remove from the oil and set on a plate lined with 4-5 paper towels to soak up the oil
Make Schug
- Add all schug ingredients to food processor then blend on low until you have a chunky and consistent texture resembling a sauce. Taste for salt level and adjust if needed
Make the Tzatziki Sauce
- While the falafel is cooking, make the tzatziki
- Stack 4 paper towels on top of each other. Shred the ½ cup cucumber onto the paper towels
- Fold the paper towels around the shredded cucumber and squeeze as much liquid out as you can get
- Whisk all tzatziki ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl until well combined. Set aside until needed
Building the Falafel Pita
- While the oil is draining from the falafel, warm the pita bread
- Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat and spray with non stick cooking spray. Heat the pita for 30 seconds per side or until warm
- Smear each pita with schug and tzatziki then add 2-3 pieces of falafel
- Top with tomato, red onion, cucumber, olives and feta
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Make schug sauce and tzatziki up to 3 days ahead of time.
- After mixing falafel, fry one small test piece in hot oil to make sure it doesn't fall apart. If it does, add 2 more tablespoon flour to mixture then try another test piece. Continue to add flour 2 tablespoon at a time until falafel stays together while frying.
- Warm your pitas before serving for best texture.
- You can air fry the falafel instead of frying them in a pan if you'd like an even healthier version. They are slightly different in texture but still delicious. Brush falafel with a little olive oil. Air fry on 400°F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned on the outside and warm in the middle
Susan Kedzie
Loved these!! Super easy to make and had awesome flavor.
admin
So glad you liked them! Thank you!
Tammy Cruse
I made this and it was amazing! The dish looks complicated but your directions make it so easy. Absolutely delicious. 5 stars!
admin
Thank you!! So happy to hear that, this is one of my favorite dishes too!