Baked Falafel Bowl with Tahini
Falafel made from soaked (never tinned) chickpeas, baked instead of fried, over brown rice and greens with a lemony tahini drizzle. The soaked-not-cooked chickpea is non-negotiable.
By Vegan Cook. Published 5 August 2026
Ingredients
Serves 3.
- 300 gdried chickpeas, soaked in cold water 12-24 hrs, then drained (do not use tinned — they turn to mush)
- 1/2 cupfresh parsley, packed
- 1/2 cupfresh coriander, packed
- 3 clovesgarlic
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspground coriander
- 1/2 tspbaking soda
- 5 cupscooked brown rice, to serve
- 2 cupsmixed greens, to serve
- 3 tbsptahini
- 2 tbsplemon juice
- 3 tbspwater, to loosen the tahini
- 2 tbspolive oil, for brushing
- 1 tspsalt
Cookware
- Food processor
- Baking tray
- Small bowl
Method
Read each step end-to-end before starting.
- 01
Blitz the falafel
Put the drained soaked chickpeas, parsley, coriander, garlic, cumin, ground coriander, baking soda and salt into a food processor. Pulse — don't puree — until it forms a coarse, sandy mixture that holds together when squeezed. Stop before it becomes a paste.
- 02
Rest the mix
Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes so it firms up and binds. Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.
- 03
Shape and bake
Roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls and flatten each slightly into a thick disc (they cook more evenly than balls). Place on a lined tray, brush both sides generously with olive oil, and bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping once halfway, until deep golden and crisp outside.
- 04
Make the tahini sauce
Whisk the tahini with the lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and the water added a spoon at a time. It will seize and thicken first, then loosen into a smooth, pourable sauce — keep going.
- 05
Build the bowls
Divide the brown rice and greens between bowls, add the falafel, and drizzle generously with the tahini sauce.
Allergen profile
Every recipe here is fully plant-based. Cross-contamination risk depends on your kitchen, so check all packaging.
Swap note
Contains sesame from the tahini sauce (sesame is not one of the site's tracked allergens but is flagged here for anyone who reacts to it). Naturally gluten-free if your tahini is uncontaminated.