Falafel Smash Tacos with Lemon Tahini Sauce
These Falafel Smash Tacos are my favorite way to enjoy falafel! An herby chickpea mixture gets spread onto pita and crisped in a skillet until golden, then loaded with my lemon tahini sauce, pickled onions, tomatoes, and parsley. No deep frying required.
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 196kcal
Equipment
- Nonstick pan
Ingredients
For the Falafel
- 2 cans garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
- 1 yellow onion roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup Italian parsley roughly chopped
- ¾ cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Lemon Tahini Sauce:
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Water to thin as needed
Instructions
- To make these tacos, start with the falafel. Add the roughly chopped onion, garlic cloves, and drained garbanzo beans to a large food processor and process until they break down into fine crumbs.
- Then, add the parsley, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, coriander, cinnamon, baking powder, and kosher salt, and process again until the mixture becomes a thick paste. You’ll likely need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times. Be patient, it will come together!
- Next, make the lemon tahini sauce. In a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, honey, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. If it’s too thick, add water a little at a time until it’s drizzly. Taste, adjust the seasonings as needed, and set it aside.
- Now, assemble the tacos. Add a large spoonful of the falafel mixture to each pita and spread it out evenly.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of avocado oil. Once the pan is hot, place a pita in the pan falafel side down and cook for about 3 minutes, until the falafel is golden and crispy.
- Flip it over and cook for another minute or so to crisp up the bread. Transfer it to a plate and repeat with the remaining tacos, adding another teaspoon of oil to the pan for each one.
- Finally, add your toppings: the lemon tahini sauce, pickled onions, baby tomatoes, parsley, and sesame seeds. Fold them up like a taco and enjoy! Store any leftover falafel mixture, sauce, and toppings separately in airtight containers in the fridge.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 864mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1091IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 2mg
