A vegan falafel salad with lemon tahini dressing that's filled with fresh vegetables, fluffy quinoa and scattered with real chopped golden brown falafel pieces.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- You can select the types of falafels you want to add, all types work well. I have listed which ones I used in these photos in the ingredients section below.
- My falafel recipe have been passed down through the generations of my Lebanese family, they taste so good!
- This salad is moist and has great flavor, a delicious way to enjoy a falafel salad bowl that keeps you feeling satiated.
- Dietary friendly - aside from being suitable for vegans, it is also gluten free and made without any added oil.
Ingredients and Variations
Notes on some of the ingredients, the full list of ingredients and their measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Falafels
Falafels are the heart of this vegan salad.
You can use traditional falafel which is deep fried, or try this air fryer falafel recipe, which is what I have featured in this recipe.
If you don't have an air fryer, oven-baked falafel works too. If you are using store-bought falafels, you'll want to check the ingredients to ensure they meet your dietary needs if required (read these two info pieces are falafels vegan? and are falafels gluten free?).
Each falafel ball is quartered prior to adding into this salad.
You'll note that the falafel mixture in linked recipes uses a combination of both dry chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and dry fava beans (broad beans), resulting in great flavors.
Falafel Salad Base
For the base of this salad, I use cooked quinoa which I cool on a baking sheet or large plate prior to adding it to the rest of the salad ingredients. This ingredient is filling and substantial.
This salad base can be swapped with brown rice or bulgur or any other grain you think is suitable.
Just ensure the cooked grains are cool prior to mixing with this salad.
Alternatively, your local grocery stores may sell precooked packet quinoa, rice or grains rather than having to cook from scratch.
You could also try this crispy quinoa recipe.
Fresh Veggies
I used a combination of chopped lettuce, tomato, red onion, cucumber, and radish.
All veggies are best diced uniformly.
For the best salad, pick out good quality produce, crunchy veggies make all the difference.
You can also use/add cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and or kalamata olives.
Lemon Tahini Dressing
I love this lemon tahini dressing with herbs, it's one I grew up with, and it's called tarator.
For this falafel salad, I took inspiration from my shatta hot sauce (but left out the oil) and added some of those ingredients to this lemon tahini dressing with garlic cloves.
The result is a creamy tahini dressing that's sour dressing (from the lemon juice) with a little bit of a kick to it from the added chili.
You can leave out the chili or reduce the amount if you prefer.
Optional Salad Ingredients
Pickles, especially Middle Eastern pickles (affiliate link) would work fabulously. Chop them up and toss them in.
A sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds would complement the dressing.
Add a small handful of sprouts of any kind.
Tips
To expedite the preparation of this falafel salad, I suggest keeping frozen falafel in the freezer. This way, all you need to do is cook them just before assembling the salad.
You can keep a jar of the tahini sauce in the fridge for up to one week.
I also keep a jar of falafel spices and herbs in the pantry.
The quinoa can be prepared ahead of time and stored in an airtight container for up to one week in the fridge.
More Ways To Use Falafels
Similar to this falafel salad recipe, my falafel bowl includes an array of foods including dips like hummus and baba ganoush, creating a delicious authentic feast from the Middle East.
I love making homemade falafel wrap that are loaded with veg and wrapped in pita bread.
My falafel burgers are made with real classic falafel patties, not ones filled with flours.
In this roundup of foods to serve with falafel, I curated a list of foods that are typically served with falafel.
Otherwise, here are some ideas for eating falafel for dinner.
Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.
Falafel Salad With Lemon Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 10 Air fried falafels quartered, use as many as you want
- 1 cup Lettuce leaves chopped
- 1 cup Radish diced
- 1 cup Cucumbers diced
- 1 cup Tomato diced
- ½ cup Red onion finely diced
- 1 cup Red cabbage shredded
Quinoa
- ½ cup Quinoa
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
- Prepare the falafel as instructed, you can chose to add more or less falafel balls in this salad. Cut the falafel into quarters.
- Wash the quinoa thoroughly (see note #1) and then place it into a small pot with water. Bring it to a boil on high heat, then immediately turn the heat down to low and cook for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the pot stand for 5 minutes, the steam will ensure the quinoa is perfect.
- Spread the cooked quinoa onto a large plate or tray to allow it to cool to room temperature. Fluff it up with a fork before adding it to the salad bowl.
- In a food processor, add the tahini, water, lemon juice, salt, parsley leaves, mint leaves, long green chili and process for a minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then process for another minute. Do a taste test and adjust if needed.
- In a large bowl, add the cooled quinoa, all the chopped vegetables and pour over the lemon tahini dressing . Gently toss all the ingredients together. Add the quartered falafel balls.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
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Dora
Hey thanks for the great recipe! It was super helpful and the salad turned out so tasty. The salad itself is really moist, which was perfect to offset the falafel since I air-fried mine. I think the deep-fried version would be even better, but I'm trying to cut back on my oil intake. So thanks again for sharing this recipe!