Easy Baked Falafel from The China Study Cookbook

This healthy Baked Falafel in Pita comes together quickly, and it makes a terrific lunch or light dinner. In this recipe, homemade oven baked falafel balls are stuffed into pitas and paired with cool, creamy Cucumber Dill Dip sauce. This easy sandwich recipe is vegan with a gluten-free option.

Baked Falafel

I absolutely love falafels, and I eat them often. They're a take-out favorite, but I used to think they were too daunting to make at home. Well, I’ve used mixes, but making them from scratch seemed too daunting. I was wrong!

I guess I also used to think that since they’re so easy to buy, there’s really no point in making my own. But actually there is. Most falafels are deep fried, and while that might make them quite tasty, it does make them rather unhealthy. So, I've now started making them at home and baking them in the oven. I've now concluded that homemade falls are the best!

What You Need

• Vegetable broth
• Chickpeas
• Onions
• Cloves
• Fresh parsley
• Cumin
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Garbanzo bean flour
• Pita bread
• Shredded lettuce
• Silken tofu
• Lemon juice
• Fresh dill
• Cucumbers,
• Green onions

See the recipe card for exact amounts.

How to Make Baked Falafel Balls

This baked falafel recipe is SUPER easy to make!

• First you mix up a few ingredients your food processor.
• Then you mix the chickpea flour into the mix.
• Next you scoop the mixture into balls.
• Then you bake them for 20 minutes.
• Stuff your falafel balls into a pita along with lettuce leaves and Cucumber Dill Dip. Lunch is ready!

Serving Your Baked Falafels

These falafel balls pair nicely with easy to make Cucumber Dill Dip. I also like to serve them with tahini sauce.

In addition to lettuce and dip, you can stuff your pita with cucumbers, tomato slices, pickles, pepperoncini, and olives.

If you follow a gluten-free diet, make sure your pitas are gluten-free or you can use gluten-free wraps.

Don't want a sandwich? Make a falafel salad! Combine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots in bowl. Add your falafel balls and top everything with the Cucumber Dill Dip.

Chickpea Flour

Whenever I post a recipe made with chickpea flour, I'm asked if wheat flour can be used in its place. This isn't my recipe, so I'm not comfortable making substitution recommendations. I've never used anything other than chickpea flour when making it.

Chickpea flour is made from ground chickpeas. It’s high in protein and it’s gluten-free. Chickpea flour can be a great egg replacer in breakfast dishes, and because of its dense texture, it can also replace eggs as a binder in recipes, which is how it's used here.

It’s sometimes called garbanzo bean flour, besan, or gram flour, and it can be found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores.

The China Study

This easy recipe is from The China Study Cookbook by LeAnne Campbell. I’m sure most people in the vegan community are familiar with The China Study, even if they haven’t read it. It details the research of T. Colin Campbell, in which he discovered that a whole foods, plant-based diet is the best way to stop widespread growth of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. It sounds great in theory, but some can find it difficult to adhere to without help. Thankfully The China Study Cookbook offers that assistance!

The China Study Cookbook

The China Study Cookbook was written by T. Colin Campbell’s daughter LeAnne Campbell. To help those who are new to a plant-based lifestyle, LeAnne offers a wide range of help, including tips on transitioning your diet, how to raise children on a plant-based diet, and how to safely prepare and store food. She also includes a few handy lists, such as vegan substitutions for common animal-based ingredients and kitchen tools that are helpful to have on hand.

The recipes in The China Study Cookbook range for breakfast and lunch dishes to dinner, dessert, and snacks. They all feature healthy, whole foods, and they’re made with ingredients that are pretty easy to find at any grocery store. The dishes make it easy for newbies, as many of them are veganized versions of classic dishes. You’ll find recipes for Sweet Potato Enchiladas, Eggplant “Parmesan,” Apple Pie Pancakes, and Chocolate Brownie Birthday Cake.

The Campbells believe that nutrition should come from food, not supplements (and I agree with them!), and they advocate for a diet that consists of a wide variety of ingredients. Those ingredients include an abundance of vegetables, of course, as well as grains, beans, nuts and fruits—all of which have a starring roll in LeAnne’s recipes. All of the recipes are oil-free and use minimal salt and sweeteners.

This is a revised and expanded edition of LeAnne’s The China Study Cookbook from 2013. I have a copy of the older edition as well, so I compared the two to see what changes have been made. Not only have 75 new recipes been added, but there’s also mouth-watering new photography.

Chapters in The China Study Cookbook include:

• Breads and Muffins
• Breakfast Dishes
• Appetizers and Salads
• Soups
• Sandwiches and Wraps
• Entrées
• Sides
• Desserts

If you’re trying to eat healthier or are just in need of a few more plant-based recipes for your repertoire, The China Study Cookbook is for you!

Baked Falafel In Pita

LeAnne Campbell, PhD

Chickpeas are a staple in my household. I always have a couple of cans on hand to use in some of my favorite quick recipes: Coconut Corn Chowder, Hummus, Ocean Chickpea Sandwiches, Quick Three-Bean Soup, Masala’s Chickpeas, and this falafel, which is especially good with shredded lettuce and Cucumber Dill Dip.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Sandwich

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 4 servings

Calories 38 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 2 tablespoons vegetable broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas rinsed and drained
• ¼ cup chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup garbanzo bean flour
• Pita bread for serving
• Shredded lettuce for serving
• 1 recipe Cucumber Dill Dip (see below), for serving

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Add vegetable broth, chickpeas, onions, garlic cloves, parsley, cumin, salt, and black pepper to a food processor. Blend until mixture begins to hold together.
• Add mixture to a bowl and stir in garbanzo bean flour.
• Form 12 small balls. Place on lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
• Serve on pita bread with shredded lettuce and cucumber dill dip.

Cucumber Dill Dip

LeAnne Campbell, PhD

This recipe makes approximately 2 cups of dip. A serving size is two tablespoons.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Course Condiment

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 16 servings

Calories 10 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup silken tofu
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 garlic cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh dill
• 1 cup cucumbers grated
• 2 tablespoons green onions chopped
• Black pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• In a food processor, blend tofu, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and dill. Pour into a small bowl.
• Fold in cucumbers and green onions, then season with black pepper.

More Lunch Recipes You might Enjoy include:

• Chickpea Salad Sandwiches
• Vegan Shawarma 
• Tofu Tuna Salad Sandwiches
• Curried Mango Chickpea Wrap

Other Chickpea Recipes You Might Enjoy Include

• Tahini Kale Salad with Garlicky Chickpeas
• Smoky Kale and Chickpeas with Miso Peanut Drizzle
• Curried Coconut Spinach & Chickpeas
• Falafel Burgers