This falafel buddha bowl is packed with crunchy lettuce, chewy rice, fresh veggies and drizzled with an easy spicy tahini sauce. Great for healthy plant-based lunches that are filling and higher in protein and also perfect for meal-prep. Fully vegan and easy to make gluten-free.
I'm so in love with buddha bowls ❤️
And everything Mediterranean flavored. So needless to say that I especially love this recipe. It features amazingly delicious and easy oven-baked falafel with with olives, tomatoes, rice, onion and cucumber. Also topped with an easy tahini sauce to bring everything together. You can make the sauce spicy or not, depending on your taste.
I have been making these baked falafel for a while now. They are easy to make: just throw everything in a food processor, shape and bake. They are healthier compared to deep-fried classic falafel and they are great served part of this fun vibrant bowl. I also love using the extra falafel for sandwiches the day after, which is great for meal-prep.
Hope you like it!
What's to love about this recipe
- Filling and satisfying.
- Easy to meal-prep ahead.
- Versatile: use the falafel in bowls, but also in sandwiches!
- Healthy, high-in-fiber and contains a good amount of plant-based protein.
- Very flavorful and makes for a fun finger food.
What is falafel
Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food that consists of ground dried chickpeas (sometimes fava beans too) combined with flavoring spices and shaped into balls or patties. They are most often deep-fried, but can also be baked in the oven. Often served in pita sandwiches with a tahini-based sauce and is actually considered a street-food in many countries.
Falafel has grown more popular among vegans and vegetarians all over the world including here in USA as it offers a satisfying source of protein and makes for a tasty replacement for meat in some dishes.
As a side note, traditional falafel uses dried chickpeas. The chickpeas are soaked for hours, then ground before shaping the falafel. You will find some recipes (including this one) that use cooked chickpeas instead to make them. It is more convenient and quicker to just grab a can, but when doing so, the mixture needs some flour or breadcrumbs to help the patties hold better and not fall apart.
More Mediterranean recipes you might like
- Vegan Mediterranean Tray Bake
- Roasted vegetable hummus pasta
- Broccoli hummus
- Vegan tzatziki
- Cashew ricotta
- Vegan feta cheese
- Baba ganoush without tahini
Ingredients you'll need & substitutions
There are 4 components to this falafel buddha bowl recipe: falafel + rice + tahini sauce + toppings/veggies. You can definitely make the falafel, sauce and rice ahead so the bowl is super easy to build for quick lunches or dinners.
1. For the oven-baked falafel
- Chickpeas: use canned cooked chickpeas, NOT dried chickpeas. Rinse and drain really well.
- Red onion: adds a subtle onion flavor that's also not overpowering.
- Garlic: for flavor, feel free to add more if you love garlic!
- Tahini: I don't use olive oil, but tahini instead. It adds healthy fats that flavor the falafel but also improve the texture.
- Breadcrumbs: help bind the falafel so they hold well (essential since the recipe uses cooked canned chickpeas).
- Lemon juice: brightens up the falafel bites.
- Spices (cumin powder + paprika + salt): for flavor, can easily be adjusted to your taste.
- Baking powder: it does help the falafel puff a little.
2. For the grain
I love using brown rice for buddha bowls. I also love to batch cook brown rice, then store in the fridge or freezer. The grain tends to dry out a bit while storing in the fridge, so I steam the rice with a little water in the microwave to soften/hydrate it, then drain. You can even buy already cooked frozen rice that heats up super quickly.
If you prefer, use a different grain! Quinoa, barley or even noodles would work.
3. For the spicy tahini sauce
- Tahini: makes the sauce rich and silky without using any oil.
- Sriracha: add as much as you want to make it more or less spicy.
- Maple syrup: balances out the flavors.
- Lemon juice: makes the sauce a little tangy.
- Garlic: can swap for garlic powder too.
- Onion powder + paprika: flavoring ingredients. Feel free to use smoky paprika instead.
If you were looking for a non-spicy tahini sauce, then I would recommended to check out this tahini balsamic dressing that would be perfect for this bowl too.
This sauce is amazing and absolutely worth making, but if you wanted an even simpler idea, then use hummus that you can thin out using lemon juice with a little water until desired consistency.
4. Fresh ingredients
- Lettuce
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Red onions
- Olives
There are many other fun garnishes to use when building up your bowl, feel free to use what you already have! Other good ideas are:
- Red pepper
- Spinach
- Roasted cauliflower or broccoli
- Avocado
- Shredded carrot
How to make it
Make the baked falafel
Pre-heat the oven to 400º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a food processor, add all the falafel ingredients and process until combined but still with some texture.
Then, using about 2 heaping tablespoons, shape the mixture into balls and transfer on the baking sheet. Use your fingers to press on the balls to flatten them to about ¾ inch thick. Keep going until you used all of the chickpea mixture, you should end up with about 15 falafel.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown, flipping halfway through.
Make the spicy tahini sauce
While the falafel are cooking, make the tahini sauce. Simply combine all the sauce ingredient and whisk until smooth. You can start with less sriracha and taste to adjust how spicy you want it to be.
Build the buddha bowl
When ready to eat, layer the brown rice, lettuce, cucumber, red onion and tomatoes. Top with the falafel and drizzle the sauce over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Enjoy right away!
Watch how to make it
Buddha bowl tips
- Be sure to use cooked canned chickpeas. A traditional recipe for falafel usually uses dried chickpeas, but they need to be soaked for hours and I wanted to skip that step.
- Even though you will be processing the garlic when making the falafel, I still recommend to first crush it before adding to the food processor to avoid large pieces in the falafel.
- Don't over-process the falafel mixture. Simply aim for a coarse texture that's easy to shape when pressed in between your fingers.
- When you press on the balls, they tend to crack. Simply repair them as you go.
Storage tips
I often make a batch of the falafel and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. I'll use them over bowls, in sandwiches and sneak some in my kids's lunch boxes. Reheat them in the oven for a few minutes until warmed up, but we also eat them cold.
You can also freeze them! Simply thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven.
In any case, the buddha bowl will store better with all the components kept apart from each other.
How to make this recipe gluten-free
To make the falafel gluten-free, then be sure to use a gluten-free breadcrumbs. The rest of the recipe is already naturally gluten-free!
Other healthy bowl recipes you might like
- Quinoa fishless poke bowl
- Green nourish bowl
- BBQ chickpea bowl
- Mexican chipotle buddha bowl
- Miso tempeh noodle bowl
- Portobello mushroom poke bowl
- Teriyaki cauliflower bowl
- Vegan fajita bowl
- Tofu buddha bowl
- Baked tofu teriyaki buddha bowl
I hope you like this falafel buddha bowl as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
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Baked Falafel Buddha Bowl with Spicy Tahini Sauce
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
For the falafel
- 2 x 15 oz canned cooked chickpeas - rinsed and well drained
- ¼ red onion or about ½ cup - roughly chopped
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs - choose gluten-free if necessary
- 2 large cloves of garlic - crushed
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup fresh parsley or cilantro
For the spicy tahini sauce
- ½ cup tahini
- 2-4 tbsp sriracha - or to taste
- 1 clove of garlic - crushed
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ paprika powder
- 6 tbsp water - or as needed for desired consistency
- ¼ salt - or to taste
Ideas to build the buddha bowl
- 2 cups cooked brown rice - (I use about ½ cup cooked per bowl, but adjust depending on your appetite)
- 4 cups crunchy romaine - sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes - halved
- 1 cup cucumber - sliced
- ½ red onion - thinly sliced
- ½ cup olives - pitted and sliced
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Also, if not already done, cook the rice according to packaging.
- In a food processor, add all the falafel ingredients and process until combined, but with still some texture visible.
- Then, using 2 heaping tablespoons at the time, shape the mixture in balls and transfer on the prepared baking sheet. Use your finger to gently press on the balls to flatten them in patties of about ¾ inch thick. You should have about 15 falafel. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown, flipping half way through.
- While the falafel are baking, prepare the veggies for the bowl and make the sauce.
- To make the sauce, simply whisk all the sauce ingredients until smooth. I recommend you start with less sriracha and add more as you go.
- To make the bowl, lay some cooked rice and lettuce at the bottom of a bowl, then top with the cucumber, cooked falafel, olives and tomatoes. Drizzle the tahini sauce over. Enjoy right away.
Video
Notes
- Store any leftover falafel and sauce in air-tight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Build up the buddha bowl only at the last minute when ready to eat. Reheat the falafel using the oven (400º for a few minutes or until warmed up) or you can also pan fry them.
- Be sure to use COOKED canned chickpeas. A traditional recipe for falafel usually use dried chickpeas, but they need to be soaked for hours and I wanted to skip that step.
- Even though you will be processing the garlic when making the falafel, I still recommend to first crush it before adding to the food processor to avoid large pieces in the falafel.
- Don't over-process the falafel mixture. Simply aim for a coarse texture that's easy to shape when pressed in between your fingers.
- When you press on the balls, they tend to crack. Simply repair them as you go.
Pin it for later!
We loved this recipe, I used the leftover falafel for sandwiches the next day. Was pretty easy.