Falafel Wrap Recipe
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This Falafel Wrap Recipe is healthy comfort food at its best! Instead of fried these falafel patties are baked, then stuffed in a whole wheat pita and topped with spinach, tomato, and a creamy hummus.
Falafels are truly a comfort food of mine.
I’m a sucker for all types of Mediterranean food: give me a platter with some whole wheat pita, hummus, feta, olives, veggies and other delicious dips and I’m a happy camper.
I’m also a sucker for cheese plates, but that’s a different story 🙂
When I was a kid, we used to go to the “Falafel Drive-In” near my house in Cupertino, California. They’re a little hole-in-the-wall joint, but they make the best falafels I’ve ever had.
Of course, since falafels are deep fried chickpea patties with a pretty heavy sauce and served in a white pita, they’re not exactly the healthiest meal. But they are great for a treat once in a while.
Since I’d rather have falafel more regularly than just “once in a while”, I realized that this was my opportunity to makeover the traditional falafel, by baking them instead of frying them, and they turned out GREAT.
Tools and Equipment You’ll Need
How to Make this Falafel Wrap Recipe – Step by Step
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place all ingredients for falafel (except for the pitas, spinach, tomatoes, baking powder, and nonstick spray) in a food processor, and give them a good chop.
Step 2: Transfer into a bowl, add the baking powder and stir together. Using a potato masher, mash any big chunks that remain – Mixture should remain slightly chunky, not smooth.
Step 3: Spray a baking sheet thoroughly with olive oil nonstick spray. One at a time, take spoonfuls of mixture in your hands and form 15 balls, each about the size of a ping pong ball, and gently place them on the baking sheet. Spray the top of each ball with olive oil nonstick spray, for a total of about a 2-second spray.
Step 4: Bake in the oven for 15 minutes (note – depending on your oven, this might take longer – up to 20-25 minutes – but be sure to check on them to make sure the bottom doesn’t burn!).
Step 5: Meanwhile, combine 2 parts hummus to 1 part water, and stir until blended (add more water to taste depending on how watery you like your sauce). Season to taste with salt / black pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve. While your falafel patties are baking, chop your veggies and warm up your pita bread.
Step 6: Remove baking sheet from the oven, and carefully turn each ball over, gently reshaping if the bottoms have flattened.
Step 7: Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 – 15 minutes (or longer, depending on your oven), until golden brown and slightly crispy. Allow to cool and set for at least 5 minutes. Note: You can also make these in the air fryer! To make in the air fryer, follow steps 1-3 above. After you spray the falafel with cooking spray, roll them in whole wheat or panko breadcrumbs for a light coating. Then air fry the falafel at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes. Flip and air fry for another 6 minutes on the second side.
Step 8: Cut the whole pitas into halves, fill with spinach, 3 falafel balls, diced tomato, and top with spinach and sauce. Enjoy!
What makes this Falafel Wrap Recipe healthy?
I made some healthy substitutions to increase the nutritional value while decreasing the fat and calories.
- Whole Grains: I used a whole wheat pita instead of a white one
- Additional Vitamins and Nutrients: I added baby spinach and tomatoes as toppings. Spinach is high in iron, magnesium and potassium.
- Lower in Fat and Calories: I made my own “sauce” using hummus and a bit of water – it tasted so close to tahini sauce but was much lower in calories!
- Less Oil: I baked the falafel patties instead of frying them which greatly reduces the amount of oil needed. This also reduces the overall calories!
- High in Protein: 1 pita half with 3 falafel balls and 1-3 tbsp dip has about 220 calories, 4.5g fat, 7g fiber, 39g carbs, 1g sugars, and 10g protein!
Will the kids enjoy this falafel wrap recipe?
Kids will love this sandwich! The baked falafel balls were perfectly crispy, the sauce was creamy and cool, the whole wheat pita was nutty and flavorful, and the veggies added a nice texture and extra crunch.
What is a falafel wrap?
It is a Mediterranean sandwich made with pita, fried chickpea patties, and is usually stuffed with lettuce, tomato, and pickles, and topped with a tahini sauce.
Is a falafel wrap healthy?
When falafel wraps are made the traditional way using white pita, and fried chickpea patties, it can be rather high in fat and calories, while also low in nutritional value.
That’s why this sandwich is amazing! You get all the flavor of a traditional wrap, but by making a few healthy swaps you increase the nutritional value and decrease the fat and calories without losing any flavor!
What do you serve this Falafel Wrap recipe?
Traditionally falafel is served with other mediterranean sides. Try some of these suggestions:
- Tabouli: A salad made with parsley, tomatoes, and bulgar wheat.
- Hummus: A chickpea and tahini dip.
- Baba Ganoush: An eggplant and tahini dip.
- Fattoush Salad: A salad of chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers in a light vinaigrette.
Top Tips for Making the Best Falafel Wrap Recipe
- Drain and rinse chickpeas before adding them to the food processor.
- Use fresh organic ingredients whenever possible.
- Don’t over-process the falafel mixture — you want it to remain slightly chunky, not a smooth puree.
- Be sure to find whole wheat pita bread to increase the fiber.
- Check the patties in the oven at 15 minutes, however it could take up to 25 minutes to bake.
- Feel free to also make these in the air fryer!
- If you’re serving this to young kids, they might find it hard to hold the pita without everything falling out. Usually for younger kids and toddlers, I’ll serve this “deconstructed” — with the falafel and toppings cut up on one side of the plate, the sauce for dipping, and the pita cut into triangles or cubes to eat on the side!
- Note: 1 serving = 1/2 a whole wheat pita + 3 falafel patties + 2 tbsp diced tomato, a handful of baby spinach and a drizzle of sauce.
Check out these other healthy and comforting veggie sandwiches!
- Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Sandwich with Pear
- Gourmet Banana Peanut Butter Sandwich
- Chickpea Stuffed Pita Sandwiches
- Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese
If you have tried this Falafel Wrap Recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious, healthy, family friendly food!
Falafel Wrap Recipe
Ingredients
Falafel:
- 5 Whole-wheat pita halves (2.5 whole)
- 15 oz chickpeas, well drained 1 can
- 1 red onion very finely chopped
- 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour you could also try using panko breadcrumbs or whole wheat breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 tbsp. chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 tbsp. ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp. paprika or more to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- Olive oil nonstick spray
- 2 cups Baby spinach
- 3/4 cup Diced tomatoes
Sauce:
- 3-4 tbsp Store bought hummus
- A few tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place all ingredients for falafel (except for the pitas, baking powder, and nonstick spray) in a food processor, and give them a good chop.
- Transfer into a bowl, add the baking powder and stir together. Using a potato masher, mash any big chunks that remain – Mixture should remain slightly chunky, not smooth.
- Spray a baking sheet thoroughly with olive oil nonstick spray. One at a time, take spoonfuls of mixture in your hands and form 15 balls, each about the size of a ping pong ball, and gently place them on the baking sheet. Spray the top of each ball with olive oil nonstick spray, for a total of about a 2-second spray.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 2 parts hummus to 1 part water, and stir until blended (add more water to taste depending on how watery you like your sauce). Season to taste with salt / black pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- While your falafel patties are baking, chop your veggies and warm up your pita bread.
- Remove baking sheet from the oven, and carefully turn each ball over, gently reshaping if the bottoms have flattened.
- Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 – 15 minutes, until golden brown and slightly crispy. Allow to cool and set for at least 5 minutes. Note: You can also make these in the air fryer! To make in the air fryer, follow steps 1-3 above. After you spray the falafel with cooking spray, roll them in whole wheat or panko breadcrumbs for a light coating. Then air fry the falafel at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes. Flip and air fry for another 6 minutes on the second side.
- Cut the whole pitas into halves, fill with spinach, 3 falafel balls, diced tomato, and top with spinach and sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- Drain and rinse chickpeas before adding them to the food processor.
- Use fresh organic ingredients whenever possible.
- Don’t over-process the falafel mixture — you want it to remain slightly chunky, not a smooth puree.
- Be sure to find whole wheat pita bread to increase the fiber.
- Check the patties in the oven at 15 minutes, however it could take up to 25 minutes to bake.
- Feel free to also make these in the air fryer!
- If you’re serving this to young kids, they might find it hard to hold the pita without everything falling out. Usually for younger kids and toddlers, I’ll serve this “deconstructed” — with the falafel and toppings cut up on one side of the plate, the sauce for dipping, and the pita cut into triangles or cubes to eat on the side!
- Note: 1 serving = 1/2 a whole wheat pita + 3 falafel patties + 2 tbsp diced tomato, a handful of baby spinach and a drizzle of sauce.
