How to Choose the Right Falafel Gyro for Your Needs

How to Choose the Right Falafel Gyro for Your Needs: Today’s falafel gyro recipe excites me! Since becoming vegan, I’ve loved falafel. I love falafel gyros with tahini and chickpeas, two of my favorite ingredients. This recipe is simple, full of flavorful spices and herbs, and healthy!

What’s Falafel?

You may wonder why anyone would name a food “awful” falafel. I keep asking myself this when I make it. Nothing about falafel is bad! Its what? Middle Eastern falafel is deep-fried chickpea or fava bean balls. It’s a popular street food, but vegans and vegetarians worldwide love it as a plant-based protein source.

Traditional falafel contains chickpeas, tahini, herbs, and spices. Deep-frying the dough ball makes it crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. If you’ve had authentic falafel, you know how special it is. Traditional falafel is unhealthy because it’s deep-fried. Thank goodness oil-free falafel (like this falafel gyro recipe) is easy to make. It can be a plant-based whole food without oil!

Falafel Gyros: Healthy?

Traditional gyros may be unhealthy. Their meat and dairy sauces and deep-fried ingredients are typical. However, this falafel gyro recipe has vegetables, whole foods plant-based protein, and dairy-free vegan tzatziki sauce. All of these make the best healthy filling dinner recipe.

This falafel gyro recipe is healthy, but there are easy ways to make it healthier! Add spinach or kale to the falafel to make it healthier. I love doing this because it’s easy and doesn’t affect flavor! My final tip for healthy falafel gyros is to spice them up! Maybe not all, but most! Spices and herbs add nutrients and health benefits easily. This recipe includes cumin, paprika, and parsley. Don’t be afraid to add more of these healthy herbs and spices!

Recipe ingredients for falafel

1. Chickpeas
2. Any flour will work, but I prefer chickpea flour because it’s gluten-free and doesn’t alter the flavor.
3. Traditional falafel uses parsley, but you can use cilantro, mint, basil, or any herb!
4. An essential falafel ingredient is tahini. Tahini’s healthy fats and fiber make it ideal for oil-free diets. There are many tahinis, but I recommend a runny one.
5. Garlic adds flavor and heat!
6. Any onion will do, but I prefer red onions because they have more antioxidants.
7. Cumin—After chickpeas, this is a key ingredient. Cumin makes falafel taste unique. Cumin tastes great and is healthy. Cumin aids digestion, weight loss, cholesterol, and diabetes prevention.
8. Smoked paprika is another key falafel gyros flavor. Paprika is sweet and smoky. Paprika has vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
9. Lemon adds sweetness and tartness and blends the ingredients.

Ingredients For GYROS

1. Use any tomato variety. I sliced tomatoes, but romas work too!
2. Any leafy green lettuce works for spring mix. I like spring mix, but you can also use romaine, green leaf lettuce, or spinach!
3. Cucumber—English cucumbers are my favorite.
4. The other half of the red onion from the falafel can be used.
5. If not gluten-free, use any naan or make your own (it’s easy). I listed my favorite gluten-free option!
6. Recipe for Dairy-Free Tzatziki Sauce:
7. Raises both hands* if you’ve fallen for the “silken tofu tastes like cream” trap. Be honest: Is silken tofu great? Yes. Does it base tzatziki well? No.
8. At one point, I gave up on making non-dairy tzatziki. The game changed when I discovered vegan yogurt. Specifically Kite Hill Almond milk yogurt. Honestly, it tastes like Greek yogurt.
9. Dill and cucumber (smaller beets) should be finely chopped and added to a bowl with vegan yogurt and lemon juice to make the sauce. Rest for 15 minutes after mixing. This blends flavors.

MAKE THE FALAFEL

I promise the falafel is easier than the tzatziki, but it takes more steps. Cook or strain chickpeas first. When making falafel gyros, I cook dried chickpeas to measure out the right amount. That also makes it cheaper! Add the measured chickpeas to a blender or food processor (best).

Next, roughly chop onion, parsley, and garlic. This prevents falafel onion, parsley, and garlic clumps. In food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process until clumps form. Be careful not to overmix. Doing so will yield hummus instead of falafel.

Take spoonfuls of falafel and form balls. Place on silicone baking mat or aluminum foil (if air-frying) and bake. Air fryer: high for 18 minutes (or until crispy and browned). Oven: 375 for 30 minutes.

Assembly of a Falafel Gyro

Warm the naan for the falafel gyro. Wrapping bread requires warming to prevent it from breaking. Now add greens, thinly sliced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, and red onion. Sprinkle falafel and tzatziki sauce on top and serve immediately!