Spicy Falafel Wrap Recipe

Let me show you how to make the best spicy falafel wrap recipe at home in easy steps. The falafel itself is perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with delicious flavours. This middle eastern food is vegetarian, vegan and can be served as a meatless healthy meal for the meat lovers.

It is also a quick and simple recipe as it uses canned chickpeas and staple pantry ingredients.

what is falafel

Falafel is a deep or shallow fried street food made from chickpea or fava and it originates from the Middle Eastern part of the world. Falafel is now popular around the world and it is served in restaurants, deli or fast-food joints.

It is quite easy to make and my version of this spicy falafel wrap recipe is packed full of flavours which includes cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika and fresh parsley.

I love to serve my homemade falafel with wraps adding fresh vegetables, pitas or even salad and on some days, I eat it plain on its own as a snack. The best part is that you can eat falafel cold, hot or warm. What are you waiting for, let’s make some?

Why you will love this recipe

• Minimal effort

• It is naturally vegan and packed full of protein.

• Fast, simple and quick as it uses canned chickpeas. What this means is you do not have to wait around to soak dry chickpeas for hours to make this recipe.

• Great for lunch, dinner or as a snack.

• You can customise the flavours in the falafel to taste.

• You can either deep fry or bake it, although the original recipe is traditionally fried, you can bake, shallow fry or air fry them for healthier options.

• It is healthy and can be bulked up with salad, avocado and topped with any sauce of choice. I enjoyed mine with a combination of yogurt, lemon juice, and tahini. It is delicious, I know I have used that word a lot today, but it is the truth.

Ingredients

Canned chickpea

Fresh parsley

Onion, chopped

Cayenne pepper

Cumin

Salt to taste

All-purpose flour

Lemon juice

Garlic glove

Vegetable oil for frying (about 500ml or more)

For the falafel wrap (vegetable variations)

Although, I used store-bought salad pack, below are lists of vegetables you can use to fill up your wraps.

Tortilla wraps: substitute with pitta or shawarma wrap

Fresh tomatoes, sliced.

Lettuce, chopped.

Onions, chopped.

Cucumber slices

Red bell pepper

Avocado

For the topping

I used a combination of plain yoghurt, tahini sauce, salt and pepper  (Substitute with hummus)

Swap the yogurt for a dairy free version to make it vegan

Step by step directions on how to make spicy falafel

Drain the chickpeas then add it to the food processor along with parsley, onions, garlic, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, all-purpose flour and pulse till coarse in texture. Be careful not to  puree it.

Transfer the mixture into a bowl and divide into about 8- 12 parts. Shape the divided mixture into balls or patties.

Place a pan on medium-high heat, add vegetable oil and heat until hot.

Carefully add the falafel balls or patties into the hot oil and fry for about 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a kitchen towel to drain the oil and serve whilst it is warm.

Assemble the falafel wrap

On a tortilla wrap, spread the yoghurt-tahini sauce, then add salad, avocado slices, fried falafel; Top up with more sauce if needed. Carefully wrap together, then serve.

Kitchen tips

• In other to avoid the falafel from soaking up oil whereby making it unhealthy, make sure the oil is hot enough. If you are in doubt, drop a tiny bit of the mixture into the hot oil, if it sizzles and floats to the top of the oil then it is ready to use. For a more accurate reading, use a candy thermometer, a reading of 340F/170C is a good starting point

• Do not overcrowd the oil when frying as this would drop the temperature of the oil.

• Eat them while they are warm except you will be eating with salad.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make this in advance?

Yes, falafel can be enjoyed warm or cold and it is great for meal prep too.  Best practise is to let it cool completely before storing in the fridge in an airtight container. Do no leave it out unattended to.

What can I do with leftover falafels?

Leftover falafels can be eaten on it own as a snack or as sandwich filling. If using as a sandwich filling, spread butter, hummus on tahini on sliced bread of choice, smash the falafel to flatten it, add top with lettuce and another sliced bread. Serve and enjoy!

Can you freeze homemade falafels?

Absolutely but in this case, you would mould the raw falafel into balls or patties and freeze. Then when you are ready to use it, simply bake or fry from frozen. You can store raw falafel in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Other quick and easy recipes you would love

Hummus

Easy Chicken Wrap

Pasta Salad

Chicken Shawarma wrap

Shawarma bread

If you make this spicy falafel wrap recipe, don’t forget to tag @myactivekitchen on Instagram, Facebook or simply send me an email. See you in my next post. Ajoke x

This recipe was originally published in May 2016. I have completely re-rewritten the post with tips and new photos.

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Spicy Falafel Wrap Recipe

Let me show you how to make the best spicy falafel wrap at home in easy steps. The falafel itself is perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with delicious flavours. This middle eastern food is vegetarian, vegan and can be served as a meatless healthy meal for the meat lovers.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Keyword: falafel, falafel wrap

Servings: 4

Author: Ajoke

Ingredients

• 2 400 g chickpea drained that is 480g drained chickpeas
• 25 g fresh parsley
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 3 large garlic glove
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• Vegetable oil for frying about 500ml or more

For the falafel wrap (vegetable variations)

• Tortilla wraps: substitute with pitta or shawarma wrap
• Fresh tomatoes, sliced.
• Lettuce, chopped.
• Onions, chopped.
• Cucumber slices
• Avocado, sliced

Topping sauce

• ½ cup plain light yoghurt
• 2 tbsp tahini
• Water to dilute sauce if it is too thick
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Drain the chickpeas then add it to the food processor along with parsley, onions, garlic, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, all-purpose flour and pulse till coarse in texture. Be careful not to puree it.
• Transfer the mixture into a bowl and divide into about 8- 12 parts. Shape the divided mixture into balls or patties.
• Place a pan on medium-high heat, add vegetable oil and heat until hot.
• Carefully add the falafel balls or patties into the hot oil and fry for about 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a kitchen towel to drain the oil and serve whilst it is warm.

Assemble the falafel wrap

• On a tortilla wrap, spread the yogurt-tahini sauce, then add salad, avocado slices, fried falafel; Top up with more sauce if needed. Carefully wrap together, then serve.

Notes

Tips

• In other to avoid the falafel from soaking up oil whereby making it unhealthy, make sure the oil is hot enough. If you are in doubt, drop a tiny bit of the mixture into the hot oil, if it sizzles and floats to the top of the oil then it is ready to use. For a more accurate reading, use a candy thermometer, a reading of 340F/170C is a good starting point
• Do not overcrowd the oil when frying as this would drop the temperature of the oil.
• Eat them while they are warm except you will be eating with salad.

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