Put a vegetarian spin on a classic gyro with a delicious falafel gyro brimming with fresh veggies, creamy tahini yogurt sauce, and crispy homemade falafel all tucked into a warm pita.
What is a Falafel Gyro?
Let’s talk about how you ended up here. I’m guessing you came looking for falafel wrapped in warm pita and calling it a gyro. I want to take a moment to clear up some confusion. A gyro (pronounced YEE-roh) isn’t the name of the wrap or sandwich itself. It actually refers to seasoned meat, traditionally cooked on a vertical rotisserie and sliced thin to serve.
Yes, that meat is usually wrapped in pita with all the fixings, but technically, gyro refers to just the meat. All that said, I’m not about to leave you hanging.
Let’s dive into this falafel “gyro” recipe, swapping the classic meat filling for delicious plant-based falafel. These homemade falafel are crispy, bite-sized balls or patties made from cooked chickpeas, fresh herbs, and warm spices, then deep-fried or baked to golden perfection.
Key Ingredients
Here’s everything you need to make homemade falafel to tuck into warm pita. However, if you’d rather skip the extra work, store-bought falafels works in a pinch.
- Chickpeas: Dried chickpeas will give you the best falafel texture, but canned chickpeas are great when you’re short on time.
- Leavening Agents: Soften and tenderize the chickpea mixture by adding baking soda at different stages, while the baking powder reacts to the heat, giving the falafel an extra-crispy exterior.
- Spices: Season the falafel mix with kosher salt, ground cumin, coriander powder, and Aleppo pepper (or cayenne pepper), or replace the individual spices with Baharat seasoning.
- Herbs: Fresh parsley and cilantro add a fresh, vibrant flavor and color. You can also include mint leaves or mix and match herbs based on what you have available.
- Lemon: Brighten the homemade falafel mixture with lemon juice and zest. Look for a lemon with a bright color that’s heavy for its size. Let it come to room temperature and roll it between your palm and the counter to make it easier to juice.
- Pita: Warm the pitas in a skillet before serving to keep them soft and prevent them from cracking or breaking apart.
- Yogurt Tahini Sauce: Falafel gyro tastes even better with a spoonful, or two, of creamy yogurt tahini sauce made from full-fat Greek yogurt, tahini, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, mint leaves, ground cumin, kosher salt, and extra-virgin olive oil.
- Toppings: Customize the gyro with your favorite toppings. You can never go wrong with shredded lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, tomato slices, and diced cucumbers.
Additions and Substitutions
- Swap the beans. Replace the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) with fava beans, white beans, or butter beans.
- Experiment with toppings. Get creative with various toppings like sumac onions, biwaz, Jerusalem salad, amba, sumac cucumbers, or crumbled feta cheese.
- Switch out the sauce. Spread tzatziki sauce, tahini sauce, harissa, toum, butter bean hummus, beetroot dip, shatta sauce, or skhug onto the pita.
- Use a different bread. Trade in the pitas for flour tortillas, spinach protein wraps, or warm lavash.
How to Make a Falafel Gyro
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Prepare the Falafel
Step 1: Combine dried chickpeas, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and about 6 cups of water in a large bowl. Cover and soak overnight (at least 12 hours).
Step 2: Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas. Add half to a food processor fitted with a metal blade along with ½ teaspoon baking soda, baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and the ground spices. Process for 1 minute, scraping down the sides as needed.
Step 3: Pour in the cold water and process continuously for about 2 minutes, then add the remaining chickpeas, parsley, and cilantro. Pulse until you have a coarse consistency (about 50–60 pulses). Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 4: Remove the falafel mixture from the fridge. Stir in the lemon juice, zest, and remaining ½ teaspoon baking soda. Form into ½–1-inch balls by hand or use a cookie scoop.
Tip
You can prep the gyro veggies while the falafel mixture chills.
Step 5: Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet or a plate with paper towels. Heat oil in a sauté pan or Dutch oven to 325°F (163°C). Working in batches, use a slotted spoon to carefully spoon a single layer of falafel into the heated oil.
Step 6: Fry them for 4–5 minutes, turning as needed, until golden brown on all sides.
Tip
You can either leave the falafel in round shapes or press them into smaller patties.
Step 7: Transfer the falafel balls to a wire rack and let the oil return to temperature before frying the remaining batches.
Assemble the Gyro
Step 1: Warm the pitas on a grill pan, skillet, or rimmed baking sheet.
Step 2: Add a spoonful of tahini yogurt sauce onto the pita, layer on the veggies, and top it with a few homemade falafel.
How to Bake Falafel in the Oven
Baked falafel is super easy to make and requires less hands-on prep work. I love using this method for meal prep, or when I am feeding a crowd.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Prepare the falafel mixture and form it into 1-inch balls. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Arrange the falafel in a single layer, leaving space between them. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping them halfway through to ensure they brown and crisp evenly.
Expert Tips
- Soak the chickpeas. Cover the dried chickpeas in water and soak them for at least 12 hours to give them the perfect texture. While canned chickpeas are convenient, they are softer and can make the falafel mix mushy.
- Process in pulses. Combine the falafel mixture in the bowl of a food processor using short pulses to achieve a coarse texture rather than a smooth paste; this keeps the falafel light and fluffy instead of dense.
- Refrigerate the mixture. Chill the falafel mixture in the refrigerator to make it easier to shape. Use clean hands or a small ice cream scoop to form 1-inch balls for the perfect bite.
- Warm the pitas. Warm the pitas before assembling the sandwiches to prevent them from breaking apart when wrapped.
If you enjoy this easy falafel gyro recipe, try more dinner recipes!
Serving Suggestions
Falafel gyros are an easy meal that comes together quickly, and they’re ideal for weekly meal prep. Use them to top your favorite salad or protein bowl, pairing them with fresh greens and classics like tabbouleh and a dollop of tzatziki or tahini yogurt sauce.
Make vegetarian gyros by tucking crispy falafels into warm pita bread or lavash, then loading them with your favorite toppings. Sumac cucumbers, biwaz, or tangy sumac onions are some of my go tos.
You can even serve them platter-style, like in Greek restaurants, alongside a simple Greek salad, French fries, or crispy roasted potatoes. One of my favorite ways to enjoy falafel gyros is as a part of a Mediterranean mezze spread with butter bean hummus, beetroot dip, haydari, and small plates like dolmas, vegetable crudites, marinated olives, and air fryer pita chips.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store leftover gyro ingredients in separate airtight containers for 3-4 days, then combine everything when you’re ready to eat.
- Freeze: Let the falafel cool and transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag for 2-3 months.
- Thaw: Defrost the leftovers in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat: My favorite way to warm falafel is in the oven at 350°F (176°C) or air fryer for 5-10 minutes.
More Vegetarian Recipes:
Falafel Gyro
- 12 ounces dried chickpeas or 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda, divided
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- ½ cup COLD water
- 1 bunch parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- ½ cup neutral oil
- lemon juice, ½ lemon plus one teaspoon of lemon zest
- 4 pitas, split in two
- 8 tablespoons yogurt tahini sauce
- shredded lettuce
- red onion, thinly sliced
- Roma or plum tomatoes, quartered and sliced
- Persian cucumber, quartered and sliced
- Combine dried chickpeas, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and about 6 cups of water in a large bowl. Cover and soak overnight (at least 12 hours).
- Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas. Add half to a food processor fitted with a metal blade along with ½ teaspoon baking soda, baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and the ground spices. Process for 1 minute, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Pour in the cold water and process continuously for about 2 minutes, then add the remaining chickpeas, parsley, and cilantro. Pulse until you have a coarse consistency (about 50–60 pulses). Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.Tip: You can prep the gyro veggies while the falafel mixture chills.
- Remove the falafel mixture from the fridge. Stir in the lemon juice, zest, and remaining ½ teaspoon baking soda. Form into ½–1-inch balls by hand or use a cookie scoop.
- Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet or a plate with paper towels. Heat oil in a sauté pan or Dutch oven to 325°F (163°C). Working in batches, use a slotted spoon to carefully spoon a single layer of falafel into the heated oil.
- Fry them for 4–5 minutes, turning as needed, until golden brown on all sides.Tip: You can either leave the falafel in round shapes or press them into smaller patties.
- Transfer the falafel balls to a wire rack and let the oil return to temperature before frying the remaining batches.
- Warm the pitas on a grill pan, skillet, or rimmed baking sheet.
- Add a spoonful of tahini yogurt sauce onto the pita, layer on the veggies, and top it with a few homemade falafel.
- Soak the chickpeas. Cover the dried chickpeas in water and soak them for at least 12 hours to give them the perfect texture. While canned chickpeas are convenient, they are softer and can make the falafel mix mushy.
- Process in pulses. Combine the falafel mixture in the food processor using short pulses to achieve a coarse texture rather than a smooth paste; this keeps the falafel light and fluffy instead of dense.
- Refrigerate the mixture. Chill the falafel mixture in the refrigerator to make it easier to shape. Use clean hands or a small ice cream scoop to form 1-inch balls for the perfect bite.
- Warm the pitas. Warm the pitas before assembling the sandwiches to prevent them from breaking apart when wrapped.