Looking for a vegetarian spin on a classic gyro? This falafel gyro recipe features crispy homemade falafel and fresh veggies all tossed in a warm pita with creamy tahini yogurt sauce. Toss in some crispy quinoa balls for another tasty variation!
What is a Falafel?
Traditional falafel is made from soaked chickpeas blended with fresh herbs and warm spices. The mixture is shaped into bite-sized balls or patties and deep-fried to golden perfection.
While food historians trace its origins to Egypt, falafel has become a beloved street food across North Africa and the Middle East. It’s particularly popular among vegans and vegetarians as a great source of protein.
Key Ingredients
Ingredients for Homemade Falafels
Here’s everything you need to make the falafels from scratch—but if you’d rather skip the prep, ready-made falafels work just as well. It’s up to you.
- Chickpeas: Dried chickpeas produce the best falafel texture, but canned chickpeas work if you’re short on time.
- Baking Soda: Soften and tenderize the chickpeas by adding baking soda at different stages.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder helps the falafels rise and creates a crispy exterior.
- Spices: Season the falafel mix with kosher salt, ground cumin, coriander powder, and Aleppo pepper (or cayenne pepper) for some heat, or you can replace the individual spices with Baharat seasoning.
- Herbs: Fresh parsley and cilantro leaves add fresh-tasting flavor and a vibrant green color, but you can also mix fresh mint leaves if you want.
- Lemon: Brighten the homemade falafel mixture with fresh lemon juice and zest from one lemon. Select a lemon with a vibrant color that is heavy for its size. Bring it to room temperature and roll it between your palm and the counter to make it easier to juice.
Ingredients for the Gyro
- Pita: Warm the pitas before serving to keep them soft and to prevent them from falling apart.
- Yogurt Tahini Sauce: Prepare a creamy homemade yogurt tahini sauce to garnish the falafel gyros. Combine full-fat Greek yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, fresh garlic cloves, mint leaves, ground cumin, kosher salt, and extra-virgin olive oil.
- Toppings: Customize the gyro with your favorite toppings—shredded lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, tomato slices, and cucumbers.
Additions and Substitutions
- Swap the beans. Replace the chickpeas or garbanzo beans with fava beans, white beans, or butter beans.
- Experiment with toppings. Get creative with toppings and use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Try it with 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 bread instead of tahini yogurt sauce.
- Use another the bread. Trade 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 Falafels
Step 1: Combine dried chickpeas, one tablespoon of kosher salt, one teaspoon of baking soda, and about 2 quarts of water in a large mixing bowl. Cover and soak overnight (at least 12 hours).
Step 2: Drain and rinse the chickpeas and transfer half of the chickpeas to a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add ½ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, and the ground spices. Process for 1 minute, scraping down the sides with a silicone spatula as needed.
Step 3: Pour in the COLD water and process continuously for 2 minutes until smooth.
Step 4: Add the remaining chickpeas, parsley, and cilantro. Pulse to combine until the mixture is coarse, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Meanwhile, use this time to prepare the veggies for the gyro.
Prep Tip
It may take 50-60 pulses to achieve a coarse consistency.
Step 5: Remove the falafel mixture from the fridge. Add the lemon juice, zest, and remaining ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and stir to combine. Then, form the mixture into ½-inch to 1-inch balls or use a cookie scoop to release the falafels directly over the oil so it doesn’t splash, as an alternative to forming the balls beforehand.
Step 6: Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack (or a plate with paper towels). Then, warm a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil and heat it until it reaches 325℉ (163℃).
Step 7: Working in batches, use a slotted spoon to carefully set falafels into the heated oil. Fry for 4-5 minutes, rotating the balls, until they are golden brown on all sides.
Step 8: Transfer the falafel balls to the wire rack. Let the oil return to temperature, and repeat with the rest of the falafel mixture.
Assemble the Gyros
Step 1: Warm the pita on a grill pan, skillet, or rimmed baking sheet.
Step 2: Start by spreading tahini yogurt sauce onto the pita, layer on the veggies, and top it with a few homemade falafels. Enjoy!
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 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 falafel gyro recipe, try more dinner recipes from Jamil Ghar!
Serving Suggestions
Falafel gyros are an easy meal that comes together quickly. They’re also great for meal prep since you can store the ingredients separately.
Enjoy crispy falafels in a warm pita or lavash, piled high with various toppings and tahini yogurt sauce or another yogurt-based sauce like tzatziki or riata.
Turn them into a falafel platter like the ones you see in Greek restaurants alongside a small Greek salad, crispy French fries, or roasted potatoes. Use the falafels to top your favorite salad and protein bowls, brimming with fresh greens or classics like tabbouleh.
One of my favorite ways to serve falafel is on a Mediterranean mezze board. Pair them with butter bean hummus, dolmas, beetroot dip, vegetable crudites, marinated olives, haydari, and air fryer pita chips.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover falafel ingredients separately in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Let the falafels cool and transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag. They will freeze for 2-3 months.
- Thaw: Defrost the leftovers in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat: My favorite way to warm falafels is in the oven at 350°F (176°C) or air fryer for 5-10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a falafel gyro?
Falafels and gyros are two very different meals. Falafels are crispy, deep-fried balls or patties made from ground chickpeas, while gyro refers to meat, typically lamb or beef, cooked on a vertical rotisserie.
Because the word gyro is often associated with pitas or sandwiches (particularly in the West), I’ve named the recipe falafel gyro, swapping the classic meat filling for plant-based falafels.
Can I make falafels in the oven?
Baked falafels are super simple to make and require less hands-on work. 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 and bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
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
Prepare the Falafels:
- Combine dried chickpeas, one teaspoon of kosher salt, one teaspoon of baking soda, and about 2 quarts of water in a large mixing bowl. Cover and soak overnight (at least 12 hours).
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and transfer half of the chickpeas to a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add ½ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and the ground spices. Process for 1 minute, scraping down the sides with a silicone spatula as needed.
- Pour in the COLD water and process continuously for 2 minutes until smooth.
- Add the remaining chickpeas, parsley, and cilantro. Pulse to combine until the mixture is coarse, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Meanwhile, use this time to prepare the veggies for the gyro.Tip: It may take 50-60 pulses to achieve a coarse consistency.
- Remove the falafel mixture from the fridge. Add the lemon juice, zest, and remaining ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and stir to combine. Then, form the mixture into ½-inch to 1-inch balls or use a cookie scoop to release the falafels directly over the oil so it doesn't splash, as an alternative to forming the balls beforehand.
- Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack (or a plate with paper towels). Then, warm a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil and heat it until it reaches 325℉ (163℃).
- Working in batches, use a slotted spoon to carefully set falafels into the heated oil. Fry for 4-5 minutes, rotating the balls, until they are golden brown on all sides.
- Transfer the falafel balls to the wire rack. Let the oil return to temperature, and repeat with the rest of the falafel mixture.
Assemble the Gyros:
- Warm the pita on a grill pan, skillet, or rimmed baking sheet.
- Start by spreading tahini yogurt sauce onto the pita, layer on the veggies, and top it with a few homemade falafels. Enjoy!
- 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.