5 Falafel Sauce Recipes! (2024)

This post may include affiliate links; for details, see our disclosure policy.

Here are the best falafel sauce recipes for your falafel sandwich! Try cucumber sauce, tahini sauce, cilantro sauce and more.

5 Falafel Sauce Recipes! (1)

Making falafel and not sure what sauce to use? This Mediterranean fried chickpea fritter is stuff dreams are made of. You can serve it on its own with sauce, or stuffed into a flatbread as a falafel sandwich. Or serve it as a falafel salad, on crunchy lettuce drizzled with sauce. Falafel is served with a few different traditional sauces. Here’s a breakdown:

  • Yogurt based sauce: often containing cucumber, dill or both
  • Tahini sauce, typically with lemon, sometimes with herbs
  • Cilantro sauce, herby and green, sometimes with yogurt or olive oil (like zhoug, used in Israel)

With this in mind, here are a few of the best recipes to use as a falafel sauce: whether you’re making a sandwich, burger, salad, or serving them as an appetizer.

And now…the best falafel sauce recipes!

5 Falafel Sauce Recipes! (2)

Quick Cucumber Sauce

This cool and refreshing falafel sauce you’ll want to slather on just about everything:cucumber sauce! Stir together shredded cucumber with Greek yogurt, lemon, garlic, and dill, and it’s nothing short of a revelation. It's perfect for authentic falafel sandwiches, but it works on any sandwich, burger, or evengrilled veggieplatter. Use it as a healthy dip, spread, or slather: you name it! The best part: it’s actually quick and takes just minutes to put together.

Another authentic falafel sauce is tahini sauce! It's made with the Mediterranean sesame seed paste and lemon, which gives it a bright zingy flavor. This sauce is perfect for drizzling on salad bowls and roasted veggies, but it's best on a tasty falafel sandwich or salad. Another plus: it's plant based and vegan!

5 Falafel Sauce Recipes! (4)

Creamy Cilantro Sauce

This bright green cilantro sauce is perfect for falafel! It’s 100% plant-based and vegan, so it works for all sorts of eaters! The creamy body comes from soaked cashews blended with a bit of water. It becomes so intensely creamy that it makes the perfect sauce for dolloping. It’s even pretty mild on the cilantro flavor: so it’s not even offensive to avowed cilantro haters! Make the recipe below with lemon instead of lime when you use it for falafel.

5 Falafel Sauce Recipes! (5)

Dill Sauce

Another tasty falafel sauce? Enter thisEasy Dill Sauce! This one is all purpose and can be used for everything fromsalmontogrilled veggiestofalafel sandwiches. The best part: it takes only 5 minutes and a handful of ingredients. The Mediterranean flavors of Greek yogurt, fresh dill and lemon combine into a beautiful sauce that’s simple and totally versatile.

One last falafel sauce: lemon dill sauce! The difference between this and the dill sauce is it's got some mayo along with yogurt as the base. It makes for a rich and creamy sauce that takes just 5 minutes to stir it together in a bowl! The amount of flavor you’ll get from the humble ingredients will blow you away.

Ways to serve falafel

Falafel can be served in so many ways! This tasty Mediterranean plant-based dish has lots of different spins. Here are a few of our favorite falafel recipes:

  • Classic Falafel Serve with the falafel sauce as a dipping sauce!
  • Baked Falafel Make shortcut baked falafel with canned chickpeas.
  • Ultimate Falafel Sandwich Top with sauce and serve in a flatbread.
  • Falafel Salad Add falafel to greens and top with tahini sauce.
  • Raw Falafel Buddha Bowls This spin on falafel uses sunflower seeds and spices to make a raw salad bowl. Top with tahini sauce!
  • Falafel Burger Serve it as a burger on a bun, slathered with the sauce of your choosing.

Print

5 Falafel Sauce Recipes! (7)

Best Falafel Sauce!

★5 Stars☆★4 Stars☆★3 Stars☆★2 Stars☆★1 Star☆No reviews
  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 ¾ cups 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Here are the best falafel sauce recipes! Perfect on falafel sandwiches, falafel burgers, or falafel salad. For vegan, go to Tahini Sauce.

Ingredients

Scale

  • 1 cup grated cucumber (1 medium or 2/3 large)
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup full fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons dried dill*
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • Water

Instructions

  1. CPeel the cucumber and coarsely grate it. Place it in a clean tea towel or dish towel and squeeze tightly over a sink to remove excess liquid.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients, then stir in about 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, until the sauce is smooth and creamy (the water amount will vary based on the yogurt brand).
  • Category: Sauce
  • Method: Stirred
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Falafel sauce

More great sauce recipes

Want more sauces? Here are some more recipes to try:

  • Cilantro Lime Crema Perfect for dolloping on tacos and roasted veggies.
  • Special Burger Sauce Great for burgers and fries! It’s full of flavor: creamy, tangy, and reminiscent of a Big Mac.
  • Creamy Cilantro Dressing It takes just 5 minutes and you’ll want to use it on everything: salads, tacos, fries, and more.
  • Vegan Alfredo Sauce Easy to make, starring nutrient-rich cauliflower and protein-packed cashews.

Published on / Last updated on

Categorized In:

  • Recipe Collections

Tagged with:

  • Falafel
  • Roundup

About the authors

5 Falafel Sauce Recipes! (8)

Sonja & Alex

Hi, we’re Alex and Sonja Overhiser, married cookbook authors, food bloggers, and recipe developers. We founded A Couple Cooks to share fresh, seasonal recipes for memorable kitchen moments! Our recipes are made by two real people and work every time.

About Us

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

5 Falafel Sauce Recipes! (2024)

FAQs

What is falafel sauce made of? ›

Lemon Tahini Sauce: A classic sauce made from tahini (ground sesame seeds), lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and water. It has a nutty flavor and creamy texture that pairs well with the crispy falafel.

What are the 2 types of falafel? ›

There are three types of falafel--Traditional falafel, baked falafel and lemon falafel. “Where the traditional falafel is the basic fried falafel comprising a mix of chickpeas, onions, garlic, herbs and spices, baked falafels are made using fresh herbs in the chickpea mixture,” says Chef Sati from Ophelia.

Why not use canned chickpeas for falafel? ›

Canned chickpeas do not work for falafel. They're far too wet. If you try to use canned chickpeas instead of dried and soaked chickpeas, you'll end up with sad falafel pancakes. Some recipes try to counteract the wetness by adding flour, which significantly dulls the flavor and makes the texture more doughy.

What are falafels made of? ›

Falafel are deep-fried balls or patties made from chickpeas or fava beans, sometimes both, plus fresh herbs and spices. Falafel is a popular Middle Eastern street food sold from vendors or fast-casual spots in countries such as Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Israel, where it's the national dish.

Is falafel good for you or bad for you? ›

Chickpeas in falafel contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, B vitamins and folate. They are full of antioxidants and are useful in fighting diseases. Of course, we emphasize again that you try to prepare it at home and do not fry it. If it is fried, its fat and calories increase and the food is no longer so healthy.

What is the main ingredient of Middle Eastern falafel? ›

Falafel is made from fava beans or chickpeas, or a combination of both. Falafel is usually made with fava beans in Egyptian cuisine, where it most likely originated, with chickpeas in Palestinian cuisine, or just chickpeas or a combination of both in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria and the wider Middle East.

What is falafel called in English? ›

noun. fa·​la·​fel fə-ˈlä-fəl. variants or less commonly felafel. plural falafel also felafel. : a spicy mixture of ground vegetables (such as chickpeas or fava beans) formed into balls or patties and then fried.

What does falafel mean in slang? ›

The word 'falafel' is a way to turn down sex with a partner . "Hey you wanna have sex?" "Falafel"

Is falafel Greek or Arab? ›

The origins of the falafel can be traced back to Egypt, which is located between Africa and the Middle East. Egyptians are said to eat falafels every day. In fact, falafels are considered their national dish. Falafels reached North America and Germany in the 20th century.

Why won't my falafel fall apart? ›

The trouble you might encounter, the first time around, is getting the right consistency so that your falafel won't break apart as you drop it into the oil. A binding ingredient can help keep it together, especially if you are using canned beans instead of dried. And the perfect binding ingredient for falafel is flour.

What to eat with falafel? ›

Classic, plain hummus is my go-to dip here, but roasted red pepper hummus or avocado hummus are also great options. Add a salad. Tabouli, fattoush salad, and shriazi salad go well with falafel, but nearly any fresh green salad with a light olive oil dressing will work. Don't forget the olives and pickles!

What if I forgot to soak chickpeas for falafel? ›

If you don't have time to soak your beans ahead of time, you can use this “quick soak” method, which shortens the overall cooking time. To quick soak beans: Pour the dry beans into a saucepan and cover them with 3 inches of water. Bring a boil, and let it boil for 5 minutes.

Is falafel like hush puppies? ›

Falafel might be considered the “Lebanese/Mediterranean hush puppy,” though the fresh herbs and spices make it a much healthier and more complex version. It's a delicious source of protein for vegans and vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

What bacteria is in falafel? ›

Eating uncooked falafel that has been left out for a few hours can pose a risk of foodborne illness due to bacteria growth. Bacteria can multiply rapidly in foods left at room temperature, potentially causing digestive issues or food poisoning.

What is the binder in falafel? ›

The common solution for this type of recipe is to add some extra starch in the form of flour. Flour-bound falafel certainly holds together, but you end up with dense, pasty balls, like these: By solving one problem, you create a brand-new one. But that's okay!

What is falafel and what does it taste like? ›

Falafel are flavorful balls of ground chickpeas, herbs, and spices. In Middle Eastern cooking, they're typically fried, but here, I bake them for an easy homemade twist. Serve them in a pita wrap with all the fixings, or find more serving suggestions in the post above.

Why does falafel taste so good? ›

The chickpeas and fava beans only contribute slightly to the smell and taste of the falafel. The rest comes from the herbs and spices in the mixture. The texture of the falafel is crispy on the outside because it is usually deep-fried and soft on the inside.

What is tahini sauce made of? ›

What is tahini sauce? Tahini sauce is a Middle Eastern condiment that is served with many dishes from the region. It's made with only 3 main ingredients: tahini paste, which is crushed sesame seeds, lemon juice, and garlic. Tahini is made by grinding toasted, hulled sesame seeds to create a creamy, smooth spread.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Prof. Nancy Dach

Last Updated:

Views: 5682

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (77 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Prof. Nancy Dach

Birthday: 1993-08-23

Address: 569 Waelchi Ports, South Blainebury, LA 11589

Phone: +9958996486049

Job: Sales Manager

Hobby: Web surfing, Scuba diving, Mountaineering, Writing, Sailing, Dance, Blacksmithing

Introduction: My name is Prof. Nancy Dach, I am a lively, joyous, courageous, lovely, tender, charming, open person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.