There’s no need to spend hours prepping and frying falafel balls when you could whip up these Deconstructed Falafel Pita Tacos in under 20 minutes. Enjoy the full flavors of the Mediterranean for dinner tonight!
I love me some falafel action. Really I do. Crispy on the outside, soft and unbelievably flavorful inside.
But. They can be a pain in the ass to make. You have to wash and thoroughly dry the chickpeas, wash and thoroughly dry the herbs (I mean it, like you have to squeeze every last drop of liquid out of everything), heat an insane amount of oil to the perfect temperature, and after forming the balls, hope they don’t fall apart in the oil.
Clearly I don’t know this from personal experience, right? Eeeeee.
so what is this anyway?
It’s the spirit of falafel, but deconstructed! It’s super fast to make, so it’s weeknight approved!
We’re using essentially all of the same ingredients, but instead of whizzing them up in a food processor and frying them up, we just season and lightly crisp the chickpeas and top them a hearty pile of herbs.
- Lightly fry seasoned chickpeas in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, reducing fat and calorie content
- Top with a heaping pile of parsley and cilantro, like you’d find inside of traditional falafel
customize it!
The really nice thing about these falafel pita tacos is that you can easily customize them!
- I like to make my traditional hummus and add avocado, but you can use store-bought, and even a different flavor
- I opted for some flatbread that I sliced in half (similar), but you could use naan or any variety of pita
- I love whipping up my homemade tzatziki (it gives me an excuse to make some Greek lamb bowls too!), but these falafel pita tacos also taste amazing with a drizzle of tahini dressing
If you watched my Instagram Stories the other day, you got to see me whip up these simple tacos in minutes. Just season, lightly fry, pile it on, and devour.
A new fave taco with a fun, funky flavor. If you need a taco but aren’t in the mood for my fan-fave Carne Asada Mexican Street Tacos, hit up these deconstructed falafel pita tacos and enjoy!
Deconstructed Falafel Pita Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 4 pitas
- 1 cup avocado hummus
- 1 cup english cucumber diced
- 1 cup roma tomato diced
- ¼ cup tzatziki
- ⅓ cup curly parsley minced
- ⅓ cup cilantro minced
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the chickpeas, lemon zest, lemon juice, coriander, salt, and cumin and toss gently to coat. Add the chickpeas to the skillet and cook until lightly browned and crispy on the outside, around 10 minutes.
- Divide the hummus between the 4 pitas, then add the cucumber and tomato. Add the chickpeas, then drizzle with tzatziki and top with a heaping pile of parsley and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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wilhelmina says
This looks extraordinary! I can’t wait to give these a shot!!!
April says
yaaassssss! This is the kind of recipe I never knew I needed in my life. SO GOOD.