Baked Falafel Tacos

Baked Falafel Tacos are a unique and healthy tacos. Crispy falafel topped with tzatziki and wrapped in a tortilla. Great for Meatless Monday! Weight Watchers friendly recipe- 2 SmartPoints!

Tacos are probably my favorite food to eat and to make.  So many different varieties and ingredients.  Living in the Midwest means that there is not a taco stand on every corner, like back in Texas.  That means it’s up to me to make tacos at home!  Sometimes I like to change things up a bit and create a unique taco to keep things interesting.  My Baked Falafel Tacos are a unique twist on tacos.  Crispy baked falafel topped with creamy tzatziki sauce and wrapped in a corn tortilla make for the perfect healthy meal!  Great for Meatless Monday or Taco Tuesday!  This is a Weight Watcher friendly recipe and one taco is 2 SmartPoints.

Falafel is a mixture of ground chickpeas (a.k.a garbanzo beans) and spices formed into a ball (or patty) and fried in a pan.  Crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  So SO good!  I could eat falafel every week and be happy!  I order falafel every time I go to a Greek restaurant.  No matter what, I have to get an order of falafel!  I like to see how different restaurants make their falafel.  Sometimes they are patties and sometimes they are in a ball form.

Falafel is either served as an appetizer with dipping sauce or in a gyro, which is the Greek version of a sandwich- meat (or falafel) wrapped in fluffy pita bread.  The only negative about ordering falafel at a restaurant is that falafel is typically fried, so it’s not the healthiest option on the menu.  But hey, it’s ok in moderation…. right 🙂 ?!

I was craving falafel a while back but didn’t have any pita bread.  I had a ton of corn tortillas, so I thought “Duh, TACOS!”  Pretty much anything is good served as a taco.  When I made these tacos the first time, my husband wasn’t sure what to think but then he tried a bite and said “Yeah, this totally works”!  I actually saved a few Weight Watchers SmartPoints by using corn tortillas instead of pita bread.  I also had a jar of my Homemade Tzatziki Sauce on hand so I thought it would be perfect to add the sauce the tacos.

Hot sauce just didn’t make sense so this sauce is perfect as a taco topper!  I like to make a big batch of this sauce and serve it all week with Healthy Chicken Gyros, Greek Turkey Burgers, or Baked Feta Greek Fries.  This sauce is decadent, easy to make, and seriously delicious.

I like making falafel at home because I can bake it rather that fry it, which is a healthier version of falafel.  I also like to make big batches and freeze some of the falafel balls so that I can a quick weeknight meal anytime I want (because I ALWAYS have tortillas on hand… HELLO I’m from Texas 🙂 ).  Believe it or not, falafel is pretty easy to make at home y’all!  To a food processor, add cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, seasonings, and canned chickpeas.

Pulse all the ingredients in the food processor until well blended.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop out batter to make 30 falafel balls and lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  I recommend freezing the falafel balls for at least 30 minutes to help them firm up before baking.

The falafel balls will bake for 40 minutes.  If you don’t want to bake all the falafel, just put the falafel balls into a ziplock bag and freeze.  Great for a quick weeknight meal later!!  The Homemade Tzatziki Sauce is just as easy to make as the falafel balls.  I definitely recommend making this sauce for the tacos… it really takes the tacos up a notch!

This is the perfect meal idea when you are craving Greek food and tacos.  Crispy baked falafel topped with creamy tzatziki sauce and wrapped in a corn tortilla make for the perfect dinner!  I like to serve my tacos with romaine lettuce, chopped roma tomatoes, a couple teaspoons of Homemade Tzatziki Sauce, and a sprinkle of feta cheese.  Great idea for Meatless Monday and Taco Tuesday!

I hope you enjoy these bites of flavor!

Baked Falafel Tacos

A unique twist to healthy tacos at home.  Crispy baked falafel topped with creamy tzatziki sauce and wrapped in a corn tortilla make for the perfect dinner.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 1 hr 25 mins

Course Main Course

Servings 7 Tacos

Ingredients

  

• ½ Cup Cilantro
• 3 Cloves Garlic
• 1 ½ Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 2 Teaspoon Cumin
• 28 Ounces Canned Chickpeas, Rinsed and drained
• ½ Cup Bread Crumbs
• 7 Corn Tortillas (I prefer Mission Ultra-Thin Corn Tortillas)

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Combine cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and cumin to food processor and pulse.
• Add chickpeas and pulse until well combined.
• Transfer to a bowl, add breadcrumbs and mix well.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Form mixture into 30 balls with cookie scoop.
• Freeze for 30 minutes.
• Bake in oven for 40 minutes, flipping half way through.
• Char tortillas on gas stove on low heat for 2 minutes on each side. If you do not have a gas stove, heat tortillas in skillet over low heat for 4 minutes on each side.

Notes

This recipe makes 4 falafel balls per taco. The falafel can be frozen- Once the balls are frozen on the baking sheet per the recipe instructions, just add the falafel balls you want to freeze to a large ziplock bag and store in the freezer. Be sure to write on the bag the cooking directions (Bake at 375 for 40 minutes).

I did not add the Homemade Tzatziki Sauce to the nutrition calculator for this recipe. If you add less than 1 tablespoon of the Tzatziki Sauce to each taco, there will be zero SmartPoints added... bonus!

Nutrition is based on the Weight Watchers Freestyle Program guidelines. Nutrition calculated using Weight Watchers calculator.

NUTRITION: Serves 7, 1 Taco & 4 Falafel Per Serving- (2 SmartPoints Per Serving) CALORIES: 71 FAT: 0.9 SATURATED FAT: 0.1 CARBS: 13.6 FIBER: 1.7 SUGARS: 1.5 PROTEIN: 2

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Helpful kitchen tools to make this recipe:

• Food Processor
• Cookie Scoop
• Baking Sheet

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