The BEST falafel sandwich starts with fresh ground chickpeas. Bright herbs, all the veggies, a special thick and tangy falafel sauce, and the perfect roll make this sandwich exceptional. Dairy-free and vegan.
Soak chickpeas overnight in at least 4 cups of water. You can soak for 12 hours or longer in the refrigerator. Rinse chickpeas and drain well.
Prepare zucchini
Grate zucchini on the large end of a box grater. Measure out 2 cups and place it in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Stir with a fork. Let sit for 15 minutes while making sauce and slicing veggies.
Make thick tahini sauce
Squeeze lemon juice and measure out ¼cup. Peel and press garlic cloves.
Whisk together the ingredients for the falafel sauce. Taste, and adjust the consistency if needed. You can add a little more olive oil or water if it's too thick, but keep it spreadable.
Slice sandwich add-ins
Slice tomato, avocado, and red onion. Separate lettuce leaves and keep it all chilled while making falafel.
Squeeze water from zucchini
This step is important. Remove all the liquid from the zucchini. Scoop a handful at a time and squeeze hard to press dry. Hold squeezed zucchini aside to add at the end of grinding the falafel mix.
Grind Falafel Mix
Place soaked and drained chickpeas in a food processor. Grind to a medium-fine meal. It should be uniform but still have a texture like cracked bulgur wheat or ten-grain cereal.
Add green onions, parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, coriander, chili powder, and olive oil. Pulse until uniformly flecked with green.
Add squeezed zucchini and pulse a few strokes to mix. Leave some texture to the zucchini.
Shape and fry falafel
See the recipe notes below for tips on shaping and frying.
Pack the falafel mixture firmly into a ½ cup measure. Tap the cup on a cutting board or parchment-lined work surface to release patties. Shape patties ½ inch thick and size them to fit sandwich rolls.
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large cast iron or steel frying pan over medium heat. Add patties 2 or 3 at a time. Fry the first side until the edges are golden. Flip and flatten slightly. Finish cooking until both sides are browned and golden.
Assemble sandwiches
Spread rolls generously on both sides with falafel sauce. Layer lettuce, tomato, and onion on top. Add hot falafel patties and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe tipsPrep your sauce and slice your sandwich fixings before frying falafel.Squeeze zucchini firmly to extract all the water after it is salted.Grind chickpeas by themselves to a coarse meal before adding other ingredients.Keep texture in the mixture, and it will fry up lighter. Don't grind it smooth.Oil a measuring cup before scooping the mixture into it.Pack the falafel tightly into the measuring cup.Tap the cup with a firm hand over a parchment-lined cutting board to release the contents.Shape into patties sized to fit your ciabatta bread.Fry falafel burgers in olive oil until the edges are golden.Flip falafel burgers by using two spatulas, one on top and one below.Fresh bread is essential for your sandwich.