Low Sodium Falafel with Tahini Sauce

Total time8 hr 50 min

Prep time30 min

Cook time20 min

Dried chickpeas get soaked until tender, then blitzed with a big handful of parsley and cilantro, garlic, onion, cumin, coriander, and a touch of cayenne until the mixture turns into coarse, fragrant crumbs. A short chill firms everything up before each portion gets pressed into rough balls and fried until deeply golden and shatteringly crisp on the outside, with a tender, herb-flecked center. The tahini sauce alongside is silky and bright, built from tahini, fresh lemon juice, and grated garlic whisked with cold water until it turns pourable and glossy. Pile the finished falafel into warm pita with sliced tomato and extra parsley, or eat them straight off the rack while they're still crackling hot. This one’s a genuinely satisfying pick for anyone managing an added salt diet, since the flavor comes through loud and clear from the herbs, spices, and that deep golden fry rather than leaning on the salt shaker. It’s the kind of homemade falafel that proves flavor-forward cooking doesn’t need to be heavy-handed.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the falafel

1 ½ cups dried chickpeas
24 Mantra Organic Chickpea Kabuli Chana Signature SELECT Beans Garbanzo - 16 Oz Eden Organic Garbanzo Beans, 16 oz Iberia Chickpeas Beans SIMPLi Regenerative Organic Chickpeas, 12 oz
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½ medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
Chef's tip
Season to taste - salt substitutes can taste bitter in larger amounts, so start with less.
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
neutral oil, for frying (such as canola oil or vegetable oil)

For the tahini sauce

½ cup tahini
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1 garlic clove, finely grated or minced
¼ tsp salt
Chef's tip
Season to taste - salt substitutes can taste bitter in larger amounts, so start with less.
4–6 tbsp cold water, as needed

For serving

warm pita bread, for serving (optional)
Omit this
This ingredient likely doesn’t work for the diet.
sliced tomatoes, for serving (optional)
fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1
Place the dried chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with at least 3 inches of cold water. Soak at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight, until the chickpeas have roughly doubled in size and are tender enough to pierce with a fingernail but still raw at the center. Drain and pat dry.
2
Make the tahini sauce: whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, grated garlic, and 1/4 tsp salt in a small bowl. The mixture will seize and thicken. Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition, until the sauce is smooth, pourable, and coats the back of a spoon — about 4–6 tablespoons total. Taste and adjust salt or lemon juice. Set aside.

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