Fish Free Vegan Falafel Skewers with Tahini Sauce
Crispy on the outside, herby and tender within, these chickpea skewers are the kind of crowd-pleasing dish that disappears fast at any table. The falafel mixture gets its depth from fresh parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, and a touch of smoked paprika, all blitzed together and pan-fried until deeply golden. Alternating the falafel balls with cool cucumber chunks, sweet red bell pepper, and juicy cherry tomatoes makes each skewer a little flavor adventure in every bite. The tahini sauce — whisked together with fresh lemon juice, grated garlic, and just enough cold water to make it silky and pourable — ties everything together beautifully. Every single ingredient here is plant-based and entirely free from seafood or fish-derived products, so there's no label-scanning or substitution stress involved. This is genuinely one of those recipes where doing it from scratch is easier than it sounds, and the results are so much better than anything pre-made. Serve them on a platter with extra sauce on the side and a few lemon wedges, and watch them vanish.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the falafel
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¾ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ⅓ cup neutral oil (such as canola or sunflower), for pan-frying
For the tahini sauce
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- 3–4 tbsp cold water, to thin
- ¼ tsp salt
For the skewers
- 1 medium english cucumber, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Spread the drained chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and pat thoroughly dry — excess moisture will prevent the falafel from holding together. Let them air-dry for 10 minutes.
- 2
Add the chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, garlic, onion, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cayenne, and salt to a food processor. Pulse in short bursts, 10–12 times, until the mixture resembles coarse, slightly damp sand — it should hold together when pressed between your fingers but not be a smooth paste. Scrape down the sides as needed.
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