Baked falafel lunchboxes with tzatziki and rainbow salad
Crunchy, oven-baked falafels with herby tzatziki and a colourful salad — ideal make-ahead school lunchboxes.
These baked falafels are a school-lunch superhero: crunchy, herby and much kinder to the waistline than deep-frying. They keep well, travel neatly and please fussy and adventurous eaters alike.
Make them the night before, pack a separate pot of tzatziki and some crisp salad for a balanced lunchbox that reheats little and tastes great cold. Perfect for meal-prep Sundays or a busy weekday morning.
Ingredients
- 250 g dried chickpeas
- 1 brown onion — small
- 3 garlic cloves
- 20 g fresh parsley
- 20 g fresh coriander
- 30 g plain flour
- 5 ml bicarbonate of soda
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml ground coriander
- 5 ml sea salt
- 5 ml black pepper
- 30 ml olive oil — for brushing and dressing
- 200 g Greek-style natural yoghurt
- 1 small cucumber — use part grated for tzatziki, remainder sliced for salad
- 1 lemon
- 150 g cherry tomatoes
- 1 medium carrot
- 40 g rocket
- 6 mini pitta breads
Equipment
- food processor
- baking tray
- grater
- small airtight pots for dip
Instructions
Place the dried chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Leave to soak for 8 hours or overnight.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas well. Roughly chop the brown onion. Put chickpeas, brown onion, 2 garlic cloves (peeled), fresh parsley, fresh coriander, plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, ground cumin, ground coriander, sea salt and black pepper into a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the mixture holds together but is still slightly coarse — it should not become a smooth paste.
Tip the mixture into a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional and line a baking tray with baking paper. Shape the chilled mixture into small balls or flat patties (about 20–24 pieces) using damp hands.
Place the falafels on the prepared tray, brush lightly with olive oil and bake for 25 minutes, turning once halfway through, until golden and firm.
While the falafels bake, make the tzatziki: grate about half the cucumber, squeeze out excess water in kitchen paper, then mix with Greek-style natural yoghurt, 1 finely minced garlic clove, the juice of half the lemon (about 15 ml), 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Chill until needed.
Prepare the salad while the falafels finish: peel and cut the carrot into sticks, slice the remaining cucumber and halve the cherry tomatoes. Toss carrot, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and rocket with a squeeze of the remaining lemon and a light pinch of sea salt.
Warm the mini pitta breads in the oven for the last 2 minutes of the falafel bake time, then remove everything and leave to cool slightly before packing.
Assemble lunchboxes: 1–2 mini pittas per person, 4–6 falafels, a small pot of tzatziki and a portion of the salad. Let everything cool to room temperature before sealing airtight containers for school.
Tips
- If mixture feels too wet after pulsing, add a little more plain flour 1 tsp at a time — too much at once makes dry falafels.
- Use kitchen paper to really squeeze grated cucumber for tzatziki — excess moisture is the most common cause of a watery dip.
- Bake on a lined tray and turn halfway for even colour; if you prefer a crisper exterior, finish under a hot grill for 1–2 minutes (watch closely).
- Make ahead: falafels keep in the fridge for 3 days or freeze cooked falafels on a tray then bag for up to 1 month.
- Pack tzatziki in a small, leakproof pot separate from pittas and salad to avoid sogginess.
Substitutions
dried chickpeas → tinned chickpeas, drained and well rinsed (use 2 x 400 g tins, drained weight approx 480 g) — reduce or omit bicarbonate of soda
Noticeably differentmini pitta breads → small wholemeal wraps or flatbreads (6 pieces)
Stays closeGreek-style natural yoghurt → unsweetened dairy-free yoghurt (200 g) for a dairy-free tzatziki
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 531
- Calories
- 21 g
- Protein
- 78 g
- Carbs
- 15 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 420 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I use a food mixer instead of a food processor?
A food mixer with a chopping blade can work but pulse in short bursts and check texture often — you want coarse crumbs, not a paste.
How can I make these vegan?
Use a dairy-free yoghurt for the tzatziki substitute and follow the recipe otherwise — falafels are already vegan before adding yoghurt.
Will these keep warm in a lunchbox?
They’re best eaten at room temperature. Use an insulated lunchbox to keep other items cool if needed, but aim to let falafels cool to room temperature before packing.
My falafels fall apart — what went wrong?
Most likely over-wet mixture or under-processing. Ensure chickpeas were soaked (not tinned), pulse to a coarse bindable texture and chill the mix before shaping.
Community Photos
No photos yet
Be the first to share your creation!
Rate this recipe
More like this
Wild garlic pesto pasta with peas, lemon and toasted walnuts
