This Roasted Carrot Falafel Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing is light, fresh and flavorful! It’s a filling vegetarian salad that is great for lunch or dinner.
In case you weren’t aware, falafels are pretty much the best food ever! My mom made them for us when we were kids and I haven’t stopped eating them since. I’ve been wanting to make a traditional falafel recipe for blog for a while now, but then I got this idea for roasted carrot falafel and I couldn’t shake it!
And I must say that I’m glad I didn’t because these falafels are seriously delicious! I’ve also been on a ‘drizzle tahini over everything’ kick lately, so this roasted carrot falafel salad with citrus tahini dressing took care of all my cravings in one big, bright salad. Most falafels that you get at a restaurant are fried, which is delicious and creates a really crispy crust, but as great as it tastes, deep frying at home is a huge mess and makes the entire house smell like a fast food restaurant. I decided to cook these falafels in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil. They browned right up and the center stayed soft without having to cook them in a bunch of extra oil.
We don’t go out to eat often, but when we do our favorite place is this little Greek place downtown right near the university and I always get the falafel salad. It is pretty much as big as my head and the falafels are crispy on the outside and soft and delicious on the inside. The salad is covered with huge chunks of feta, cherry tomatoes, red onions, and kalamata olives with the pit still in, just like they should be! And as much as my stomach resists, I eat the entire thing because everyone knows that salad doesn’t keep well for leftovers 🙂
Roasted Carrot Falafel Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 4 cups diced carrots
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for cooking with
- 1 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons flour, gluten free if necessary
- 1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, depending on your heat level
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2/3 cup cilantro leaves
Citrus Tahini Dressing:
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3–6 tablespoons water, depending on how thick you would like the dressing
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Salad Ingredients:
- 6 cups spring mix, or desired lettuce
- 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup sliced cucumber
- 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place diced carrots on a large sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat and roast for about 25 minutes, until carrots are fork tender. Let cool for a few minutes.
- Add the rest of the falafel ingredients plus the carrots to a food processor and process for 30 seconds – 1 minute, until everything is mixed together. You can leave it however chunky you would like. Scoop mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Remove mixture from the refrigerator and, using your hands, form into small balls or disks, about 1 tablespoon per ball. Place falafels on a sheet pan lined with wax or parchment paper and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
- Heat a large pan to medium heat and add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Place falafels into the pan and cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side, until browned and heated through.
- Assemble the salad either in a large bowl or smaller serving bowls by layering lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomatoes, feta, falafels, and dressing with desired amount of dressing.
- Category: Salad, Gluten Free
I made this for Meatless Monday last night and really loved the flavors. I loved the leftovers for lunch today, too. You didn’t have any directions for how to make the dressing though. I just shook all the ingredients together but it could be a helpful step for some. I also used flax seed meal and it worked wonderful. I skipped the letting it sit in fridge because it was already taking quite a bit of time to make and they still fried up perfectly fine! I’ll be making this again in the future.
I made this last weekend and it lasted me until Wednesday! Amazingly tasty! I’ve never had falafel before and this was gorgeous. Thank you!
Hi Amy! Yah! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I love having leftover falafel for lunch too 🙂
Okay Izzy. Inspired here! I’ve not made falafel, ever. Not that I haven’t thought about it, just haven’t gone there yet. Love the pan frying and flavors you’ve combined. Serving them over spinach salad and with CITRUS tahini dressing is delicious! It sounds so, so good and makes a filling lunch or dinner! Thanks for this Izzy!
I had been thinking about making them for so long too, Traci and I’m so glad I finally did it! They were so good and the citrus tahini dressing really made this salad awesome!
Yes, falafel is the best food ever! This version sound amazing too, I will surely try it out!
Your pictures are beautiful, just like always 🙂
I’m so glad you agree! Isn’t it so good?!! Thank you so much for the kind words, Evi! 🙂
These roasted carrot falafels sound wonderful! I have to make my own falafels. I don’t know why I’ve never made them. Pinning it for later!
Thank you, Olivia! You have to make them! They are so easy and you can eat as many of them as you want 🙂
I love falafels but haven’t made them in far too long! I love the roasted carrots in here. That’s such a great idea especially with the tahini dressing! Love how pretty this salad is, what a fantastic meal!
I love them so much too, Kelly! The tahini dressing really pulls everything together and makes it delicious 🙂
I’ve never tried my hand at making falafel homemade, but I LOVE the stuff, so I’ll use this post as inspiration! That citrus tahini dressing sounds like a real game changer, girl! Bravo!
You must try it, Julia!! Except I should warn you that you might be making it everyday after you realize how easy it is!! Ohhhh, that dressing is so good you will want to put it in your morning smoothie 🙂
I haven’t had falafels in the longest time, Izzy! They are one of those dishes that I love every time I have it, though never think to make it. This salad looks gorgeous! I love the citrus dressing. Sounds so perfect with the falafels and veggies!
Me too, Gayle! I always think that I need to go out to eat to get them, but now I’ve been making them weekly at home!
I love falafel!! I made them once years ago before I was blogging and they were SO GOOD! I need to try again!! Love the roasted carrot in these… so unique!
You so need to try them again!! You will be making them all the time! The roasted carrots give it a little sweetness and goes really well with the citrus dressing 🙂
Falafel is one of my guilty pleasures that I somehow convince myself is a healthy option to order when we’re out…even if they’re fried haha! I love that these are baked. I’ve got to start making them at home! And this salad sounds amazing!
I always do that too, Alyssa! And then it kinda hit me the other day that they are deep fried and probably not as healthy as I thought they were, haha! They are still so good baked though and you don’t have to feel bad about eating all of them 🙂
I’ve never thought of putting a falafel in a salad before – that’s a great idea. I definitely agree about pan sautéing vs. deep frying. Deep frying is too complicated and messy – sautéing is the way to go. Looking forward to trying these, Izzy.
Falafel salads are the best!! It is so messy and makes the house smell like french fries, haha! Which can be good and bad 🙂 I hope you enjoy these if you try them!
Picture looks great! I’m now in the mood for falafel and tahini.
Thank you, Dad!! If you come visit I will make you some!
I am obsessed with falafel! Yours looks absolutely delicious – I love the idea of adding carrot! And I completely agree about the frying at home issue. I tried to fry some potatoes a few weeks ago, and it was a massive mess – and I think my hair smelled like oil the rest of the day! Great idea to lightly sautee these instead 🙂
I am so obsessed with it too, Julia!! Haha, I hate it when my hair and clothes smell like the food I’m cooking, especially when it is like fried food! The carrot makes them slightly sweet and so good 🙂
These roasted carrot falafels sound delicious! I’ve never made my own falafels, but you’ve inspired me to make them right away. And yes, tahini dressing on ev-er-y-thing!
Isn’t tahini dressing the best?!! You should totally make these when asap! You won’t regret it 🙂