Sweet potato falafels made entirely from scratch that are crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside tucked inside little pita pockets loaded with fresh toppings.

Falafels are a great vegan and vegetarian friendly alternative that have easily become our go-to favorite meal. The flavors go so well together that it’s almost ridiculous that they are meat free. How can something this delicious be made without meat. Mind blowing I know..

Since making the switch to be more plant-forward and vegetarian (only one of us still..) I’ve found that a lot of great dishes come from meat free ingredients.  Because meat is general too expensive it becomes important to season properly and use fresh ingredients to create something that’s affordable and delicious. Takeout falafel shops seem to be popping up everywhere. Their deep fried balls with pillowy soft centers bursting with fresh herbs can be addicting and is one of the best fast-food alternatives for veggie lovers. To us, eating out isn’t a regular occurrence. All things can be made at home and adapted to your taste you just need to set aside some time. Sure it isn’t as convenient but neither is spending all your money eating out.

If you’ve never made falafels before don’t worry there isn’t anything hard about it and not at all complicated. All you need is a food processor. The falafel magic happens in there and all you’re left with doing is just tossing in the ingredients and getting them ready. What we like to do is blend everything in the food processor and leave it in it’s container and letting it cool in the refrigerator prior to rolling out the balls. This is especially handy when baking because we’re not frying, our falafels don’t get as crispy and are a bit softer. The uncooked mixture can be a little sticky to work with which becomes easier when handling a mixture that’s been chilled.  Letting the mixture cool with also help maintain their shape and hold better together rather than rolling out the balls immediately and baking.

To save on time you can use store bought hummus rather than making your own. If you need a recipe for hummus we’ve got one here.

We hope you enjoy these!

Print Recipe

sweet potato falafel pocket

easy, gluten-free, vegan

Servings: 15

Author: the communal feast

Ingredients

• For the falafel
• 1 large sweet potato skin removed. cooked and mashed
• 1 14 oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed. Reserve 1/3 cup of the water
• ½ cup cilantro
• ¼ cup parsley
• 2 garlic clove
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp coriander
• ½ tsp paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 TBS tahini
• ½ lemon juiced
• For the pocket fixings
• hot peppers
• avocado
• tomato
• watermelon radish
• spinach
• hummus store bought or homemade
• garlic sauce we used farmboy steakhouse garlic
• pita bread

Instructions

• 1. Cook the sweet potato: wrap in paper towel and lightly dampen. Pierce potato with fork a few times and cook in microwave for 5 minutes per side flipping once. (10 minutes total depending on size of potato) Remove and let cool slightly. Cut down the middle and scoop out the mashed potato into a mixing bowl.
• 2. To make the falafels: in a food processor combine all of the remaining ingredients, blend until combined and you are able to press some of the mixture together. Add to the sweet potato mixing bowl and combine using your hands. Form into 1-2 inch balls depending on preference in size, placing on a baking sheet. Lightly press down on the balls to form a patty. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• 3. For air fryer: Lightly spray with non stick cooking and bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
• 4. For oven: Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 20 minutes flipping half way.
• 5. To assemble the pockets: cut the peta bread in half, fill with hummus, spinach, tomato, avocado, radish, add falafel and top with hot peppers and garlic sauce.