Falafel Recipes and Serving Ideas
Falafel is one of the most versatile things you can have in your freezer. It goes into wraps, salad bowls, mezze platters, and burgers. It cooks from frozen in under six minutes. It's vegan, gluten-free, and genuinely filling. And when it's made properly, from whole soaked chickpeas with fresh herbs and authentic spices, it tastes completely different from anything you'll find in a supermarket.
This guide covers everything you need to cook and serve Almaz Foods falafel at home, from the two cooking methods to six complete serving ideas, sauce pairings, and the falafel burger.
Two Ways to Cook Falafel from Frozen
Almaz Foods falafel comes in two formats. Both cook straight from the freezer, no defrosting needed.
Frozen, Non-Fried
The raw frozen format. Fry at 170°C for 5 minutes until deep golden and crispy on the outside. This is the traditional falafel cook, the result you'd get at a Lebanese street food stall. The outside crisps up properly, the inside stays moist.
Frozen, Ready to Heat
Already cooked, just needs reheating. Air fryer at 190°C for 3 minutes, or oven at 200°C for 8 minutes. Microwave works in 1 minute if you're in a hurry. Best for quick weeknight meals when you don't want to get the fryer out.
- Never defrost before cooking, frozen is the correct starting point for both formats
- For the non-fried format, make sure your oil is up to temperature before adding falafel, too cool and they absorb oil instead of crisping
- Don't overcrowd the fryer, falafel needs space to brown evenly
- Rest for 1 minute after cooking before serving, the filling continues cooking briefly and sets properly
- Leftover falafel reheats well in an air fryer for 2 minutes the next day
Six Ways to Serve Falafel
Falafel works at every meal and in most formats. These are the six serving ideas we come back to most, from the classic Lebanese wrap to a full mezze spread.
Falafel Wrap or Pitta
The original Lebanese street food format. Warm flatbread or pitta, falafel, hummus, and whatever pickles and salad you have. Takes about ten minutes from frozen to table.
- 4 falafel per wrap
- Warm flatbread or pitta
- Hummus, generous
- Shredded iceberg or romaine lettuce
- Sliced tomato
- Pickled red cabbage or turnip
- Tahini drizzle to finish
- Spread hummus across the warm flatbread
- Add shredded lettuce and tomato
- Place falafel down the centre
- Add pickles on top
- Drizzle tahini across everything
- Wrap tightly and serve immediately
Falafel Salad Bowl
A complete meal in one bowl. Grains or greens as the base, falafel on top, and a tahini dressing that ties everything together. High protein, fully vegan, genuinely satisfying.
- 5 falafel per bowl
- Couscous, bulgur, or mixed leaves as base
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Cucumber, diced
- Red onion, thinly sliced
- Fresh parsley or mint
- Tahini dressing (tahini, lemon, garlic, water)
- 3 tbsp tahini
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed
- 3-4 tbsp cold water
- Pinch of salt
- Whisk until smooth and pourable
Lebanese Mezze Plate
Falafel as the centrepiece of a shared Lebanese mezze. The format that shows falafel at its best, surrounded by the dips, pickles, and bread it was designed to be eaten with. Perfect for two people or a small group.
- 6 falafel, arranged centrally
- Large portion of hummus
- Labneh or thick Greek yoghurt
- Warm flatbread, torn
- Olives
- Pickled turnip or cucumber
- Fresh mint and lemon wedges
- Tabbouleh on the side
- Baba ganoush
- Roasted red pepper strips
- Pine nuts over the hummus
- Pomegranate seeds for colour
- Good olive oil drizzled across
Falafel with Hummus and Flatbread
The simplest version and often the best. Three ingredients, ten minutes, no cooking beyond the falafel itself. A proper lunch rather than a sandwich.
- 4 falafel
- Good-quality shop-bought hummus
- Warm flatbread or pitta
- Lemon wedge
- Olive oil drizzle
- Pinch of paprika over the hummus
- Hummus and falafel are both chickpea-based, same flavour family
- The warm flatbread softens slightly against the hot falafel
- Lemon lifts both elements
- Takes longer to eat than to prepare
Falafel with Yoghurt Dip
Four falafel as a starter, served with a simple yoghurt and mint dip. Works as a dinner party starter, a mezze component, or a snack that feels more considered than crisps.
- 4 falafel per person
- Greek yoghurt or labneh
- Dried mint
- Good olive oil
- Lemon wedges
- Warm flatbread on the side
- 4 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
- 1 tsp dried mint, crushed
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Small pinch of salt
- Drizzle of olive oil to finish
- Stir and serve immediately
Falafel Fingers with Dipping Sauces
Falafel works very well for children, no meat, no nuts, naturally gluten-free, and finger-food friendly. A good alternative to chicken nuggets that introduces genuine flavour without the processing.
- 4-5 falafel per child
- Hummus as primary dip
- Mild yoghurt dip
- Cucumber batons and carrot sticks
- Warm pitta cut into strips
- Almaz Foods falafel contains no nuts
- Naturally gluten-free, suitable for coeliacs
- Ready-to-heat format takes 1 minute in microwave
- High protein and iron from chickpeas
What to Serve with Falafel
Falafel is bold enough to stand alone, but it reaches its best alongside the right sauces and sides. These are the pairings used in Lebanese cooking, all of which are either widely available in UK supermarkets or straightforward to make.
Tahini Sauce
The essential pairing. Sesame paste, lemon juice, garlic, water. Nutty, sharp, and rich. Drizzle over the top or serve alongside for dipping. Available ready-made in most supermarkets, or make it in under two minutes.
Hummus
Chickpea-based, like falafel, so the flavours reinforce each other. Use a good-quality shop-bought hummus or make your own. The richness of the hummus balances the crispy exterior of the falafel perfectly.
Labneh
Strained yoghurt, thick and creamy, with a gentle sourness that cuts through the richness of the falafel. Widely available in Middle Eastern shops and increasingly in UK supermarkets. Serve with dried mint and olive oil.
Yoghurt and Mint
The quick version of labneh. Thick Greek yoghurt, dried mint, lemon. Ready in thirty seconds. Works particularly well with falafel served as a starter or alongside kubbeh on a mezze plate.
Pomegranate Molasses
A Lebanese staple: sweet, sour, and deeply fruity. A teaspoon drizzled over falafel on a mezze plate adds colour and a flavour contrast that lifts the whole dish. Available in most UK supermarkets.
Pickled Turnip
Bright pink from beetroot, crunchy, and sharp. The traditional Lebanese accompaniment to falafel in a wrap. The acidity cuts through the richness and adds texture. Find it in Middle Eastern shops or online.
"The best falafel plate is less about the falafel and more about everything around it. The dips, the bread, the pickles, get those right and the falafel takes care of itself."
The Lebanese Falafel Burger
The Almaz Foods Falafel Burger is the same traditional falafel recipe pressed into a larger patty format. It's designed to sit in a burger bun and hold its own against any meat option on the table. Crispy exterior, dense and flavourful inside, vegan and gluten-free.
The Bun
Brioche works best, its slight sweetness complements the spiced falafel. Toasted sesame buns are also good. Toast the cut side in a dry pan for a minute before building.
The Sauce Layer
Tahini sauce on the base bun, generous. This replaces the mayonnaise in a standard burger and is far better with falafel. Hummus also works as an alternative.
The Filling
Falafel burger patty, shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato, pickled red cabbage or cucumber, thinly sliced red onion. Keep it simple, the falafel is the flavour.
The Finish
A second drizzle of tahini over the filling before the top bun goes on. Optional: a few rings of pickled jalapeño for heat.
The falafel burger also works well as a pitta wrap, halved and served with tahini slaw on the side, or as a standalone plate with fattoush salad and a lemon wedge.
- Quarter of a white cabbage, very thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 3 tbsp tahini, juice of 1 lemon, 1 garlic clove crushed, 3 tbsp water, salt
- Whisk the dressing, toss through the cabbage and carrot
- Rest for 10 minutes before serving, the cabbage softens slightly and absorbs the dressing
What Makes Almaz Foods Falafel Different
Almaz Foods Traditional Falafel is made from whole soaked chickpeas, not chickpea flour. This is the authentic Lebanese method, the one that produces a falafel with a genuinely moist interior and a proper crispy exterior. Chickpea flour falafel, which is what most supermarket versions use, tends to be denser and drier.
The spice mix follows a traditional Lebanese recipe: cumin, coriander, parsley, fresh herbs, and a spice blend that has been refined by the family behind Almaz Foods. No artificial flavourings, no preservatives, no nuts added.
Made at our SALSA-certified production kitchen in Kirkcaldy, Fife. Frozen at peak quality, which means the falafel you cook at home tastes the same as it would straight from a Lebanese kitchen.