Sweet Potato Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce
Sweet Potato Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce Recipe: The best deep-fried (or baked) falafel with a soft zesty interior. Plus, it’s gluten free!
Sweet Potato Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce Recipe
Just imagine biting into a crispy brown falafel, to discover the inside isn’t dry and dense. Instead it is moist with a slightly sweet essence, kissed with Mediterranean spices.
Falafel has a tendency to either be one of two things… Shockingly tender and irresistible, or dry and lackluster.
Sadly, I find most restaurant falafel to be the latter.
However, today I’m going to show you how to make the most dazzling falafel at home, using fry oil and a thermometer…
Or simplified in your oven.
The secret is found in sweet potatoes.
You see, most falafel recipes are primarily made up of A) chickpeas, which are naturally dry and starchy, and B) chickpea flour which is also very dry.
So you have to add in enough liquid ingredients to make the batter moist without falling apart, or your falafel will turn out… You guessed it, DRY.
This is actually harder than most cooks realize.
When making traditional falafel you have to start with dried chickpeas and soak them. Then you have to know what the consistency of the mixture should look and feel like, to ensure they turn out soft after cooking.
However, when you add in sweet potatoes everything changes.
- You no longer need dried chickpeas soaked overnight. You can use pre-cooked canned chickpeas.
- You no longer have to worry about moisture.
- And you end up with more depth of flavor than traditional falafel.
You can keep our Sweet Potato Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce gluten free, just like traditional falafel, by using chickpea flour (or gluten free baking flour) to coat the dough balls before frying.
How To Make Sweet Potato Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce
- Roast the sweet potatoes. You need to add pre-cooked soft sweet potatoes to the falafel dough.
- Puree the ingredients. Place all the ingredients for the falafel in a food processor.
- Roll into balls. The dough will be very moist, so expect messy hands. Roll the dough into balls, then coat each ball in extra chickpea flour or gluten free baking flour.
- Cook! You can either fry or bake your Sweet Potato Falafel. The fried falafel offers better color and texture on the outside. The baked falafel are lighter in fat. Yet both methods, turn out delicious falafel!
See the Full (Printable) Sweet Potato Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce Recipe Below!
More Healthy Vegetarian Snacks
- Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Dressing
- Tabbouleh with Feta and Endive
- No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls
- Healthy Baked Banana Chips
- Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetable Polenta Stacks
- Baked “Fried” Pickles with Garlic Sauce
- Zesty Baked Onion Rings
Sweet Potato Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Falafel:
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 14 ounce canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup gluten free baking flour, divided (or chickpea flour)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- Oil for Frying
For the Tzatziki Sauce:
- 1 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 cup shredded cucumber
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until very soft, 50-60 minutes.
- For the Tzatziki Sauce: In a medium mixing bowl, measure the yogurt, cucumber, lemon zest, dill, garlic and salt. Mix well. Then refrigerate until ready to serve.
- To a food processor, add the chickpeas, 1/2 cup gluten free baking flour or chickpea flour, garlic, parsley, and all spices. Once the sweet potatoes are soft, peel them and measure 1 1/2 cups packed sweet potato into the food processor. Puree until very smooth.
- Place the remaining 1/2 cup gluten free baking flour (or chickpea flour) into a shallow bowl. Use a 1.5 tablespoon scoop to portion out the dough. Roll into balls with your hands, then roll them in flour to coat. Shake off the excess flour, and repeat. *The dough will still be moist and tacky, so the rolling can get messy.
- FRYING INSTRUCTIONS: Set a large pot over medium-high heat. Clip a cooking thermometer on the side of the pot and add about 2 inches of frying oil. Once the oil reaches 375 degrees F, carefully drop 5-6 falafel balls into the oil. Stir so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot, then fry for 3-4 minutes until teddy bear brown. Remove the falafel with a slotted spoon or skimmer, and set them on paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining falafel.
- BAKING INSTRUCTIONS: Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Brush oil liberally over the bottom of a large rimmed baking sheet. Shake off all excess flour coating the falafel and place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake another 10 minutes.
- Serve warm with tzatziki sauce for dunking! These can be made and reheated several days later.
Notes
Nutrition
Making this recipe? Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you’re cooking!
These were incredibly delicious! I tried deep frying first but the moisture created a boiling fizz in the oil that basically tore them apart. So I end up baking them basted in the oil which still turned out well.
what a great dish using one of my favorites, sweet potato in addition to chickpeas for moisture and, of course, better flavor than pure chickpea falafels and with tzatziki, even better, thank you!
I grew up eating falafel, but never thought about incorporating sweet potatoes into it. Such a great idea.
This was so good! They quickly disappeared in my house!!
My whole family can’t stop talking about these SO GOOD.
These are my new favorite falafels! SO tasty!!
I use a commercial falafel mix that uses 1 cup of mix and 3/4 cup water, let stand 20 min.
I was wondering if you could use the mix, reduce the water and still use the sweet potatoes?
Hi Mark,
I have never tried that so I have no idea, but it would be worth a shot. If you give it a go, please report back! :)