Baked Falafel Bento

Sep 10, 2018 (Last updated Jan 3, 2023) by Hannah Sunderani

Hi everyone! Hope you’re having a fab start to the week. This Monday I’m sharing with you my Baked Falafel Bento Recipe! I think these falafels might be familiar to you by now – they appeared in my ULTIMATE BAKED FALAFELS recipe a couple weeks ago. And ever since I’ve got this recipe on repeat. They are SO good.

What I love about falafels are just how versatile they can be for a delicious lunch or dinner. I love them wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla, stuffed with fresh veg like in this original recipe. Or, tossed into a salad with quinoa for a delicious falafel bento box. The bento is a slightly lighter option, making it perfect for lunch during the work week when we are sitting at our desk job all day.

As you may have read from my previous post, it took me ages to get on the falafel bandwagon. Although I love falafels, I never wanted to make them myself – they seemed too tedious and time consuming. Turns out I couldn’t have been more mistaken. Making falafel is actually SO easy!! Proof is in the fact that I made them three times last week. Falafel obsessed? I know. But this recipe is truly too good to stop.  If you have a food processor or blender you are set to make these quick and delicious falafels in 30 minutes. The recipe is a superb blend: starting with canned chickpeas and oats. Then adding flavour with herbs and spices like fresh parsley, nutritional yeast, cumin, coriander and cardamom. It’s what gives your falafel lots of taste. I absolutely loved this blend for a gourmet recipe.

What I also love about this recipes is that the falafels are baked instead of deep fried. Most falafel, if not all that you get at restaurants are deep-fried. I love falafel, but I HATE deep fried food. I know I’m weird! But for some reason whenever I eat fried foods I feel each bite oozes oil, and I hate the aftertaste it leaves in my mouth. To me, the baked version is MUCH yummier because you can really taste the herbs and spices.

Baking the falafel instead of deep frying makes them so much healthier too! In fact, there isn’t much oil in this recipe at all. I only used about a tablespoon in the recipe, and then a little bit to paint the balls for a beautiful golden colour when roasted.

The falafels will also last in the fridge for one week. So it’s an easy lunch or dinner recipe that you can make in bulk, and enjoy throughout the week. This recipe makes about 16-18 falafels, perfect for leftovers. For the bentos I’ve tossed in quinoa, mixed greens, purple cabbage, carrot, avocado and falafel. Then I’ve drizzled it with my citrus tahini dressing. It’s a simple blend of tahini, lemon, and sea salt. Although simple it’s one you don’t want to miss. It adds a beautiful creaminess to the falafel bento, and pairs so well with its savoury flavours.

Awww yeah!

And that’s all there is to it for an easy, healthy, and wicked week-day recipe. I hope you enjoy this Baked Falafel Bento for lunch or dinner throughout the week. And, if you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I love hearing from you. And of course, tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.