An easy and delicious meatless meal prep, you’re going to want to make this Hummus and Falafel Meal Prep regularly!
Hummus and Falafel Meal Prep
I’ll admit I’m picky. I tend to make H take the first bite of anything if I’m unsure about an ingredient. I still remember the first time he took me to try shawarma, my first reaction was “um, there’s too many tomatoes in this” as I tried to pick them out. At first, I wasn’t sold but by the end of the meal, I loved it! And thus, my foray into Middle Eastern cuisine (outside of hummus lol) began.
This Hummus and Falafel Meal Prep was inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine (and how the line is always down the block for Maha’s for brunch and I really need some falafels in my life ASAP) and is one of the easiest meal preps I’ve done. I personally use dried chickpeas so I prep those in advance the night before using my Instant Pot but you can easily sub with canned chickpeas. Same goes for the hummus. I made my own but if you prefer, you can always use store-bought.
WHAT ARE FALAFELS?
Falafel is a deep fried ball, or a flat disc-like shaped patty, made from mashing together ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both with herbs, spices, and onion. I prefer to use just chickpeas and instead of deep frying them, I use an air fryer to cook my falafels.
What You’ll Need To Make This Falafel Recipe from Scratch
I used my Philips XXL air fryer but you can also bake these in the oven
- chickpeas: here’s how I prepare chickpeas from dried in the Instant Pot
- parsley
- cilantro
- garlic
- shallots
- salt & paprika
- chickpea flour: or use regular white flour if you do not have chickpea flour
- lemon juice
- hummus: here’s how I make my own hummus
- red onions
- cucumbers
What if I Don’t Have a Food Processor?
If you want to make falafel without a food processor, you could dice the shallots and garlic finely and mash everything together with a fork or potato masher.
How To Make This Hummus and Falafel Meal Prep
In a food processor, add in chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, garlic, shallots, salt, paprika, chickpea flours, and lemon juice. Pulse the mixture until it comes together. It should be like a rough paste and not smooth.
Scoop out the mixture with a large spoon and form a ball with each spoonful. If you prefer larger falafel balls, that’s up to you but it’ll need a longer cook time.
In an air fryer, spray some cooking oil and place each falafel into the basket, making sure they do not touch. Give the balls a spritz of cooking oil and air fry for 12 minutes at 350F. Open the basket and flip the balls around or give the basket a shake at the halfway mark.
If using an oven, bake for 20-25 minutes at 400F. Flip during the halfway mark.
When ready, serve with hummus, mini pitas, diced onions, and cucumbers.
Tips, Notes, and Substitutions
I’ve tried making these falafels with both regular flour and chickpea flour so you can do either or.
This is a falafel recipe without cumin. If you wish, 1 tsp of cumin is a nice addition to the falafels.
1 cup of dried chickpeas yield 3 cups cooked chickpeas so you’ll need 2 cups dried if you’re cooking from dried chickpeas.
I store my falafel meal prep in these airtight containers – it’s up to you if you’d like to pack your bread in advance in the container or not. You could also saran wrap your bread and pack it for your lunch separately.
For a bit of an extra kick, add in a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Tahini as a dip goes well with falafel as well!
Other Ways To Serve Falafel
- I use mini pita breads but it’s up to you what you’d like to use. For fun, I like to cut open my mini pita bread and put the falafel, hummus, red onion, and cucumbers inside for a nice bite-sized treat!
- You could also stuffed multiple falafels into a larger pita.
- It can be served with a salad
Can You Freeze Falafels?
To freeze falafels, place them on a parchment sheet on a sheet pan and freeze until frozen (around an hour) before transferring them to a freezer friendly bag. Freeze for up to 6 months. To reheat, simply place them back in the air fryer or oven and heat at 350 until warmed through.
Hummus and Falafel Meal Prep
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a food processor, add in chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, garlic, shallots, salt, paprika, chickpea flours, and lemon juice. Pulse the mixture until it comes together. It should be like a rough paste and not smooth.
- Scoop out the mixture with a large spoon and form a ball with each spoonful. If you prefer larger falafel balls, that's up to you but it'll need a longer cook time.
- In an air fryer, spray some cooking oil and place each falafel into the basket, making sure they do not touch. Give the balls a spritz of cooking oil and air fry for 12 minutes at 350F. Open the basket and flip the balls around or give the basket a shake at the halfway mark.
- If using an oven, bake for 20-25 minutes at 400F. Flip during the halfway mark.
- When ready, serve with hummus, mini pitas, diced onions, and cucumbers.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
RESOURCES AND TIPS FOR MEAL PREPPING
- How To Cook Chicken Breasts Perfectly
- What Is An Instant Pot
- Tips To Help You Meal Prep For The Week Successfully
- Tips for Meal Prepping on a Budget
- 7 Freezer Friendly Chicken Marinades
- 5 Freezer Friendly Marinades
- Meal Prep Support Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mealprepsupport/
MORE COLD LUNCH IDEAS TO TRY
- Cold Chicken Spinach Pasta Salad
- Chicken Pepperoni Pasta Salad
- Healthy Chicken Mason Jar Salad
- Cold Chicken Pasta with Broccoli and Peas
- Mango Chili Lime Chicken
- Cold Chicken Peanut Lime Noodles
Other places to connect with me
Instagram: @carmyshungry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmyycom
Email: [email protected]
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