Falafel Tacos with Avocado Zhoug and Yogurt Tahini Sauce

These Falafel Tacos with Avocado Zhoug and Yogurt Tahini Sauce will rock your world! Baked falafels are combined with zhoug (a spicy green condiment that has taken the culinary world by storm), zippy yogurt tahini sauce, pickled radishes, and vegetables on soft flour tortillas or taco shells for the ultimate fusion of Middle Eastern and Mexican cuisines!

Have you ever falafel-ed your tacos? Taco Tuesday may never be the same again.

It’s no secret that we love our tacos around here, as you may have noticed. But these ones just might be my best yet.

While decidedly untraditional, this falafel presentation is hard to beat. Crispy oven-baked falafels are layered atop soft tortillas along with spicy zhoug, tahini sauce, pickled radishes, and raw veggies. It’s a terrific way to fuse a traditionally Middle Eastern dish with a Mexican presentation, as well as to showcase some of the finest fresh summer vegetables and herbs: parsley, cabbage, radishes, and tomatoes!

Now, you may have noticed a rather odd-sounding component in this recipe: zhoug. If you follow culinary trends closely, you may have noticed this Yemeni condiment taking the world by storm in recent months! But just what is zhoug?

What is zhoug?

Zhoug is a new-to-me condiment! My first exposure to this sauce was at Fresh Restaurant last fall, and I was so intrigued, and my tastebuds so delighted, I knew that creating my own version for the blog was a must. But the first order of business was finding out what exactly zhoug is!

According to the talented folks at Epicurious, “Zhoug is a spicy herb sauce of Yemenite origin that you find in Syria and Israel. It’s often the go-to condiment for falafel and is eaten with bread for those who want heat with every bite.”

I dug deeper, and found that ingredients typically used in zhoug include garlic, chili pepper, and cilantro. My favourites! Because I did not have any jalapeno peppers on hand, I used cayenne for heat. If you do have jalapenos or other green hot peppers, feel free to use one of those in its place. I also used an avocado in my zhoug recipe to make it extra creamy and add a Mexican fusion element, but if you can use an extra tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil in its place if you desire.

how to make falafel tacos

To begin, prepare the falafels: Place chickpeas, tahini, ground flax, cumin, coriander, cardamom, salt, lemon juice, garlic, fresh parsley, and coconut aminos in a food processor. Pulse a few times to form a chunky dough and form into 26 balls. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.

While the falafels are baking, prepare the condiments: zhoug, yogurt tahini sauce, quick pickled radishes, and which ever raw vegetables you have on hand (I opted for purple cabbage and tomato).

Once the falafels have finished baking, warm up some corn or flour tortillas in the oven.

Load up your tortillas and eat immediately!

Falafel Tacos with Avocado Zhoug and Yogurt Tahini Sauce

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• Author: Allison
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4–6 servings 1x

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Description

Falafel Tacos with Avocado Zhoug and Yogurt Tahini Sauce are bursting with middle eastern flavours. They combine vibrant herbs, spice, zippy lemon, crunchy vegetables, and crispy oven-baked chickpea falafels into one delicious vessel. 

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Ingredients

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Oven-Baked Falafels

• 3 cups cooked chickpeas
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp ground flax
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• ⅛ tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped 
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos (may substitute tamari)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Avocado Zhoug

• 1 cup fresh parsley (stems are okay)
• 1 cup fresh cilantro (stems are okay)
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp cumin 
• ¼ tsp cardamom
• ¼ tsp cayenne (or sub 1 chopped jalapeno pepper)
• ½ tsp coriander
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 avocado, pitted and flesh scooped out
• 1 tsp pure maple syrup
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Yogurt Tahini Sauce

• ⅓ cup tahini
• ⅓ cup plain yogurt (coconut, almond, cashew, soy, goat, or sheep)
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup 
• 2 tbsp filtered water 
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

Everything else:

• Pickled radishes 
• Shredded purple cabbage
• Chopped tomatoes
• Chopped cucumber
• Pitted and chopped Kalamata olives
• Etc….
• 8–12 small sprouted corn or sprouted wheat tortillas (I like Ezekiel or La Tortilla Factory brands… or go all out and make my Sweet Potato Tortillas into mini tortillas! :D) 

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degress F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Make the falafels: Combine the chickpeas, tahini, flax, cumin, coriander, cardamom, sea salt, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, coconut aminos, and pepper together in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Pulse until almost smooth- it’s preferable that the chickpeas retain some texture. 
3. Lightly wet your hands and form the falafel dough into 24-26 equal balls. Place each one on the prepared baking sheet as you go. Lightly flatten with your hands and bake for 20 minutes. 
4. While the falafels are baking, prepare the sauces. Rinse out the food processor bowl. To make the zhoug, place the parsley, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, sea salt, cumin, cardamom, coriander, cayenne or jalapeno, lemon juice, avocado, maple syrup, and black pepper in the food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade and blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to consume. Rinse out the food processor. 
5. Make the yogurt tahini sauce: Add the tahini, yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, maple syrup, and black pepper to the food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade and blend until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container until ready to consume. 
6. Prepare whichever additional toppings you like: I used Cookie and Kate’s quick pickled radishes recipe, shredded red cabbage, and tomato. Cucumber and olives would also be lovely additions. 
7. About 5 minutes before serving, warm up corn or wheat tortillas in covered dish in a 300 degree F oven. 
8. Count on 2-3 tacos per person. To serve, spread some zhoug on a tortilla. Top with 2 falafels, then drizzle on desired amount of yogurt tahini sauce and top with the pickled radishes and any other vegetables you may be using. 

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Tacos, Supper, Vegan
• Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Vegan, Mexican

Have a lovely weekend, friends! Let me know how you liked these tacos in the comments.