These Falafel-Spiced Chickpeas and Potatoes are tossed with a flavorful spice blend, garlic, lots of extra-virgin olive oil and baked in the oven until melt-in-your-mouth tender. Served over a quick cucumber dill yogurt sauce with warm flatbread for a super easy dinner in less than an hour.
How to Make Falafel-Spiced Chickpeas & Potatoes
These Falafel-Spiced Chickpeas and Potatoes borrow flavors from the traditional Middle Eastern dish. Falafel are usually deep-fried balls made from pulsed chickpeas (or fave beans) and a blend of spices, herbs and aromatics.
I’ve been hooked on the falafel from a Middle Eastern place in my college town ever since I tried it a few weeks ago. It’s not the simplest dish to make at home, so I thought I’d make a more weeknight-friendly version that incorporates similar flavors!
For this recipe, you’ll need a large baking dish, I’ve used a Dutch oven and a lidded cast-iron skillet in the past but any large oven-safe pot/baking dish should work.
And the best part about this recipe is there’s really only a few minutes of prep work! Just throw your canned chickpeas, potatoes and chopped garlic in the baking dish. Toss with lots of olive oil and spices then bake everything for about 35-40 minutes.
The chickpeas and potatoes will soften until they basically melt in your mouth. The spices toast in the olive oil and take on this delicious nutty flavor. I like to give everything a stir halfway through and remove the lid for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking to make sure the top gets nice and caramelized.
And a quick yogurt sauce…
While the chickpeas bakes, I like to make a yogurt sauce with fresh cucumber, dill and lemon. It’s pretty much a version of the Greek yogurt sauce, Tzatziki, and it pairs perfectly with the flavor and texture of the chickpeas.
All you do is stir together some whole milk yogurt, grated cucumber, fresh dill, lemon juice and zest until well combined. Taste and season the sauce with kosher salt as needed.
If you don’t eat dairy or you want to keep this recipe vegan, feel free to use an unflavored non-dairy yogurt. I like Kite Hill’s Greek-style yogurt because it’s super thick and packs some extra protein.
Keep in mind that non-dairy yogurt tends to have less fat than whole milk dairy yogurt, so you may want to stir in a drizzle of olive oil to achieve that same richness.
Serving + storage
To serve, spoon a few dollops of cucumber yogurt on a plate and top with Falafel-Spiced Chickpeas and Potatoes. Add a generous drizzle of good olive oil, maybe a pinch of flaky sea salt and a handful of fresh dill. I also love to use pieces of warm flatbread or pita bread to soak up all those delicious flavors.
You can also make an awesome pita sandwich or wrap with the components of this recipe. Add a handful of greens or arugula… maybe some pickled red onion and fresh tomatoes. So many good options!
More easy dinner recipes (with chickpeas!)
Roasted Cauliflower & Fregola Salad
Slow Roasted Tomato & Chickpea Pasta
Lemon Risotto with Herb Roasted Chickpeas
Made this recipe? I would love to hear what you think in the review section down below! Also, make sure to tag @wandering_chickpea on Instagram with your creations and follow along on Pinterest for more delicious recipes!
Falafel-Spiced Chickpeas and Potatoes
These Falafel-Spiced Chickpeas and Potatoes are tossed with a flavorful spice blend, garlic and olive oil then baked in the oven until melt-in-your-mouth tender. Served over a quick cucumber dill yogurt sauce with warm flatbread.
Ingredients
- 2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 large russet potato, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Cucumber yogurt
- 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt or non-dairy alternative
- 1/4 cup cucumber, grated
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F and position a rack in the center.
- In a lidded heavy-bottomed pot, preferably a Dutch oven or other cast-iron vessel, add the chickpeas, potatoes, garlic and seasonings. Stir to combine and bake covered for 25 minutes. Uncover the pot, stir, and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until the top is crisp and golden brown.
- While the chickpeas bake, make the cucumber yogurt. Wrap the cucumber in a few paper towels and squeeze out any excess moisture. In a bowl, stir together the ingredients. Add salt to taste.
- Serve the chickpeas and potatoes over the cucumber yogurt with warm flatbread. Garnish with more fresh dill and a drizzle of olive oil.
