This is not a beige dinner situation. We are making crispy, herby falafel tucked into soft purple sweet potato pitas, with pink pickled onions, bright cucumber tomato salad, creamy avocado tahini sauce, and purple sweet potato hummus. It is festive, colorful, healthy, and honestly a little addictive.
The best part is that every component has its own personality, but they all belong together. Earthy cumin falafel, tangy onions, cool creamy sauce, lemony salad, and those cheerful pink-purple pitas make a meal that feels restaurant-quality without needing a tandoor, a clay oven, or any dramatic kitchen equipment.
What You’ll Learn
- Use soaked raw chickpeas, not cooked chickpeas, for crisp and tender homemade falafel.
- Mashed purple sweet potato turns whole wheat pita dough into festive pink-purple flatbread.
- Quick pickled onions, creamy avocado sauce, and fresh salad balance the warm falafel.
- Falafel can be fried, baked, or air fried, depending on your preferred cooking method.
Table of Contents
- Start With Proper Falafel: Soaked Chickpeas, Never Cooked
- Make the Purple Sweet Potato Pita Dough
- Quick Pickled Red Onions Bring the Tang
- Make a Creamy Avocado Tahini Yogurt Sauce
- Make the Fresh Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Give Hummus a Purple Sweet Potato Twist
- Fry, Bake, or Air Fry the Falafel
- Assemble the Most Colorful Falafel Pita
- Make It Your Own
Start With Proper Falafel: Soaked Chickpeas, Never Cooked
The key to falafel that is crisp outside and tender inside starts long before the frying pan. Use raw dried chickpeas soaked overnight, not canned or cooked chickpeas. Cooked chickpeas make a softer mixture that will not give you that classic falafel texture.
Start with about 1 cup dried chickpeas, which becomes about 2 cups once soaked. Use roughly two-thirds of those soaked chickpeas for the falafel and reserve the rest for hummus later.
Falafel Ingredients
- About 1 1/2 cups soaked raw chickpeas
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 good handful parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A small splash of water, only as needed
- Oil for frying, or use an oven or air fryer
Blend and Rest the Falafel Mixture
Add the soaked chickpeas, cumin, garlic, parsley, salt, and just a little water to a food processor or high-powered blender. Blend until you have a soft, cohesive mixture that can be pressed together easily.
Do not turn it into a completely smooth purée. You want a little texture, but it should hold together when squeezed. Transfer it to a bowl and let it rest while the pita dough rises and the toppings come together.
Make the Purple Sweet Potato Pita Dough
These pitas are where the party really begins. Purple sweet potato gives the dough a playful pink-purple hue that makes the whole meal look like a celebration. It is proof that dinner can be wholesome and still have a little flair.
Purple Pita Ingredients
- 1/2 cooked purple sweet potato, mashed
- 1 teaspoon dry yeast
- Warm water, divided as needed
- 2 cups whole wheat flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1 teaspoon salt
Activate the Yeast and Mix the Dough
Boil the purple sweet potato until tender, peel it, and mash it well. In a large bowl, stir the dry yeast into a little warm water and let it sit until bubbly.
Add the whole wheat flour, about half of the mashed purple sweet potato, and the salt. Mix it together, adding a little more water if the dough is dry. If it becomes overly sticky, dust in more flour until it comes together into a soft, workable dough.
The color is just awesome. Once the dry flour is incorporated, cover the dough and let it rise for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Roll and Cook the Pitas
Divide the risen dough into pieces around the size of a clementine. Lightly flour your work surface and roll each portion into an oval. The oval shape is ideal for loading up with falafel and folding like a taco, but rounds, triangles, and any other cheerful shape work too.
Bake the pitas at 450°F for about 6 minutes per side. For a little extra smoky flavor, bake them for 6 minutes on one side, then finish them carefully over an open flame until they pick up subtle brown char marks.
No flame? No problem. Finish them in the oven, use an air fryer, or cook them on a griddle as you would any flatbread. The point is to get them fully cooked and lightly toasted.
Quick Pickled Red Onions Bring the Tang
You can have pita without pickled onions, technically. But it is so much better with them. Their sharp, tangy crunch wakes up every creamy, earthy component on the plate.
Thinly slice one red onion and place it in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt and enough apple cider vinegar to coat the onion slices. Mix well and leave them to sit while everything else comes together. By dinnertime, they will be beautifully pickled and extra pink.
If the onion core feels tough or no longer crunchy, pull it out. We are here for texture, not chewy onion bits.
Make a Creamy Avocado Tahini Yogurt Sauce
This is a loose, tzatziki-style sauce with avocado, tahini, and coconut yogurt. It is cool, creamy, mellow, and fantastic against hot falafel. Coconut yogurt is especially nice here because it has a thick texture and tastes insanely good.
Avocado Tahini Sauce Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 generous spoonful tahini
- About 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Coconut yogurt, to taste
- Fresh lemon juice
- Fresh dill, if you have it
- Za’atar, optional
Mash the avocado with tahini and garlic powder. Garlic powder works beautifully here because it gives a gentler, more mellow flavor than raw garlic. Fold in coconut yogurt until the sauce is thick and creamy, then brighten it with fresh lemon juice.
Fresh dill would be delicious, but if dill is not happening in your kitchen, add a little za’atar instead. This is one of those meals where experimenting is encouraged. Make it taste good to you.
Make the Fresh Cucumber Tomato Salad
Keep the cucumber and tomato separate from the creamy sauce for a fresher, crisper filling. Dice cucumber finely and chop tomatoes into small pieces. Season with salt, black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon.
- Finely diced cucumber
- Chopped tomato
- About 1/2 teaspoon salt
- About 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Juice from about 1/4 lemon, or to taste
Mix it all together and let it hang out. The lemon, salt, and pepper pull everything together while you finish the hummus, pitas, and falafel.
Give Hummus a Purple Sweet Potato Twist
Since purple is clearly the theme of the day, the hummus gets in on the fun too. Purple sweet potato adds color and a little sweetness to classic chickpea hummus, making it a beautiful spread for the pita.
Purple Sweet Potato Hummus Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1/2 cooked purple sweet potato
- 4 cloves garlic
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon tahini
Add the cooked chickpeas, purple sweet potato, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini to a blender or food processor. Blend until creamy. If it needs help moving, add a small splash of water. You are looking for a smooth, spreadable hummus in a gorgeous shade of pink-purple.
Fry, Bake, or Air Fry the Falafel
Heat oil over medium-low heat. A simple test is to drop in a tiny piece of falafel mixture. It should start sizzling and bubbling right away.
Spoon portions of the falafel mixture into the oil. Please do not use your hands for this part. Fry until the pieces are browned and cooked through, then lift them out with a slotted spoon.
Keep the heat on the medium-low side so the outside does not darken before the centers are ready. Continue until all the mixture is cooked.
If you do not want to deep fry, bake the falafel in the oven or cook it in an air fryer instead. You can also refrigerate any uncooked falafel mixture for about 3 to 4 days and fry fresh portions whenever the craving hits.
Assemble the Most Colorful Falafel Pita
Now for the very best part. Lay out a warm purple pita and build your little feast.
- Spread on a layer of creamy avocado tahini yogurt sauce.
- Add a generous swipe of purple sweet potato hummus.
- Top with hot crispy falafel.
- Add a tangle of quick pickled red onions.
- Finish with cucumber tomato salad.
Fold the pita in half like a sandwich, or roll it lengthwise like a taco. Either way, expect a glorious, slightly messy, very delicious bite. This meal comes out bright, fresh, and satisfying, with enough plant-powered goodness to feel healthy and enough flavor to become a repeat obsession.
Make It Your Own
The beauty of this falafel meal is that it is flexible. Finish the pitas on a flame for smokiness, use a griddle for convenience, swap dill for za’atar, or bake the falafel when frying is not your thing. The important parts are the soaked chickpeas, the bright toppings, and the willingness to play with flavor.
It is a whole colorful spread that feels special enough for a vegan Valentine dinner, a date night at home, or simply a Tuesday that needs more purple.
Falafel Pita FAQ
Can I use canned chickpeas for falafel?
No. Use dried chickpeas that have been soaked overnight but not cooked. Cooked chickpeas produce a much softer mixture and do not create the same falafel texture.
How long can I keep uncooked falafel mixture?
Keep the prepared falafel mixture in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days, then fry or cook portions fresh as needed.
Do I need an open flame to make purple pitas?
No. Bake them at 450°F for about 6 minutes per side, or cook them on a griddle. An open flame is simply an optional way to add smoky charred flavor.