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Naan is covered in garlicky tzatziki sauce, Middle Eastern-spiced chickpeas, tahini, fresh herbs and Sriracha in this street food/comfort food mashup.
It’s no secret that I love a good falafel. It’s hands-down one of the favorite meals in my house, but I don’t always feel like making them, especially during massive heat waves like we’ve been having here in New York lately.
Since posting this falafel-spiced chickpea flatbread recipe on Big Flavors back in 2015, it has consistently been one of the most popular recipes with my readers.
So I’ve decided to give this post a bit of a facelift, which was the perfect excuse to make this delicious Middle Eastern recipe all over again.
When I came up with this recipe, I was looking for a way to use up some leftover tzatziki. I had just made Grazin’ TriBeCa’s Lamb Burgers, and that recipe made a LOT of extra tzatziki.
I decided that it would be fun to do something less time consuming than making my standard falafel patties. So I left the chickpeas whole and sautéed them with all of the warm spices I love.
But how to serve these falafel-spiced chickpeas? Pizza-fying pretty much anything makes it more fun to eat, so I picked up some naan from the grocery store, which made perfect little single servings of this dish.
A full can of chickpeas will make 2 generous servings worth, and you can even stretch it to 3 pieces of naan if you’d like. You could also arrange this on a larger pizza crust or piece of flatbread to serve more people.
Or get itty bitty mini naan or naan chips and serve this up on an appetizer platter.
Oh, and did you catch the tip I showed over on Instagram for how to easily remove seeds from a cucumber? Head over to my Instagram page and check out the pinned "Tips!" story to check it out.
It may just blow your mind! I got several messages about it right after posting it... it's something I realized a few years ago, and I couldn't believe I had a tool to remove cucumber seeds perfectly sitting in my drawer all along.
The tzatziki can be made ahead of time, and the chickpeas come together really quickly. I chop up my garnishes while the chickpeas heat through, and it works out perfectly. It makes a great, easy weeknight meal.
These flatbreads would be great with Greek salad on the side, or even a feta and watermelon salad type of situation. Yum!
I like serving these with a healthy drizzle of tahini and sriracha sauce over top, followed by a scattering of fresh herbs and a good squeeze of lemon juice. My son skips the sriracha, but I know that once he’s older, he’ll be piling it on, too 😉
Any way you look at it, you need these beauties in your life. They’re crazy delicious!
If this falafel mashup has left you craving more, I have a few other falafel-inspired recipes that will be right up your alley! Check out my Falafel-Spiced Cucumber Bites or my Falafel-Spiced Chickpea Salad with Tahini-Lemon Vinaigrette.
And if you're looking for more ways to use cumin, check out this post that showcases 21 of our favorite cumin recipes. I'd also love to recommend this garlicky cilantro naan recipe if you're looking for more ways to utilize naan or other types of flatbread.
I’m sure there will be more falafel-y recipes coming in the not too distant future. I actually fried up the few leftover chickpeas from this recipe earlier today, added 2 eggs and a tiny bit of mascarpone and made some pretty flavorful scrambled eggs for breakfast.
I'm thinking I'll make a falafel frittata sometime soon and will most definitely share the recipe once I have perfected it.
Looking for more pizza and flatbread favorites? Check out these 5-star recipes:
- Garlicky Mushroom Ricotta Pizza with Wild Arugula + Aged Balsamic
- Spicy Italian Sausage and Peppers Pizza
- Deep Dish Southwest Salad Pizza
- Maple Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon + Pomegranate
- Charred Veggie Ciabatta Pizza with Crispy Fried Eggs + Parmesan
- Bacon and Caramelized Onion Jam Naan Pizza with Gorgonzola and Apples
- Grilled Niçoise Salad Flatbreads
- BBQ Chicken Pizza with Smoked Mozzarella (coming soon!)
Recipe for Falafel-Spiced Chickpea Flatbreads
Print📖 Recipe
Falafel-Spiced Chickpea Flatbreads
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 Servings 1x
- Category: Flatbread
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Description
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 pieces store-bought naan
- ½ cup tzatziki (I used leftovers from this recipe)
For garnish:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (or temperature indicated on naan package).
- While oven preheats, heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over moderate heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add drained chickpeas, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
- Heat naan according to package directions (for me, this was 2-3 minutes at 400°F). Remove from oven and top with a layer of tzatziki, making sure to leave a border around ½ to 1 inches around the edge of the naan. Top with spiced chickpeas, sliced tomato, red onion, a healthy drizzle of tahini, Sriracha, and chopped herbs.
- Use a pizza cutter to cut into wedges. Serve with lemon wedges alongside.
Notes
A full can of chickpeas will make 2 generous servings worth, and you can even stretch it to 3 pieces of naan if you’d like.
You could also arrange this on a larger pizza crust or piece of flatbread to serve more people. Or get itty bitty mini naan or naan chips and serve this up on an appetizer platter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 597
- Sugar: 6.1 g
- Sodium: 1223 mg
- Fat: 20.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 80.4 g
- Fiber: 12.4 g
- Protein: 26.4 g
- Cholesterol: 9.3 mg
Keywords: falafel, flatbread, chickpea
Food Done Light
I love the flavors of this flatbread. What a great idea to put all the flavors of a falafel on top without actually having to make them.
Manila Spoon
This looks so appetizing and love all the flavors in there - super yum!
Sam @ PancakeWarriors
Yes yes yes, this is just too yummy! I love the chickpea and these spices together, the perfect simple dinner!
Patricia Conte
Love this recipe! What a great idea to get the vibe of falafel without making them! I'm pinning this to remind me to serve this up asap! Yum!
Kathryn Doherty
Loving ALL the flavors here! I'm obsessed with all things falafel. So much yumminess... can't wait to try it!
spabettie
wow, what a great idea to quickly satisfy a craving (I seem to always be craving falafel...)
Joy Love Food
I love falafel too, these flatbreads are right up my alley, they sound wonderful!
Stella @ Stellicious Life
This recipe sounds delightful! I just love chickpeas and tzatziki but never thought of combining them! Will have to try 🙂
My Kitchen Stories
Great idea. You get all the same flavours with hardly any of the work. Beautiful pictures.
Julia (@Imagelicious)
These flatbreads are so cute!!
Lokness @ The Missing Lokness
Looks DELISH! I would have these for lunch any time. And that homemade garlicky tzatziki sounds amazing. Must share!
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts
I am so excited about these, the flavours just sound amazing!!!!
Yum!
Pinning this one 🙂
Joanne (eats well with others)
I crave falafel pretty much nonstop, and this is the perfect way to enjoy them without going through all the hassle of frying!
Whitney B
Squeeeee! This looks AMAZING! Will definitely try!
Gin @ Eat Healthy
Wow wow wow, these look delicious!! Quick, easy, lots of flavor and fun. Thanks for a great recipe!
Pam Armstrong Greer
Looks delicious!
Sarah K
Fantastic recipe! My super picky 6yo devoured his dinner, ate all the leftover chickpeas and requested that I make this every week. Definitely getting added into our regular rotation - especially since it was SO EASY!
Laura @MotherWouldKnow
Love how simple and flavorful these flatbreads are. I've been cooking with chick peas for a while and have never combined them with naan - great idea.
Kira
I don't normally post reviews, but this was so delicious and easy to make that I had to! As a college student, it was cheaper and less time consuming for me to purchase storebought Tzatziki sauce (Trader Joe's). Also, my housemates and I share spices and we usually have cumin and paprika, but we had a very small amount the day I needed them! So I used some chili powder and whatever cumin we had left. My naan was also from trader joe's and I got their sriracha as well. I do not recommend their sriracha sauce, it was sweeter and had a buffalo sauce type of taste. Despite that throwing my tastebuds a bit off, I still loved this overall and plan on eating it again for lunch tomorrow with actual sriracha. Thank you so much for this recipe! It's healthy and tasty, I'm afraid that I'll be addicted to this and won't be able to stop eating it.
Ashley
I’m so glad to hear that this was such a hit, Kira – thanks so much for the lovely review. It’s one of our very favorite dishes! And thanks for the tip on TJ’s sriracha – very good to know!
Sarah
I love this! It's quick and easy and healthy. This is on regular rotation at my house!
Ashley
I’m so glad to hear this has earned a spot in your rotation, Sarah!! Thanks so much for sharing
Rachel
Made this flavorful gem for dinner. Definitely tastes as good as it looks in the pics! Sad to say, there were no leftovers 🙁 so I'll be making this again in the near future. Our taste buds thank you for sharing your recipes Ashley!
Ashley
I am so, so glad your family loves this as much as ours does, Rachel! It would be easy to scale up for a group (or leftovers) - you could even wrap a stack of naan in foil and let it all warm in the oven while you're cooking the chickpeas. Yum!!
Rob Langston
This was fantastic tasting and came together pretty quick. Will definitely make again!
Ashley
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Rob! Thanks for joining me LIVE over on Facebook - glad it inspired you to make these beauties 🙂
Cami Awalt
Fantastic! After eating so much heavy food after the holidays this is exactly what I was craving! Easy, beautiful, and delicious! I will make this again for sure!
Ashley
I'm so glad it was a hit, Cami! It's definitely one that fills you up without leaving you feeling like you indulged too much.
Cami Awalt
So easy and beautiful! I will be eating this again for lunch tomorrow.
Ashley
I am so, so glad this was such a hit! And YESSS to pretty food that's easy AND delicious! Have a great weekend, Cami!
Jennifer
Loved this dish! It is a delicious and AFFORDABLE vegetarian recipe that is perfect for a busy work week. I am adding this to my regular rotation. Thank you for sharing!
Ashley
I'm glad it hit all the right notes for you, Jennifer! I love finding fun ways to use beans and legumes and make them exciting. They really are budget-friendly. I'll add more affordable vegetarian meals to my list of recipes to work on developing this year. 🙂
Eva
This was so delicious! My toddler gobbled down the spiced chickpeas as quickly as I put them in front of her. I couldn't believe how quick and easy the recipe was. This will definitely be a new go-to in our house!
Ashley
I am so, SO glad to hear that this was such a hit, Eva! And hooray for the highly coveted toddler stamp of approval! Thanks for the review and rating, and hope you enjoy it for years to come 🙂
Angel
Hubs and I LOVE this recipe!! Perfect summer dinner. Followed the recipe 100%.
Ashley
I’m so happy to hear that, Angel! This is one of my family’s favorites, too. I’m working on some more fun dishes like this for summer
Alondra
This was easy to make after making taziki. I thiught it was too garlicky but still delicious as i love everything garlic. Made this one night last week and my boyfriend loved it so much we are making it again this week.
Ashley
I’m so glad to hear that this was such a hit! You can definitely use less garlic if it’s a bit much for you but we do love garlic in my house, too. Ha! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know that you enjoyed my recipe!
Ellie Bull
Absolutely loved this recipe!! Will be making it again soon 🙂
Ashley
I’m so glad to hear that it was such a hit, Ellie! Hope you have a great weekend!
Nathan
You really can’t beat a good flatbread to soothe the soul! I love that this is fully flavored with falafel and it is perfect for this time of the year. Looking forward to trying it. thanks for sharing and keep on sharing.
Ashley
Thanks so much, Nathan! I’d love to hear what you think of it once you try it out!
Nancy @ NY Foodie Family
I have made these multiple times! They are so quick and easy to make and taste so good!
Ashley
I’m so glad to hear that these have been a hit with you and your family, Nancy!