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Street Food Tuesday, Falafel Naan Wraps with Golden Rice and Special Sauce. Homemade, veggie filled falafel, combined with turmeric infused golden rice, all stuffed inside fresh naan. The naan is then topped with lettuce, cucumber, and the most addicting “special” sauce…that just so happens to be way healthier than the original. This loaded street food style wrap is SO GOOD, and makes for a fun, delicious, and different weeknight dinner!
You guys remember a couple of weeks ago when I shared this herbed garlic naan? Well, as you can guess, I’m very obsessed with that recipe. Naan is one of the few recipes that I make over and over again, at least once a week. No exaggeration.
Here’s the thing. I only made the herbed garlic naan to use for these wraps. I needed a sturdy, but delicious flatbread that would hold rice, falafel, and toppings. Normally, I might just pick something up from the store, but our grocery store really does not have the best selection when it comes to bread. Since I can make naan so easily, I never buy it from the store…
Well…there was that one time last week…but I whole heartedly regretted it.
Anyway, as I was making the naan, I decided I’d also share the new naan recipe with you guys. So first came the herbed garlic naan, then the naan grilled cheese, and now, finally, the falafel naan wraps. All spaced a week apart, very purposely, so as to not overwhelm you with naan recipes. Not that, that would be a bad thing, but you know, balance is always good!
I’m going to start out by saying that this is not one of my crazy simple recipes. BUT it’s also not hard. It’s just has some steps, some layers of flavor, and yeah, it will take more than 30 minutes. I know this is not ideal for every night of the week, but again, balance.
First up, the rice. GOLDEN RICE, I’m all about some golden rice. It’s simple. Just melt a little butter, add in some turmeric and crushed red pepper, add in the rice and water, and let it all slowly steam. And there you have it – golden rice!
Next, the falafel. I used my base recipe that I always use, but swapped carrots for cauliflower. You can honestly use whatever veggie you have on hand. Just use one that’s not made up of all water. I recommend carrots, cauliflower, or broccoli. The falafel is really easy to make, but you do need a food processor for best results.
Once the falafel is made, it’s time to fry. Now, before everyone asks, yes, you could bake these, but frying is much, much better. Every time I’ve baked falafel, they just turn out caked and dry, so I find the time in the oil is worth it.
For the “special” sauce, I like use plain Greek yogurt instead of mayo. I’m just not really a big fan of mayo. I also love tangy greek yogurt and always find it makes for an extra delicious sauce.
Put this all together with some fresh naan (or pita, you can use whatever is most convenient for you), and you’ll have yourself a street style naan wrap. Not too hard, right? And trust me, all the effort that went into making these wraps is 120% worth it.
Every bite is so good, so full of flavor, and layered with texture. My kind of food.
You know the funny thing about these wraps? They were inspired by my oldest brother, Creighton. He loves Middle Eastern street food and has been telling me to make something like this for so long, but with chicken, not falafel.
Creighton would never eat this wrap because it’s completely vegan (minus the yogurt sauce). Maybe my next recipe will be a chicken wrap?
Hmmm, ideas are spinning…
For now, it’s all falafel and I am loving it.
If you make this falafel naan wrap, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Falafel Naan Wraps with Golden Rice and Special Sauce.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1273 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Golden Rice
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup long grain rice
Falafel
- 1 cup chopped veggies, such as carrots, cauliflower, or broccoli
- 1 can (16 ounces) chickpeas, drained + rinsed
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. Use a gluten free flour, if needed
- 1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, parsley, or oregano
- kosher salt and black pepper
- canola or vegetable oil, for frying
- 6 fresh naan or pitas, warmed
- shredded lettuce, cucumbers, and harissa sauce, for serving
Special Sauce
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 clove garlic, grated (use 2 if you love garlic)
Instructions
- 1. To make the rice. Melt the butter, turmeric, and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium pot over high heat. Add the rice and toss to coat. Stir in 2 cups water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook ten minutes on low and then turn the heat off completely. Let the rice sit, covered, for another 15 minutes (don’t take any peeks inside!). Fluff the rice with a fork. 2. To make the falafel. Add the veggies to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the chickpeas, flour, sesame seeds, garlic, cumin, cilantro, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Pulse until the mixture is combined and mostly smooth. Roll the dough into rounded teaspoon size balls.3. Add a few inches of oil to the bottom of a heavy pot. Heat to 375 degrees F. Fry the balls for 2-3 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Drain onto paper towels and then sprinkle lightly with salt.4. To make the special sauce. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, adding 1-2 tablespoons water if needed to thin the sauce. Taste and season with salt.5. To assemble, stuff the rice into the wraps and top with lettuce, falafels, and cucumber. Drizzle the special sauce and harissa over the falafels. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on March 13, 2019
I did it, made homemade naan! It is time consuming, but very doable. For my first batch, it was pretty darn good, but definitely need to roll dough very thin as directed. Loved this whole recipe, wasn’t ever a big fan of falafel, but I am now. The whole shebang (with homemade naan) took about 3 hours. Try it, you won’t be disappointed…..
I am so glad you loved this Marie! Thank you!! xTieghan
I finally got around to making this recipe tonight and it was amazing! The only other times I’ve made falafel at home, I’ve used a box mix which of course just doesn’t compare to using fresh ingredients. I doubled the recipe so I would have left overs; used two cans of chickpeas, one bunch each of fresh parsley and cilantro, tablespoon fresh oregano, 1/2 c. cauliflower, 1/3 c. broccoli and one large carrot (along with the other ingredients) and found that the vegetables, herbs and beans all balanced each other out nicely. Next time I just need to remember to double the special sauce as well because it was delicious!
Thank you so much Jessica! I agree, fresh ones are SO much better tasting, and I am so glad this turned out amazing for you! xTieghan
Made this last night (subbed Bob’s Redmill GF flour) and it was awesome. Everyone loved it.
I am so happy to hear that Meredith! Thank you! xTieghan
Any recipe alternations for altitude? – baking from 5,280 feet.
Hi Elyse! You should be fine making the recipes as is! Please let me know if you have any more questions though! xTieghan
This recipe looks amazing. For a chicken version I wonder if replacing the falafels with your butter chicken meatballs would work? And perhaps raita in place of the special sauce. I shall try it!
Sounds like it would be great! I hope you love this Sandy! Thank you! xTieghan
This recipe is not vegan. The rice – “add BUTTER”. Plus Greek YOGURT and HONEY. Please re-educate yourself on what “vegan” is.
Hi Di! I am so sorry about that. It slipped my mind that I put butter in the rice as well. I was just trying to say that my brother would not eat it because it does not have any meat. Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy my blog and recipes! xTieghan
Hi, Any chance these can be made in an air fryer or oven instead of deep fry?
HI! You can do both, though I have not tested the recipe for either. I would start with the air fryer and see how that goes. I feel like that might work great! I find falafel dry out in the oven. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I love these wraps and your naan looks perfect!
Thank you so much Laura! I am so glad you like this! xTieghan
i love this a unique naan wraps…… Truly it’s delish!! I can eat more Naan in this way……Thanku so much.
Thank you so much! xTieghan
Looks great! Do you find there is a difference between using canned chickpeas and making them fresh? Also can you cook falafel in the air fryer? Thanks!
HI! I pretty much always use canned! I don’t really see a difference. I have not tested these in the air fryer. I am sure it will be great though! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This looks amazing! I really look forward to trying the golden rice. We eat a lot of brown rice and it gets a little boring. I was trying to figure out what to make with the ground lamb I have thawed in the fridge. I will try a variation of this recipe with lamb meatballs. Thanks! ?
Thank you so much Carolynn! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
Everything about this recipe is awesome. The falafel, the golden rice, and the special sauce. I’ve never actually made falafel before but your’s seems quite easy and flavorful. I’ll have to try it. It’s so nice how you changed up the special sauce to make it more healthy. Such a perfect alternative. Thanks again for sharing!
Thank you Linger! I hope you try this one! xTieghan
Oh my, this looks delicious and I love that you have added veggies to the falafe mixl! I am looking forward to making this but because of dietary restrictions, I need to know how many falafel balls are made with this recipe using the teaspoon size that you reference. Can you give me an idea of how many are created and what you consider a single portion? Thanks so much.
Hi there! this will make 16-18 falafels. I am unsure of a serving, but I would guess about 4 balls. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I want to make this, especially after making the last naan recipe. Delicious. Yes, to a chicken version.
These are the recipes of yours I love the most. The ones that are a bit more involved and very interesting and always tasty and worth the effort.
Thank you Joyce! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan – I’ve never made falafel but I’m going to give this a whirl! We roast chick peas for snacks here constantly so I’m sure it will go over well. Last night I was scanning the guide on TV, saw that snowboarding was on thinking maybe I would see Red – and he was the first person I saw! Great run! Funny coincidence!
Ah that is so amazing you looked for him! So proud of that kid! Thank you Maura! xTieghan