This PCOS Friendly Falafel - Baked Falafel with Tahini Sauce and Greek Salad is a PCOS-friendly recipe with 450 calories, 18g protein, and 60g carbs per serving. Ready in 50 minutes. High in fiber (15g), which supports insulin sensitivity.
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
Instructions
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Soak the chickpeas overnight, then drain. Or, you can use canned chickpeas. Place drained uncooked chickpeas, and onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough bulgur or flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts, or use a falafel scoop, available in Middle-Eastern markets. Heat oil in a deep pot, 375 degrees. Fry one ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about six balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Why this PCOS Friendly Falafel - Baked Falafel with Tahini Sauce and Greek Salad works for PCOS
This PCOS Friendly Falafel - Baked Falafel with Tahini Sauce and Greek Salad delivers 18g of protein per serving, which sits in the moderate range for a PCOS-friendly meal. If you find yourself hungry within 2-3 hours, pair this dish with an additional protein source (Greek yogurt, a boiled egg, or a small portion of fish) to push the meal closer to the 25-35g per-meal target most PCOS dietitians recommend.
The 60g of carbohydrates here come paired with 15g of fibre, which slows glucose absorption and produces a flatter post-meal blood sugar curve. Fibre is one of the most under-rated tools for PCOS: it feeds gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids linked to improved insulin sensitivity, and it modestly lowers circulating androgens by binding bile acids in the gut.
Fat makes up about 30% of calories in this dish. Dietary fat plays a load-bearing role in PCOS because sex hormones are synthesised from cholesterol, and very-low-fat eating can suppress hormone production over time. The 2023 PCOS guideline does not specify a strict fat target, but most clinicians recommend at least 25-35% of calories from a mix of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated sources.
Evening meals affect overnight insulin and morning blood sugar more than most women realise. Keeping dinner protein-forward and finishing eating at least 2-3 hours before bed gives your body time to clear glucose before the overnight fast, which improves morning fasting insulin readings.
PCOS-Friendly Foods in This Recipe
This recipe contains the following foods that may benefit PCOS management: Lemon.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this PCOS Friendly Falafel - Baked Falafel with Tahini Sauce and Greek Salad recipe is designed to be PCOS-friendly. At 450 calories per serving with 18g of protein, it supports balanced blood sugar and hormonal health. It also provides 15g of fiber, which helps with insulin sensitivity.
This recipe takes about 50 minutes total. Prep time is 20 minutes and cook time is 30 minutes. It makes 2 servings, so you can meal prep for multiple days.
Per serving: 450 calories, 18g protein (16%), 60g carbs, 15g fat. Plus 15g fiber. PCOS meal plans typically aim for 30% protein, 35% fat, 35% carbs to support insulin sensitivity.
Yes, this recipe works well as a PCOS-friendly Dinner. At 450 calories, it fits within typical PCOS meal plan targets for Dinner. Pair it with other PCOS-friendly foods throughout the day for balanced nutrition.
This recipe can be part of a structured PCOS meal plan. It makes 2 servings, making it great for meal prep. For a complete weekly plan tailored to your PCOS type, take our free 60-second quiz at pcosmealplanner.com/pcos-quiz to get a personalized 7-day meal plan.
Cook Another PCOS-Friendly Dinner
Each recipe you add to your rotation makes PCOS management easier. Variety keeps you from getting bored and quitting.
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