Legumes, soy and plant protein
Falafel on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 13 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), fried, ready made or home made, for around 330 calories. Three small balls, about 85 g (3.0 oz), give roughly 11 g of protein for 280 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from falafel alone you would need about 231 g (8.1 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How falafel sits on a GLP-1
Falafel is chickpeas ground with herbs and fried, and it is crisp outside, crumbly and rather dry inside, at about 13 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz) with a good deal of oil from the frying. On a GLP-1 two things work against it: the oil sits, and the dry crumb needs a wet sauce to go down. Baked or air fried falafel solves the first, and yoghurt or hummus solves the second. Three small balls in a wrap with both is a meal people do finish.
When your appetite is small
Three small balls, about 85 g (3 oz), is 11 g of protein, which is a starter rather than a stop. Put them on a bed of Greek yoghurt with lemon and some tabbouleh, and the plate is about 20 g. Crumbled into a small wrap with hummus and pickles, they can be eaten with one hand and stopped halfway without waste.
Three ways to prepare it
Baked, not fried, from a chilled or frozen pack
Twenty minutes at 200C, about 390F. Less oil, less heaviness, and they still crisp up. Keep the rest of the pack frozen.
On a bed of yoghurt with lemon and herbs
Three balls broken over a thick layer of Greek yoghurt with lemon, mint and a little olive oil. The yoghurt adds 8 g and makes the dry crumb easy.
Crumbled into a small salad with feta
Warm falafel broken over tomato, cucumber, parsley and feta. About 17 g with the cheese, and it eats like a salad rather than like fried food.
What to eat it with
Greek yoghurt, tahini sauce, hummus, pickles, tomato and lemon. It is dry and savoury, so it needs a wet, sharp sauce and gains most from a dairy pairing that lifts the protein.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Falafel | about 13 g | 330 kcal | this page |
| Chickpeas | about 8 g | 150 kcal | See the page |
| Hummus | about 7 g | 230 kcal | See the page |
| Firm tofu | about 14 g | 130 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, fried, ready made or home made, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Falafel in all three countries. Chilled and frozen packs are in most UK and Australian supermarkets, and the US sells frozen falafel and dry mixes alongside them. Protein ranges from about 10 to 16 g per 100 g (3.5 oz) depending on how much chickpea is in the mix and how much oil it absorbs.
Questions people ask
Is falafel high in protein?
Moderate: about 13 g per 100 g (3.5 oz), so three small balls give about 11 g for roughly 280 calories, most of it from frying oil. Baked falafel with a yoghurt sauce is the version that suits a small appetite and takes the plate to about 20 g.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.