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This Vegetarian Gyro Bowl recipe post is sponsored by SUNSET Grown, although the content represents my own personal opinion and experience using the product.
Things just got tasty with these delicious Greek vegetarian gyro bowls. Chickpea gyro bites are served with lettuce, pita, bell peppers and creamy tzatziki for one yummy meat-free recipe that will leave you feeling full and satisfied.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Chickpeas: Use canned chickpeas and drain and rinse them well before mixing with the other ingredients. You can also cook dried chickpeas and use those.
- Flour: Flour helps to absorb any extra moisture to help the gyro balls hold together. You can use a gluten-free 1:1 flour or almond flour if you have an intolerance.
- Feta: Feta cheese adds a briny flavor and creamy texture. You can also use goat cheese for a similar flavor.
- Seasonings: Oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- ALOHA™ Peppers: These peppers from SUNSET Grown not only have a unique dual-tone color, but they also have a unique taste that will take your taste buds to a tropical paradise. They are perfect grilled with the chickpea bites.
- Vegetables of choice: In addition to the Aloha Peppers, onions are great in the gyro bowl (raw or cooked) as well as romaine lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and cucumbers.
- Tzatziki sauce: This creamy cucumber sauce adds a great fresh flavor. It’s easy to make your own, or buy it from the store.
- Pita bread: For scooping!
How to make gyro bowls
make chickpea bites
- Place the ingredients for the chickpea balls in a bowl.
- Mash together until well combined.
- Scoop into balls.
- Cook in a pan with a little oil until golden brown and cooked through.
Prepare vegetables
- Slice the ALOHA peppers and red onion into strips.
- Add to the same pan used to cook the chickpea bites with a little oil.
- Cook until the peppers and onions become lightly charred and softened. This step adds so much texture and flavor to the gyro bowls.
Place the lettuce and pita into bowls, and add the chickpea bites, vegetables and a dollop of tzatziki sauce.
Tips for making the recipe
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas well. Chickpeas straight from the can can be quite salty, and rinsing them under cold running water can reduce the sodium by half. It also makes them easier to digest.
- Cut the red onions and pepper into long thin strips. It makes them easier to eat, they cook quickly and look pretty in the vegetarian gyro bowls. When cooked, the peppers and onions caramelize and release a sweeter flavor.
- Make the bites into patties. If you prefer 6 patties instead, you can take larger scoops of the chickpea mixture and form them into patties. They may be easier to cook that way since they only have two sides.
- Add more vegetables. This gyro bowl works well with onions and pepper charred on the heat. Make them more filling with other vegetables like zucchini, eggplant or tomatoes, all of which can be cooked on the skillet.
Frequently asked questions
The vegetarian gyro bowls are best served as soon as you’ve made them so that the lettuce stays nice and crisp, you can make up elements ahead of time though. Homemade tzatziki will keep well for up to 4 days and the chickpea bites will also keep for around 4 days in the fridge. They can be eaten cold, or warm them in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes to warm them through.
Pan frying the chickpea bite helps them get nice and golden brown with crispy edges, but you can cook them in the oven if you prefer. They will take around 15 minutes to cook through at 375F.
Yes. To make the chickpea bites plant-based, simply omit the feta cheese and skip the tzatziki sauce for the bowls.
These Vegetarian Gyro Bowls are so hearty and filling, and are loaded full of Mediterranean flavors. Simple to make and so delicious to eat, be sure to make extra to enjoy throughout the week!
Thank you SUNSET Grown for sponsoring this post. The ALOHA peppers are sold in most major grocery stores and can be found year-round. Check out their store locator to find some near you to add to bowls, soups, sandwiches, pizza or just raw.
More vegetarian recipes:
- Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
- Vegetarian Cobb Salad Jars
- Chickpea Noodle Soup
- Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms
- Sweet Potato Chili
- Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Vegetarian Gyro Bowl recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Vegetarian Gyro Bowl
Video
Ingredients
For the chickpea bites:
- 1 15- ounce can chickpeas drained
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup feta cheese
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons water
For the bowl:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 1 SUNSET® Aloha™ Peppers thinly sliced
- Pita bread
- Romaine lettuce shredded
- Tzatziki sauce
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas, all purpose flour, feta cheese, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add two tablespoons of water and use a fork or masher to combine the ingredients until they are well blended.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture and roll with your hands it into a small ball; makes about 14-15 parts bites.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large pan over medium heat. Add chickpea bites and cook until golden brown and fully cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
- In same skillet, increase heat to medium high and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add onions and peppers and cook until softened and charred, 5-7 minutes
- Assemble gyro bowls with lettuce and pita on the bottom of two bowls. Divide the chickpea bites, onions and peppers, followed by the tzatziki sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
These were super easy to put together and very tasty! I just used my small cookie scoop from the food processor to the heated pan. No mess, no fuss! I had 14 bites, which was in line with the recipe yield. Super yummy! Thank you!
So glad you liked it, Carol! Thank you!
We love your recipe and often eat the bites in pita sandwiches for fun food meal. Do you think that I could use dill pickle juice for all or part of the added water to lend a bit of the Lebanese pickle flavor that is so very good in Lebanese sandwiches? I don’t want to change anything without your advice. Thank you for your fabulous recipes!
What a great idea! I think you could add a little of the brine in place of water, just make sure to taste it before as it could be a little too salty.
Made this for my husband last night. It was quick and easy to make and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Will definitely be making it again. Added a pinch of chilli flakes as he likes it spicy.
So glad you both enjoyed! That’s a great way to spice it up a bit.
For the calorie count. Show for two servings. Is it 734 calories for each serving or is the 734 based on the combined two servings? I appreciate your response! 😊
Hi! This recipe makes two servings, but the calorie count and nutritional information is for one of those servings.
Very delicious .
Thank you so much!