Can Dogs Eat Falafel?

The Short Answer is:

I regret to inform you that falafel is not a suitable treatment for your dog. There are a number of ingredients in falafel mix, some of which aren’t safe for your dog to consume. Nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain are among the possible side effects.

In this article you will know the answer to the query “Can Dogs Eat Falafel?“.

As a common street food in the Middle East falafel is a favorite dish. 

Falafels are fritters made from fava beans or chickpeas (or sometimes both) that are deep-fried and are usually served in pita pockets or as flatbread wraps. 

This is why the term “falafel” is sometimes used to describe a sandwich that has been made similarly. 

Either way falafel is an excellent snack that is vegetarian-friendly as well. An owner of a pet might wonder: is it safe for my dog to eat falafel? 

Lets dive into this article and find out.

Can Dogs Eat Falafel? Can Dogs have Falafel?

I regret to inform you that falafel is not a suitable treatment for your dog. 

There are a number of ingredients in falafel mix some of which are not safe for your dog to consume. 

Nausea vomiting and stomach pain are among the possible side effects. 

We’ll discuss all of those ingredients so that you can keep your eyes peeled for them in other foods you may consider feeding your dog since its always important to do your research first. 

Because pet parents know if theres one thing we all want for our pets its keeping them healthy and happy and stomach issues caused by eating something they’re not supposed to do not make them very happy. 

Theres also the good news that one particular ingredient in a falafel mix is worth experimenting with as a snack on its own. Soon I will tell you more about that as well as how and why you should prepare it for your pup.

What is a falafel?

In your question you probably want to know whats in a falafel? 

There are many falafel mixes on the market so the ingredients I’ll describe are standard ingredients but you’ll want to check the ingredients in the mix you pick just to make sure it does not have anything different. 

Its better to be safe than sorry since different mixtures may have slight variations which may include an ingredient or two not included here.

A standard falafel recipe includes fava beans chickpeas garlic powder onion powder baking powder (potassium acid pyrophosphate sodium bicarbonate corn starch monocalcium phosphate) dehydrated parsley and sunflower oil. 

In some cases sea salt may be used in place of salt but it does not change anything.

Can Dogs Eat Fava Beans? Fava Beans toxic for Dogs?

Falafel contains a dangerous ingredient the fava bean one of the main ingredients. 

The fava bean also called a broad bean contains a substance called phytohemagglutinin (PHA) which can be toxic to dogs at high levels. 

Moreover even low levels can result in vomiting diarrhea and abdominal pain. In summary its not something you would want to give to your dog.

The “spices” might be toxic or not depending on what kind of substance they are.

There are certain spices that can be ingested by dogs that are okay and there are others that are not so good. These include onion garlic salt (including sea salt which is why it wouldnot matter if it was regular salt or sea salt) cocoa powder and nutmeg are toxic to them. 

In addition to salt garlic powder and onion powder falafel mix also contains these ingredients.

When given in small amounts parsley is okay to give to dogs but can be dangerous when given in excess. 

The leavening agents in baking powder can cause serious gastrointestinal problems in dogs.

Can Dogs Eat Chickpea? What Nutrition do Chickpeas Provide?

Finally I’ll mention the ingredient that I mentioned earlier chickpeas. 

I did not list chickpeas on my list of no-no foods for dogs because chickpeas are perfectly safe for dogs to consume. 

Additionally they are extremely nutritious. Chickpeas have 12 grams of fat 41 grams of protein and 126 grams of carbs per 200 grams. 

Also chickpeas contain many vitamins and minerals that may benefit the health of your dog including fiber (which as an additional benefit can help dogs feel full faster and longer). 

Another great thing about chickpeas is that they are cholesterol-free so they can help lower blood cholesterol levels.

Due to all of these factors chickpeas make an ideal food for dogs on certain diets.

It will be helpful if they are on a diet to lose weight since chickpeas fill dogs up faster.

Additionally its a good boost of protein for dogs on a limited ingredient diet to help with allergies particularly if they have protein-related allergies.

I will look at a popular food made out of chickpeas in the next section.

Can a dog eat hummus?

Middle Eastern dips like hummus are often served with pita bread. 

Hummus typically contains the following ingredients: organic chickpeas water organic tahini organic lemon juice organic sunflower oil sea salt organic dried garlic organic cumin citric acid and ascorbic acid.

You may wonder if you can give your dog chickpeas since they are the primary ingredient.

Unfortunately your pet may be poisoned by a few of the ingredients in the mixture.

These ingredients may have already been familiar to you since they were included in the falafel mix that made that dangerous for dogs and these ingredients are sea salt and dried garlic.

In addition lemon juice and citric acid would be both bad and unenjoyable for your dog because dogs dislike the acidic flavor of citrus.

Can Dogs Eat Chickpea Flour? Why is Chickpea Flour ideal for making Dog Treats?

Despite this we should not give up on chickpeas just because hummus might not be ideal for our dogs.

I am going to examine chickpea flour in this section…

With chickpea powder you can get all the nutritional value of chickpeas while putting it in a form that dogs enjoy – dog treats.

You simply replace regular (plain) flour with chickpea flour in a recipe to incorporate it.

You would not need as much chickpea flour so use three-fourths of regular flour for every cup of chickpea flour.

You can use it in just about every recipe and its a healthy substitute to introduce to your dogs diet.

In general you can find chickpea flour somewhere in your grocery store although it may be in the gluten-free section natural food section baking section or even the international section since chickpea flour is most commonly used in Indian cuisine.

If you do not want to buy chickpea flour you can always grind dried chickpeas yourself in a food processor if you do not want to buy chickpea flour.

It is likely that you will need to sift the powder or re-grind large pieces if you grind the chickpeas yourself as dried chickpeas tend to be quite hard.

If you substitute chickpea flour for regular flour you would not only make the treat gluten-free which is healthy in and of itself but you’ll give it all the added nutrients found in chickpeas including fiber.

In my opinion thats a win-win situation and I recommend this method to anyone looking to make their dogs snacks a little healthier.

Despite the fact that your dog isnot allowed to eat falafels I hope this article has brought you some good news.

Amanda (Author)

With over a decade of experience, Amanda is a distinguished dog trainer. Her expertise in canine behavior has transformed countless lives, fostering harmonious human-canine connections. Through compassionate and personalized approaches, she empowers owners to understand and connect with their furry companions, creating a legacy of joyful tails and transformed lives.

Osvaldo Maciel (Content Reviewer)

Osvaldo Maciel, a stalwart in the field with 14 years of experience, is a revered dog trainer. His journey is defined by a profound understanding of canine behavior, shaping unbreakable human-canine bonds. Osvaldo guides owners to connect with their beloved pets, leaving an indelible mark of happiness and transformation. His legacy shines through the countless lives he has touched.