Craving a taste adventure? Middle Eastern cuisine is your answer!
Get ready to spice up your meals with these 25 Lebanese recipes, offering a tantalizing blend of flavors from sweet to tangy, and everything in between.
The use of fresh, nutritious ingredients combined with tasty preparations is one thing this cuisine is known for.
Get inspired with these fun ideas for your next at-home feast.
1. Hummus
Hummus is an absolute staple from the Middle East for some very good reasons. It is velvety, decadent, and features an exceptional rich flavor, and is a frequent addition to many dinner tables in Lebanon.
This fantastic recipe maintains things simple but will surely make you are happy. This is a super simple, fast, convenient, and yummy recipe.
2. Lebanese Moussaka
Believed moussaka was just Greek? Think one more time! There is actually a Lebanese variation of this traditional recipe.
The combination of eggplant, chickpeas, and tomato is served cold. It is far more similar to a salad, so make sure you have plenty of pita at the ready to scoop everything up.
3. Sfouf (Turmeric Cake)
Turmeric is normally used like any other tasty spice, although the delicious root is also superb in treats. Without butter or eggs, it is an uncomplicated yet divine dessert, that is also vegan.
The semolina lends a super-moist crumb. Thanks to its sunny yellow pigment, the turmeric will also brighten up your kitchen.
4. Lebanese Garlic Sauce
A stellar garlic sauce recipe will be a smash hit, and this set of instructions is one that deserves to go into regular rotation. Simply garlic, oil, salt, and lemon juice; it is rich and decadent.
It is straightforward and fragrant. What more could one want?
5. Maamoul
Maamoul comes to life when a person from Lebanon desires cookies. These delicious date cookies are generally enjoyed to celebrate Eid, ringing in the close of Ramadan.
What a fantastic way to break any fast. Flavored using a whisper of anise, as well as almond paste, and dates, they boast a distinctive taste: tender inside and crumbly on the outside.
6. Lebanese Chicken Shawarma
Few things can top shawarma when it comes to Middle Eastern cooking. The method cooks meat long and slow, while incorporating special spices, and resulting in the most succulent, tender, smoky fare.
No rotisserie spit is necessary to capture the full Lebanese essence using this recipe. You just need chicken strips, a tasty marinade to soak up the flavors, and a broiler to bring out the tenderness.
7. Pita Chips
You will need a partner to enjoy your bowls of baba ganoush or hummus with. These crunchy pita triangles, cooked until perfectly golden brown, and drizzled in olive oil, are fantastic.
Keep an eye on them because you won’t be so willing to share these seriously addictive pita chips.
8. Lebanese Rice with Vermicelli
Any Lebanese meal is best served with Lebanese rice. This one-of-a-kind recipe is vegan, and incorporates vermicelli pasta, rice, and olive oil, making a tasty and unusual side dish.
Be sure to top it with yummy pine nuts before serving. It is so rich, so nutty, and also delightfully fluffy.
9. Ghraybeh
Ghraybeh, made using just four components, is a shortbread cookie. This simple and easy recipe is fantastic for those new to baking who want to impress.
Once mixed, the decadent dough needs chilling before being shaped into cookies, and cooked until a deep golden color.
10. Lebanese Baklava
What distinguishes Lebanese baklava and the Greek version? Lebanese baklava includes a decadent sugar syrup, while Greeks use honey.
Other than that, you’ll enjoy the same tested and delicious procedure, light layers of pastry boasting a decadent pistachio center. If it’s not broke, do not try to fix it!
11. Bamia (Lebanese Okra Stew)
In this recipe, the okra simmers away in a tomato-heavy broth to develop this aromatic stew. The spicy and rich blend is a flavorful vegetarian meal that is offered with pita bread, or served alongside rice.
You can always serve solo with a spoon. Here is an interesting fact for your next trivia night: did you know that okra is actually a fruit, not a vegetable?
12. Tabbouleh
The dish, tabbouleh, is just as great to say as it is to eat. It is a salad made with cucumbers, chopped tomatoes, and bulgar.
You need lots of the fresh parsley to get the full effect of this recipe. Just use fresh lemon juice and olive oil for dressing, and this results in a great light summer lunch.
13. Batata Harra (Spicy Lebanese Potatoes)
The potato, a globally adored carb, will be transformed by these spice-heavy variations. Bake the potatoes to perfection, or fry them until crispy with a deep golden color.
It will be tossed into a spicy cilantro sauce, also known as Batata Harra. Enjoy with fish or any meat as the ultimate side.
14. Lebanese Chickpea Stew
Lebanese cooks most certainly adore chickpeas. This nutritious legume adds richness and bulk to all sorts of meals.
In this version, they gently simmer alongside aromatic spices and roasted red bell peppers in a tomato broth. It is sure to be vegan and tasty, in addition to healthy and satisfying.
15. Lebanese Fruit Cocktail
Many tasty fruits are grown all throughout the Middle East, and the star of the show will be this vibrant and delicious cocktail. Forget those boring fruit cocktails from dinner parties during the 80s.
Take assorted cut fruits, soak them with rose-water ashta, heap them into a tall flute, and soak in strawberry juice for a sundae-like experience.
16. Lebanese Potato and Beef Stew
You should order immediately and get yourself ready for all those incredible aromas if you find tabekh on any menu in Lebanon. Tabekh commonly describes a comfort food-type stew.
Usually, it includes various meats plus veggies that come together with many delicious spices. This version serves soft potato chunks, along with tender beef, in a tomato and garlic broth.
17. Ka’ak Bread
You might recognize this popular snack from the streets of Beirut from its distinctive looped shape (vendors love stringing them up on poles). This bread can also be called purse bread.
Considering that this bread requires three rises, it can be a bit of a project. But with a crusty, salty crust and a wonderfully light, moist center, it is worth every bit of work.
18. Lebanese Fattoush Salad
Fattoush salad is full of the best vegetables of the season. You will need tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, plus something extra, fried bread!
Toss small squares of pita, after flavoring and mixing them with olive oil. Top your salad with fried and seasoned bread, and get a leafy taste that boasts an extra crunch.
19. Rice Pudding
How can you set apart Lebanese rice pudding and some bland cafeteria rendition? The boarding school version is a gluey mess, while this one offers a smooth, rich dessert that boasts cinnamon, vanilla, plus a hint of clove.
Enjoy with crushed nuts and a drizzle of honey.
20. Lebanese Spinach Stew
You simply cannot top spinach when you want leafy greens. Spinach is loaded with iron, calcium, folate, and vitamins K, C, and A. If you wish to reap all those great nutrients but struggle to eat greens, try sneaking them into this tasty recipe.
The spinach bakes with tangy lemon juice and some ground beef. Add nuts or chickpeas for more protein, and offer alongside crusty bread.
21. Lebanese Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
You need this incredible sauce if you would like to host a potluck, enjoy a BBQ, or simply need something as a side to give even more kick. Boasting just four components, it is decadent, light, and refreshing.
It is easy to make this Lebanese cucumber yogurt sauce with mint, cucumber, salt, and yogurt in your cupboard. With spicy meats or kebabs, it provides a refreshing tangy hit.
22. Mujadara
Mujadara is fantastic due to the sweet caramelized onions which enhance a blend of rice and lentils. It’s deceptively simple, but you’ll be wowed by the rich flavor, stemming from just three simple components.
This dish’s comforting flavors and textures is guaranteed to bring the YUM.
23. Baba Ganoush
There are some people who are all-in on baba ganoush, although others choose hummus. I say you must not choose if both are equally scrumptious!
Boasting a creamy, dreamy texture plus a smokier, deeper flavor, baba ganoush is similar to hummus. It is created from eggplant, instead of chickpeas, lending a richer flavor.
24. Zaatar Mankeesh
With only zaatar spice and soft flatbread, the Mediterranean flavors come alive. Four components all combine for one fantastic snack or side.
You cannot forget to try zaatar spice, a delicious combination of sumac, thyme, plus sesame seeds. That is exactly the type of math I can get behind!
25. Lebanese Lentil Soup
Craving another unique choice for meatless meals? This Lebanese lentil stew includes kale, green lentils, sweet potato, and plenty of ginger and garlic. Make a large batch on Sunday to enjoy portions that can be easily cooked mid-week.
You can freeze it, as well. This hearty, healthy recipe will certainly be a favorite in your household.