Master the vibrant flavors of Middle Eastern cuisine from creamy hummus and crispy falafel to sizzling kebabs + bake your own pita bread!
Middle Eastern food is all about bold flavors, warm spices, and dishes that bring people together. Whether it’s a plate of creamy hummus, sizzling kebabs, or a fragrant rice pilaf, these recipes have stood the test of time for a reason. This collection highlights 21 essential Middle Eastern dishes—the ones you’ll find at family tables, street markets, and celebrations across the region. From simple dips to hearty mains, these are the recipes that everyone should know how to make.
let’s dig in
- falafel
- kofta
- mint yogurt sauce
- Middle Eastern chickpea salad (balela)
- pita bread
- hummus
- spiced lamb and couscous stuffed peppers
- tabbouleh
- Lebanese meatballs
- preserved lemons
- Persian Jeweled Rice
- mint tea
- labneh
- shirazi salad
- whipped tahini sauce
- muhamarrah
- limonana
- Arabic\Israeli salad
- Turkish coffee
- doogh (Persian yogurt soda)
- homemade tahini
- watermelon and couscous salad
falafel
Falafel, or crispy chickpea fritters probably originated in Egypt over a hundred years ago, but began life as fava bean fritters. Falafel has since spread across the Middle East, Levant, and the Mediterranean. When done right, it’s one of the best vegetarian meals you’ll ever eat. Mine are crispy outside, and brilliant emerald green inside 🙂
Try my Falafel Burger Recipe (copycat McFalafel) and my Falafel Salad Bowl too!
kofta
Kofta is a very old type of Persian meatball, and could well be the original meatball! The name comes from the Persian word for ground meat. Kofta are made with minced meat (lamb, chicken, pork or beef) breadcrumbs, onion, egg, and spices. Sometimes rice, bulgur wheat, or lentils are used in place of the breadcrumbs. Kofta are often formed into cigar or finger shapes and threaded on skewers, but they can also be rolled into balls like I’ve done here. Serve them in pita, over rice, hummus, fresh greens, garlicky tzatziki or couscous with yogurt, as below.
Also try Spiced Lamb Meatballs with Hummus and Kofte Bowl with Warm Spiced Yogurt.
mint yogurt sauce
A cooling and refreshing accompaniment to dishes like kofte, kebabs, falafel, shawarma, and salads. This sauce is typically made with yogurt, fresh mint, garlic, lemon juice, and sometimes a bit of olive oil.
Middle Eastern chickpea salad (balela)
Balela, pronounced ba-LAY-la, is a Middle Eastern chickpea and black bean salad made with chopped tomatoes and lots of parsley and mint. Garlic and lemon, too. I’ve great islandized this classic Middle Eastern recipe with extra crunch from cucumbers, peppers (of course!) and briny olives.
Balela is a complete meal served with thick creamy labneh and some great pita bread for scooping everything up.
pita bread
I’ve been baking pita bread for as long as I can remember, it’s such fun to make and far superior to store bought pita that feels like cardboard. This simple flatbread with an interior pocket is the world’s oldest form of bread, a part of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine for thousands of years. You might be surprised to know that it cooks right on the stove top, not in the oven!
Also try pita’s cousin, laffa bread.
hummus
I can’t imagine life without hummus. We make it so often it’s like second nature, there’s never any measuring involved. Getting my first Vitamix high speed blender marked a turning point in our hummus journey ~ I was finally able to make hummus as velvety smooth as my favorite Middle Eastern restaurant. It’s all about the power of that motor and those blades. But some, like my husband, prefer a more textured hummus, so to each his own. You’ll find both styles here.
Also try Loaded Hummus and Warm Hummus with Mushrooms.
spiced lamb and couscous stuffed peppers
This classic comfort food gets an exotic makeover with ground lamb, lightly spiced with cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, and nutmeg, along with fluffy couscous to replace the traditional rice. The aroma is swoon-worthy!
tabbouleh
Tabbouleh might be the perfect year round salad. You get the benefit of whole grains plus the fresh greens and veggies and it has the most wonderful fluffy texture. I alternate between craving the classic tabbouleh recipe and wanting to load it up!
Lebanese meatballs
Tender beef and lamb meatballs loaded with fresh herbs and fragrant with warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, coriander and cumin.
preserved lemons
If you’ve ever been excited to make a recipe and then discovered it called for preserved lemons (which you didn’t have) you’ll be happy to know you can make them yourself, easily.
Persian Jeweled Rice
A glorious special occasion rice pilaf stuffed with fruits and nuts. This side dish is a guaranteed show stopper. This special Middle Eastern recipe is gluten free and vegan, too.
mint tea
Fresh mint leaves steeped in boiling water become the most rejuvenating drink ever. Part social custom, part healing elixir, this fresh mint tea can be served steaming hot or iced, depending on the season.
labneh
This silky soft yogurt cheese is as delicious as it is versatile. If you love yogurt, labneh is your logical next step. Great for breakfast with toast, or as a dip or spread as part of a traditional mezze platter. You can roll it into balls, too.
Also try Jewel Box Labneh Balls and Beet and Blueberry Salad with Labneh.
shirazi salad
Similar to the Arabic/Israeli salad but a little bit chunkier, this Persian cucumber tomato salad recipe puts the emphasis on fresh mint, dill, and lime.
Also try Fattoush Salad.
whipped tahini sauce
A creamy Middle Eastern sesame dip that comes together in 30 seconds! We love it with grilled chicken, falafel, kofta meatballs, and, of course, fries!
muhamarrah
Muhammara is one of those Middle Eastern recipes that isn’t quite as well known as its sisters hummus and baba ganoush, but this easy vegan spread has to go on your must make list (the color alone is worth it!) Made from roasted red peppers and walnuts, lightly sweetened with pomegranate molasses and spiked with smoked paprika, this Middle Eastern appetizer is a conversation starter.
limonana
I vividly remember the first time I tried this fresh mint lemonade ~ it’s hands down the most refreshing drink I’ve ever tasted. This Middle Eastern slushie is a must make.
Arabic\Israeli salad
This amazingly refreshing salad inflames passions when it comes to its provenance. It’s a refreshing Levant salad made with chopped tomato, onion and cucumber, along with bell peppers, parsley, olive oil and lemon. Za’atar and sumac are common spices added to the salad. I break with tradition and add feta cheese.
Turkish coffee
No collection of Middle Eastern recipes would be complete without Turkish coffee. Warm aromatic cardamom is one of the signature spices of the Middle East, and is wonderful in coffee! I love this so much I’ll sometimes add a touch of cardamom to my regular morning coffee.
doogh (Persian yogurt soda)
Doogh is a Middle Eastern fermented drink made with tangy yogurt and fresh mint ~ it’s different from anything else I’ve ever had, in a good way! I’m always on the lookout for unusual summer drinks ~ bonus points that this one is non alcoholic, made with no sugar and lots of immune boosting probiotics.
homemade tahini
Homemade Tahini or sesame paste, is a key ingredient in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean recipes, and it’s so easy to make right at home in your blender!
watermelon and couscous salad
This refreshing salad is made with a whole wheat form of couscous called MAFTOUL. Maftoul is a couscous from Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. It’s a variation of traditional couscous (which comes from North Africa) that is made from whole wheat, rather than semolina.
Egyptian falafel (taameya) are made with fava beans. They are more delicate than the ones made with garbanzo beans
I’ve been meaning to give that a try, but fava beans are hard to find here.
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I would like to see more recipes (Middle Eastern) for dinner. So many are for side dishes.
You can check out my whole collection here. If you scroll through you’ll see a bunch. But yes, many of my favorites tend to be appetizers, salads, and sides.
Sue, Arabic Salad is Israeli Salad plus onions. Israeli Salad doesn’t get the onions. Other than that, the two salads are the same.
Every recipe you post is so amazing. Not only does it look tempting and delicious, the ones that I have tried so far continues to up the level of wonderfulness we get to enjoy in our home. This post on Middle East beauties will be my first group to make for 2024. A million thanks for the inspiration!!
Thanks for the sweet comment Rebecca, you’ve made my weekend! Enjoy!
Loved the Mediterranean recipes, wish you could add one for Lentil Soup, if you have one. Thanks
Hi Sue,
These all look delicious! I do have one question: what is the salad pictured under Tabbouleh? Neither your Classic Tabbouleh nor your “load it up” version (Jeweled Tabbouleh) have the black olives and cubed feta (?) shown in the picture. Thanks!
It’s my “loaded tabbouleh, it’s linked in the title (confusing, sorry!) here’s the link: Loaded Tabbouleh
Thank you for the great suggestions and recipes.