✔ Updated · 42 Lebanese recipes, up from 27, with a photo for every one
Lebanese food is bright, generous and built for sharing: lemony salads, garlicky dips, grilled meats and syrupy sweets. Here are 42 dishes I love, from a quick mezze spread to a slow Sunday stew.
The best-known Lebanese dishes are hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, fattoush, falafel, shish tawook, kafta, kibbeh, stuffed grape leaves, mujadara and manakish, with baklava, knafeh and maamoul for dessert. Lebanese cooking leans on olive oil, lemon, garlic, parsley, mint, chickpeas, bulgur and tahini, and most meals start with a table of shared mezze.
- Easiest to start with: hummus, tabbouleh, fattoush, toum and mujadara.
- Best for a crowd: a mezze spread, shish tawook skewers, kibbeh and a big tray of riz a djej.
- Pantry basics: tahini, bulgur, chickpeas, lentils, seven spice, sumac, za'atar and pomegranate molasses.
Lebanese Mezze and Dips
Mezze is how a Lebanese meal starts: lots of small plates, warm bread and everyone reaching across the table. Make three or four of these and you have dinner.
1. Hummus
Silky chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon and garlic. My trick: blend in an ice cube or two for the fluffiest, palest hummus.
2. Baba Ganoush
Smoky charred eggplant mashed with tahini, lemon and garlic. Char the eggplant until it collapses; the smoke is the flavor.
3. Labneh
Thick strained yogurt with olive oil and za'atar. Just salted yogurt hung overnight in cheesecloth: the easiest cheese you will ever make.
4. Toum (Garlic Sauce)
A fluffy white emulsion of garlic, oil and lemon that goes on everything grilled. Strong, bright and seriously addictive.
5. Muhammara
A sweet, smoky dip of roasted red peppers, walnuts and pomegranate molasses. Gorgeous color and great with pita chips.
6. Cucumber Yogurt Salad (Khiyar bi Laban)
Cool yogurt with diced cucumber, garlic and dried mint. I serve it next to anything spicy or grilled.
7. Ful Medames
Warm fava beans dressed with lemon, garlic, cumin and olive oil. A hearty Lebanese breakfast with bread and fresh vegetables.
8. Falafel
Crunchy fritters of soaked raw chickpeas and herbs, bright green inside. Never use canned chickpeas here; they fall apart in the oil.
9. Stuffed Grape Leaves (Warak Enab)
Tight little rolls of grape leaves filled with rice, tomato, parsley and mint, simmered in lemon and olive oil.
Lebanese Salads and Sides
Lebanese salads are all about herbs and lemon. Chop everything by hand if you can; a food processor bruises the parsley and makes it soggy.
10. Tabbouleh
Mostly parsley, with a little fine bulgur, tomato, mint, lemon and olive oil. Real Lebanese tabbouleh is green, not beige.
11. Fattoush
A crunchy chopped salad with toasted pita chips, purslane or lettuce, radishes and a tangy sumac dressing.
12. Lebanese Potato Salad (Salata Batata)
No mayo here: potatoes tossed warm with lemon, garlic, olive oil, parsley and mint. Bright, fresh and picnic-proof.
13. Batata Harra (Spicy Potatoes)
Crispy potato cubes tossed with garlic, cilantro, chili and lemon. The side dish everyone fights over.
Breads and Savory Pies
The Lebanese bakery is where breakfast happens. One batch of simple dough covers manakish, sfiha and fatayer, so I make a double batch and freeze half.
14. Za'atar Manakish
Soft flatbread brushed with za'atar and olive oil and baked hot. The classic Lebanese breakfast, folded with tomato and mint.
15. Lahm bi Ajeen (Sfiha)
Little open meat pies topped with spiced ground lamb or beef, tomato, onion and pomegranate molasses.
16. Spinach Pies (Fatayer bi Sabanekh)
Triangle pies stuffed with lemony spinach, onion and sumac. Tangy, sturdy and perfect for lunch boxes.
17. Ka'ak Bread
The Beirut street bread shaped like a purse with a handle, crusted in sesame. Stuff the pocket with za'atar or cheese.
18. Pita Chips
Torn pita tossed in olive oil and baked until crisp. Sprinkle with sumac and salt and try not to eat the whole tray.
Lebanese Main Dishes
Grilled skewers, stuffed vegetables and slow stews over rice. Most Lebanese home cooking is a stew, called yakhneh, ladled over vermicelli rice, so learn the rice and the rest follows.
19. Chicken Shawarma
Chicken thighs marinated in garlic, lemon, yogurt and warm spices, roasted until charred and wrapped with toum and pickles. Cook to 165°F.
20. Shish Tawook
Juicy chicken skewers marinated in yogurt, lemon, garlic and tomato paste, grilled with a good char. Cook to 165°F.
21. Kafta Kebabs
Ground beef or lamb mixed with onion, parsley and seven spice, shaped on skewers and grilled. Cook to 160°F.
22. Fried Kibbeh
Crisp torpedo-shaped shells of bulgur and lean meat stuffed with spiced ground meat, onions and pine nuts. Lebanon's national dish.
23. Baked Kibbeh (Kibbeh bil Sanieh)
Kibbeh layered in a tray and baked, scored into diamonds. All the flavor of fried kibbeh with far less work.
24. Stuffed Zucchini (Kousa Mahshi)
Pale Lebanese squash hollowed and stuffed with rice and spiced meat, simmered in a garlicky tomato and mint broth.
25. Sheikh el Mahshi (Stuffed Eggplant)
Baby eggplants fried, split and filled with spiced meat and pine nuts, then baked in tomato sauce. Rich and spoon-tender.
26. Chicken and Rice (Riz a Djej)
Spiced rice cooked with ground meat, topped with shredded chicken and toasted nuts. The festive platter for big family meals.
27. Mujadara
Lentils and rice cooked together and crowned with deeply browned onions. Cheap, filling and better than the sum of its parts.
28. Sayadieh (Fish and Rice)
White fish over rice cooked in a deep brown onion broth, scattered with toasted nuts. A coastal favorite. Cook fish to 145°F.
29. Green Beans in Olive Oil (Loubieh bi Zeit)
Flat green beans slow-cooked with tomatoes, onion and lots of olive oil. Served at room temperature with bread.
30. Okra Stew (Bamia)
Tender okra and beef in a garlicky tomato stew with cilantro. Spoon it over vermicelli rice.
31. Spinach Stew (Yakhnet Sabanekh)
Spinach and beef cooked with cilantro, garlic and lemon. Quick for a stew and very comforting.
32. Potato and Beef Stew (Yakhnet Batata)
Chunky potatoes, beef, tomato and seven spice in a rich red sauce. A weeknight staple in Lebanese homes.
33. Lebanese Moussaka (Maghmour)
Fried eggplant, chickpeas, onions and tomatoes baked together. Vegan, rich and even better the next day at room temperature.
Soups and Rice
Simple, cheap and on the table every week. The vermicelli rice goes under nearly every stew above.
34. Lemony Lentil Soup (Shorbet Adas)
Red lentils blended smooth with cumin and finished with a squeeze of lemon. Ready in about 30 minutes.
35. Vermicelli Rice (Riz bi Shairieh)
Fluffy rice cooked with vermicelli toasted golden in butter. Toast the noodles until they smell nutty; that is the flavor.
36. Chickpea Fatteh (Fatteh Hummus)
Layers of crisp pita, warm chickpeas and garlicky yogurt, topped with pine nuts browned in butter. A brilliant brunch dish.
Lebanese Desserts
Lebanese sweets lean on semolina, nuts, rose water and orange blossom water. Use a light hand with the flower waters: a teaspoon too much and it tastes like soap.
37. Baklava
Crisp phyllo layered with pistachios or walnuts and soaked in an orange blossom syrup. Pour cool syrup over hot baklava for crunch.
38. Knafeh
Melty sweet cheese under crisp buttery shredded pastry, soaked in syrup and showered with pistachios. Eat it hot.
39. Maamoul
Buttery semolina cookies pressed in carved molds and filled with dates, walnuts or pistachios. Made for Easter and Eid.
40. Sfouf (Turmeric Cake)
A bright yellow semolina and turmeric cake with pine nuts on top. Not too sweet, and perfect with coffee.
41. Namoura (Semolina Cake)
A dense, syrup-soaked semolina cake topped with almonds. Moist, sweet and scented with orange blossom.
42. Ghraybeh (Butter Cookies)
Melt-in-the-mouth shortbread of butter, sugar and flour, topped with a pistachio. Only three main ingredients.
A Lebanese Pantry in 8 Ingredients
Stock these and you can cook nearly every dish on this page. I keep them all on one shelf.
| Ingredient | What it is | Use it in |
|---|---|---|
| Tahini | Sesame paste | Hummus, baba ganoush, falafel sauce |
| Fine bulgur | Cracked wheat | Tabbouleh, kibbeh |
| Seven spice (baharat) | Warm spice blend | Kafta, kibbeh, riz a djej, stews |
| Sumac | Tangy red berry powder | Fattoush, pita chips, onions |
| Za’atar | Thyme, sumac and sesame | Manakish, labneh |
| Pomegranate molasses | Sweet and sour syrup | Muhammara, sfiha, dressings |
| Orange blossom water | Floral water | Baklava syrup, maamoul, namoura |
| Chickpeas and lentils | Dried pulses | Hummus, fatteh, mujadara, soup |
More Mediterranean Recipes
Looking for more? A simple chickpea salad with lemon, parsley and olive oil makes a great make-ahead lunch, and the Greek desserts roundup has plenty more phyllo and honey. Wondering about leftovers? Here is how long hummus lasts, and if you are choosing bread, my naan vs pita guide explains the difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the national dish of Lebanon?
Kibbeh is widely called Lebanon's national dish: a mix of fine bulgur and lean meat, eaten fried, baked in a tray or even raw as kibbeh nayyeh. Tabbouleh is the other contender and is so loved that Lebanon celebrates a National Tabbouleh Day each July.
What is the most popular Lebanese food?
Hummus, tabbouleh, fattoush, falafel, shawarma and shish tawook are the dishes most people know, and you will find them on nearly every Lebanese menu. At home, stews over vermicelli rice, mujadara and manakish for breakfast are just as common.
What do Lebanese people eat for breakfast?
Manakish topped with za'atar or cheese is the classic, often with tomato, cucumber, mint and olives. Labneh with olive oil, ful medames, eggs and warm pita are common too, usually with a strong cup of coffee or tea.
Is Lebanese food healthy?
Much of it is built on vegetables, legumes, whole grains, olive oil, herbs and grilled meat, which fits a Mediterranean-style way of eating. Fried dishes like falafel and kibbeh and syrupy sweets like baklava are richer, so I treat those as occasional.
What is the difference between Lebanese and Greek food?
Both use olive oil, lemon and lots of vegetables, but Lebanese food leans on tahini, bulgur, chickpeas, sumac, za'atar and seven spice, while Greek cooking uses more oregano, feta, yogurt sauces and phyllo pies. Lebanese meals usually start with a big mezze spread.
