Make authentic Lebanese Balila with this easy recipe. Learn how to transform warm, tender chickpeas with garlic, lemon, and cumin for a healthy breakfast.
If you haven’t made much Lebanese food before, this easy Lebanese balila recipe is a great place to start. Balila is a humble, comforting Lebanese chickpea dish made with cooked chickpeas, garlic, fresh lemon juice, olive oil or ghee, and a simple seasoning of salt and cumin. Made with everyday pantry ingredients, this warm chickpea dish is traditionally served with Arabic bread for a delicious Lebanese breakfast, though I’d happily eat it any time of day. Naturally vegan, protein-rich, nutrient-dense, and incredibly flavorful, this easy balila recipe is proof that simple ingredients can come together to make something truly delicious—the final result is so much greater than the sum of its parts.
Ingredients Needed to Make Balila
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Dried chickpeas
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Olive oil
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Lemon juice
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Garlic
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Ground cumin
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Salt
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Chili peppers
Why Will You Love Balila?
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It’s affordable and convenient.
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It’s simple to prepare but rich and complex in flavor.
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It’s so satisfying that even meat lovers won’t miss the meat!
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It’s creamy, zesty, and warmly spiced with cumin.
Can I Use Canned Chickpeas for Balila?
Canned chickpeas tend to be mealy and dry, and they don’t deliver the right consistency for balila. I recommend using dried chickpeas instead.
While cooking chickpeas from scratch requires a little planning, it doesn’t require much hands-on work. The result is well worth it: dried chickpeas produce a creamier texture, a more natural flavor, and a much better consistency—especially in a dish like balila.
Chunky Consistency!
You don’t need to turn balila into a puree. Balila is meant to have that chunky, rustic look. Roughly mash it after cooking with a masher, then add just a little of the chickpea broth—don’t go heavy.
It’s not meant to be a soup. It should be soft enough that no chewing is required, yet thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon.
Olive Oil or Ghee in Balila?
If you want to keep it vegan, olive oil is the way to go. But if you don’t mind a less healthy option, ghee is definitely worth considering. Especially if you’re using a good-quality brand—the taste is incredible!
Melt the ghee over low heat, drizzle it over your balila, mix everything together, and enjoy it with warm Arabic bread.
How long can you store leftover Balila?
Balila stores and reheats beautifully. It can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
If you love this recipe, you should also try my authentic, smooth creamy Lebanese Hummus.”
More Lebanese breakfast:
Balila, Hummus Balila
Description
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas
- 4 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon baking soda divided between soaking and cooking
- Extra-virgin olive oil for serving
- Water for soaking and cooking the chickpeas
- 4 tablespoons pine nuts
- A pinch of cumin powder
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the dried chickpeas and cover them with twice their volume of cold water. Add ½ teaspoon of baking soda. Leave on the kitchen bench to soak overnight.
- Once the chickpeas have been rehydrated, drain them and add them to a large pot. Cover with 1½ liters (6 cups) of fresh water.
- Bring to a boil, then remove the scum that rises to the surface and add the remaining baking soda. The scum will appear once more after adding the baking soda; remove it again.Turn down the heat and simmer gently until the chickpeas are very tender—soft enough to mash easily and almost falling apart when pressed between your fingers. This will take 1 to 2 hours, depending on the chickpeas; older chickpeas may require more time.Add more hot water if they seem to be drying out or boiling dry.
- Crush the garlic into a smooth paste and squeeze the lemon juice.
- Toast the pine nuts in a skillet with just a little sunflower oil until golden, or toast them without oil if you prefer.
- In a bowl, add the crushed garlic, lemon juice, and cumin powder.
- Remove the chickpeas with a slotted spoon and add them to the bowl with a little of the chickpea broth (about 1/3 cup).
- Roughly mash the chickpeas using a masher—balila is meant to have that chunky, rustic texture. Adjust the salt to your taste. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with toasted pine nuts, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Serve with onion rings, fresh mint leaves, pickles, and Arabic bread. Heavenly!
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