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    Home » Vegan Lebanese Recipes

    The Best Hummus Balila (Lebanese Warm Chickpeas)

    Published: Jun 7, 2022 by Janelle Hama

    Jump to Recipe

    The best hummus Balila is a mouthwatering dish of tender warm chickpeas, topped with spices and copious amounts of cumin and olive oil. A typical Lebanese breakfast food (or brunch). Naturally gluten-free and vegan.

    a brown bowl of cooked chips with radish on the side
    A warm bowl of the best balila

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    Jump to:
    • What is Balila?
    • 😋Why You’ll Love This Recipe
    • ✔️Ingredients You’ll Need
    • 🔪How to Make Balila
    • 🥗Serving Suggestion
    • 🌟Pro Tips
    • 🥄Variations
    • ❓FAQ
    • 🥘Related Recipes
    • The Best Hummus Balila (Lebanese Warm Chickpeas)

    What is Balila?

    Balila is a Levantine dish made of cooked tender warm chickpeas dressed in olive oil, cumin, red hot chilli, sweet paprika spices and salt. 

    It is a popular Lebanese breakfast food (and across the Middle East) and is generally enjoyed alongside ful mudammas and a plate of pickled and fresh vegetables. 

    There are small food shops scattered across Lebanon that just specialize in hummus balila and similar foods. Hummus and ful are always coupled together in this type of recipe.

    Hummus Balila in English

    Balila in English is pronounced as ba·lee·lah. It is the Arabic word for cooked chickpeas. The Arabic word "hummus" is chickpeas in English.

    😋Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    • The best way to enjoy chickpeas, they are unbelievably tasty and creamy
    • Easy to prepare 
    • Minimal and simple ingredients
    • Dietary friendly - gluten-free and vegan, soy and corn-free.

    ✔️Ingredients You’ll Need

    cooked chickpeas, olive oil, red chili, cumin, paprika and salt on a white plate

    Notes on some of the ingredients, the full list of ingredients and their measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

    Chickpeas - dry or canned can be used.  If using canned chickpeas, go for the organic variety.

    Dry chickpeas are my preference as the water of the cooked chickpeas will be used which is always better on flavor in comparison to canned.

    Cumin is the hero spice used in this recipe. It is applied in copious amounts.

    Sweet paprika and hot chili pepper are also two important spices to use in this meal. However, you can omit the chili if required.

    Olive oil - use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Generally, a copious amount of it is used to dress the chickpeas. I have however limited to one tablespoon in this recipe - personal preference.

    🔪How to Make Balila

    Using Dry Chickpeas

    Step 1 - Remove any unwanted chickpea pieces and then soak overnight in water (1 cup of chickpeas to 5 cups of water). The next morning, add the chickpeas and their water to a pot, bring to a soft boil over high heat and then turn down to low heat and cook with the lid partially open for approximately 40 minutes. Skim off any froth.

    Using Canned Chickpeas

    Step 1 - Add chickpeas with their brine to a pot and cook them until they are warmed and tender.

    Step 2 - In a bowl, combine warm chickpeas with some of their brine (I generally add 3-5 tablespoons of brine to 1 ½ cups of chickpeas) and all the spices and salt. Top with olive (you can mix it through too) and serve warm with an additional sprinkle of cumin. 

    a female hand scooping chickpeas using flat bread

    🥗Serving Suggestion

    Balila is always eaten with fresh Lebanese flatbread, also known as pita bread. Rip off a piece to use as a scoop with your hands. 

    Hummus balila is always coupled with foul mudammas, another Lebanese breakfast food of cooked warm fava beans, however when at home, it doesn't have to be so.

    In addition to the above, a generous side serving of pickled and fresh vegetables is served, this normally includes fresh mint, radish, tomato, olives, pickled green chili, pickled turnip known as lifit (affiliate link) and pickled Armenian cucumbers (affiliate link).

    🌟Pro Tips

    The ratios of ingredients can be altered to suit your taste.

    Hummus balila should not be dry and the brine of the chickpeas should be added in. This adds to the flavor and is generally mopped up using Lebanese flat bread or any type of pita bread will do.

    a hand holding garbanzo beans in a piece of bread over a brown bowl

    🥄Variations

    A spin-off from this recipe is my delicious balela salad, vegetables are tossed through it and dressed in a lemon dressing.

    A spoonful of tahini can be added, this variation is another dish called Musabaha.

    Another Lebanese chickpea recipe is the classic Lebanese hummus.

    ❓FAQ

    Are the chickpeas in balila warm or cold?

    Balila always uses warm/hot chickpeas and not cold. They are generally cooked in a pot and taken directly from the pot and mixed with the other ingredients to make the dish which is served immediately. Any unused leftover chickpeas can be placed in a sealed container in the fridge which can be warmed later on when needed.

    How can I store balila?

    Although balila is best eaten fresh, it can be stored. Once it has cooled down, any leftovers can be placed in an air-tight sealed container in the fridge for up to five days. It is best reheated before consumption.

    cooked garbanzo beans topped with spices in a brown bowl

    🥘Related Recipes

    Other Lebanese recipes you might enjoy include my creamy baba ghanouj, fresh oregano scrolls, fresh oregano salad (I love this on toast), or vegan herbed omelet called ejjeh.

    As this balila is part of the hummus family, read about is hummus vegan?

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      Sfouf Lebanese Turmeric Semolina Cake (Vegan)
    • Mujadara Hamra (Lentils & Bulgur)
    • a bowlful of black eyed peas and chopped greems
      Vegan Black Eyed Peas With Greens (Lebanese)
    • a white plate of mashed eggplant dip with a carrot stick
      Delicious Moutabal (Eggplant Dip Without Tahini)

    Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.

    a brown bowl of cooked chips with radish on the side

    The Best Hummus Balila (Lebanese Warm Chickpeas)

    Hummus Balila is a mouthwatering dish of tender warm chickpeas, topped with spices and copious amounts of cumin and olive oil. A typical Lebanese breakfast food (or brunch). Naturally gluten free and vegan.
    Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved Recipe
    Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, side
    Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
    Prep Time: 2 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 42 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2 people
    Author: Janelle Hama

    Ingredients

    • 1½ cups Chickpeas cooked and warm (hot)
    • ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • ¼ teaspoon Sweet paprika powder
    • ¼ teaspoon Red hot chili powder
    • 1 tablespoon Olive oil extra virgin
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Using Dry Chickpeas - Remove any unwanted chickpea pieces and then soak overnight in water (1 cup of chickpeas to 5 cups of water). The next morning, add the chickpeas and their water to a pot, bring to a soft boil over high heat and then turn down to low heat and cook with lid partially open for approximately 40 minutes. Skim off any froth.
      Using Canned Chickpeas - Add chickpeas with their brine to a pot and cook them until they are warmed and tender.
      1½ cups Chickpeas
    • In a bowl, combine warm chickpeas with some of their brine (I generally add 3-4 tablespoons of brine to 1 ½ cups of chickpeas) and all the spices and salt. Top with olive (you can mix it through too) and serve warm with an additional sprinkle of cumin. 
      ½ teaspoon Cumin, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Sweet paprika, ¼ teaspoon Red hot chili, 1 tablespoon Olive oil

    Video


    Notes

    The time indicated doesn't include the time it takes to soak dry chickpeas.
    Balila should not be dry and is served warm.
    Generally, copious amounts of olive oil are served on top, you can adjust the amount used to your liking
    Copious amounts of cumin is also used, you can adjust this and all other seasoning/spices to suit
    A variation of this meal Balela salad

    Nutrition

    Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 595mg | Potassium: 378mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 237IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 4mg

    N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.


    Tried this recipe?Mention @Plantbasedfolk or tag #plantbasedfolk

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Odette

      July 21, 2022 at 5:39 pm

      5 stars
      What a wonderful chickpeas recipes! Love it, Lebanese food never dissapoints! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    2. Genevieve

      July 16, 2022 at 9:26 am

      5 stars
      I love hummus, but I've never tried making my own, let alone this version and now I have the perfect recipe to do so! tasted incredible!

      Reply
    3. Layla

      July 12, 2022 at 12:19 am

      5 stars
      This balelat hummus recipe was so easy to follow, I ate this when I was in Lebanon, I made a note to find it online to replicate at home. Thank you for this recupe

      Reply
    4. Leith

      June 27, 2022 at 7:06 pm

      5 stars
      Best chickpeas recipe I made lately. It's healthy and delicious and easy for someone like me who can't cook, thanks!

      Reply
    5. Yahye

      June 26, 2022 at 3:47 pm

      5 stars
      Such a great way to serve chickpeas! I get a bit bored of ship-bought hummus, so this recipe was just a revelation!

      Reply
    6. Nikki

      June 18, 2022 at 1:56 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for introducing me to warm chickpeas. This type of hummus was extra creamy and flavourful

      Reply
    7. Rebecca

      June 17, 2022 at 6:23 pm

      5 stars
      This dish was delicious, we served it with fresh warm bread as a starter.

      Reply
    8. Deanna

      June 01, 2022 at 1:13 pm

      5 stars
      This balila is the absolute best! so creamy and delicious! I never knew about this way of eating chickpeas. I used canned chickpeas.

      Reply

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    Hello, I'm Janelle, a culinary enthusiast with over two decades of cooking experience and a keen interest in creating delicious vegan Lebanese recipes.

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