• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Plant Based Folk
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Lebanese
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Lebanese
  • About
  • Subscribe

subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Lebanese
  • About
  • Subscribe

×
Home » Vegan Lebanese Recipes

Balila

Published: Jun 4, 2024 by Janelle Hama *This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure

72 shares
Jump to Recipe

Hummus Balila is a mouthwatering dish of tender warm chickpeas, topped with copious amounts of cumin, spices and extra virgin olive oil.

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

What is Balila?

Balila (also known as hummus balila) is a Levantine/Middle Eastern dish made of warm chickpeas dressed in olive oil, cumin, and other delicious spices.

It's a popular Lebanese breakfast food, often enjoyed across the Middle East as part of a warm mezze. It’s typically served alongside ful mudammas, a plate of pickled and fresh vegetables, and warm pita bread.

Small specialist food shops are scattered across Lebanon, offering daily-made hummus balila and similar foods like musabaha or traditional authentic hummus dip. These dishes have subtle differences in preparation and ingredients, yet their flavors are notably distinct.

I find balila delightfully sweet than its counterparts because the tender chickpeas remain mostly intact, allowing you to savor their full flavor! I just love it!

Hummus Balila in English

The Arabic word "hummus" is chickpeas in English.

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

Ingredients Highlight

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

The complete list of ingredients with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.

The Hero Spice

The key spice in any good balila is ground cumin, which is combined with other spices like ground sweet paprika and chili pepper. These spices can be adjusted to taste, which is part of the beauty of this dish.

Use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Typically, a generous amount is used to dress the chickpeas. However, I've limited it to one tablespoon in this recipe as a personal preference. The flavor of the olive oil combined with the sweet chickpeas is unmatched!

The Chickpeas

Both dry or canned chickpeas can be used. I prefer dry chickpeas as the cooking water is more flavorful and fresh compared to canned, and the chickpeas themselves are larger.

For convenience, I've listed canned chickpeas in the recipe below, but here's a quick guide for using the dry variety:

Using Dry Chickpeas

The general rule of thumb is 1 cup of dry chickpeas will yield 3 cups of cooked. I usually make quite a bit on a weekly basis which I keep in the fridge ready to be used.

  1. Preparation: Remove any unwanted chickpea pieces and soak them overnight in water (1 cup of chickpeas to 5 cups of water).
  2. Cooking: The next morning, add the chickpeas and their soaking water to a pot. Bring to a soft boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low heat and cook with the lid partially open for approximately 90 minutes, or until the chickpeas are very soft. Skim off any froth as needed.

You can soak or cook with 1 teaspoon of baking soda, this helps with tenderizing them. It is not mandatory.

You will need 1½ cups of cooked chickpeas for this balila recipe. If you have leftover chickpeas, you can use them to make a beet hummus dip.

a female hand scooping chickpeas using flat bread

Janelle's 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 pita bread or any type bread will do.

Trust me, don't waste the juices, they are so delish. I normally have mine with GF toast, topped with an additional sprinkling of ground cumin and chopped fresh parsley leaves.

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

Storage

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

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

Recipe

a brown bowl of cooked chips with radish on the side

Balila

Hummus Balila is a mouthwatering dish of tender warm chickpeas, topped with copious amounts of cumin, spices and extra virgin olive oil.
Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved Recipe
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Side Dish
Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 2 people
Author: Janelle Hama

Ingredients

  • 1 can Chickpeas canned
  • ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Sweet paprika powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Red hot chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 Water to tenderize chickpeas
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Rinse and drain the canned chickpeas. Add them to a saucepan, submerge in an inch of water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes until the chickpeas are hot and super tender. If you are using dry chickpeas, refer to the notes in the above article. Once done, strain the hot chickpeas, reserving at least 4 tablespoons of the cooking water.
    chickpeas in water in a black pot
  • In a mixing bowl, combine the hot chickpeas, reserved cooking water, all the spices, and salt. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, mixing it through if desired. Adjust the ingredients to taste. Serve balila warm with an additional sprinkle of cumin.
    hands mixing balila in a bowl

Video


Notes

Balila should be wet and served warm.
A spin-off from this recipe is my delicious Middle Eastern chickpea salad, vegetables are tossed through it and dressed in a lemon dressing.
 
 
 
This recipe article was originally released in June 2022 and has since been updated.

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?Please consider Leaving a Review!

If you enjoyed this recipe, consider supporting my work for the cost of a cup of coffee.

More Vegan Lebanese Recipes

  • cucumber yogurt salad in a brown plate
    Lebanese Cucumber Yogurt Salad
  • baklawa syrup in a glass bottle
    Baklawa Syrup
  • a white bowl filled with leafy greens, lentils and potato soup
    Adas bi Hamod
  • Lebanese rice pudding riz bi haleeb with pistachio
    Lebanese Rice Pudding
72 shares

Reader Interactions

Comments

    5 from 84 votes (76 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    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

Primary Sidebar

a female brunette throwing a lemon

Hello, I'm Janelle!

A culinary enthusiast with a keen interest in creating delicious vegan Lebanese recipes.

Let's cook together!

More about me →

Recipes Not to Miss

  • a bowl of chopped mushroom salad
    Easy Raw Mushroom Salad With Balsamic Vinegar
  • a red casserole pot with okra stew
    Bamia (Okra Stew Without Meat)
  • fingers holding a brown chocolate balls
    Chocolate Bliss Balls Without Dates
  • a stack of vegan corn fritters
    Easy 4-Ingredient Corn Fritters (Vegan)

Free e Cookbook

I'm sharing 5 top recipes from my family's cookbook, get it delivered to your inbox. Sign up →

an ipad showing a cookbook cover

As Featured On

various logos where Plant Based Folk has been featured

Footer

^ back to top

About

Accessibility Policy
Blog
Cookies Policy
Disclosure
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy (GDPR)
Terms of Use

Newsletter + Links

Sign Up! for emails and updates
Web stories
Vegan Lebanese Recipes
Shop Kitchen Essentials

Contact

Contact
Work with me
Social media
Advertise

Copyright © 2025 Plant Based Folk

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.