Foul moudamas is a Middle Eastern staple made with tender fava beans mashed with garlic and lemon, then drizzled with olive oil for a rich, hearty flavor.
This Lebanese fava bean dish is a breakfast favorite, often served alongside baleela and paired with fresh vegetables, pickles, and warm Lebanese pita bread.
It's one of my go-to meals in the morning so filling and flavorful. If you love traditional flavors, try musabaha next to experience another authentic Lebanese breakfast food.
Ingredients
The complete list of ingredients with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.
Fava Beans
Traditionally made with dried fava beans slow-cooked for hours, but for convenience, you can use canned fava beans, which is what I have used in the below recipe card.
Olive Oil, Garlic and Lemon Juice
Freshly crushed garlic and lemon juice create the bold, tangy base flavor of foul moudamas. To serve, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil enhances the richness. Choose a high-quality variety for the best taste. If you prefer an oil-free version, simply omit it.
Tahini
For extra creaminess and a subtle nutty flavor, mix in some tahini, this is how my Lebanese family has always made it. However, there are many people who prefer to make ful without tahini. Just leave it out.
Fresh Vegetables and Chickpeas
I love adding diced tomato, onion, and a sprinkle of parsley for a fresh contrast. I will always add these on top when serving, trust me, although this optional, it's the tastiest!
It is also common to top foul with warm tender chickpeas, this is optional, I love this too.
Janelle's Tips
Mash to your liking, some prefer it chunky, others smoother. I like a mix of both, using a fork or pestle for the perfect texture.
Did you know that foul moudamas in English is pronounced as fool moo·dum·mas in Arabic? It is also known as ful, foul, foul mdamas, and ful medamas, depending on the region in the Middle East. The word “foul” means fava beans.
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
Foul Moudamas
Ingredients
- 1 cup Fava beans canned
- ½ teaspoon Salt or to taste
- ½ small Lemon freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil or to taste
- 1 clove Garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon Tahini or to taste
- ¼ cup Cooked chickpeas optional
Instructions
- In a pot over med-high heat, heat up fava beans with its brine until completely warm. Optionally, warm up a ¼ cup of whole chickpeas separately over medium - high heat in a pot - these will be used to top foul moudamas at the end. Set aside.
- In a bowl, combine salt, lemon juice and garlic. Mash through the warmed fava beans with brine), now mash through tahini and combine everything together as evenly as possibly. The fava beans should be chunky and mash. Top with olive and optional warmed whole chickpeas. Serve warm. See garnish suggestions below.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.
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Sharone Trager-Hanoch
It came out a bit bitter. Should I have removed the shells before mashing?
Janelle Hama
Peeling fava beans for ful is a personal preference. Skin on or off, both work.
Skin on, there will be more texture. Skin off, and the ful mudummas will be creamier. The canned variety has softer skins. The dry ones are tougher.
See which one you like. Sahtein Sharone!
Gigi
So my beans have been soaking for 24 hours, but the skins are still hard to remove. It seems like in this recipe the skins are supposed to stay on and you actually eat them. Is that correct?
Janelle Hama
I recommend taking the skins off when using dry fava beans.
Sharone Trager-Hanoch
Thank you, (: I will next time!
Sharone Trager-Hanoch
if you do need to remove the skins, it has to be done after cooking, I can tell you that much...
Tyanne
My new favorite recipe for fava beans!
Marysa
I haven't had these beans or this dish before. Sounds very interesting, and I enjoy trying new dishes.
Gloria
With the price of groceries these days, beans are always a great choice. Full of protein and affordable. Filling and delicious. Love it with extra lemon
Lizet
I'm so glad I found your site. I want to make a Lebanese dinner for my family, and I found a bunch of recipes I would like to try.
This one is one of them.
Amy
I never would have thought of beans at breakfast time, but they are a great alternative when I get tired of eggs. This recipe is so good!
Kayla
These foul moudamas were so delicious! Ever since I started following you, you have opened my eyes to a whole new culture of cooking and I have loved every recipe!