Discover our 16 favorite Middle Eastern dishes that are naturally vegan or slightly twisted into a plant-based creation. From classic Hummus or Tabbouleh to Lebanese Moussaka, Tahini Pasta, or colorful Beetroot Falafels, you can find different recipes to satisfy your cravings for flavorful and fragrant food.
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Fresh Ingredients in Middle Eastern Cuisine
At home, we love cooking Middle Eastern vegan recipes from all different countries. We are very lucky to live by the Mediterranean Sea, which makes it very easy to find most fresh fruits and vegetables used in this cuisine at the same time of the year. Also, having our own garden helps grow our vegetables to prepare these delicious dishes. Here are some fresh ingredients we normally have around to prepare most Middle Eastern recipes:
- Fresh herbs. Parsley, mint, oregano, basil, rosemary, and sage are the fresh herbs we normally grow at home. Also, cilantro is often included in recipes from the Middle East, such as falafels.
- Eggplants. You'll be surprised at how many recipes are made using eggplant. From stews, moussaka, dips, pizzas, or flatbreads, once you immerse yourself in Arabic cuisine, you'll be using eggplant way more often than you think.
- Tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes are one of the main ingredients in many recipes. You can also use canned tomatoes, but during the warmer months, when the tomatoes are ripening and juicy, I totally recommend using fresh tomatoes.
- Onion, garlic, zucchini, cucumbers. All these are basic ingredients for many recipes, so if you want to start cooking more Middle Eastern recipes at home, you should try to have them in your fridge regularly.
- Lemon. I feel so blessed to have a lemon tree giving me beautiful lemons all year round. I love making preserved lemons once a year to stock for the whole year. These are great to add to salads, tagines, or pasta dishes. Fresh lemon is commonly used in Middle Eastern dishes to add acidity.
- Pomegranates, dates, figs. Totally worth getting during their season.
Pantry Ingredients in Middle Eastern Cuisine
To prepare Middle Eastern Vegan Recipes at home, these are the pantry staples that will make your cooking time easier.
- Pulses. Stock up on red lentils, chickpeas, and beans. These ingredients are great to add to your Middle Eastern dishes and also to make dips such as hummus or bean dips.
- Grains. We get rice, couscous, quinoa, and thin noodles when we go to our local Arabian market.
- Olive oil. Just like in Mediterranean cuisine, you'll need olive oil as the base of most recipes and to season your salads.
- Tahini. Tahini or sesame seed paste is used in many dishes to add creaminess and tanginess. We love making tahini sauce to serve with our Tagine or use it as salad dressings or even pasta sauces.
- Spices. Cumin, coriander, Za'atar, Sumac, smoked paprika, or cinnamon are some of the spices that we use the most when cooking these recipes.
- Black olives. Salty and pitted black olives are just the perfect addition to your Middle Eastern recipes.
- Dried fruits and nuts.
16 Middle Eastern Vegan Recipes
Now that we know the ingredients we'll need at home to recreate most of these recipes, have a look at my top 16 recipes from this cuisine. You'll find a variety of dishes featuring soups, dips, salads, pasta meals, stews, side dishes, etc. I hope you enjoy this list as much as I enjoyed making it!
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1. Arabic Lentil Soup
To start this list of delicious Middle Eastern recipes that are 100% plant-based, I wanted to include our most visited Middle Eastern recipe, this hearty one-pot Arabic Lentil Soup. A cozy meal made with red lentils, fresh vegetables, and Arabic spices.
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2. Maghmour
Maghmour, also known as Lebanese Moussaka, is a naturally vegan recipe from Lebanon. Featuring eggplant and tomatoes, this summery recipe can be served warm or chilled, and is a light and easy lunch that the whole family will love.
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3. Lebanese Rice
If you are looking for the a tasty and easy side dish to serve with your Middle Eastern and Arabic recipes, this Lebanese rice is one of our favorite choices. Lebanese Rice cooked with Vermicelli noodles delivers fantastic flavors with minimal ingredients.
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4. Vegan Shakshuka
Our Vegan Shakshuka (Shakshouka) is a vegan version of the original Tunisian recipe. This rich one-pan recipe featuring tomatoes, peppers, and spinach, is easy to prepare and makes for a perfect addition to your brunch.
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5. Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad
This Chickpea Salad is a refreshing summer salad that combines fresh ingredients, garbanzo beans, and Middle Eastern spices such as Za'atar and Sumac.
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6. Eggplant with Tahini Sauce
Another recipe where eggplant is the start of the dish. These eggplants served with Tahini sauce are cooked to perfection and seasoned with Za'ata and olive oil. Served with a creamy sauce, fresh mint, and pine nuts, this combination of flavors and textures is hard to beat.
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7. Falafel Pita Sandwich
Homemade Falafel served with Pita bread, fresh vegetables, and a delicious creamy sauce is the perfect lunch for a busy weekday. Prepare the falafel ahead, and simply assemble the sandwich before lunch! We love serving our falafel sandwich with pickled onion and black olives.
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8. Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Dressing
This Middle-Eastern style Salad featured roasted cauliflower seasoned with za'atar, cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika, fresh leaves, avocado, pomegranate, and roasted chickpeas. The combination of ingredients makes for the perfect lunch for a busy weekday.
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9. Creamy Tahini Pasta
Is creamy tahini pasta a traditional Middle-Eastern recipe? Probably not, but it brings the flavors to your table with simple ingredients and cooking method.
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10. Spicy Harissa Pasta
Another Pasta dish that brings Middle Eastern flavors to your table with minimal ingredients and time. This Harissa pasta is absolutely delicious, if you enjoy spicy food of course. Served with crushed pistachios and sun-dried tomato, this is all you need for a fiery lunch!
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11. Baba Ganoush
Baba Ganoush is a dip from Lebanon made with smoked-roasted eggplants, tahini, olive oil, and lemon juice. The simplicity and the flavors from this naturally vegan spread makes it the perfect addition to your table.
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12. Beetroot Falafels
Beetroot Falafels are naturally vegan and gluten-free and this meal is an amazing way to use fresh beetroots. They will come out with a lovely pink color, which makes the whole meal much nicer!
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13. Moroccan Vegetable Tagine
Eating a Moroccan Vegetable Tagine is such a wonderful way to celebrate Moroccan flavors. Steamed vegetables slowly cooked in a spiced broth served with a simple but mouth-watering tahini sauce will warm up your body in the most delicious way.
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14. Muhammara Recipe
This Muhammara Recipe is loaded with fresh ingredients and nuts. Smoky, creamy, and so so delicious. Serve this delicious Red Pepper Walnut Dip at your next party as an alternative to the same old salsa and hummus!
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15. Quinoa Tabbouleh
Another Middle Eastern Salad that will stay on your menu forever once you try it! Quinoa Tabbouleh is a lot more than just a salad. Traditionally made with bulgur wheat, we have replaced the wheat with Quinoa, a superfood making this recipe even more impressive.
Get the recipe by Chef Ani
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16. Creamy Arabic Hummus
This Middle Eastern Vegan recipes list wouldn't be complete without a creamy and smooth hummus. I chose this beautiful Arabic Hummus made with simple ingredients, and with the perfectly smooth and creamy texture we all want when dipping our crudités in hummus.
Get the recipe by Simple And Fraiche
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