Middle Eastern food has tastes from its numerous countries. You surely know falafel and hummus, but why not try these recipes? They are all vegan-friendly because most ingredients and recipes are plant-based.
Vegan Middle Eastern food, especially Lebanese, is abundant. These Mediterranean meals are nutritious and plant-based. The recipes are flavorful and healthy, so it’s a great idea to make them for lunches and weeknight dinners.
These are easy, tried-and-true vegan recipes (see also: 20 Amazing French Vegan Recipes)without hard-to-find ingredients. Lebanese vegan food is flavored with healthy Mediterranean ingredients – so just because you’re not getting meat, doesn’t mean you’re not getting amazing flavor and top-notch nutrition!
Middle Eastern staple ingredients include:
Extra virgin olive oils are used in most of these recipes.
Tahini adds nuttiness to recipes.
Pomegranate molasses is tart and sweet.
Brown or red lentils are essential. Middle Eastern cuisine features lentils. They provide vegetarian protein.
Seven spices or every spice, plus cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon are common in Middle Eastern cooking.
These dishes mix grains, vegetables, and nuts with fragrant spices. Easy, tried-and-true vegan recipes (see also: 7 Amazing Portuguese Vegan Recipes)without hard-to-find ingredients.
Mediterranean elements give Middle Eastern vegan meals a great flavor. You’ll love these recipes, vegan or not. It’s a terrific way to enjoy food without meat.
About Middle Eastern Cuisine
Middle Eastern food includes pita bread, hummus, and falafel. The cuisine has more flavors and styles than these renowned staples.
If you’re Middle Eastern or want to learn more, start with the food. Authentic cuisine from any place has more than flavor. It reveals the region’s people and history.
Middle Eastern food comes from Mediterranean cultures. Many nations and cultures are represented.
Ingredients Used For Middle Eastern Food
Middle Eastern food features fragrant spices, almonds, olive oil, plus creamy components. Traditional foods include mutton, lamb, and goat. Less frequently used are chicken, camel, pork, fish, and beef.
Early Middle Eastern civilizations inspired modern agriculture and cooking. This region was one of the first to farm grains, sheep, pigs, and cattle. Middle Easterners invented fermentation, which is used to leaven bread, create alcohol, and generate unique flavors.
Due to its location between Asia, Africa, and Europe, the Middle East had become a hub for international trade over time. Spices, ingredients, and novel meals were traded, changing Middle Eastern and nearby cuisines.
Locally sourced ingredients and spirituality have shaped regional cuisine. Fruits, fava beans, lentils, and wheat are locally sourced staples, and lamb and mutton are the main meats because religious beliefs ban pig.
Religious practices in the area led to coffee. The energizing drink was created for nighttime Ramadan worship.
Ramadan: A Fasting Month
Islamic culture fasts throughout Ramadan. It has linkages to the Qur’an and spiritual meaning for Muslims worldwide. Muslims fast from sunrise to dusk, eating after sunset prayer.
Evening meals are commonly shared in households or mosques. To facilitate daily fasts, restaurants and shops stay open late, providing a vibrant nightlife. Drums and bells warn Muslims to have their last meal before fasting.
Eid al-Fitr is a month-end feast and celebration. Baked goods and sweets are provided at gift-giving and family gatherings.
Middle Eastern Meal Etiquette
Middle Eastern eating etiquette varies by region, so it’s hard to pinpoint rules. Food is usually served from a communal dish or by the host. Be ready for seconds when a host serves you food. Leaving food on the platter signals fullness.
Arab countries prefer finger foods, hence they don’t always use cutlery. Turkey uses cutlery. Arab countries don’t eat with their left hand because it’s used for unhygienic jobs. Some regions have floor pillows and low tables.
20 Middle Eastern Vegan Recipes
Take a look at some of the fantastic recipes listed below, which are all absolutely delicious and bursting with nutrients!
Cassandra Star’s Spinach & Almond Falafel are simple to make, delicious, and adaptable. Falafel prepared with chickpeas, almond flour, spinach, and sesame seeds. Falafels are colorful, protein-packed, and delicious.
This dish, with its tahini yogurt sauce and cucumber-tomato salad, will satisfy all tastes. Falafel dough freezes nicely, making them ideal for a quick midweek supper or party finger food.
Hummus is a popular Middle Eastern snack. This dish uses middle eastern dukkah and Australian macadamia nuts. Judy Moosmueller’s Hummus and Macadamia Dukkah provides healthy fats.
Melissa Tedesco’s vegan Tofu Shawarma boasts Middle Eastern spices and a similar appearance. Substitute meat for tofu and you’ll discover that it tastes so similar to the original!
Moutabal entails roasting a full eggplant on the stovetop, directly over the flame, until it becomes charred, cracked, and blackened, giving it a smokey flavour and creamy texture.
This acidic, smokey, garlicky dip is made with lemon juice, fresh garlic, chopped parsley, tahini, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Serve it with toasted pita at your next party. Moutabal is a Levantine specialty.
This recipe is inspired by the Israeli cuisine sabich, which consists of salad, eggs, and eggplant. This vegan dish is easy and filling. Low carb, reduced fat, and full of nutrition your body will enjoy!
This recipe has hot, sweet, and sticky Harissa Eggplant Kebabs. Harissa adds heat that’s softened by cucumber mint relish. Serve kebabs on soft flatbreads with relish, pomegranate seeds, and tahini.
Chickpeas with cauliflower are cooked in a spicy coconut and tomato sauce. Smoked cumin, turmeric, clove, coriander, and cardamom dominate. Serve these braised chickpeas over rice, flatbread, or your favorite grains.
You may believe you’ve seen every falafel – Astounding. Roasted beets give this delicious Roasted Beet Falafel the stunning color and earthy flavor.
They’re topped with a creamy, flavorful green tahini dip. You’ll also prepare tahini paste – which tastes amazing and is sure to impress your dinner guests.
Roasted cauliflower nibbles are rich with spices and aromatics. Pomegranate seeds, tahini, plus pine nuts make this dish excellent for posting pretty food photos on social media.
This recipe for Iranian Eggplant with Chickpeas Stew is fragrant, savory, and hearty. Its nutritious textures blend well together. Eggplants combat free radicals and help prevent gastrointestinal issues.
Protein-rich chickpeas will keep you satisfied and focused. Amazing flavor. It’s the perfect celebratory feast for body and soul.
Dates, apricot, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and turmeric make this recipe amazing. Thinking about this Iranian eggplant dish may make you grin.
Shakshuka has gained popularity in recent years, but anyone who’s had a North African and Middle Eastern breakfast is familiar with its rich, acidic flavors.
This recipe replaces eggs with seasoned silken tofu, making it egg-free. This quick one-pan dinner pairs well with bread to mop up the tomato sauce.
Here we have a Middle Eastern crowd favorite – Roasted Garlic Baba Ganoush. This handmade baba ganoush recipe transforms summertime eggplant into something wonderful.
Middle Eastern vegan food is delicious and entertaining to cook. Miriam Sorrell’s Middle Eastern-style vegan veggie bake is delicious. For optimum results, bake for non-vegans. Vegan Middle Eastern cuisine is delicious.
Sweet potato improves falafel. These moreish Sweet Potato Falafels are made with mashed sweet potato with chickpea powder, leaving them healthful and protein-packed. This dish requires 5 ingredients.
An olive salad containing lots of olives and other chopped veggies. Simple and delicious chopped salad. The feta and tomatoes add a distinct flavor to the savory olive taste.
Swap honey for maple syrup in the dressing if you wish. But the creamy lemon dressing really does add a beautiful flavor to this dish. Simple, stress-free salad with tasty tahini dressing.
Middle Eastern short grain rice and vermicelli dish. This is a really popular recipe throughout the Middle East, and we can see why – it’s easy to make, packed with flavor, and will keep you full for a long time.
A flavorful eggplant and tomato spread. Spicy, sour, flavorful, and quick to make: eggplant dip. Healthy Middle Eastern dips with unusual flavors.
Final Thoughts
Reducing meat consumption and adopting more plant-based meals helps inflammation, cardiovascular health, wellbeing, fitness goals, dietary needs, allergies, digestive health, and more.
Dairy consumption is connected to acne, hormone imbalance, cancer, and prostate cancer, among other health concerns. Vegan Middle Eastern food, especially Lebanese, is abundant.
These Mediterranean meals are nutritious and plant-based. The recipes are flavorful and healthy. This roundup has delicious recipes that you must try!
Do you love Middle Eastern food but are following a vegan diet? Look no further, we’ve got a round up of the 20 best vegan Middle Eastern recipes for you to try.
Do you love Middle Eastern food but are following a vegan diet? Look no further, we’ve got a round up of the 20 best vegan Middle Eastern recipes for you to try.
Hi, my name is Hazel Reed, and I’m the creator of Vegan Purist. I have been a vegan purist for nearly 5 years now, but have been a vegan for over 10 years.
Now, my mission is to make sure veganism is accessible to as many people as possible. I created veganpurist.com to help you find recipes and information that can ensure you too can live an ethical, vegan lifestyle!
