Hummus bil Lahme is a stunningly beautiful Middle Eastern dish! This creamy chickpea dip makes an ideal protein-packed lunch or dinner. It is also the perfect appetizer for moderate-sized gatherings. If you’re not a fan of lamb, you can easily substitute it with ground beef, turkey, chicken, or a meat alternative.

What is Hummus bil Lahme?
We adore this Hummus bil Lahme! It’s an incredibly flavorful dish perfect for sharing with friends and family. Hummus is already delicious, but when you top it with spiced, cooked ground lamb, it elevates every aspect. We recommend serving hummus bil lahme with warm pita bread and fresh veggies for a satisfying, healthy meal.
Baharat Spice
You will need a Middle Eastern spice mixture called Baharat Spice. You can purchase a ready-made spice mixture from your local grocery store, Middle Eastern grocers, or online. If you’d like to make your own, here is our recipe for Baharat Spice. Make a large batch, place it in an airtight jar, and store it in your cupboard for future use. After trying Hummus bil Lahme once, you might be hooked!
Hummus bil Lahme Ingredients:
- 1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans
- Tahini
- Lemon (1)
- Plain whole-milk yogurt
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Cumin powder
- Sea salt
- Ground lamb
- Sweet onion finely chopped
- Toasted pine nuts
- Baharat seasoning
- Tomato (1)
- Mint leaves (fresh, 3-4)

How to Make Hummus bil Lahme
- Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, yogurt, 3 garlic cloves, cumin, water, salt, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a food processor.
- Process the mixture until smooth.
- Thin out the hummus with 1-2 tablespoons of water if it is too thick.
- Transfer hummus to a serving dish.
- With a spoon, create a shallow spiral well in the center.ย Set aside or keep refrigerated until you are ready to assemble your hummus bil lahme.
Cooking the Spiced Lamb:
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add chopped onions and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next, add the 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the onions and garlic to a clean bowl.
- Add a little extra oil (about 1 teaspoon) to the skillet.
- Add ground lamb, season with baharat mixture, and cook for 6-8 minutes. Scoop away any rendered oil and discard. Stir in cooked onion, garlic, and toasted pine nuts to the meat mixture.
- Cook through for 1 more minute and remove from heat. It’s time to assemble your hummus bil lahme.
Assembling and Serving Hummus bil Lahme:
- Scoop meat onto the prepared hummus, garnish with sliced tomato mint leaves, and serve with pita triangles or freshly chopped vegetables like carrots and cucumber slices.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Alternatives:
- As mentioned above, you can substitute ground lamb for another type of meat, such as ground beef, turkey, or chicken.
- Want a vegetarian-friendly alternative? Use a meat substitute like Beyond Meat or Impossible Burger for this recipe.
- Want to add a little smoke flavor? Use our Smoked Hummus as the base and add the cooked lamb on top.

Hummus bil Lahme (Hummus with Spiced Lamb)
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup tahini
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled (mince 2 cloves for the lamb topping)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (and more as needed)
- 1-2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (plus extra as needed)
- 3/4 pound of ground lamb or protein of choice
- 1/2 sweet onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon baharat seasoning
- 1 medium tomato chopped garnish
- 3-4 mint leaves, finely chopped garnish
Instructions
- For Hummus:
- Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, yogurt, 3 garlic cloves, cumin, water, salt, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a food processor.
- Process the mixture until smooth.
- Thin out the hummus with 1-2 tablespoons of water if it is too thick.
- Transfer hummus to a serving dish.
- With a spoon, create a shallow spiral well in the center.
- For Spiced Lamb:
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add chopped onions and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next, add the 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the onions and garlic to a clean bowl.
- Add a little extra oil (about 1 teaspoon) to the skillet.
- Add ground meat, season with baharat, and cook for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through. Scoop away any rendered oil and discard. Stir in cooked onion, garlic, and toasted pine nuts to meat mixture. Taste and add salt if needed. Cook for 1 more minute and remove from heat.
- Scoop meat onto the hummus, garnish with tomato, mint leaves, and serve