Fatteh (Pita, Hummus, and Yogurt)

Fatteh (also known as fatta, fette, fattah, or fetté) is an Egyptian and Souther Levantine dish popular in Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan.

Fatteh means “crushed” or “crumbs” in Arabic, and in fact, fatteh recipes always include some crispy khubz bread or pita bread, either deep fried, baked, or toasted, then crushed into small crunchy pieces.

While fatteh is sometimes made with chicken and rice and other times with ground beef or lamb, here we will show you how to make it without meat.

You’ll love our Fatteh recipe because it combines different flavors and textures that are magical together.

A bed of creamy chickpea hummus is topped with crispy oven-baked pita chips and tender cumin-infused chickpeas.

We then drizzle everything with a generous amount of yogurt sauce and top the dish with toasted pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, and chopped fresh mint and parsley.

The final touch is a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of sumac or paprika, and I promise you; this dish will take you straight to the Middle East!

Creamy, colorful, mellow, tangy, sour, sweet, crispy, citrusy, and fruity; it’s a harmony of flavors, colors, and texture that will make you fall in love with Middle-Eastern cooking.

Pita bread

You can make Fatteh with Pita bread or any other Khubz or Arabic bread.

We often make homemade pita and use the leftovers to make Fatteh.

Hummus

You can make this recipe with store-bought hummus, or you can make it yourself following our hummus recipe that we make with chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, salt, cumin, and water.

Chickpeas

You can use canned chickpeas or dry chickpeas that you cook yourself.

We like to simmer the canned chickpeas for 15 minutes in boiling water and a teaspoon of cumin to make them warm and tender and infuse them with a light and pleasant cumin aroma.

Yogurt Tahini Sauce

You can make yogurt tahini sauce in 2 minutes with unsweetened non-dairy yogurt, plain yogurt, or Greek-style yogurt mixed with tahini, lemon juice, water, salt, pepper, and cumin.

Olive oil

We recommend a good quality extra virgin olive oil to drizzle on top of the fatteh.

Fresh herbs

We recommend fresh mint leaves and flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped and sprinkled generously on top of the dish shortly before serving it.

Nuts

Nuts are for garnishing and adding a mild nutty flavor that is excellent with the chickpeas and the yogurt.

We love using pine nuts, lightly toasted on a pan for a few minutes until golden brown.

Substitute crushed almonds, slivered almonds, or crushed walnuts for pine nuts. Always toast the nuts lightly before adding them to the dish.

Pomegranate seeds

They are optional but add an excellent red color and a refreshing and mildly sweet flavor that makes the other ingredients pop.

Spices

Ground cumin is a must. Sumac is optional but recommended. Season with salt and black pepper.

Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas and boil them for 15 minutes in a small pot with water and a teaspoon of cumin. Drain them and set them aside.

Tip: this step will make the chickpeas warm, tender, and infused with cumin aroma.

Cut the pita bread into triangles, add it to a baking tray, and toss it with olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Arrange on a single layer and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F or 180°C for 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Tip: you can also bake the pita in an air fryer for 3 to 5 minutes.

To a medium bowl, add yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, grated garlic, ground cumin, salt, black pepper, and some water.

Stir until well combined, then add more water until the yogurt sauce becomes pourable. Taste and adjust for salt and lemon juice.

Spread the hummus on a large serving platter and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Tip: You can use store-bought hummus or make it at home with our homemade hummus recipe. Set aside.

Top with crispy pita chips.

Add drained chickpeas that you boiled with cumin.

Pour a generous amount of the garlicky yogurt sauce on top.

Garnish with toasted pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, chopped mint leaves and parsley, a pinch of sumac, cumin, paprika, and a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Tip: you can toast the pine nuts on a pan for a few minutes until golden brown.

Eggplant Fatteh

Chop the eggplant into dice, toss it in olive, salt, and black pepper, and roast it in the oven at 400°F or 200°C for 30 minutes or until tender and charred. Here’s the full recipe for roasted eggplant.

Use roasted eggplant dice instead of boiled chickpeas. Arrange them on top of the toasted pita chips, then cover with yogurt sauce, garnish, and serve.

Serving Suggestions

Fatteh is so nutritious that you can have it as a healthy lunch or dinner.

Or you can serve it as an appetizer on its own or as part of a mezze platter (appetizer) with other dips, salads, and vegetables.

• Muhammara (bell pepper, onion, tomato, garlic, tomato paste, walnut, breadcrumbs, etc.)
• Eggplant dip (Greek yogurt or dairy-free yogurt, eggplant, tahini, garlic, pine nuts, etc.)
• Roasted zucchini (zucchini, olive oil, breadcrumbs, garlic, rosemary, garlic powder, etc.)
• Grilled eggplant (eggplant, olive oil, parsley, garlic, red wine vinegar, etc.)
• Shirazi salad (tomato, cucumber, lime juice, oregano, white onion, etc.)

Timing is everything! You can prep most components for fatteh ahead of time: the hummus, the yogurt sauce, the garnish, the boiled chickpeas, and the pita chips.

However, it is critical that you only build the dish when you are ready to serve it. The pita chips get soggy fast once you cover them in yogurt sauce.

Storage

Make ahead: build the dish at the last minute so that the pita chips stay crisp and don’t get soggy. Aside from that, you can prepare most of the components of fatteh up to 2 days in advance, including the hummus, yogurt sauce, chickpeas, and garnishes.

Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The pita chips will get soggy, so you might want to discard them before storing the leftovers.

Freezer: this recipe is not suitable for freezing.

Get more appetizer inspiration with these creamy and delicious dip recipes:

• Baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, tahini, parsley, etc.)
• White bean dip (cannellini beans, garlic, tahini, water, lemon, parsley, etc.)
• Lentil hummus (canned lentils, garlic, tahini, lemon, cumin, olive oil, etc.)
• Avocado spread (avocado, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, salt)

For more wholesome and easy meal inspiration, check out these chickpea recipes:

• Fattoush (crispy salad with herbs and toasted pita)
• Chickpea stew (spinach, cumin, and rice)
• Mujaddara (lentil, rice, and onions)
• Tabbouleh (refreshing parsley and tomato salad)