Chickpea Fatteh (Crispy Pita, Chickpeas and Yogurt)
Updated May 27, 2025
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 40 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4ounces pita bread (about 2 pita), cut into ¾-inch squares
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
- 2(15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed
- ½teaspoon ground cumin
- Fine sea salt
- ¼cup tahini
- 2½ to 3tablespoons lemon juice
- 2garlic cloves
- 1green chile, such as jalapeño, serrano or Anaheim, seeded and roughly chopped
- ¼teaspoon salt
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 1cup plain whole-milk yogurt (regular or Greek)
- 2teaspoons tahini
- ½ to 1very small garlic clove, finely grated
- ¼ to ½teaspoon salt
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 to 3tablespoons pine nuts or slivered almonds
- 1tablespoon butter (if making the meat topping)
- ½pound boneless beef or lamb (optional); preferably a tender cut such as sirloin, fillet or ribeye, cut into small bite-size cubes
- Pomegranate seeds (optional), for garnish
- Chopped parsley or other herbs (optional), for garnish
For the Pita Chips
For the Chickpeas and Hummus (see Tips)
For the Garlic Sauce
For the Yogurt Sauce
For the Toppings
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
829 calories; 49 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 22 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 70 grams carbohydrates; 17 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 957 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the pita chips: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Toss pita squares with the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread on a baking sheet and bake, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool. (Pita chips can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in an airtight container.)
- Step 2
Make the simmered chickpeas: Place the chickpeas into a small saucepan and add enough water to cover by about an inch. Add the cumin and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil on medium heat. Lower to a bare simmer until ready to serve.
- Step 3
Next, make the garlic sauce: Use an immersion blender or mini food processor to purée the lemon juice, garlic, green chile and salt, then stir in the oil. (Alternatively, use a mortar and pestle or a chef’s knife to mash or finely chop the garlic, green chile and salt, then stir in the lemon juice and olive oil.)
- Step 4
To make the hummus, using a slotted spoon, transfer 1 cup of the simmered chickpeas to a large liquid measuring cup (if using the immersion blender) or to a mini food processor. Add tahini, ¼ cup of the warm cooking liquid from the chickpeas, 2 teaspoons of the garlic sauce and ½ teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth and creamy, with a thin spreadable consistency that is slightly looser than traditional hummus. If it appears too thick, add more of the chickpea cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Step 5
Make the yogurt sauce: Stir together the yogurt, tahini, garlic and salt in a small bowl until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
- Step 6
Right before assembling, prepare the toppings: Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium and toast the pine nuts, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. If making the meat topping, melt the butter in the same pan, add the beef and cook over medium-high, stirring, until cooked through and just starting to brown, 3 to 5 to minutes.
- Step 7
To assemble, spread the pita chips on a serving platter. Spoon half of the garlic sauce on top. Using a slotted spoon, drain the remaining chickpeas well and scatter over the pita. Spread the hummus on top, then spoon on the yogurt sauce. If you’ve made the meat topping, add it now, along with the pine nuts, pomegranate seeds and herbs, if using. Finish with the remaining garlic sauce. Serve immediately.
- If using thick pita bread, split into two halves before cutting into squares. You could also replace the pita bread with flour tortillas or roti, or, in a real pinch, use store-bought pita chips. (If using pita chips, there’s no need to toast.)
- If you're short on time, you can use store-bought hummus, though results will vary depending on the brand’s flavor and quality. In that case, omit one can of chickpeas. Many versions of chickpea fatteh omit the hummus layer and instead increase the tahini in the yogurt sauce. The flavor difference is subtle. To omit the hummus, adjust the yogurt sauce as follows: Increase the tahini to ¾ cup, add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and use an additional ½ teaspoon salt.
Private Notes
Comments
I adore fatteh and have consumed entire tins of chickpeas at a time after preparing it. I like to add some rubbed mint and sumac to the yogurt topping. I find pounding the garlic with a mortar and pestle improves the garlic flavour. I make the version that omits the separate hummus layer and includes tahini and garlic in the yogurt. I also opt for toasting almonds (instead of pine nuts) in olive oil. Drizzling that over the top to finish the dish is extremely appetizing. For those who medically require a gluten-free version, substituting toasted pieces of corn tortillas for the toasted pita works quite well.
Repurposing leftovers is one of my favorite kitchen puzzles and key to my zero waste food philosophy. This riff will join my takes on Mexican food profile Migas (stale corn and flour tortillas, onions, chiles, enchilada sauce, scrambled eggs, cheese…) and infinite Bowl riffs that mimic Fatteh’s formula of something carb, something tangy, and something crunchy, to keep company with even the smallest dollops of any combination of leftovers from my kitchen or a restaurant’s.
ES, that sounds delicious! The Lebanese restaurant in my new neighborhood serves fatteh with a choice of eggplant, chicken, or lamb. I’ll order it on my next visit!
This a terrific recipe, thank you so much for sharing. The dish is beautiful and delicious and my husband, son (15) and I found it a real delight. I followed the recipe quite closely but omitted the meat. I love hummus and have an old recipe and also had store-bought on hand but wanted to try this one, using the chickpeas I’d cooked and frozen a month ago. I really liked the combination with tahini and that the whole chickpeas are from the same “batch.” I use almonds but look forward to trying it with pine nuts next time. I blanched the garlic for a few minutes before mincing as we find it’s easier on the stomach than raw.
Made this last night for the family. The main feedback is that it overall tasted bland on bland. I’ll make it again but will use the “optional” add ins as well as others (cucumbers, pomegranate seeds, a sprinkle of sumac, etc.).
Really good! I added lettuce and used za’atar on the pitas. I forgot the pine nuts and didn’t realize you were supposed to save 1-2 the chickpeas and used them all in the hummus (but I only used one can total because I added lettuce)