Skip to Content

Ful Medames – A Middle Eastern White Bean Recipe

An easy middle eastern ful recipe made with canned white beans, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and chickpeas. This Lebanese style ful is easy to make and loaded with bright flavors. Gluten free, vegan and full of protein and fiber, this bean recipe is for everybody!

A bowl of ful medames.

I was inspired by a YouTube video where the Lebanese chef took a ladle full of light colored, medium sized beans I had never seen before, mashed them with a fork, added minced garlic and drizzled olive oil and lemon juice on top. I loved all of the ingredients he used and decided to make it for myself. I am glad I did, not only was it bright and tasty but filled me up. I used canned navy beans because they are soft and mash easily. They also are a mild tasting bean and will not compete against the lemon juice and garlic. My favorite part about this dish, besides that it is both healthy and easy to make, is that I have all of these ingredients in my cupboard. So on those days when I can’t figure out what to eat, now I have another ‘back pocket’ recipe. We know this dish as Ful Medames but in the middle eastern countries, it’s simply known as ful.

Ful is everywhere in the middle east. A traditional bean dish dating back a thousand years or so, ful can be found from Israel, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and around to the northern coast of Africa and south of Egypt. Each country has its own spin on the dish as well as each family. The beans are usually mashed, sometimes spices are added and usually olive oil, lemon juice and garlic make an appearance. Occasionally tahini too.


Minced garlic.
A bowl of white beans being smashed by a bean smasher.
A bowlful of smashed white beans.

Types of Beans Used for Ful

  • Small round beans known as ‘bath beans’ or Ful Hammam.
  • European broad beans or Ful Rumi.
  • Fava beans.
  • ‘Country beans’, a middle sized white bean.
  • Navy beans.

Optional Spices

Optional Garnishes

  • olive oil
  • lemon Juice
  • tahini
  • mint
  • parsley
  • boiled eggs
  • tomato Sauce
  • chili peppers

Ful is commonly found in mezze, also known as meze. Mazze means ‘snack’ in Persian and is a group of savory, sometimes spicy appetizers that is served with alcoholic drinks. Mezze can also be the first course of a multi-course dinner. It is the same concept as tapas in Spain, dim sum in Asia and appetizer plates at dinner parties in the U.S.

Typical dishes during mezze, besides ful, include muhammara, olives, tahini, cheese, mini meat loaves, eggplant dips, hummus, naan, and olive oil with za’atar for dipping bread.

I am a fan of mezze. My hubby and I just call it a snack plate. I love all of the healthy, robust snacks that are usually included in mezze so I snack to my hearts content without the guilt. Do you ever eat a snack plate for dinner? We do it all the time.

Did you make this recipe?  Don’t forget to rate the recipe and comment below!  Take a picture and tag us @FusionCraftiness #FusionCraftiness on Instagram for a chance to be featured in our Insta Stories:)

A bowlful of ful medames.
A bowlful of ful medames.

Ful Medames - A Middle Eastern White Bean Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

An easy middle eastern ful recipe made with canned white beans, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and chickpeas. This Lebanese style ful is easy to make and loaded with bright flavors. Gluten free, vegan and full of protein and fiber, this bean recipe is for everybody!

Ingredients

  • 15 oz can of navy beans, drained
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced finely (preferably with a microplaner)
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup of canned chickpeas, drained
  • olive oil
  • fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. Add first 3 ingredients to a serving bowl, mash beans with fork.
  2. Add salt to taste and stir well.
  3. Place chickpeas in the center for garnish and drizzle olive oil over the entire dish.  Heat in microwave 1-2 minutes or until hot.
  4.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Notes

  • This recipe is easily scalable.  In fact make a big batch so that you won't have any leftover chickpeas.
  • Optional garnishes may include paprika, pepper, sumac, aleppo pepper flakes, mint, cilantro, scallions.
  • You can easily make this with dried beans, just soak beans over night in plenty of water.  Rinse and cook in pot or crockpot with fresh water until soft.
  • Serve with pita bread or pita chips or just as a healthy side.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 2/3 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 247Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 236mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 13gSugar: 9gProtein: 11g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Click here to cancel reply.

Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic

Tuesday 5th of March 2019

Such simple flavors that pack a big punch! I really appreciate that this recipe can be made with a variety of beans and other mix-ins. Tahini and extra lemon and garlic sound great to me. Perfect for a snack plate. We often do that for lunch on the weekends.

Debra

Monday 4th of March 2019

So simple to make and so flavorful. I added the harissa you suggested. It was awesome. Everyone loved it, and I was happy it wasn't too time consuming.

Tracy

Monday 4th of March 2019

This was delicious! I'm always looking for new soup recipes that are new and different - this one was sooo easy too, thanks!

Dana

Monday 4th of March 2019

This is so good and hearty! I don't get to eat beans or bean dishes often. My husbands hates them and their texture. I need to just start making big batches for myself and freezing them. Too delicious to miss out on!

Marisa F. Stewart

Monday 4th of March 2019

We love eating beans -- so good for us and might tasty too. I really like the combination of ingredients in the ful. I know we'd love the bright flavor and it's so easy to make too. Lucky us! We have the ingredients in the pantry.

Skip to Recipe