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Home » Middle Eastern

Bissara; Split fava beans dip

Published: Jan 1, 2020 · Modified: Mar 27, 2023 by Amira · This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

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A traditional Egyptian vegan fava bean dip that can be served in parties as a dip or scooped up with some pita bread for lunch or meatless dinner.
Total time 1 hour 30 minutes
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Bissara is one of what I call "frugal recipes" in the Egyptian cuisine. This dish is economical, nutritious, and very easy to put together. Those of you who love falafel will most probably like this dish too.

Green bissara dip on a white plate and garnished with fried onions.
First Published: August 2013 Last Updated: January 2020

Bissara

I've always thought that bissara is sort of falafel pudding.. seriously. Bissara has all the flavors and ingredients of the Egyptian falafel but in a thick dip form :). I did not really enjoy it alot when I was little, but if you have been following me for sometime you know I did not like 99.9% of food in this world when I was growing up.
When I first tried guacamole here in the United States, it reminded me so much of bissara. May be because they are both green!

Bessara or Bissara is a vegan recipe made with boiling split beans, onion, garlic and fresh herbs. I used to saute onion and garlic first then add the rest of the ingredients and boil until beans are tender. This time I just dumped everything for an easier recipe.

How to make bissara

step by step images for making Egyptian bissara
  • In a deep pot over medium high heat add soaked and drained beans, onion, garlic and fresh herbs.
  • Add the cumin, dry mint, salt then pour in water to cover.
  • Bring everything to a boil then simmer stirring occasionally. If it soaked up all the water feel free to add more, half a cup at a time.
  • Keep cooking until the beans are very tender.
bissara step by step
  • Using your hand blender or an ordinary blender blend all the ingredients together until very smooth.
  • Pour back into the pot and boil again.
  • Check seasonings adding more salt, cumin and black pepper to taste.
  • In a non stick skillet brown onions in some olive oil.
  • Pour the Bissara mixture in serving plates and garnish with browned onions. Serve hot or cold.
A hand scooping up some bissara dip with pita bread

How to eat bissara

Bissara can be served hot or cold and is eaten as a dip or scoop up with some pita bread for lunch or a meatless dinner. I also love to serve bissara with some diced tomato mixed with one crushed garlic clove and some salt and cumin. It is so delicious and goes very well with bissara.

white plates of bissara garnished with fried onion with a small bowl of tomato and pita bread on the side.

Related Recipes

  • Muhammara is a delicious Middle Eastern dip made from roasted red bell peppers, walnuts and some spices. Perfect for gatherings, as a snack or sandwich spread.

If you like this recipe do not forget to give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and attach a photo of your finished dish. It is always a pleasure of mine to see your photos and check your own take of the recipe. Thank you.

A plate of food, with Bissara and caramelized onions

Bissara, fava beans dip

A traditional Egyptian vegan fava bean dip that can be served in parties as a dip or scooped up with some pita bread for lunch or meatless dinner.
5 from 10 votes
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Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Egyptian, Mediterranean, Middle East
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 241.9kcal
Author: Amira

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (180g) peeled and split fava beans, soaked in water for 1 hour.
  • ½ cup (15g) fresh parsley, coarsely chopped.
  • ½ cup (15g) fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped.
  • ¼ cup (4g) fresh dill, coarsely chopped.
  • 1 (90g) small onion, quartered.
  • 3 (14g) garlic cloves.
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
  • 1 teaspoon dry mint.
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to your liking.
  • 2-3 cups water.
  • 1 medium onion chopped.
  • ¼ cup Oil for frying onion.
  • More cumin, salt and black pepper to taste for final seasoning.

Instructions

  • In a deep pot over medium high heat add soaked and drained beans, onion, garlic and fresh herbs.
  • Add the cumin, dry mint, salt then pour in water to cover.
  • Bring everything to a boil then simmer stirring occasionally. If it soaked up all the water feel free to add more, half a cup at a time.
  • Keep cooking until the beans are very tender.
  • Using your hand blender or an ordinary blender blend all the ingredients together until very smooth.
  • Pour back into the pot and boil again.
  • Check seasonings adding more salt, cumin and black pepper to taste.
  • In a non stick skillet brown onions in some olive oil.
  • Pour the Bissara mixture in serving plates and garnish with browned onions. Serve hot or cold.

Notes

Note1 : I use pink salt and the nutrition of this recipe is calculated for 1.5 teaspoon salt.
Please check the nutrition disclaimer policy.

Nutrition

Calories: 241.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.5g | Protein: 13.5g | Fat: 11.7g | Saturated Fat: 1.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 97.7mg | Potassium: 86.3mg | Fiber: 12.9g | Sugar: 4.8g | Vitamin A: 6.3IU | Vitamin C: 13.4mg | Iron: 18.2mg
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About Amira

I’m overjoyed that you have stopped by! My hope is to introduce you to new flavors, creative ways and fresh takes on favorites. To help you create food with style that will bring everyone around your kitchen table. From weeknight dinners for crazy busy days to desserts with the “wow” factor, and classic comforts from the Mediterranean. One thing in common, they are all recipes that have been tried and tested by family and friends.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Neva

    June 04, 2022 at 3:42 pm

    I had canned and whole Fava beans, but no split and peeled ones. Not wanting to wait to soak the beans, I peeled and split the canned ones. It was delicious! I’ll be purchasing the proper beans soon, as I’m also wanting to make your falafel!

    I added cayenne, as I like spicy. Yum!!!

    Reply
  2. Mohan

    December 17, 2020 at 12:24 pm

    Hello, Amira, I have made bissara a few times before, but today I am going to try your recipe, as it looks like a major upgrade to my recipe. One question: how do you get your fried onions to be so beautifully browned without burning? Whenever I fry onions like this, they either don't get past a light brown, or else they burn. What is your secret, if you don't mind sharing?

    Reply
    • Amira

      December 22, 2020 at 11:14 am

      Mohan, thank you for your comment and I hope you will like it. For the onions, you need to keep stirring it every 1-2 minutes so it does not burn and you can also lower the heat so it won't burn easily. I hope this helps.

      Reply
  3. Sarah Kaldas

    July 12, 2020 at 8:05 pm

    Hello Amira, for the fava beans, do you use canned or dry?

    Reply
    • Amira

      July 17, 2020 at 7:14 pm

      Hello Sarah, this one if the split fava beans. It is sold dry in most Mediterranean stores.

      Reply
  4. Abeer

    January 22, 2020 at 4:18 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my Amira I've been looking for a good recipe that tastes like what my grandma used to make. This came out just like hers. My vegan friends liked it very mush.

    Reply
    • Amira

      January 23, 2020 at 11:32 am

      Abeer, this is awesome. I am happy your friends liked it and it brought back good old memories.

      Reply
  5. JH

    May 24, 2015 at 1:33 pm

    Tasted yummy, but came out liquidy for me. What do you think went wrong?

    Reply
    • Christine Raouf

      June 04, 2021 at 5:34 pm

      You may not add too much water at the begining as it easier to add if needed after blended.

      Reply

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