Earthy, slightly spicy and incredibly comforting, Halabessa is a popular Egyptian street food. This spicy chickpea soup comes together in less than 20 minutes, and is perfect to sip on and enjoy during the cold winter months.
Best of all, you'll be using zero oil to make it, which makes it extremely low in calories. Pair it with Beid Meza'lil (Egyptian fried boiled egg salad) to make it a filling meal!
Soups have to be my favorite comfort food of all time. Every winter, I like to experiment with different kinds of soups- creamy ones like Yayla Corbasi, filling ones like my cilantro chicken soup with orzo, and light ones like Napa cabbage soup.
This time, I wanted to try making a really simple and effortless vegetarian soup recipe, and this Egyptian chickpea soup seemed perfect!
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 5 minutes.
- ⏲️Cook time: 15 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 4.
- 📋Main ingredients: Chickpeas, tomato puree, lemon juice, onion, garlic, mint, cumin, cayenne mint and seasonings.
- ♨️Cooking method: Chop aromatics 🡢 boil with chickpeas and tomato puree 🡢 season and finish up.
- ⭐Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Team up the Halabessa with some crispy bread or a sprinkle of Egyptian Dukkah.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- It is naturally plant based and gluten-free- just like my Sumac cucumber salad, making it suitable for those with dietary restrictions too.
- It comes together super quick- in just around 15-20 minutes, which makes it perfect to enjoy as a light dinner or an evening snack.
Recipe Ingredients
Chickpeas: A can of chickpeas. Drain and rinse them before putting them to use!
Onion + garlic: To build that savory flavor. Sometimes, I like to use my Air Fryer roasted garlic to bring a bit of smoky aroma to the spicy chickpea soup.
Tomato puree: To add that depth and tanginess to the soup. You can use either fresh or packaged- whatever is convenient.
Seasonings: I used some salt, pepper, cayenne for a little heat and ground cumin for some earthiness.
Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed, to bring a bit of citrusy zing.
Mint: For the freshness. Use dried mint leaves if you can't find fresh mint.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- For extra flavor, you can add a stock cube into the mix along with the other seasonings. I like to use my homemade vegetable bouillon cubes whenever I have them at hand- you can also use chicken bouillon cubes if you want to.
- Alternatively, you can start with a broth (try my low sodium vegetable broth) instead of water.
How to Make Halabessa
Step 1: Finely chop the garlic and onion and set them aside.
Step 2: Heat water in a pot and add the drained chickpeas in. Season and bring it to a boil.
Step 3: Add the tomato puree along with the seasonings, chopped onion and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Finish up with a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped mint leaves and some more salt and pepper.
💭Top Tip
You can also start with raw chickpeas if you don't have the canned ones. Soak them overnight and then cook them until they're soft, but still hold their shape.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- For a deeper flavor, you can also add a bit of tomato paste to the soup. Sometimes, I've even used my fire roasted tomatoes!
- You can adjust the consistency of the soup to your liking. Start with a little water, taste and add more if you prefer a broth-like consistency.
- If you're sensitive to heat, you can skip the cayenne and use a pinch of red pepper flakes or paprika.
- You can keep the chickpeas whole, or smash them up a little bit before you serve.
- Finish up with an extra sprinkle of salt and pepper before you serve! I like to use my citrus salt for some extra tanginess.
How to Serve Halabessa
You can enjoy this spicy chickpea soup on its own as a light evening snack, or serve it for dinner alongside a bowl of Fattoush salad or a simple beet cucumber salad. If you're looking for something more filling, try my Sumac chicken recipe, which teams up wonderfully with the Halabessa.
If you're making this when you're entertaining, pair it with some Turkish cheese rolls, crunchy pita chips and a creamy Turkish yogurt dip.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
You can refrigerate your leftover Halabessa for up to 3 days and reheat whenever you want to.
You can reheat Halabessa in a pot over medium heat, stirring until it is nice and warm.
Yes, you can! Simply refrigerate it until you're ready to reheat and serve. In fact, it tastes even better when you make it a day or two before.
More Middle Eastern Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Halabessa recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Halabessa (Spicy Chickpea Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 onion
- 2-3 garlic
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 teaspoon mint
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Finely chop the garlic and onion and set them aside.
- Heat water in a pot and add the drained chickpeas in. Season and bring it to a boil.
- Add the tomato puree along with the seasonings, chopped onion and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Finish up with a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped mint leaves and some more salt and pepper.
Notes
- You can also start with raw chickpeas if you don't have the canned ones. Soak them overnight and then cook them until they're soft, but still hold their shape.
- You can adjust the consistency of the soup to your liking. Start with a little water, taste and add more if you prefer a broth-like consistency.
- For a deeper flavor, you can also add a bit of tomato paste to the soup. Sometimes, I've even used my fire roasted tomatoes!
- You can keep the chickpeas whole, or smash them up a little bit before you serve.
