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Lebanese Cheese Recipes

4 recipes using cheese — Hummus, falafel, kibbeh and the jewels of Levantine cuisine.

These 4 lebanese cheese recipes are ready in about 50 minutes on average, with 360–620 kcal per serving, and 25% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.

recipes

50 min

average time

460 kcal

avg per serving

25%

easy recipes

How Lebanese cuisine cooks with cheese

Lebanese food is fresh, herb-forward and built around the table of meze — bright with lemon, garlic and good olive oil. When Lebanese cooks work with cheese, they reach for olive oil, lemon, garlic, tahini, sumac and za'atar, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, baking, boiling and poaching.

A concentrated hit of savoury, salty richness used to melt, gratinate, crumble or finish a dish. In this collection it's most often cooked with orange food coloring and rose water. The dishes here span lebanese classics ready in as little as 35 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.

4 Lebanese Cheese Recipes

Breakfast

Shakshuka

Eggs poached in a richly spiced tomato and pepper sauce — a simple, satisfying dish from North Africa and the Middle East.

⏱ 35 min🔥 380 kcalEasy

Dessert

Halawet el-Jibn

Lebanese cheese-filled semolina rolls in rose water syrup — a Hama sweet.

⏱ 50 min🔥 360 kcalHard

✨ NewDessert

Knafeh Nabulsi (Levantine Cheese Pastry)

Palestinian-Levantine cheese pastry — shredded kataifi pastry layered over melting cheese, soaked in rose-orange syrup, dusted with pistachio.

⏱ 60 min🔥 620 kcalMedium

✨ NewDessert

Knafeh (Lebanese Cheese and Shredded Pastry Dessert)

Classic Lebanese knafeh with stretchy akkawi cheese layered beneath crispy golden kataifi pastry, soaked in rose-scented syrup and crowned with crushed pistachios.

⏱ 55 min🔥 480 kcalMedium

Choosing & preparing cheese

How to choose

Buy in blocks and grate fresh — pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking starch that hampers melting. Match the cheese to the job: good melters (mozzarella, gruyère) versus crumblers (feta, parmesan).

Prep & storage

Let cheese come to room temperature for the fullest flavour. Add delicate cheeses off the heat to stop them splitting; build a smooth sauce with a roux or a starch.

Nutrition

A calcium- and protein-rich food; it is also high in saturated fat and sodium, so a little sharp cheese goes a long way.

Classic flavour partners: tomatoes, bread, wine, pasta, black pepper, honey

Lebanese Cheese Recipes — FAQ

How long do Lebanese cheese recipes take to make?

Most of these 4 Lebanese cheese recipes are ready in around 50 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Shakshuka, takes about 35 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 60 minutes.

How many calories are in Lebanese cheese dishes?

Across this collection they range from about 360 to 620 kcal per serving, averaging 460 kcal — Halawet el-Jibn is the lightest option at 360 kcal.

What is the easiest Lebanese cheese recipe for beginners?

Shakshuka is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 35 minutes. 25% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.

What goes well with cheese in Lebanese cooking?

In these recipes, cheese is most often paired with orange food coloring and rose water. Lebanese kitchens also lean on olive oil, lemon, garlic, tahini, sumac and za'atar.