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Middle Eastern Bean Salad (Balela)

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Balela is a savory Middle Eastern Bean Salad made with chickpeas, black beans, and tomatoes. It’s easy to make and is naturally vegan and gluten-free!

Does this Balela salad look familiar to you?

Even if you’ve never tried it in a restaurant, you may have seen this Middle Eastern Bean Salad in the refrigerated case at Trader Joe’s!

Personally, I’ve been buying it for years. It makes a great lunch. And it can be paired with other favorites such as stuffed grape leaves, hummus and veggies, or a simple green salad.

But one day I asked myself why I keep buying it rather than making it myself.

So I jotted down the ingredients from the package and went to work.

Bowl of Balela (Middle Eastern Bean Salad) made with garbanzo beans, black beans, tomatoes, onions, and herbs and spices.

And guess what? It turns out Balela is incredibly easy to make at home!

Plus it contains one of my favorite herbs, sumac.

Do you remember when we talked about ground sumac powder when we made Roasted Chickpea Fattoush Salad?

There’s just something about this delicious spice!

It has a tangy, lemony flavor that brightens your food. If you’ve ever cooked with za’atar spice blend, it’s one of the components.

Sumac is often found in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. I recommend trying it in salads, on roasted vegetables, and sprinkled on hummus.

Overhead view of Middle Eastern Bean Salad (Balela) made with chickpeas, black beans, tomatoes, onions, parsley, mint, lemon juice and spices.

In fact, I’m going to add some the next time I make Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad and Olive Cucumber Chickpea Salad. And I encourage you to use recipes as a guide and add your own touches to them.

Are there any foods that you purchase from the market, like Middle Eastern Bean Salad, that you would like to learn how to make at home?

I would love to help, so be sure to leave a comment or send me a message!

Cooking your favorite dishes instead of buying them allows you to control the ingredients and flavors, plus it can save you a lot of money.

Close up of a forkful of Balela (Middle Eastern Bean Salad) with chickpeas, fresh herbs, diced tomatoes, white onions, and black beans.

This Middle Eastern Bean Salad can be made as mild or spicy as you like. The heat comes from cayenne pepper. For me, a little goes a long way. But if your bottle of cayenne has been sitting around a while, it may have lost some of it’s kick. The moral of the story is to take a tiny taste before adding it to your salad. You can always add more, but you can’t take it out!

You can make this dish ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve it. In my opinion, it tastes even better the next day!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, be sure to let me know!

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Middle Eastern Bean Salad (Balela) is healthy, delicious, and naturally vegan and gluten-free!

Middle Eastern Bean Salad (Balela)
5 from 5 votes
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Middle Eastern Bean Salad (Balela)

Balela is a savory Middle Eastern Bean Salad. Enjoy it as a meal, or serve it with other favorites like a green salad, stuffed grape leaves, or hummus and veggies.

Course Salad
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 113 kcal
Author Amy Katz

Ingredients

For the salad:

  • 2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans) (3 cups), rinsed and drained
  • 1 can black beans (1 1/2 cup) rinsed and drained
  • 1 white onion diced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 dry pint grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes) quartered
  • 1/2 cup parsley (fresh) chopped
  • 1/4 cup mint (fresh) chopped

For the dressing:

Instructions

  1. Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

  2. Add the dressing ingredients to a jar with a lid and shake to combine. (Or you can whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl.)

  3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. 

  4. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The salad will keep well for several days.

Recipe Notes

Add the cayenne pepper sparingly and taste test as you go. You can always add more, but you can't take it out!

Nutrition Facts
Middle Eastern Bean Salad (Balela)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 113 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 3mg 0%
Potassium 159mg 5%
Total Carbohydrates 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Protein 3g 6%
Vitamin A 7.5%
Vitamin C 9.7%
Calcium 2%
Iron 5.7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

All commentsI made this

  2. Yes, it looked so familiar – I totally saw this at Trader Joe’s! Love that you made a recipe for it! This would be perfect for summer BBQs and cookouts!

    The video is fab like usual – love your shirt!

    Reply

  3. This looks so good! I’ve never tried the Trader Joe’s version, but I’m a huge fan of recreating their delicious selections at home. This is definitely my kind of salad…will be trying it for sure.

    Reply

  4. I haven’t seen that at my Trader Joe’s so it must be a regional thing. I’m glad you’ve made your own recipe so I can try it!

    Reply

  6. This sounds so protein-packed & delicious! It’s just the kind of salad I love having in the refrigerator to pull from for easy meals. I’ve had this salad at Trader Joe’s, but it’s been a long time! I’m glad I can now make it easily at home. Thanks, Amy!

    Reply

  8. I’ve never had Trader Joe’s version of this salad, but I make one that’s so similar. This looks so fresh and delicious, and I love that it has sumac in it. I’m going to try your version.

    Reply

  12. I simply used one half a lemon for dressing along with cumin and coriander and it turned out splendidly! As the sole vegan in the family, I will definitely have to share, haha (:

    Reply

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