8 Middle Eastern Party Snacks

By
Anita Schecter
Anita Schecter_BW
Anita Schecter
Professional recipe developer, food photographer, and blogger with more than a decade of experience creating Middle Eastern recipes.
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Updated on 09/17/20

You don't need an excuse to gather friends together for a good time, but a round-up of Middle Eastern cuisine certainly gives you a good one. From an easy snack of honey spiced nuts, to a cocktail of pear and pomegranate shrub, or cheesecake baklava for dessert, your guests will love trying out new and unique party snacks.

  • 01 of 08

    Pear and Pomegranate Shrub

    Pear and Pomegranate Champagne Shrub

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

    Every good party needs a good round of cocktails. Pears and pomegranates are both commonplace fruits in the Middle East, making this a perfect cocktail for a themed party. Combine the macerated fruit with sparkling wine and sweetened apple cider vinegar.

  • 02 of 08

    Honey Spiced Nuts

    Honey-spiced nuts

    ​The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

    Great bartenders know that cocktails should be served with nuts on the side. These ones are easy to whip up a few days before the party and store in an airtight container. Although you can use any spice blend that you prefer, this particular recipe calls for a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, salt, and sugar.

  • 03 of 08

    Crunchy Roasted Cumin Chickpeas

    crispy-spiced-chickpeas-recipe-450291-08

     The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

    When chickpeas are spritzed with oil and roasted at a high temperature, their texture turns crunchy—and it makes for a perfect snack. When tossed with cumin, paprika, coriander, and perhaps a little bit of red cayenne pepper, roasted chickpeas are healthy and delicious.

  • 04 of 08

    Kalamata Olive Hummus

    Kalamata Olive Hummus

    Silvia Jansen / Getty Images

    If there's a party, there must be dip; there's no need for store-bought onion powder packets needed when you can make healthy and delicious hummus. Add some zing with kalamata olives and your guests will devour it.

    Continue to 5 of 8 below.
  • 05 of 08

    White Bean Hummus

    White Bean Hummus Dip (Gluten-free)

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

    Hummus is traditionally made with chickpeas, which are a type of bean. However, it can also be made with white beans for a bit of a variation on a classic appetizer. While you can buy hummus at the store, it's so easy (and much less expensive) to make it at home, particularly when you need large quantities of the dip.

  • 06 of 08

    Pita Chips

    Pita Bread

    The Spruce

    Where there's dip, there are chips. Regular chips break too easily, leaving a frustrating mess. Pita chips are delicious and hold up to even the thickest of hummus dips—and making your own so easy that there's no need to buy them. 

  • 07 of 08

    Cardamom Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

    Cardamom Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
    Anita Schecter

    Although shortbread originated in Scotland, there's a Middle Eastern version known as ghoraibi that's spiced with cardamom, scented with rose water, and topped with almonds. This particular recipe calls for topping the cookies with finely chopped pistachios instead of standard almonds.

  • 08 of 08

    Cheesecake Baklava

    Cheesecake Baklava
    Anita Schecter

    Merge two great desserts with this cheesecake baklava—though it's not a common combination, guests will love the twist on a Middle Eastern classic treat. The phyllo dough, which is a main ingredient of baklava, serves as the crust for the cheesecake, which is topped with honey syrup and chopped pistachios.