Middle Eastern Mezze Platter (Printable)

Vibrant shareable assortment of classic Middle Eastern appetizers with hummus, olives, cheese, pita, and fresh vegetables.

# What You'll Need:

→ Hummus

01 - 1½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
02 - ¼ cup tahini
03 - 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
04 - 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
05 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
06 - ½ tsp ground cumin
07 - ½ tsp salt
08 - 2–3 tbsp cold water

→ Vegetables

09 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
10 - 1 cup cucumber, sliced
11 - 1 cup red bell pepper, sliced
12 - 1 cup carrot sticks

→ Olives & Cheese

13 - 1 cup mixed olives (green and Kalamata), pitted if desired
14 - 5 oz feta cheese, cut into cubes or slices

→ Bread

15 - 4 pita breads, cut into triangles

→ Garnishes (optional)

16 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
17 - 1 tsp sumac or paprika
18 - Lemon wedges

# How To Make It:

01 - In a food processor, combine chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin, and salt. Blend until smooth, adding cold water a tablespoon at a time to reach desired creaminess. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
02 - Arrange the hummus in a shallow bowl or spread on a platter. Drizzle with extra olive oil and sprinkle with sumac or paprika.
03 - Artfully arrange cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, carrot sticks, olives, and feta cheese around the hummus.
04 - Warm the pita bread if desired, then cut into triangles and add to the platter.
05 - Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The beauty of a mezze platter is its forgiving nature—forgot an ingredient or accidentally ate all the olives while prepping? No one will notice among the colorful abundance.
  • This platter creates natural conversation pauses as everyone reaches for their next bite, perfect for those moments when dinner chat needs a reset.
02 -
  • Remove the skins from your chickpeas for unnaturally smooth hummus—yes, it takes ten minutes of pinching them off, but the silky result converted even my most cooking-averse friends into hummus snobs.
  • The mezze platter actually improves after sitting for 30 minutes at room temperature, allowing the flavors to meld and the cheese to soften slightly—a discovery I made when guests were fashionably late and I panicked thinking everything would be ruined.
03 -
  • Process your hummus for a full five minutes—it seems excessive until you taste the difference between three-minute hummus and five-minute hummus, a texture transformation I discovered accidentally while answering the door.
  • Serve with small individual plates rather than expecting people to eat directly from the platter—watching someone double-dip into the communal hummus can ruin the most beautiful spread and friendships.
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