Flaky square semolina flatbreads folded in layers and griddled, served with honey or jam.

Where does Msemen come from?

Msemen is a Algerian dish from Algiers, Algeria.

Can Msemen be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Msemen recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Msemen take to make?

About 50 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Msemen — a Algiers, Algeria recipe

Name: Msemen
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Algerian
Ingredients: 2 cups + 1 cup fine semolina + flour; 1/4 cup oil; 1/4 cup melted butter or oil (for folding); as needed warm water; 1 tsp salt; to taste honey or jam, to serve

Africa → 🇩🇿 Algeria → Algiers

Msemen

Algerian · medium · serves 4

prep 30 min · cook 20 min

~355 cal · 4g protein · 26g carbs · 26g fat (estimated, per serving)

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Flaky square folded flatbreads with honey

🇩🇿 Algiers

Msemen are the flaky folded flatbreads of the Maghreb, made by stretching an oiled semolina dough paper-thin and folding it into square, layered packets before griddling. In Algeria they are a breakfast staple, torn open steaming and spread with honey, jam, or soft cheese alongside mint tea.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 4 —

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2 cups + 1 cup fine semolina + flour

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1/4 cup oil

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1/4 cup melted butter or oil (for folding)

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as needed warm water

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1 tsp salt

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to taste honey or jam, to serve

Instructions

1

Make a soft dough with the semolina, flour, salt, and warm water; rest 20 minutes.

2

Divide into balls and stretch each very thin on an oiled surface.

3

Brush with oil, fold into squares to trap the layers.

4

Griddle on both sides until golden and flaky.

5

Serve hot with honey or jam.

Algiers tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

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Algiers. The white city, faithful to Friday couscous.

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Algeria. Africa’s largest country, built on couscous Fridays.

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Africa. Fifty-four countries of tagines, stews, and fire-kissed grills.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

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Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →