A flaky, buttery Yemenite-Israeli pan-fried flatbread served with grated tomato and zhug.

Where does Malawach come from?

Malawach is a Israeli dish from Tel Aviv, Israel.

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

Yes. This Malawach 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 Malawach take to make?

About 45 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Malawach — a Tel Aviv, Israel recipe

Name: Malawach
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Israeli
Ingredients: 3 cups flour; 1/2 cup oil (for laminating and frying); 1 tsp salt; as needed warm water; 2 tomato; to taste zhug (to serve)

Asia → 🇮🇱 Israel → Tel Aviv

Malawach

Israeli · medium · serves 4

prep 30 min · cook 15 min

~602 cal · 10g protein · 75g carbs · 29g fat (estimated, per serving)

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Flaky pan-fried flatbread with grated tomato

🇮🇱 Tel Aviv

Malawach came to Israel with Yemenite Jews and became a beloved brunch across the country. A laminated dough is folded with oil into many layers and pan-fried until shatteringly flaky and golden, then served with a bowl of grated fresh tomato, a hard-boiled egg, and fiery zhug — a Tel Aviv weekend favorite.

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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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3 cups flour

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1/2 cup oil (for laminating and frying)

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1 tsp salt

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as needed warm water

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2 tomato

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to taste zhug (to serve)

Instructions

1

Make a soft dough with the flour, salt, and water; rest well.

2

Roll pieces very thin, brush generously with oil, and fold into layered squares.

3

Chill, then pan-fry over medium heat until deep golden and flaky on both sides.

4

Grate the fresh tomato into a bowl and season with salt.

5

Serve the malawach hot with the grated tomato and zhug.

Tel Aviv / Yemenite tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

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Tel Aviv. A beachfront city that turned street food into an art.

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Israel. A Mediterranean crossroads of diaspora kitchens.

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Asia. From street-cart woks to slow monastery kitchens.

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 →