Recipe
🍳 BREAKFAST
Masabib
Soft, holey yeasted pancakes drenched in date syrup or honey, a Hejazi and Saudi breakfast.
Saudi · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 20 min
~537 cal · 13g protein · 79g carbs · 18g fat · 3g fiber · 7g sugars · 7g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Masabib (also masabeeb) are soft, spongy yeasted pancakes popular in the Hejaz region around Mecca and Medina and across much of Saudi Arabia. A loose, well-risen batter is poured onto a hot griddle and cooked on one side only, so the top stays pale and fills with a fine lacework of tiny holes, ready to drink up whatever it is dressed with.
Those holes are the point: the pancake acts like a sponge for its topping. Classically that means a good soak of date syrup (dibs) or honey, and often a warm, fragrant sauce thickened and scented with black seed, which gives the dish its distinctive flavour.
They are cherished breakfast food, and especially associated with Ramadan, when their sweetness and staying power make them ideal for suhoor or iftar, taken with a small cup of Arabic coffee. Soft and sweet, masabib are a familiar part of a Saudi morning.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2.5 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp yeast
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp sugar
as needed warm water
to taste date syrup or honey, to serve
2 tbsp , to serve
a pinch a pinch of salt
Instructions
1
Whisk both flours with the yeast, sugar and salt, then beat in the egg, the milk, the oil and enough warm water to make a thin batter, and leave it until it foams.
✎ Chef’s note
Whole wheat alongside the white flour, and egg, milk and oil in the batter. Masabeeb are richer than a plain yeasted pancake, and that is what lets them carry the honey and ghee poured over them.
2
Pour small rounds onto a hot dry pan.
3
Cook on one side only until the tops fill with holes and set.
4
Stack the finished pancakes on a plate.
5
Drench with honey or date syrup and melted ghee, and serve with Arabic coffee or tea.
Riyadh / Hejaz tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Riyadh. Riyadh heaps kabsa onto a communal platter, spiced rice cooked with lamb or chicken and shared by hand among guests. Najdi hospitality shapes the meal, with dates and cardamom coffee before it and jareesh crushed wheat alongside.
🗺️
Saudi Arabia. Coffee here is a ceremony with rules. Qahwa is lightly roasted, cardamom-heavy, pale rather than dark, poured from a dallah into small handleless cups filled only part way, and refilled until the guest shakes the cup. Dates come with it, and the pairing is offered before any conversation about business begins.
🌍
Asia. Fermentation is the thread that runs the whole way across: soy sauce and miso, Korean doenjang and kimchi, Southeast Asian fish sauces, the soured batter behind an idli. Chilli is the newcomer among them, arriving only after 1500 with Portuguese and Spanish traders, which makes the heat in Sichuan, Thai and Korean cooking far younger than the fermenting underneath it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Saudi Arabia
KabsaSpiced rice cooked in aromatic broth with chicken, dried lime, and a whole-spice perfume, heaped high for sharing.
MutabbaqA thin folded pastry stuffed with spiced minced meat and egg, griddled crisp, a favorite Saudi street snack.
AreekaSoft bread mashed with dates, butter, and honey into a rich, comforting sweet of southern Saudi Arabia.
Browse all Saudi Arabia recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Whisk.
Storing it: Best fresh and hot. Keep batter covered in the fridge for up to a day, and rewarm cooked ones in a dry pan.
Make it a Saudi Arabia meal
AreekaDessert
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Cuisine
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Frequently asked questions
What is Masabib?
Soft, holey yeasted pancakes drenched in date syrup or honey, a Hejazi and Saudi breakfast.
Where does Masabib come from?
Masabib is a Saudi dish from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Can Masabib be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Masabib recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Masabib safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Masabib take to make?
About 35 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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