Chickpeas in garlicky cumin broth ladled over torn bread, hit with harissa, lemon, and a soft egg — Tunisia’s working breakfast.

Where does Lablabi come from?

Lablabi is a Tunisian dish from Tunis, Tunisia.

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

Yes. This Lablabi 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 Lablabi take to make?

About 35 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 25 minutes cooking), serving 3.

Lablabi — a Tunis, Tunisia recipe

Name: Lablabi
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Tunisian
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked chickpeas with their liquid; 1/2 loaf stale crusty bread, torn; 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 tsp ground cumin; 1–2 tbsp harissa; 2 lemons; 1/4 cup olive oil; 3 eggs (soft-poached in the broth); 2 tbsp each capers + olives, to finish

Africa → 🇹🇳 Tunisia → Tunis

Lablabi

Tunisian · easy · serves 3

prep 10 min · cook 25 min

~816 cal · 44g protein · 125g carbs · 19g fat (estimated, per serving)

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Chickpea broth over torn bread with harissa and soft egg

🇹🇳 Tunis

Lablabi shops in Tunis serve one thing: you tear day-old bread into your own bowl, and the ladler does the rest at speed. It’s breakfast for laborers and students alike — a full day’s warmth for pocket change.

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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 3 —

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3 cups cooked chickpeas with their liquid

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1/2 loaf stale crusty bread, torn

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4 cloves garlic, crushed

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2 tsp ground cumin

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1–2 tbsp harissa

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2 lemons

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1/4 cup olive oil

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3 eggs (soft-poached in the broth)

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2 tbsp each capers + olives, to finish

Instructions

1

Simmer the chickpeas in their liquid (topped up with water) with garlic and cumin, 15 minutes.

2

Poach the eggs softly right in the broth.

3

Tear bread into deep bowls — the eater’s job in Tunis, so make everyone do their own.

4

Ladle chickpeas and broth over; the bread should drink and collapse.

5

Crown each bowl: egg, a smear of harissa, lemon squeezed hard, olive oil, capers, olives. Stir once and eat immediately.

Tunis lablabi-shop tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

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Tunis. Medina kitchens where eggs poach in fiery tomato and harissa.

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Tunisia. North Africa’s harissa-loving Mediterranean coast.

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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 →