Sambousek is a meat pie from Lebanon, though you’ll find variations across the Middle East. Enjoy the crispy, golden-brown turnovers as an appetizer or side dish, or include them in a mezze-style spread for special occasions like Iftar and Eid.
What is Sambousek?
Sambousek, also known as sambusa, is a savory stuffed pastry with a crisp, golden exterior and a flavorful filling. Some are baked, some are fried, some are folded into half-moons, and others are shaped into neat little triangles.
These meat pies are perfect for sharing and are often part of a mezze spread alongside small plates like dolmas, butter bean hummus, tabbouleh, muhammara, fattoush, or mutabal.
Key Ingredients
Traditional sambousek are filled with ground beef or lamb, onions, and warm spices, wrapped in thin dough, and cooked until crispy and golden. Here’s what you need to make your own from scratch.
- Meat Filling: Ground lamb or beef is the most common filling choice. I mix ground beef with finely chopped onions, minced garlic, and warm spices like kosher salt, black pepper, ground allspice, and a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon. You can substitute individual spices with salt and a little seven-spice or baharat.
- Pastry Dough: Authentic recipes call for homemade dough, but you can use spring roll wrappers, wonton wrappers, or a puff pastry in a pinch. The homemade dough is very basic and requires only a few ingredients: all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, oil, and water.
Additions and Substitutions
Sambousek is a staple across the Gulf, with every family putting their own spin on both the filling and the dough. That’s part of the fun. You can mix and match ingredients to make them your own.
- Swap the protein. Replace the ground beef with minced lamb or chicken for a different take on the meat filling.
- Experiment with mix-ins. Add a splash of pomegranate molasses, chopped parsley, and toasted pine nuts for a little extra texture and flavor.
- Brush the dough. After brushing the dough with olive oil, sprinkle it with sesame seeds, Everything Bagel seasoning, or nigella seeds.
- Try different fillings.
- Cheese Filling: Combine salted akkawi or halloumi with shredded mozzarella or feta cheese, cream cheese, dried mint, and nigella seeds to make cheese sambousek.
- Spinach Filling: Use fresh spinach, pine nuts, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, ground sumac, salt, pepper, and a pinch of Aleppo pepper or paprika.
- Vegetable Filling: In addition to spinach, try potatoes, mushrooms, or mixed vegetables, paired with spices, fresh herbs, and even cooked lentils.
Equipment
You’ll just need a few basic kitchen tools to make this easy appetizer recipe. Mix the dough in a large bowl or a stand mixer with a dough hook. Roll it out with a rolling pin, then cut it into circles or squares with a sharp knife or a 3–4-inch biscuit cutter (or a drinking glass).
Prepare the filling and fry the turnovers in a large skillet or Dutch oven. If baking, prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
How to Make Sambousek
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Cook the Filling
Step 1: Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a meat chopper, until cooked through. Add the onions, garlic, and spices. Sauté for 5 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool completely.
Prepare the Dough
Use store-bought wrappers or puff pastry to cut down on the extra work. If using wrappers, just keep them covered with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out.
For puff pastry sheets, thaw for 30-40 minutes, then roll them out. Use a 3-inch or 4-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut circles, or cut them into squares and fold them into triangular shapes.
And follow these steps for how to make homemade sambousek dough.
Step 1: Mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer with a dough hook. Pour in the oil and combine until the mixture clumps and forms crumbles.
Step 2: Add water, a little at a time, working it into the dough. Knead by hand or with a dough hook for 5 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough ball into two balls. Cover and let it rest for 1 hour.
Step 3: Turn one of the dough balls onto a lightly floured surface, leaving the other one covered. Roll it ¼ inch thick with a rolling pin.
Step 4: After rolling out the dough, use a biscuit cutter to cut out 3–4-inch rounds, or a knife to slice the dough into similar-sized squares.
Once you have formed the first batch of sambousek, roll out the remaining dough ball and repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling.
Assemble the Hand Pies
Step 1: Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each dough circle.
Step 2: Fold the dough into half-moons or triangles, depending on the shape you cut. Seal tightly using one of the following methods:
Crimped Edge: Twist and press the edges together to seal.
Forked Edge: Press the edges closed with the end of a fork.
Cooking Instructions
Frying sambousek is a more traditional method, usually reserved for special occasions and gatherings. Frying gives the meat pockets a deep golden color and an ultra-crispy exterior. Baked sambousek, on the other hand, are lighter and easier to make, perfect for cooking in batches to feed a crowd.
Frying: Heat a neutral oil to 350°F (177°C) in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan. Fry 3 to 4 pastries in a single layer for 2–3 minutes per side, until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels using a slotted spoon.
Baking: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush the pastries lightly with oil and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Tip
If cooking from frozen, you may need to add a minute or two to each side.
Expert Tips
- Let the filling cool. Set the meat filling aside to cool before assembling.
- Don’t overfill the dough. Avoid overfilling, as it can cause the dough to split or the filling to leak as turnovers cook.
- Seal the meat pies. To prevent the filling from leaking during cooking, seal the edges securely. Use a fork to press and crimp the edges or fold and pinch them tightly. You can also brush the edges with a bit of water to ensure a good seal. The key is sealing them well so the filling stays put while cooking.
- Brush with oil (for baking). Brush the hand pies with oil before baking to create a crispy finish.
If you enjoy this easy sambousek recipe, try more tasty appetizers!
Serving Suggestions
Serve sambousek as a stand-alone appetizer or as mezze for special occasions and holidays like Eid and Ramadan, alongside other dishes such as dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), air fryer pita chips, butter bean hummus, mutabal, and tabbouleh. And don’t forget the fixings. Tahini yogurt sauce, labneh, toum (garlic yogurt sauce), pickles, and marinated olives to round out the spread.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store cooked sambousek in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days. Uncooked meat pies can be refrigerated for 2 days before cooking.
- Freeze: Beef sambousek freeze beautifully, making them ideal for meal prep.
- Uncooked: Arrange the wrapped pastries on a parchment-lined baking sheet and flash freeze until solid. Transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for 2–4 months.
- Cooked: Let them cool completely, then transfer them to a bag or container for 2 months.
- Thaw: They can be cooked or reheated from frozen; just add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
- Reheat: On the day of, you can warm the leftovers in a skillet, turning occasionally, until heated through and crispy. But for the best results, I recommend reheating them in the oven or air fryer at 250°F (120°C) for 6–8 minutes to keep them crispy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between a samosa and a sambusak?
The two are very similar. Indian samosas have a thicker shell with a meat or spiced potato-and-pea filling.
Sambousek or sambusa, common across the Middle East and parts of Africa, have a thinner shell and are filled with meat, cheese, or vegetable fillings seasoned with warm Middle Eastern spices.
Can I cook them in the air fryer?
Working in batches, spray both sides of the sambousek with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange them in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Air-fry at 350°F (177°C) for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through.
More Middle Eastern Recipes:
Sambousek
- Mixing Bowl or Stand Mixer with a Dough Hook
- 3-4 inch Biscuit Cutter
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2½ pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg or cinnamon
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 cup water, added a little at a time
- 2 cups oil, for frying
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a meat chopper, until cooked through. Add the onions, garlic, and spices. Sauté for 5 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool completely.
- Mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer with a dough hook. Pour in the oil and combine until the mixture clumps and forms crumbles.
- Add water, a little at a time, working it into the dough. Knead by hand or with a dough hook for 5 minutes, or until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough ball into two balls. Cover and let it rest for 1 hour.
- Turn one of the dough balls onto a lightly floured surface, leaving the other one covered. Roll it ¼ inch thick with a rolling pin.
- Use a biscuit cutter (or drinking glass) to cut out 3–4-inch rounds, or a knife to slice the dough into similar-sized squares.
- Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each dough circle.
- Fold the dough into half-moons or triangles, depending on the shape you cut. Seal tightly using one of the following methods:
- Crimped Edge: Twist and press the edges together to seal.Forked Edge: Press the edges closed with the end of a fork.
- Frying: Heat a neutral oil to 350°F (177°C) in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan. Fry 3 to 4 pastries in a single layer for 2–3 minutes per side, until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels using a slotted spoon.
- Baking: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush the pastries lightly with oil and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until lightly golden.
- Let the filling cool. Set the meat filling aside to cool before assembling.
- Don’t overfill the dough. Avoid overfilling, as it can cause the dough to split or the filling to leak as turnovers cook.
- Seal the meat pies. To prevent the filling from leaking during cooking, seal the edges securely. Use a fork to press and crimp the edges or fold and pinch them tightly. You can also brush the edges with a bit of water to ensure a good seal. The key is sealing them well so the filling stays put while cooking.
- Brush with oil (for baking). Brush the hand pies with oil before baking to create a crispy finish.