Lebanese Meat Pies
Updated Mar 10, 2026
These Lebanese meat pies (sfeehas) are a delicious Middle Eastern appetizer. Made with an easy dough and stuffed with a spiced meat filling.
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Traditional Lebanese Meat Pies
One of my ultimate food weakness is these freshly baked Lebanese Meat Pies or any other savery dough recipes like my Spinach Fatayer, Cheese Fatayer or Zaatar Manakeesh. The dough method for all of these recipes is pretty much the same but the filling and shapes differ, and it’s so interesting how you can tell what they are immediately by their shapes, like triangle is reserved for the spinach pies and the square shape for these meat pies, also called sfeeha.
Shaping the meat pies is the trickiest part but I share step-by-step instructions and photos to make them look authentic without too much fuss. If you’re craving these sfeehas from trying them at a Lebanese bakery or restaurant, my recipe is an easy-to-follow one you can make at home! Enjoy these on their own, dipped in plain whole milk yogurt or even with my Cucumber Yogurt Sauce.
Happy Baking!
– Yumna
Sfeeha (Lebanese Meat Pie) Ingredients
- Dough: You can use the dough recipe below, use your own dough recipe or a store-bought one.
- Ground beef: Use 90-95% lean ground beef for the recipe. Make sure there isn’t a lot of fat in the ground beef so it doesn’t shrink too much and leave the meat pie looking empty.
- Onions: Dice the yellow onions finely so that it mixes well with the rest of the filling ingredients. But avoid grating the onion since it can release too much liquid into the sfeeha filling
- Tomatoes: These are optional but they add so much flavor to the meat stuffing and it’s traditional to include them.
- Parsley: Chop this up really small as well so it combines easily with the meat mixture.
- Spices: I use sumac, 7 spice, paprika and salt.
How to Make Lebanese Meat Pies
Lebanese Meat Pies
These Lebanese meat pies (sfeehas) are a delicious Middle Eastern appetizer. Made with an easy dough and stuffed with a spiced meat filling.
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup warm water
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast 1 packet
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
Make the Dough and Filling
- In a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, mix the flour, water, oil, yeast, sugar and salt on medium-low for 1 minute, until it comes together in a shaggy mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to mix for 8-10 more minutes, until the dough becomes soft and smooth and lightly sticky without leaving any dough on your fingers.
- Lift the dough from the bowl, lightly oil the bowl and return the dough back to the oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a slightly damp kitchen towel and set aside at room temperature for 60-90 minutes, or until the dough has puffed and risen to double its volume.
- Remove the dough and divide into 20 pieces, about 30 grams each, and shape into round balls. Place the balls seam-side down on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place all the ingredients for the meat filling in a large bowl and mix until well combined.
Assemble & Bake
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and grease another large baking sheet with olive oil.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to 5-inch circles. Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture inside each circle and press down to flatten into the dough, leaving about 1-inch space around the edges.
- Fold up two opposite sides of the dough, then fold up the other two opposite sides. Pinch the sides up to form a square with four pointy edges.
- Place on the oiled baking sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
- Serve warm on their own or with plain whole milk yogurt as a dip.
Notes
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the meat pies before cooking by placing them on a baking sheet in the freezer. When frozen, transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag and keep for 3 months. You can also freeze the baked meat pies after they’ve cooled completely for up to 3 months.
This recipe has been updated in March 2026, but if you like the original version, you can still find it here:
Dough
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups warm water
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast 1 packet
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup olive oil
Meat Filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion diced
1 pound 95% lean ground beef
3 Roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons 7 Spice
2 teaspoons sumac
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Make the Dough
Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl. Add the flour and salt and mix together until well combined. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead the mixture until sticky.
Add the olive oil and continue kneading until the dough becomes soft and smooth and lightly sticky without leaving any dough on your fingers.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased tray and allow it to proof until doubled, about 90 minutes.
Remove the dough and divide into 30 pieces and reshape to round balls. Let sit in an oiled tray until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Make the stuffing
In a medium size pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil and cook the onions until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add the beef and onions and cook until the beef is browned, about 8-10 minutes. Fold in the tomatoes and parsley, then season with salt, 7 Spice, sumac and cinnamon.
Assemble & Cook
Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out the dough in 4-5 inch circles. Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture inside each circle.
Hold two ends of the dough and seal them together over the filling, pinching the dough together to help bind. Fold the last side up to meet the first two sides, pinching the dough together with the first two sides to bind.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Serve warm on their own or with plain whole milk yogurt as a dip.
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups warm water
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast 1 packet
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup olive oil
Meat Filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion diced
1 pound 95% lean ground beef
3 Roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons 7 Spice
2 teaspoons sumac
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Make the Dough
Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl. Add the flour and salt and mix together until well combined. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead the mixture until sticky.
Add the olive oil and continue kneading until the dough becomes soft and smooth and lightly sticky without leaving any dough on your fingers.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased tray and allow it to proof until doubled, about 90 minutes.
Remove the dough and divide into 30 pieces and reshape to round balls. Let sit in an oiled tray until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Make the stuffing
In a medium size pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil and cook the onions until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
Add the beef and onions and cook until the beef is browned, about 8-10 minutes. Fold in the tomatoes and parsley, then season with salt, 7 Spice, sumac and cinnamon.
Assemble & Cook
Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out the dough in 4-5 inch circles. Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture inside each circle.
Hold two ends of the dough and seal them together over the filling, pinching the dough together to help bind. Fold the last side up to meet the first two sides, pinching the dough together with the first two sides to bind.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Serve warm on their own or with plain whole milk yogurt as a dip.
Nutrition
Serving: 2pies, Calories: 269kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 622mg, Potassium: 255mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 398IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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Recipe Tips
- Don’t be tempted to add more flour to the dough recipe. It should feel moist and springy but without sticking to your fingers. This will help them crisp in the oven and get that beautiful golden color. If you’re using store-bought dough, it helps to add oil to your hands when working with the dough.
- Make the stuffing in advance. You can prepare the stuffing up to one day in advance and the mixture actually gets more flavorful after one day and saves you time.
- Roll the dough thin. Sfeehas should have a soft but fairly thin base so the meat-to-dough ratio stays balanced. If the dough is too thick, the pies can feel heavy and bread-like instead of light.
- Leave a little space around the edges. Whether you’re making open-faced pies square meat pies or folded ones, keep the filling away from the very edge of the dough so it seals easily and bakes nicely.
FAQs
Why did my meat pies open up while baking?
If the edges aren’t sealed well or the filling is too heavy, the dough can open as it bakes. Try pushing the filling down into the dough and gently pressing the dough edges together more firmly before baking.
Why is my dough tough instead of soft?
This usually happens if you add too much flour while kneading or rolling. Use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking and knead only until it’s smooth.
Comments
I noticed on the dough the number of yeast packs does not change when you pick x2 or x3 just a fyi
Unfortunately, my website only adjusts the measured unit (in this case, teaspoons) and not the note on how many packets of yeast. So sorry!
Is the sugar necessary for the dough?
Good question! I recommend including the sugar because it speeds up the rise, helps give the crust a lovely golden brown color, and improves the texture. Hope that helps!!
Amazing recipe, I mixed the meat with one spoon tomato paste and lemon juice, just black paper and salt and sumac. Then turned the heat off and added crushed fresh tomatoes and parsley. This will be my forever favourite recipe. Thanks for sharing
Aww, I love to hear that!! Thank you so much, Pari!
I have used tomato paste, or passata or a couple of spoons of tomato sauce rather than fresh tomatoes and they have turned out perfectly. Sometimes I brush them with an egg wash or olive oil. They are excellent and always turn out. Lots of options. Thanks.
Love that substitution! So happy you like the recipe, Ruth. Thanks!!
I am going to try and make this for my husband, who LOVES Lebanese meat pies. I have tried a couple of other recipes but they didn’t quite excite him, so wish me luck. Looking at the spice mixture I think this is going to be a big hit, I’ll let you know.
Aww, I hope he loves it!! Can’t wait to hear how they turn out!
Made this and it turned out so delicious, even my picky toddler ate his up!
Also, I made extra meat mixture and decided to scoop it up with some tortilla chips and some garlic dip and OMG I think I’ll improvise and make “Lebanese nachos” using this meat recipe, I can imagine it would be such a hit for a crowd on Sunday football days – seriously can’t wait 😊
Love that!! So happy you and your toddler loved it! Thanks, Natalie!!
The stuffing is amazing! I’ve made this once already but there’s only one thing stopping me. Making the dough is awful. No matter how much I knead it, it’s still super, super sticky. It’s awful to handle and makes a mess every time. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Joe, the dough is supposed to be sticky! Once it’s sticky, add enough olive oil so the dough isn’t sticking to your fingers as you knead. It can be a little tough to handle but it sounds like you’ve actually gotten the texture just right! How did the bake turn out on your first batch of meat pies?
The meat filling was fantastic! I didn’t have sumac so I didn’t add any. I also added egg wash to the dough before baking to get that shiny look. Even my toddler loved these! Thank you!
Aww, so happy you and your toddler both loved them! Thanks, Maryam!!
is this similar to sambousek?
Yes, it is similar!
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