Arayes are Middle Eastern grilled pita bread sandwiches stuffed with a kofta kebab mixture. The stuffed pita can be grilled, baked, or air-fried. Serve this Arayes recipe with sumac onions and a Lebanese Tabouli Salad!
Arayes are prepared by various cultures throughout the Middle East. This includes Syria, Israel, Lebanon, and Egypt. The Egyptian version is called Hawawshi. They've recently become more popular thanks to different social media outlets, especially TikTok.
These meat-stuffed pita pockets can be served for lunch or dinner, or as part of a mezze platter with Lebanese hummus, garlic tahini sauce, and sambousek. This Arayes recipe will teach you what you need to know to make amazing Arayes at home!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This Arayes recipe is relatively easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes (unless you marinate the meat longer).
- The versatile recipe allows you to cook the pita sandwiches in the oven, on the grill, in a cast-iron skillet, or in an air fryer.
- The filling is made with kofta meat so you know it's loaded with flavor!
- This stuffed pita recipe uses simple ingredients and can even be prepared ahead of time.
- You can add sliced tomatoes, onion, and lettuce to your stuffed pita to make this sandwich even more filling!
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pita Bread: I like to use homemade pita pockets but store-bought ones work just fine!
- Meat: Traditionally, Arayes are stuffed with ground lamb, which is how I prefer them. However, you can also substitute beef, ground chicken, or turkey.
- Spices: I like to add sumac, baharat spice mix, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes to my kofta mixture. However, you may also add a few cloves of fresh garlic, ¼ teaspoon of cumin, and a touch of cinnamon.
- Herbs: Although my Arayes recipe doesn't call for any herbs you can add a few tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley or mint to the kabob meat mixture.
*A full list of ingredients for this Arayes recipe can be found in the recipe card.
🔪 Helpful Tools
Here is a list of helpful tools to make this Arayes recipe:
🥙 How to Make Arayes (Stuffed Pitas)
Step 1: Add onion to a small food processor and process until fine. Squeeze the liquid from the onion, then add the onion to a medium-sized bowl along with the ground lamb or beef.
Step 2: Add the spices to the meat mixture and mix to combine. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge to allow the flavors to come together for a few hours.
Step 3: Divide the meat into eight equal portions. Slice each pita bread in half and carefully stuff with the meat mixture forming a layer of meat into each pita pocket.
Pro Tip: If you prefer more meat, you can double the kofta recipe.
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Arayes Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Step 4: Brush both sides of the stuffed pitas with olive oil. If you'd like to get grill marks on your Arayes, add a few of the stuffed pitas at a time to a hot grill pan. Press down with a spatula and cook for one minute on each side over medium-high heat.
Step 5: Arrange Arayes on a baking sheet. For easier cleanup, line the baking sheet with aluminum foil. Bake for 6 minutes on each side or until the meat is cooked and the pita bread is crispy.
Pro Tip: The best way to heat Arayes leftovers is in a toaster oven or an air fryer.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
"Arayes," is an Arabic word that means "brides." It's also the name of this irresistible, Lebanese stuffed pita bread recipe.
Arayes are pretty delicious and filling on their own. They also make a perfect appetizer. If you plan on serving Arayes as a meal, Lebanese Fattoush salad or Tabouli salad would be the perfect side dish. You can also drizzle the pita sandwiches with tahini sauce.
Use fresh pita bread that's soft and pliable. Slice the pita in half and gently pry open. Spread a thin layer of the kabob meat filling inside the pita pockets.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Slice each arayes in two to serve as appetizers.
- Make sure to drain the excess liquid before mixing the onion with the ground meat. If the mixture is too wet, you'll end up with a soggy pita sandwich.
- Use good quality pita bread that is not too thin or flimsy, otherwise, it may not hold up when you stuff it with the meat.
- Optionally, mix roasted pinenuts into the filling before stuffing the arayes.
🥐 More Middle Eastern Recipes
If you enjoy this stuffed pita bread recipe, you may want to try these related recipes!
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📖 Recipe
Arayes (Meat-Filled Pita Pockets)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef (or lamb)
- 1 small onion
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sumac powder
- 1 teaspoon baharat spice
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 pita pockets (sliced in half)
Instructions
- Add onion to a small food processor and process until fine. Squeeze the liquid from the onion, then add onion to a medium-sized bowl along with the ground lamb or beef.
- Add the spices to the meat mixture and mix to combine. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge to allow the flavors to come together for few hours.
- Divide the meat into eight equal portions. Slice each pita bread in half and carefully stuff with the meat mixture forming a layer of meat into each pita pocket.
Preheat oven to 400°F
- (optional step) Brush both sides of the stuffed pitas with olive oil. If you'd like to get grill marks on your Arayes, add a few at a time to a hot grill pan. Press down with a spatula and cook for one minute on each side over medium-high heat.
- Arrange Arayes on a baking sheet. For easier cleanup, line the baking sheet with aluminum foil. Bake for 6 minutes on each side or until the meat is cooked and the pita bread is crispy.
Notes
- Slice each pita bread sandwich in two to serve as appetizers.
- Make sure to drain the excess liquid before mixing the onion with the ground meat. If the mixture is too wet, you'll end up with a soggy pita sandwich.
- Use good quality pita bread that is not too thin or flimsy, otherwise, it may not hold up when you stuff it with the meat.
- Optionally, Mix pinenuts into the filling before stuffing the Arayes.
- The best way to heat Arayes leftovers is in a toaster oven or an air fryer.
- If you prefer to have more meat in your pita bread, you can double the kofta recipe.
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