Smooth, smoky, savory & creamy, this easy Baba Ganoush recipe comes together in just 30 minutes. It is healthy, vegan, gluten-free, paleo-friendly, keto, and super easy to make at home
Serve it along with Pita Bread, Tabbouleh, Beet Hummus, and Lavash Crackers for a delicious Middle Eastern meal. This is one of my favorite meals to prepare for a weekend brunch.
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About This Recipe
Baba Ganoush is a creamy, savory, and smoky Middle Eastern dip that is prepared with roasted eggplant. It can be served with pita bread or raw crisp veggies.
Eggplant is grilled over on open flame (or roasted in an oven) and the soft pulp is then mixed with tahini, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and a few spices. Traditionally, pomegranate molasses is added to give it a very unique taste.
With just 85 calories per serving, this superhealthy Mediterranean dip is great for people who follow vegan, gluten-free, paleo-friendly, keto diets.
In today’s post, I am sharing a recipe with a few variations so that it becomes easy for you to replicate it at home.
This Baba Ganoush is,
- Creamy
- Paleo + Whole30
- Gluten-Free + Keto
- Grain-Free
- Low Cal
- Supereasy to make
Ingredients
Eggplant – Eggplant makes up the base of this dip. Look for the large purple-colored variety with fewer seeds.
Large eggplants tend to contain more seeds and can be bitter. So it’s better to use 2 small eggplants that weigh about 1 pound total, rather than 1 large one.
Tahini – Tahini gives an earthy taste to this dip. You can either buy it or try this 2-ingredient homemade tahini paste recipe. It is supereasy and more economical to make it at home.
Make sure it’s not bitter. Otherwise the dip will turn out bitter too.
Tomato – Finely chopped tomatoes give a tangy-sweet taste to the dip.
Pomegranate Molasses – This is the ingredient that differentiates Baba Ganoush from Mutabbal, another eggplant-based Middle Eastern dip.
Pomegranate molasses is available in specialty grocery stores, but making it at home is very easy and super-economical. Check out my recipe to make Homemade Pomegranate Molasses here.
Walnuts – Traditionally, walnuts are added to this dish. If walnuts are not available, you can add almonds or pecans. The nuts adds to the texture of the dip, along with adding a subtle, nutty flavor.
Greek Yogurt – Yogurt adds creaminess to this Middle Eastern dip.
Additional ingredients include lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. For extra flavor boost, add fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, etc. You can definitely increase the quantity of garlic if you are a garlic fan like me.
Pro Tips by Neha
Cooking the eggplant – Grilling the eggplant gives Baba Ganouj a very smoky flavor. You can grill it on a BBQ grill or on a stovetop. Put your grill rack over direct flame, cut a few gashes all over the whole eggplant (to prevent it from exploding from pressure), and grill it on all sides until it is tender inside. Keep rotating it while grilling.
If you do not have a grill or stovetop, you can also roast the eggplant in an oven. To make up for the grilled flavors, cut the eggplant in half and keep it cut side down on the baking tray. Bake for 30-40 minutes until it is very tender. The cut part will caramelize while roasting, giving it a slightly smoky flavor.
Once the eggplant is grilled or roasted, remove the charred skin and use the tender flesh to make the dip.
You can also cook it in an air fryer. Be sure to cut it into half to keep it from bursting in the fryer.
Mixing the dip – Traditionally, this dip was mixed using one’s fingers or a fork. It is supposed to be a little chunky with a texture to it. I personally like my dip creamy and smooth, and hence, I blitz it in my food processor. You can try both the variations to see which one suits you the best.
Seasoning – Eggplant has an inherent bitter taste, and salt reduces that bitterness. Be sure to salt it generously.
Pomegranate molasses – Pomegranate molasses is the ingredient that differentiates Baba Ganoush from other Middle Eastern dips. Having said that, skip it if it is difficult to buy. This dip will still taste delicious.
Smoked paprika – Add a little smoked paprika for extra-smoky flavor.
How to make Baba Ganoush
Start by cooking the eggplant. Wash the eggplant and wipe it using a kitchen towel. Cut 4-5 gashes around the eggplant using a sharp knife.
Grill the eggplant over an open flame on the stovetop on all sides until it is soft inside. Insert a knife to check whether it’s soft. If the knife gets no resistance while passing through, the eggplant is cooked. You can also grill it in a BBQ or roast it in an oven or an air fryer. I have mentioned the process below.
Remove the cooked eggplant and put it on a plate to let it cool completely. Peel the blackened skin using your fingers. Chop off the top part using a sharp knife.
Note – You can also cut the eggplant in half now and discard the seeds if there are many.
Add the eggplant, 2 tablespoon tahini, ¼ cup tomato, 2 tablespoon walnuts, 2 tablespoon lemon juice, 3-4 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoon Greek yogurt, salt to taste, 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon chili flakes, and 2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses to a blender and blend until smooth.
Note – To make it chunky, blitz the ingredients in a food processor 2-3 times. You can also use a fork to mix the ingredients.
Transfer the dip to the serving bowl and dribble some extra virgin olive oil over it. Garnish with chopped cilantro and pomegranate kernels. You can also sprinkle smoked paprika or red pepper flakes over it.
Serve at room temperature or chilled along with pita bread, nachos or veggie sticks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both Mutabbal and Baba Ganoush (or Baba Ghanouj) have the same base of grilled eggplant, but they differ slightly in the other ingredients that are used in the individual recipes.
While Mutabbal has only grilled eggplant, tahini, olive oil, and garlic, Baba Ganoush has chopped tomato and pomegranate molasses added to it.
The base of Baba Ghanouj is roasted eggplant while the base of hummus is cooked chickpeas. Hummus does not have pomegranate molasses as an ingredient while it is an important ingredient to make Baba Ganouj, as pomegranate molasses gives it a very peculiar flavor.
To make it vegan, skip the Greek yogurt in the recipe
Sometimes the tahini you are using is bitter. So be sure to taste it before making this dip. Another reason can be the use of an old or very large eggplant. Make sure you use fresh and small eggplant for the best taste.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the dip at room temperature or chilled.
Baba Ganoush is traditionally served as a dip along with Pita Bread, pita chips, or raw, crispy veggie sticks. You can also serve it with nachos or other chips.
You can also slather it on wraps and sandwiches. Sometimes, I make it a little thinner and use it as a salad dressing.
You can serve it alongside Falafel or even top your pizza with this versatile dip.
Storage Suggestions
Although Baba Ganoush tastes best when served fresh, it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Eggplant is a vegetable that doesn’t freeze well due to its porous, spongy flesh. If you try to freeze it, you will end up with mushy vegetables that taste bitter, once thawed.
But when it is combined with other ingredients, as in this Baba Ganoush recipe, it freezes well. The lemon juice used in this recipe helps to neutralize the bitterness of the eggplant and preserves its color when thawed.
There is one more trick to freezing it. Strain the dip before freezing. This will help in minimizing the formation of ice crystals.
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Recipe Card
Baba Ganoush Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound eggplant (choose 2 small instead of 1 large)
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- ¼ cup chopped tomato
- 2 tablespoons walnuts
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- salt (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (traditionally used but you can skip adding it)
- cilantro and pomegranate kernels for garnishing
Instructions
- Start by cooking the eggplant. Wash the eggplant and wipe it using a kitchen towel. Cut 4-5 gashes around the eggplant using a sharp knife.
- Grill the eggplant over an open flame on the stovetop on all sides until it is soft inside. Insert a knife to check whether it’s soft. If the knife gets no resistance while passing through, the eggplant is cooked. You can also grill it in a BBQ or roast it in an oven or an air fryer. I have mentioned the process below.
- Remove the cooked eggplant and put it on a plate to let it cool completely. Peel the blackened skin using your fingers. Chop off the top part using a sharp knife.
- Note – You can also cut the eggplant into half now and discard the seeds if there are many.
- Add the eggplant, 2 tablespoon tahini, ¼ cup tomato, 2 tablespoon walnuts, 2 tablespoon lemon juice, 3-4 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoon Greek yogurt, salt to taste, 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon chili flakes, and 2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Note – To make it chunky, blitz the ingredients in a food processor 2-3 times. You can also use a fork to mix the ingredients.
- Transfer the dip to the serving bowl and dribble some extra virgin olive oil over it. Garnish with chopped cilantro and pomegranate kernels. You can also sprinkle smoked paprika or red pepper flakes over it.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled along with pita bread, nachos or veggie sticks.
