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Baba Ganoush (Baba Ganouj) is a creamy and delicious, Levantine, vegan eggplant dip made with grilled, smoky eggplants, tahini, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Learn how to make this super easy and smoky baba ganoush recipe at home with this easy tutorial.
Last week I shared this easy Greek tzatziki sauce, and I had promised I had some Middle Eastern delicacies lined up. Here’s another one, today’s post is all about one of the most popular and tasty vegan eggplant dips- baba ganoush!
Are you a fan of eggplants? If yes, then you will love this tasty dip. And if you are not, you must definitely give this recipe a shot, you may just realize that eggplants aren’t that bad after all.
We love eggplants in all form, and I’ve also shared a couple of Indian eggplantrecipes on the blog such as,
- Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan
- Maharashtrian Bharli Vangi
- Bengali Doi Begun
- Goan Eggplant Pickle
As you see, there is no dearth of eggplant recipes in India. As you move across the country, you will be surprised to see the variety in eggplant preparations. This Middle Eastern baba ganouj or baba ghannouj is quite similar to the Indian dish baingan bharta. North Indian baingan bhartais more spiced as compared to Lebanese baba ganoush. In the state of Uttar Pradesh, the roasted eggplant is mixed with mustard oil, onion, garlic, cilantro, and pickle masala. Further down south in Goa, India, we just add some shredded coconut, onions, chilies, and cilantro to the roasted eggplant flesh.
Table of Contents
What is the meaning of baba ganoush?
The name of this dip comes from the Arabic phrase baba gannuj, where baba means “daddy or father” and gannuj stands for pampered, so to literally translate the meaning, it would be pampered father or pampered daddy 😀
Ingredients needed
The main ingredient in baba ganoush is roastedeggplant or brinjal/aubergines, of course, since this recipe is all about an eggplant dip.
You will also need tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt,andpepper.
I also like to prepare thisbaba ganoush with yogurt. The yogurt adds a nice creamy texture and also makes the color of the dip more visually appealing.
For aspicy baba ganoush, you could add some cayenne pepper. I remove a portion in a separate bowl for the kids, and add a pinch of cayenne pepper to ours, and mix it well. I also like to top it with additional cayenne.
How do you make this easy roasted eggplant dip?
To make baba ganoush –
Roast the eggplants:The authentic baba ganoush recipe calls for grilling eggplants. I am sure most of us don’t have access to a grill or are too lazy to set it up. Using a grill is the most ideal scenario for that true smoky flavor. However, the oven is a good alternative or better still roasting the eggplant over the stove-top if you don’t mind a little mess. Place the roasted eggplants in a bowl, and cover it. This makes it easier to peel the skin as it locks in moisture.
Peel the eggplants, and transfer the flesh on to a fine-mesh sieve or over a colander. You can get rid of some of the seeds if there are too many.
Drain the roasted eggplants as you don’t want a watery dip.
Mash the roasted eggplant flesh with the other ingredients, there is no need of using a food processor. Traditional baba ganoush is prepared using a fork or whisk to mash everything. If you want a smooth and creamy baba ganoush, go ahead and use a food processor or blender. We love achunky baba ganoush and so I’ve used the plain ol’ whisk to whip this up.
Infuse the smoky flavor if you used the oven for roasting: There are 2 ways you can go about doing this,
- Liquid smoke: Add a teaspoon or so of liquid smoke after you mash up everything.
- Dhungar method: This is a method I follow for most of my smoky North Indian dishes. Refer to the step by step instructions below for more details.
How does this dip taste?
The perfect baba ganoush should be smoky, creamy, thick, savory, and well balanced. The roasting really brings out the flavor of the eggplant. I roasted the garlic along with the eggplants (Refer pictures below for more on that). I usually use the same procedure for baingan bharta, so that’s what I like to do with this Middle Eastern aubergine dip too.
If you use raw garlic, definitely try and cut back on the amount mentioned, or else the entire dip will taste garlicky. But that is not the case with roasted garlic, it lends a nice sweet and mild, garlic flavor. So good!
Serving suggestions
Baba ganouj is a popular meze (starter) usually served with warm pita bread. Today, I simply served it with some pita chips.
You can also serve it as a dip on a crudites platter or along with some falafel and other accompaniments to enjoy a complete Middle Eastern meal.
It would also make an awesome sandwich spread!
What are you waiting for? Don’t forget to pick up some eggplants on your next trip to the grocery store, or better yet, a farmer’s market and make this really easy and healthy eggplant dip.You will enjoy the homemade version so much more than the store-bought one! If you own a grill, I totally envy you 😀 I insist you give this humble veggie dip a shot, it deserves to be enjoyed more often!
How to make smoky baba ganoush – Step by step instructions
Step 1: Preparing the eggplant
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Try and use a fresh eggplant. The older an eggplant is, the bitter it might taste. Wash the eggplant well, pat dry with a kitchen napkin. Make 3 vertical slits on the eggplant, and insert about 1 small garlic clove in each slit. Brush the eggplant with oil.
Step 2: Roasting eggplant for baba ganoush
Place the eggplant on a baking tray greased with oil. You may also use an aluminum foil greased with oil spray or oil for easier cleanup. Roast for about 50 mins to an hour or until a fork slides through the eggplant with no resistance.
Step 3: Removing the eggplant flesh
Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, remove the crown, and scoop out the eggplant flesh, try and remove as much of the skin as possible, a little is okay.
Step 4: Draining the eggplant
Transfer the eggplant flesh to a bowl lined with a colander or fine-mesh sieve. Leave it aside for 10-15 minutes. You should have about 1.5 cups of eggplant flesh.
Step 5: Mashing the eggplant flesh
Mash the flesh with a fork or whisk to break up the eggplant strings.
Step 6: Adding the rest of the ingredients
Add tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. Whisk everything well until pale and creamy.
Also add, yogurt and salt. Give everything a good mix. Check for seasoning and adjust with more salt. Add more tahini or lemon juice if required.
Step 7: Adding the smoky flavor
Make a well in the center of the bowl containing the dip.
Place a small metal bowl or a small makeshift bowl with aluminum foil.
Heat a piece of charcoal, and place it in the small bowl carefully with tongs. Drizzle some oil which will cause the charcoal to smoke. Cover the bowl immediately for about 5-10 minutes and let the smoky flavor infuse into the dip.
Caution: Just be sure to do this in an open area/away from the smoke detector, to avoid excess smoke from setting it off.
Step 8: Mix in fresh herbs
Add chopped cilantro or parsley, and mix well. Serve right away, transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle olive oil, toasted pine nuts, cayenne pepper, and pomegranate arils. Or store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 4-5 days.
Notes
- Oil-free baba ganoush: Make this an oil-free recipe by skipping out on the oil, however it may lack some of the authentic flavor.
- Baba ganoush without tahini: It is really easy to make tahini at home, I realized I should have posted that first, but I’ll share it in my coming posts. I made this dip with my very own homemade tahini, which just requires sesame seeds and olive oil. If you don’t want to splurge on a bottle for just a dip, (though there are so many ways you can use tahini), feel free to skip it. The main ingredient here is eggplant, and if you have that, it is more than enough.
- Try and use fresh eggplants. If the eggplant is old, the entire dip may taste bitter, If you are unsure about the freshness of the eggplant, cut it vertically into half, sprinkle a little salt, and let it sit in a colander. This will get rid of the bitter juices. Then pat dry, prick with a fork on the skin, and place on a baking tray cut side down. Bake as directed in the recipe, keep a check on the eggplant. You may skip roasting the garlic or make slits and add the garlic on the eggplant halves.
- If you do not want to roast the garlic, use only 1 or 2 raw garlic in the recipe.
- Feel free to adjust the quantities of tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil to suit your palate. It is better to start with less amount of tahini rather than adding more, or else it can overpower the delicate taste of the eggplant.
★ If you try this easy baba ganoush recipe, I would love to hear from you! I’d appreciate it if you could rate and leave a review below in the comments. Your reviews help others know the recipe better too. Feel free to share your feedback and suggestions at [emailprotected]. Thanks so much 🙂
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Baba Ganoush Recipe | Baba Ganouj
Freda Dias
Baba Ganoush (Baba Ganouj) is a creamy and delicious, Levantine, vegan eggplant dip made with grilled, smoky eggplants, tahini, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Learn how to make this super easy and smoky baba ganoush recipe at home with this easy tutorial.
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course Dips
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Servings 7 people
Calories 113 kcal
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants 2 lbs
- 6 to 8 garlic cloves, refer notes
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tbsp more to drizzle on top
- 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro or parsley
- 1 to 2 tbsp vegan yogurt, or regular yogurt (if not vegan), optional
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Try and use a fresh eggplant. The older an eggplant is, the bitter it might taste. Wash the eggplant well, pat dry with a kitchen napkin. Make 3 vertical slits on the eggplant, and insert about 1 small garlic clove in each slit. Brush the eggplant with oil.
Place the eggplant on a baking tray greased with oil. You may also use an aluminum foil greased with oil spray or oil for easier cleanup. Roast for about 50 mins to an hour or until a fork slides through the eggplant with no resistance.
Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, remove the crown, and scoop out the eggplant flesh, try and remove as much of the skin as possible, a little is okay.
Transfer the eggplant flesh to a bowl lined with a colander or fine-mesh sieve. Leave it aside for 10-15 minutes. You should have about 1.5 cups of eggplant flesh.
Mash the flesh with a fork or whisk to break up the eggplant strings.
Add tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. Whisk everything well until pale and creamy.
Also add, yogurt, and salt Give everything a good mix. Check for seasoning and adjust with more salt. Add more tahini or lemon juice if required.
Make a well in the center of the bowl containing the dip.
Place a small metal bowl or a small makeshift bowl with aluminum foil.
Heat a piece of charcoal, and place it in the small bowl carefully with tongs. Drizzle some oil which will cause the charcoal to smoke. Cover the bowl immediately for about 5-10 minutes and let the smoky flavor infuse into the dip.
Caution: Just be sure to do this in an open area/away from the smoke detector, to avoid excess smoke from setting it off.
Add chopped cilantro or parsley, and mix well. Serve right away, transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle olive oil, toasted pine nuts, cayenne pepper, and pomegranate arils. Or store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 4-5 days.
Notes
- Oil-free baba ganoush: Make this an oil-free recipe by skipping out on the oil, however it may lack some of the authentic flavor.
- Baba ganoush without tahini: It is really easy to make tahini at home, I realized I should have posted that first, but I'll share it in my coming posts. I made this dip with my very own homemade tahini, which just requires sesame seeds and olive oil. If you don't want to splurge on a bottle for just a dip, (though there are so many ways you can use tahini), feel free to skip it. The main ingredient here is eggplant, and if you have that, it is more than enough.
- Try and use fresh eggplants. If the eggplant is old, the entire dip may taste bitter, If you are unsure about the freshness of the eggplant, cut it vertically into half, sprinkle a little salt, and let it sit in a colander. This will get rid of the bitter juices. Then pat dry, prick with a fork on the skin and place on a baking tray cut side down. Bake as directed in the recipe, keep a check on the eggplant. You may skip roasting the garlic or make slits and add the garlic on the eggplant halves.
- If you do not want to roast the garlic, use only 1 or 2 raw garlic in the recipe.
- Feel free to adjust the quantities of tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil to suit your palate. It is better to start with less amount of tahini rather than adding more, or else it can overpower the delicate taste of the eggplant.
- Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25cupCalories: 113kcalCarbohydrates: 10.4gProtein: 2.7gFat: 7.8gSaturated Fat: 1.1gSodium: 180mgPotassium: 347mgFiber: 5.3gSugar: 4.2gCalcium: 40mgIron: 0.9mg
Keyword Baba Ganoush Recipe
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