Baba Ganoush is a creamy eggplant dip that’s perfect for healthy snacking or for rounding out a big Mediterranean appetizer platter. Serve withStuffed Grape Leaves,Marinated Olives, andTabboulehfor an amazing spread.
Hummus gets all the popularity when it comes to Mediterranean dips, but I think Baba Ganoush is better.
My first time trying this glorious dip was at Daniel Boulud’s Mediterranean Restaurant Boulud Sud in NYC. It was served alongside a few other dips I had never heard of before, like Muhammara, which is another similar dip made with red bell peppers.
Every single one of the dips knocked my socks off, but particularly this glorious middle Eastern dip made with eggplant.
If you haven’t tried baba ganoush before, it’s time. It’s one of my “regulars” that I make every couple of weeks.
What is Baba Ganoush?
Sometimes spelled baba ghanoush or baba ghanouj, it’s a cooked eggplant dip originating from Lebanon, but enjoyed in the cuisines of many middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries.
This delicious dip is made primarily of roasted or grilled eggplant, accented in a similar way as hummus, with olive oil, tahini, lemon, spices, and herbs. But unlike hummus, you don’t need a food processor or any fancy equipment to make it!
It’s creamy, rich, smoky, and fresh, all while being compatible to pretty much any eating style. It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and full of healthy ingredients.
Tips for Best Results
Start with the right eggplant – You will want to purchase the Globe variety for this recipe, which is the classic large purple eggplant. Do not use thin Japanese eggplants here. Also, too often at the store the eggplants are already halfway rotting and soft. If this happens, abort mission and try again another day. They should feel very firm to the touch, and the outside should look unblemished. If they feel squishy or you notice any sunken spots, they are already turning bad.
Roast or grill the eggplant – The two best ways for cooking the eggplant are to either roast in the oven or cook on the grill. Roasting in the oven is more convenient, but grilling gives the dip a better flavor.
Allow ample time for the eggplant to drain – This is the most important secret for good baba ganoush. I’ll show you down below that a LOT of water will drain out of the eggplant, which is a good thing, because it makes the dip less watery and more intensely flavored.
Add a touch of smoked paprika – If you’re grilling the eggplant instead of roasting, this is unnecessary, but otherwise, I recommend adding a touch of smoked paprika. It’s an easy way to add a slightly smoky flavor.
Step by Step Overview:
Decide if you will roast the eggplant in the oven, on the grill, or on a gas stove.
My rule of thumb is that if I’ve got some grilling planned for some other meal, I’ll piggyback on the grill’s heat and cook some eggplant in there so I can make this dip.
But if I don’t have the grill going for something else, or if the weather is crummy, I just roast in the oven.
If you have a gas stove, you may also cook the whole eggplants directly over the flame until you get a deeply charred skin and soft interior flesh. This requires a lot more babysitting than the oven, though.
Roast the Eggplant in the Oven
To cook the eggplant, set the whole pieces directly on a sheet pan.
Roast for about an hour, until the eggplants are collapsed and the skin is very wrinkly.
You can see that when I push the flesh down with a spoon, it’s basically collapsed into nothing:
Side note: I don’t prick the eggplants with a fork. When roasting things like sweet potatoes, eggplants, or anything else with a whole skin around it, I think it cooks better when there aren’t breaks in the skin. I have never had any of these vegetables explode in the oven during cooking, but feel free to pierce the skins if you feel better about it.
Scoop Out the Insides from the Skin
Let the eggplant cool enough that you can handle it, then slit the skins with a sharp knife. Use a spoon to scoop out the insides:
Make sure to really scrape the skins well, removing as much eggplant flesh as possible.
Then, you’ll want to discard the remaining skins on the baking sheet:
Let the Eggplant Drain
Place the scooped eggplant in a fine meshed strainer, and let it drain for at least 15 minutes, but preferably 30-45 if you’ve got the time.
You’ll notice that a substantial amount of excess liquid will drain from the eggplant:
Discard this liquid. This is the secret to have a creamy dip that’s not watery.
Add the Flavorings
Place the drained eggplant in a large bowl, and add the remaining ingredients, which are extra virgin olive oil, sesame tahini, fresh lemon juice, fresh parsley, pressed garlic cloves, kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and ground cumin.
Stir everything together until it’s well mixed, then taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
What I love about NOT using a food processor or blender, is you can see that it’s smooth, with a creamy texture, but still has larger bits of eggplant. It’s perfect.
How to Serve It
It’s now ready to serve, and it tastes great at room temperature, or cold.
Pita bread (or pita chips) is in my opinion the best thing to serve it with, and my personal favorite pairing. But sometimes I’ll eat it with carrot sticks, sliced radishes, or cucumbers. Since there’s a lot of flavor in the dip, pairing with simple ingredients like cut vegetables or bread is best.
I also like this dolloped onto Zucchini Fritters or spread onto Sourdough Discard Flatbread.
If you want to make a big Mediterranean platter for feasting, you can add some Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, Chickpea Fritters, andTurkey Burgers with Feta.
Place in a serving bowl and garnish the top with extra fresh parsley for color, or with a few sesame seeds to echo the tahini paste in the dip. Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ:
How do you store leftover Baba Ganoush?
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can you freeze Baba Ganoush?
Since the eggplant is already cooked down, it fares okay in the freezer for 2 months, but in general I don’t recommend freezing this dish. It tastes best fresh.
Can you make Baba Ganoush ahead of time?
Absolutely! Though it will keep for 5 days, I recommend not making more than one day ahead, for the best flavor. Flavor starts to degrade as it ages.
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Baba Ganoush (Creamy Eggplant Dip)
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 1 hour hr
Baba Ganoush is a smoky, creamy eggplant dip that's great for healthy snacking. No fancy equipment required!
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Ingredients
- 3 lbs Globe eggplants (I had 3 medium)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 5 tbsp tahini
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves chopped
- 2 garlic cloves pressed (1 tsp pressed garlic)
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (if you grill the eggplant instead of roasting, you can use regular paprika)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
To cook the eggplant, you can either roast it in the oven or cook it on the grill. Roasting is more convenient, but grilling gives a better flavor. I usually only grill it when I'm grilling something else too.
To Roast: Preheat the oven to 450F. Place the whole eggplants on a sheet pan and roast for 55-60 minutes, until the eggplant has collapsed and the skin is very wrinkly (see blog post photo if necessary).
To Grill: Set the heat to around 450F. Place the whole eggplants directly on the grill grates and cover the grill with a lid. Let the eggplant cook for 50-60 minutes, until the eggplant has collapsed and the skin is very wrinkly.
Slit the skins open with a sharp knife and use a spoon to scrape all the insides out with a spoon. Make sure you really scrape right against the skin to get that eggplant as well, but try not to include any actual pieces of skin in the mix. Discard the skins.
Put the flesh into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, to allow the eggplant to drain, for at least 15 minutes. I like to do 30-45 minutes if I have the time.
Place the drained eggplant into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Toss well to distribute the flavors, then taste it and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Serve with pita bread or chips, carrots, sliced radish, or whatever else strikes your fancy. Keep leftovers stored in the fridge, for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
Notes
Storing leftovers: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing: This is so-so in the freezer, but not great. You can freeze for up to 2 months, but this dish definitely tastes best freshly made.
Selecting eggplants: Use the Globe variety, and choose pieces that are firm and unblemished. If they are squishy and sunken in spots, they are already going bad.
Nutrition
Calories: 275kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 397mg, Potassium: 417mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 327IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Author: Fifteen Spatulas
