Baba ganoush, an amazing roasted eggplant dip, is so simple to make. Serve with vegetables, sliced bread or baked pita chips. Jump to the Easy Baba Ganoush Recipe or watch our quick recipe video showing you how we make it.
Whenever we’re at a restaurant that serves baba ganoush, we just have to order it. Not only is it one of our absolute favorite things to order at a restaurant, it’s easy to make, too. Simply roast whole eggplants and let them cool. Then, mix with a combination of tahini (sesame paste), lemon juice, garlic and other flavors. It’s divine.
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Making Baba Ganoush at Home is Easy with These Tips
Making this recipe at home is easy, just keep these tips in mind.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Try making homemade hummus. Take a look at our Better Than Store-Bought Hummus Recipe. Or, check out our Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.
Don’t Skip the Tahini
Tahini is a sesame seed paste with a consistency similar to almond or peanut butter. You’ll often find it used in hummus, salad dressings and dips. It can be found in most grocery stores. Just look near the international or Mediterranean foods and we bet you’ll find it. You can also buy it online.
Did you know you can make tahini at home? It’s very simple and lasts up to a month in your refrigerator. Here’s our recipe for making enough tahini for two batches of our hummus: Quick and Easy Tahini Recipe.
If you’re not a fan of tahini, try reducing the amount called for in the recipe — use 2 tablespoons instead of a 1/4 cup.
For a Smoky Flavor, Lightly Char the Skins
You’ll notice in the recipe below that we ask you to turn the broiler on. This is so we can lightly char the outsides of the eggplant, adding a smoky flavor. After 5 minutes or so, we switch the oven from broil to bake and continue to roast the eggplants until softened. See how soft the flesh gets after roasting?
Make a Double Batch
One of the best (and most annoying) things about baba ganoush is that while it tastes great right after making, it tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge.
We just do not have patience to wait that long and it’s unlikely there will be any leftover for us to save after making just one batch. So we make two. This way, we get the benefit of time, but still get to enjoy a whole batch the same day we make it.
Recipe updated, originally posted October 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear and added a quick recipe video. – Adam and Joanne
Baba Ganoush Recipe - Amazing Roasted Eggplant Dip
- PREP
This is best left rustic with some texture. Because of this, simply mashing and stirring with a fork is all that’s needed. You can make this in a food processor or blender. Be careful, though. It will become much smoother. Baba ganoush gets even better after a day or two in the refrigerator, so this is perfect for making ahead!
You Will Need
2 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds or 900 grams)
1/4 cup (60 ml) tahini, see our homemade tahini recipe
1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice
2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely minced (see note)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon olive oil, optional
Directions
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and turn broiler on (high heat). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Place eggplants onto the baking sheet and prick in several places using a fork. This helps steam escape while the eggplants roast. Broil eggplants 2 minutes on all sides. The skin will darken a little and begin to smell smoky, adding lots of flavor to the dip.
Turn broiler off, but do not remove eggplants from the oven. Heat oven to 375 degrees F, and then roast eggplants until very soft; 25 to 30 minutes. Cool 10 to 15 minutes until easily handled.
Meanwhile, combine tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and the salt in a medium bowl. Set aside so the flavors meld.
Split the roasted eggplants, drain excess liquid, scrape out the flesh and add to the tahini mixture. (Discard excess liquid and skins). Mash eggplant into tahini mixture with a fork until somewhat smooth with some texture remaining. Cool to room temperature then stir in parsley and drizzle the top with olive oil. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 5 days.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Garlic: We enjoy the extra kick garlic gives here. The tahini stands up very well to the garlic. If you’re not sure you want to use three cloves, reduce it to two or even one clove.
- Tahini: Tahini is a paste make from ground sesame seeds. You can find jars sold in most grocery stores. Look where international foods are sold. You can also buy it online or easily make tahini at home yourself.
- How to Make Baked Pita Chips: Cut 2 to 3 pitas into wedges. Add to a baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree F oven until lightly browned and crisp; 7 to 10 minutes.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.
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Very yummy, I sprinkled some cayenne pepper and added a little more olive oil. I also Broiled the eggplant so it would cook faster.
Made this last night and we were not impressed. Definitely not the roaster burst of flavors you get in this dish.
So good, so yummy! So Garlicky! I’m very pleased with the results. Put it I’m my food processor for a few pulses, so creamy. Hey I can make this, you made my First attempt a success. But unfortunately it’s already gone.. Until next time.,
Made this today and the first batch of eggplant was rotten inside. Explains why it never really softened as much as it should have even after 20 extra minutes of roasting. (Should have suspected something was up!) The second attempt worked like a charm and replicated the online photos/video. Personally I will cut back on the cumin as it is seems to overpower all the other flavors. 3 cloves of garlic is just perfect. Next time I may try roasting the garlic just to see how it changes the flavors. Thanks for a super simple recipe (tahini too, which is delicious and easy as well) once I got past the icky eggplant. Definitely use super FRESH eggplant (shiny, no brown spots, heavy, and when depressed it springs back)