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Easy Baba Ganoush Recipe – an addictive creamy dip loaded with sesame, garlic, and roasted eggplant.
Baba ganoush is one of my all time favorite easy dips – it is creamy, smoky, rich, and so delicious – plus it’s naturally low carb, and totally vegan! Serve this rich eggplant dip with pita, crackers, vegetables – or as a spread on flatbreads – for a delicious dip everyone loves.
Baba ganoush consists of roasted eggplant, olive oil, lemon juice, and often tahini (we love tahini and our version is loaded with it) – along with other herbs and spices.
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe – my goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
I want each reader to walk away with a solid knowledge of each recipe, with all of the tips I’ve gathered from extensive testing of each recipe. I also answer questions my friends and family have asked about my recipes, to help everyone better understand the processes we use – and why!
Table of contents
Easy Roasted Eggplant Dip
If you’re a big fan of hummus, the tahini and chickpea-based dip, you’re going to love Baba ganoush – which has a similar flavor, though we’re essentially swapping the chickpeas for roasted eggplant. Even if eggplant isn’t your favorite, this dip is FULL of flavor and completely addictive – it is a bit more rich and smoky tasting than hummus.
Like hummus, baba ganoush is adaptable – you can add in lots of your own flavors like paprika, smoked peppers (I’m partial to adding Aleppo pepper), herbs like dill or oregano, roasted red peppers or pine nuts, pesto – the sky is the limit. I’m personally partial to super garlicky baba ganouj, but garlic isn’t necessarily traditional.
Baba ganoush is a Levantine recipe meaning it comes from the Levant – the Eastern Mediterranean areas of Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Palestine – though it’s also well known in Turkey, Iraq, and Armenia.
There are different variations of baba ganoush based on the country you’re in – and like many ancient recipes, lots of countries claim the dish originated there – though many believe it was originally made in Egypt over a thousand years ago.
Like our tzatziki, keto naan/pita, halloumi, and tabbouleh, this recipe is great for a meze meal. Meze is a group of appetizer dishes (like tapas but Mediterranean) that make a meal.
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
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How Make Baba Ganoush
To make baba ganoush, you’ll need:
- Eggplants – eggplant (aubergine) is actually quite flavorless raw, as it’s spongy texture soaks up water and dilutes the flavor of the plant. Fun fact: eggplant is thought of as a vegetable – but it’s actually a berry!
- Tahini – tahini is a paste from ground sesame, which has a peanut-like flavor and rich, buttery texture.
- Lemon Juice – Lemon juice has a light, acidic flavor that helps bring a sweet kick and cut through the earthy flavor from
- Olive oil – olive oil’s neutral, lightly vegetal flavor is a perfect combination with eggplant, garlic, and tahini. The fat addition is crucial for this recipe, to keep it creamy, rich, and addictive.
- Garlic – garlic has a spicy, earthy flavor that compliments the eggplant flavor and ups the addictive factor!
- Cumin – cumin brings out a smoked flavor of the roasted eggplant – this is an optional garnish, but one we think accents the flavor nicely!
- Parsley – a parsley garnish brings a pop of color and flavor to baba ganoush that we love to add at the end when serving.
- Smoked Cumin or Aleppo pepper – I love to sprinkle a bit of smoked cumin or aleppo pepper in baba gnoush as a garnish for an extra kick of smoky and spicy flavors, which pull out the deep, earthy flavor of eggplant and counteract the acid from lemon.
Once we’ve gathered the ingredients, we will use the following method:
- Cut eggplant in half and roast it. This step is important to create a rich, earthy flavor by coaxing the eggplant to let off water and create some caramelization of the flesh for added flavor.
- Let eggplant cool, and remove skin. Eggplant skin is tough and chewy after roasting this way, and won’t add extra flavor, so we’re removing it before blending.
- Blend with other ingredients. You can mix by hand using a mortal and pestle, blend in a food processor until chunky, or finely blend in a blender depending on your preference and desired thickness. Some people like chunky baba ganoush, some people like it more paste-like (as pictured here) – it’s totally up to you. I honestly love it both ways and kind of end up just using whichever appliance I have close by.
- Serve – or chill, then serve! Baba ganoush can be served immediately, or stored in the refrigerator to let flavors come together and intensify. This is up to personal preference – and how far ahead you make your dip to when you want to serve it!
Tips to Perfect Baba Ganoush & FAQs
Roast eggplant. Baba ganoush gets its rich, delicious flavor primarily from eggplant that has been lightly roasted. Roasting the eggplant doesn’t only bring a better flavor – it helps to reduce the amount of water in your eggplant so the dip isn’t too runny and watery.
Make it Low Carb. Baba Ganoush is made of naturally keto ingredients – eggplant (which is high in fiber, and low in sugar), tahini, and olive oil. There are a few things to watch and consider when sticking to a strict keto diet to ensure you’re not messing up your macros. To keep your baba ganoush low carb, please note the following modifications:
- Make sure to buy a tahini that does not have any sugar added. Most don’t – but there are some that do add sugar and other flavor to tahini, and you absolutely do not want that for this recipe.
- Reduce garlic to 1-2 cloves.
- Reduce lemon juice by half.
While reducing garlic and lemon do take away some of the flavor, you can save 4 net carbs by adding a bit less.
Make it Chunky. Traditionally, baba ganoush would be smashed by hand and not a food processor – making it a bit chunkier. If you like a smooth, creamy dip like hummus, go ahead and whiz it until smooth – and if you like a bit more of a chunky texture, just whiz it enough to incorporate instead of pulverizing eggplant.
Recipe FAQs
This dip can be stored in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Baba Ganoush is fun to say – but the meaning comes from the mispronunciation of Arabic words in English.
Baba Ganoush is a misprounounciation of “baba” (daddy) and “ganouj” (spoiled) in Arabic – meaning “daddy is spoiled”.
The dish is said to spoil daddy with tons of delicious, creamy flavor!
Baba ganoush consists of roasted eggplant, olive oil, lemon juice, and often tahini (we love tahini and our version is loaded with it) – along with other herbs and spices.
We love dipping carrots, celery, pita bread, chips, bread, tortillas, bell peppers and other vegetables into baba ganoush – and even using it as a sandwich spread!
Other Easy Dips You’ll Love
If you’re looking for more delicious salsas, spreads, and dips, we’re sharing some of our favorites below!
We love our pesto hummus, Tito’s tacos salsa, and Easy Tabbouleh Recipe during since they are dairy-free and easy to whip up in an instant!
You can see our complete dip recipe archives here. If you’re looking for some knockout vegan or vegetarian dishes to serve alongside this dish, visit our vegan recipe archives here.
The Best Easy Baba Ganoush Recipe
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Easy Baba Ganoush Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized eggplants
- ¼ cup tahini
- juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- parsley, to garnish
- pinch of smoked cumin, to garnish
Instructions
- Cut eggplant in half.
- On grill (traditional method): Grill eggplant until lightly browned and size reduces, about 7 minutes per side.
- If in oven: roast in oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes – until it is reduced in size and browned.
- Let eggplant cool enough to be able to comfortably touch.
- Peel the purple eggplant skin off – it should easily peel off after roasting. Discard peel.
- Add eggplant and all other ingredients into food processor.
- Pulse until desired chunkiness.
- Add to bowl, and top with a pinch of smoked paprika, a drizzle of olive oil, and parsley.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
