A smooth and luxurious whip of a dip, Baba Ganoush is a creamy, no cream, vegan-friendly dish made from smoky charred eggplant and sesame tahini. Serve as a low-prep starter or side at your Middle Eastern-inspired table.
Baba Ganoush and falafel are a match made in Middle Eastern heaven, try it with my Falafel Salad Bowl for a meat-free meal.
For me, there is something very nostalgic about eggplants or aubergines as they are called in the UK, and in particular eggplant dips.
My appreciation of the purple vegetable stems from childhood when my mother would make a Russian recipe known as eggplant caviar. If you prefer your eggplant with tomato, this is definitely one to try.
What is Baba Ganoush?
In Arabic, Baba Ganoush means “spoiled daddy” and once you’ve tasted this opulent eggplant dish, you’ll get why “daddy” was “spoiled”. Not that it should be reserved for the head of the household only! This roasted and charred eggplant dip was designed to be shared.
Blended with tahini, lemon and garlic, Baba Ganoush is served as a stand alone dip, or one of a selection on a mezze platter.
Although it’s commonly known by its Arabic name, I recently enjoyed this dish in Israel and the chances are if you’ve visited Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt or Iran you will have been served the same dish under another name. There is so much eggplant love in that part of the world!
Baba Ganoush vs hummus
In a battle of Levantine dips who will be the victor and take their place at the table? Let’s compare:
- Both Arabic in name and origin.
- Both vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free.
- Both creamy, no cream dips that are easy to prepare.
- Both at home as a starter, snack or side.
- Both exquisitely delicious and moreish.
However:
- Hummus is a heavy-hitter in the protein stakes.
- The big BG is lower in cals.
But do we really have to choose? There’s room on the mezze platter for the two, wouldn’t you say?
How to serve it
It’s not called a dip for nothing! Our favourites are warm flatbread, tortilla chips or crudités for dunking into this cool customer. Try rice cakes if you’re gluten free, or breadsticks if you’re on-the-go.
As well as a dip it’s a spread; alone on crusty bread, with chicken or bacon in sandwiches or wraps, even on burger buns with a juicy lamb burger. It’s a condiment, for grilled meats like chicken souvlaki. An accompaniment for roasted vegetables or a salad bowl. It’s the vegetable sauce that keeps on giving.
Recipe tips and notes
- Baba Ganoush is instantly recognisable by its smoky tones. But unless it’s barbecue season, you’re probably not working with open flames, so using your oven is a sneaky cook’s hack. I put my eggplants under the grill (oven broiler (US)) to blacken the skin and achieve the same soft-centred texture.
- Not enough smoke factor? A touch of smoked paprika will kick it up a notch.
- A perfectly roasted eggplant can be tricky to achieve. Be vigilant in turning your vegetable! You want a consistently smooth flesh, no spongy sections! Look out for skin that is charred and collapsed all over before taking it off the flame.
- Buying tahini can be hit and miss. Some are cheap and chalky, while others are honey-runny and glossy. Guess which one you need?? My hummus with za’atar roasted chickpea topping blog post will give you the inside scoop on choosing a good one.
- Depending on how you like your eggplant dip, you might or might not need a food processor. For a more authentic dip texturised with aubergine strips, mix the ingredients by hand. For a smoother spread, use the pulse setting on your blender.
Storage and leftovers
Get ahead of your mezze game by prepping this in advance. Not only will it keep well in an airtight container for up to 4 days, the flavours will meld and develop taking it up a level in garlicky intensity.
More Middle Eastern recipes to try:
Smoky Baba Ganoush with Sumac
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants medium
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ lemon juice of
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste
- ½ tsp sumac
Instructions
- Prick the eggplants with a fork all over and place on a baking sheet, then arrange it on the top level of the oven approximately 6 inches away from the element. Broil the eggplants until the skin is charred, about 20 minutes on one side, then turn them over and cook for 10-15 minutes longer or until the skin is charred and the flesh has collapsed.
- Peel the eggplants and put the flesh in the food processor together with garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice, tahini, olive oil and salt. Pulse until smooth, taste and add more salt if needed. Alternatively you can simply chop up the peeled eggplant, then mix with the remaining ingredients for a chunkier baba ganoush.
- Serve sprinkled with more olive oil and sumac.