This authentic baba ganoush recipe is a smoky Middle Eastern eggplant dip made with charred eggplant, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. Serve it with crisp raw veggies and pita bread for a healthy, flavorful snack.
Authentic Baba Ganoush Recipe
Baba ganoush is a Mediterranean eggplant dip that’s popular in many Middle Eastern countries. The smokiness comes from charring the eggplant, giving it wonderful flavor. The texture is creamy and perfect for scooping with pita bread, and it makes a great healthy appetizer or the perfect addition to a mezze platter. And just like hummus, it’s simple to make and the homemade version tastes so much better than store-bought!
Why This Baba Ganoush Is the Perfect Healthy Snack
This baba ganoush recipe is from Adeena Sussman’s cookbook, Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors from My Israeli Kitchen. I’m SO in love with her cookbook, I want to make everything in it! Out of all my cookbooks, it’s probably the one I find myself grabbing the most. I know you’ll love this recipe as much as I do!
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Made with healthy ingredients: The main ingredient is eggplant, which is low in calories and carbohydrates and high in fiber. It’s also a good source of vitamins and minerals like potassium and vitamin K. It’s lower in calories than hummus since it’s mostly made of eggplant instead of higher calorie chickpeas.
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A snack for everyone: Baba ganoush is vegan, low carb, and gluten-free, so it’s a great appetizer to make for a party. Everyone can enjoy!
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Deep, delicious flavors: This dip is smoky, garlicky, lemony, and complex thanks to the addition of tahini. This is one of those recipes where a simple list of ingredients adds up to something spectacular.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s everything you need to make homemade baba ganoush. See recipe card above for measurements.
- Eggplant: Look for eggplant that’s firm, not spongy, which means it’s fresher.
- Tahini, a savory, nutty sesame paste.
- Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed is best because the flavor is more vibrant.
- Extra virgin olive oil helps create a rich, silky texture. Add a drizzle on top before serving, too.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper to season.
- Garlic: Just enough to add some flavor without dominating.
- Parsley, for garnish.
How to Make Baba Ganoush
You’ll find the full instructions in the recipe card above.
- Cook the eggplant: You can either char it on your grill or broil it in the oven. For either method, cook the eggplant for 20-25 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Cook until the eggplant is slumped, and the skin is charred and blackened.
- Combine the other ingredients: Mix the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
- Add the eggplant: Peel the skin and discard it, remove the seeds with a fork, then chop the eggplant flesh by hand or use a food processor and then mix into the tahini mixture. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Serve: Transfer the baba ganoush to a serving bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and top with minced parsley.
Variations
- Add more layers of flavor: Sometimes I like to add ground cumin or fresh herbs for different flavor profiles.
- Make it tahini-free: You can make a mayonnaise version that Adeena says will convert you for life. Replace the tahini with 3 tablespoons of mayo, reduce the lemon juice to 1 tablespoon and reduce the olive oil to 1 tablespoon.
- Try mama ganoush: Swap the eggplant for an equal amount of zucchini. I love making this in the summer when I have zucchini from the garden to use up!
Authentic Baba Ganoush
Ingredients
- 2 pounds eggplant, 2 medium or 1 large
- 3 tablespoons tahini paste, check label for GF
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus optional more for serving
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small garlic clove, minced fine
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Pierce the eggplant all over with a knife. Char the eggplant on the grill or in the broiler. If charbroiling, place eggplant on a foil-lined baking sheet under the broiler.
- For the grill and broiler, cook for 20-25 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until the eggplant is charred and blackened.
- Let the eggplant cool. Then scoop the charred eggplant out of its skin and finely dice by hand or in a food processor. Discard the skin.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.
- Finely chop the eggplant or blend in a small blender or food processor, stir it into the tahini mixture, and season with more salt to taste.
- Chill for at least one hour to let the flavors meld. To serve transfer to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and fresh parsley.
Last Step:
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Notes
Nutrition
How I Like to Serve Baba Ghanoush
- Baba ghanoush is excellent with raw veggies like carrots, cucumber, and bell pepper.
- You can also eat it with pita bread, pita chips, or crackers.
- If you want a complete Middle Eastern meal, serve the baba ghanoush with Mediterranean Meatballs, Persian Turkey Kofta Kebabs, Air Fryer Falafel, or Grilled Chicken Shawarma.
Proper Storage
Refrigerate baba ganoush in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Stir it well before serving.
