Delicious creamy restaurant-style baba ganoush made with fire-roasted eggplants, garlic, lemon juice, tahini paste, and olive oil! This is a classic baba ganoush recipe that is sure to please everyone!
Smoky and ultra-satisfying homemade baba ganoush is the perfect roasted eggplant dip.
Please bring me a bowl of homemade pita chips because I’m about to get right into this deliciousness!
I don’t know what I should be mentioning first. Is it the fire-roasted eggplant that makes the whole house smell the right side of amazing or the downright garlicky, smoky flavor that homemade baba ghanoush is known for? The herbs, the cayenne pepper on top, the hint of olive oil, and a swoop of Greek Yogurt. It all just leads to absolute perfection.
Like my homemade hummus recipe, we’re sticking to a clean list of ingredients. Just authentic Lebanese-style baba ganoush and none of that randomly added stuff, please, and thank you.
The process is simple. You can roast the eggplant on a gas stove over an open flame or an outdoor grill, do it under the broiler in the oven, or bake it for an extended period.
Whatever method you choose, just make sure you make this baba ganoush recipe.
Ingredients for baba ganoush
- Eggplants: You’ll need two medium-sized eggplants in the ballpark of two pounds total. Give the eggplants a thorough washing before you prepare them on the gas burner or in the oven.
- Garlic cloves: You can use 2-4 clove garlic to really get in as much garlicky flavor as you’d like. Remember that we aren’t going to cook the garlic, and raw garlic adds a level of spiciness to appetizers and dressings. Use 4 with caution!
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: since we aren’t cooking with or baking with the oil, use a good quality extra virgin olive oil here, if possible. The olive oil flavor does shine through.
- Tahini Paste:Tahini paste is the backbone of many Middle Eastern recipes. Tahini is made from toasting and grounding sesame seeds and is used in tons of Middle Eastern cuisine. It’s also a key ingredient when you’re making extra smooth hummus.
- Lemon Juice: I use about a quarter cup of lemon juice and find it the perfect sweet spot for us; it’s bright and zingy without over-powering. Feel free to use a little more or a little less to make your preference.
- Seasonings: you’ll need kosher salt, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper to give the dip plenty of flavor. If you want to keep the heat to a minimum, feel free to swap the cayenne pepper for smoked paprika.
- Chopped Parsley: Just a handful of fresh parsley added into the dip at the end gives it a little bit more color.
- Something to serve with: You can use cucumber slices if you want to get in more veggies, but I also like homemade pita bread or my semi-homemade pita chips.
Making Homemade Roasted Eggplant Dip
- Roast it up. First, you want to give the eggplant the royal treatment. Give it a good rinse under clean running water. Then, if you have a gas stove and don’t mind making a little bit of a mess, roast the eggplant on the stove. It undoubtedly gives it the most delicious smoky flavor. Line the stove with foil so that it makes for easier cleanup. Hit play on good podcast, audiobook, or a playlist and be prepared to hunker down in front of the stove for a good 15-20 minutes. Rotate the eggplant over the open flame to get it to brown evenly. Char the skin, we’re only interested in the flesh anyway. If you didn’t want to do this, you can broil the oven or bake it as listed in the recipe directions.
- Peel and prepare. Once the eggplants are done cooking, you’ll want to peel off the skin and remove the flesh; that’s all we need for the recipe. Collect the flesh in a sieve and sprinkle the salt over the eggplants. Feel free to remove the core in the center with as many seeds as you can. Too many seeds can make your Baba Ganoush a bit bitter.
- Let’s make dip. Squeeze out any remaining water from the eggplant and set it aside for now. In the bowl of a food processor, run the tahini, minced garlic, and lemon juice together before you toss everything into the food processor. This gives the tahini a chance to loosen up a bit because the lemon juice and the garlic break down a bit more and release the flavor evenly in the dish. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until the dip reaches your desired texture.
- Plate it up.Spoon onto your serving dish and drizzle it with extra olive oil or pine nuts, fried in a bit of olive, and sprinkle with additional cayenne on top for more heat.
FAQs about this recipe
I wouldn’t say one is healthier than the other. Both appetizers have tons of nutrients and provide different nutritional values.
The word ‘baba’ is arabic means dad. The word ganoush means ‘spoiled’ or ‘pampered.’
It tastes smoky from the eggplants and ground cumin, garlicky from the garlic and loaded with a slightly chunky, pleasing texture.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- Homemade Shawarma
- Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum)
- Lebanese Fattoush Salad
- Meat Stuffed Pitas (Arayes)
- How to make Baklava
Smoky Baba Ganoush (Authentic)
Delicious creamy restaurant-style baba ganoush made with fire-roasted eggplants, garlic, lemon juice, tahini paste, and olive oil! This is a classic baba ganoush recipe that is sure to please everyone!
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants (~1 ¾ pounds)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons tahini paste
- 2-4 cloves garlic (to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin (or more to taste)
- 1 pinch cayenne (or more if you want it spicy)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- Prepared pita chips, for serving
Instructions
- PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF if you are baking the eggplant in the oven. See notes below for stovetop method. Line a metal baking sheet with foil. Place a wire baking rack on top, set aside.
- ROASTING EGGPLANTS: Pierce holes into the eggplant (about 1/4 inch deep or so) with a knife or fork. Spray eggplant with cooking spray, and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 65 minutes. Turn halfway through the cooking time. Check eggplant by piercing with a fork. If there is resistence, let them cook for longer (up to 90 minutes in total.) Remove from oven, place the eggplants in a bowl and cover with foil. Allow to steam in bowl for 20-25 minutes. This will help make it easier to peel.
- EGGPLANT: Remove the skin from the eggplants and collect the flesh in a sieve placed over a bowl. Discard skin. You can remove the center core if your eggplants have too many seeds as it may make your baba ganoush bitter. Sprinkle with salt. Give it a good mix and allow the eggplants to drain for at least 15 minutes. Squeeze out as much water as you can from the eggplants before blending, but do not rinse.
- PULSE: Combine the lemon juice, tahini paste, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Give it a few pulses until the tahini loosens up and the garlic is minced.
- FINISH: Add the drained eggplant, cumin, cayenne, and olive oil to the food processor and process to desired texture. Stir in the yogurt (if using) and parsley. Adjust seasonings to preference. Place baba ganoush in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap and allow to cool for at least 8 hours.
- SERVE: with homemade pita chips and veggies.
Notes
- Stove top eggplant broiling: You can cook the eggplant on a gas stove, if you don’t mind making a little bit of a mess. Line the stove with foil so that it makes for easier cleanup. Place the washed and dried eggplant on the grate of the stove and cook for 5 minutes or each side, over medium high heat, for a total of 15-20 minutes. Rotate the eggplant over the open flame to get it to brown evenly. Char the skin, we’re only interested in the flesh anyway! You can then pick up the recipe from step #3.