How To Make Baba Ganoush (Middle Eastern Eggplant Dip)

Please Share This Post!

With our easy recipe, you can learn how to make Baba Ganoush, a Middle Eastern dip, very similar to hummus, except the star of the show is eggplant instead of chickpeas! Simply combine roasted eggplant, garlic, tahini, and lemon juice, to produce an exotic and flavorful dish.

How To Make Baba Ganoush

The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions; to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required, and to understand the steps and timings involved.

Baba ganoush, also known as a baba ghanoush, and baba ghanouj, is an eggplant (aubergine) dip originating in Lebanon, and is popular in the Eastern Mediterranean Levant region, which includes Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Syria, and parts of southern Turkey.

This dish is basically made with mashed roasted eggplant, olive oil, lemon juice, and various herbs and spices – which will likely depend on where in the Middle East you are.

In our recipe, tahini is added (which is quite common) and adds a nutty flavor to the smoky eggplant flesh. We’ve also used parsley to add a fresh aromatic taste.

Baba ganoush can be enjoyed as a dip served as part of a meze platter, or as a side dish for grilled chicken, meat, or fish, along with pita bread or flat bread.

You could also serve it up on a party buffet with crudités such as carrot sticks, cucumber slices, and radishes, as well as chips or crackers.

We finished the baba ganoush with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds on top which adds a pop of color and sweetness.

Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe

While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients (and equipment) needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.

It does not include staple ingredients such as oil, salt, and pepper, as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen already. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.

• Fresh Produce – Eggplants, Garlic, Lemons, Parsley, Pomegranate, Vegetable Crudités of choice, to serve.
• Tahini – a sesame seed paste.

Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).

More Recipes Using Eggplant

One of the hero ingredients in this dish is XXX, so here are some more recipes using the same:

• Georgian Ajapsandali – An Aubergine Stew with Pepper, Tomato and Bulgur
• Stuffed Eggplants with Pomegranate & Tahini (Vegetarian Recipe)
• Moussaka – A Low-Fat Version of a Greek Classic!

More Middle Eastern Recipes

Looking for more Middle Eastern dishes to make? Check these recipes out next:

• Chicken Shawarma with Rainbow Couscous
• Amazing Roasted Garlic Hummus Dip Recipe
• Moroccan Lamb Salad with Bulgar Wheat & Harissa Garlic Yogurt Dressing

How Do I Make Baba Ganoush?

Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.

Continue to Content

Baba Ganoush

Yield: 4-6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

With our easy recipe, you can learn how to make Baba Ganoush, a Middle Eastern dip, very similar to hummus, except the star of the show is eggplant instead of chickpeas!

Print

Ingredients

• 2 large Italian eggplants, cut in half lengthwise
• 4-5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• ¼ cup tahini
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 5 Tbsp quality extra virgin olive oil, divided
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 3 Tbsp pomegranate arils
• Vegetable crudités, to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
2. Arrange the eggplant halves cut side up and unpeeled garlic cloves on the prepared baking sheet without overcrowding and place in the oven. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender and appears to be collapsing. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
3. When cool enough to handle, gently scoop out the eggplant interior into a mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves to release the edible interior into the strainer, as well.  
4. Press down on the eggplant and garlic with the back of a large spoon to release as much liquid as possible. Remove the strainer and discard the liquid in the bowl. Wipe dry before adding the eggplant mixture to the same bowl.
5. Add the tahini, fresh lemon juice, parsley, and one-quarter cup olive oil to the bowl. Season generously with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir vigorously to combine.
6. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and garnish with the remaining olive oil and the pomegranate arils. Serve immediately with a selection of vegetable crudités and/or toasted pita or crackers, if desired. Enjoy!
   
   

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 264Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 70mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 8gSugar: 9gProtein: 5g

This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.

Did you make this recipe? Share it!

Tag @_ThePurplePumpkinBlog on Instagram with the hashtag #TPPBRecipes!

Make It A Full Meal

You’ve made the appetizer, but what about the rest of the courses?

Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a dinner party or special occasion:

• Soup: Authentic Greek-Cypriot Avgolemono – Egg Lemon Soup
• Salad: Fig and Roasted Fennel Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
• Main Dish: Grilled Greek Chicken Skewers (Chicken Kebabs for BBQ Season!)
• Side Dish: Cypriot Potato Salad
• Beverage: Refreshing Blackberry Iced Tea in the Instant Pot for Summer Tea Parties
• Dessert: Paris on Ice Greek-Cypriot Gelatin Dessert

There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.

Please Share This Post!